Vauxhall Vectra ECU Replacement
Ian Jones
The ECU has developed a fault, and it has been identified (by a
trusted source) that it needs to be replaced.
The ECU details are as follows:
Engine code: X18 XE1
ECU GM part No: 90 569 370
A new ECU will cost upwards of £560+ VAT.
I can obtain an ECU of the exact type from a breakers yard for £60
+VAT, but the Vauxhall delearship are tellling me that to fit an ECU
which has been used before, I need to know the VIN or registration
code of that vehicle that it came from, so that the dealer can get the
immobiliser code from Vauxhall.
They can then use the Tech2 system to reset the replacement ECU and
code it to my car.
The problem is that the only ECU's I can find from the breakers, do
not come with any vehicle history, because the vehicles have all be
de-identified (no VIN or Reg). So I can get an ECU from anywhere
which has been cleared or has the originating vehicles details with
it.
Please can anyone help? Is this true that Vauxhalll cannot just
recode any old ECU, regarless of where it is from? Is there anyway
around this, or do I have to buy a factory reconditioned, or even
worse, a new ECU which has been cleared?
Does anyone know of anywhere that can clear the ECU security? If not,
anywhere I can get an ECU which has been cleared already?
I live in West Yorkshire, so anywhere local would be ideal, but I am
prepared to travel.
Any help greatfully received....
Ian
Tim (Remove NOSPAM.
"Ian Jones" <jon...@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote in message
news:ka2550piiifhih5k5...@4ax.com...
> I have a Vauxhall Vectra 1.8 LS (2000/X)
>
> The ECU has developed a fault, and it has been identified (by a
> trusted source) that it needs to be replaced.
What exactly is the fault with the ECU please? These bosch units are *very*
reliable, and only careless fiddling or a wiring short will tend to pop
them- in which case they tend not to work at all.
> I can obtain an ECU of the exact type from a breakers yard for £60
> +VAT, but the Vauxhall delearship are tellling me that to fit an ECU
> which has been used before, I need to know the VIN or registration
> code of that vehicle that it came from, so that the dealer can get the
> immobiliser code from Vauxhall.
This is quite correct- you seem to have stumbled on an open and honest GM
dealer (!)
>
> The problem is that the only ECU's I can find from the breakers, do
> not come with any vehicle history, because the vehicles have all be
> de-identified (no VIN or Reg). So I can get an ECU from anywhere
> which has been cleared or has the originating vehicles details with
> it.
The alternative with a unidentified ECU from eg a breakers yard,- its to get
it along with one (both preferably) ignition keys, ignition lock barrel, and
the door barrels (or have new ones assembled to fit the original key). This
way the ECU thinks its still attached to the original car. It would work
oout cheaper than a new ECU just- but is probably not feasible!
>
> Please can anyone help? Is this true that Vauxhalll cannot just
> recode any old ECU, regarless of where it is from? Is there anyway
> around this, or do I have to buy a factory reconditioned, or even
> worse, a new ECU which has been cleared?
Have you tried ATP electronics? They have a website and are usually very
helpful.
> Does anyone know of anywhere that can clear the ECU security? If not,
> anywhere I can get an ECU which has been cleared already?
Believe me its not that simple- else every theive would be at it, and making
a mockery of the security systems manufacturers spend millions on
developing!!
Tim..
Ian Jones
Thanks for the info - it is very useful.
The ECU on my vehicle is a Siemens unit (about 4" square, by 1/2"
deep), which bolts on the side of the engine.
My mechanic has been in touch with Vauxhall technical, and the guy
there reckons that quite a few of these units have started to go
lately. He has been inundated with calls. Perhaps it is a major
fault on this model?
The exact fault is that the MAF and air intake temp sensor
intermittantly read 5.1volts, as if there is a common earth break on
both units (the wiring diagram shows they share the same earth). MAF
has been replaced and this did not fix it. We then checked the
wiring, and that proved to be ok. It has to be the ECU.
I can replicate the fault by pressing on the ECU near the wiring plug
for the sensors. The problem is worse when the engine is hot, and has
been running for a while, which suggests a bad contact within the ECU.
Only problem is, the ECU is sealed, and so far no one I have contacted
is able to repair this model. I have e-mailed ATP, and I'll see what
they say.
But thanks for the advise - much appreciated.
Many thanks
Ian
JK
supply with keys,barrel as required.
JK
"Ian Jones" <jon...@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote in message
news:ka2550piiifhih5k5...@4ax.com...
Ian Jones
Why do you need the VIN? Do you not just need to know the engine code
and GM part no?
Last question - where is the immobiliser? Is it built into the ECU?
On Sat, 13 Mar 2004 10:16:02 -0000, "JK" <jonkil...@esatclear.ie>
wrote:
DP
In your situation I would ask the scrap yard if you can take the part back
if it doesn't solve your problem, then pay the £60 and plug it in.
Also I've come across a few people who blame the ECU whenever they can't
find the source of a problem.
What is going wrong?
Ian Jones
runs in limp home mode (really rich), and periodically there is a loss
of power and the car will judder.
I have a friend with an engine management fault code reader, which
identified the fault as being the mass airflow sensor. Having
initially thought the problem was with the mass airflow sensor or
wiring, it has been determined that the fault is within the ECU
itself. This can be seen by pressing on the wiring plug for the
sensors, when the MAF shows a constant +5.1 vaults, as does the intake
airflow temp sensor. Typically this would be due to a broken common
earth, but the wiring and sensor are not at fault. It has to be a
fault within the unit itself. It gets wrse when the engine is hot and
the car has been running for a while.
Only problem is, if I do swap the ECU, will the old one still work if
I need to plug it back in, or will the car lock it out? I could be
left with a car that I cannot use until I buy a brand new unit.
I'd like to know where the immobiliser is. Is it within the ECU
itself, or the ignition?
Anthony Britt
" Tim (Remove NOSPAM." <the....@NOSPAMbtinternet.com> wrote in message
news:c2uj1q$oes$1...@hercules.btinternet.com...
>
> "Ian Jones" <jon...@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote in message
> news:ka2550piiifhih5k5...@4ax.com...
> > I have a Vauxhall Vectra 1.8 LS (2000/X)
> >
> > The ECU has developed a fault, and it has been identified (by a
> > trusted source) that it needs to be replaced.
>
> What exactly is the fault with the ECU please? These bosch units are
*very*
> reliable, and only careless fiddling or a wiring short will tend to pop
> them- in which case they tend not to work at all.
>
> > I can obtain an ECU of the exact type from a breakers yard for £60
> > +VAT, but the Vauxhall delearship are tellling me that to fit an ECU
> > which has been used before, I need to know the VIN or registration
> > code of that vehicle that it came from, so that the dealer can get the
> > immobiliser code from Vauxhall.
>
> This is quite correct- you seem to have stumbled on an open and honest GM
> dealer (!)
>
That is not quite correct. The only part of the engine management system
that has a permanent code is the immobiliser ECU. The engine ECU can be
freely moved from one vehicle to another, the new ECU being coded to the
existing immobiliser ECU. The VIN number in the engine ECU can be
reprogrammed with the Vx TECH2 tester once the rest of the programming has
been completed.
HTH
Anthony
Remove eight from email to reply.
Dave Plowman
Ian Jones <jon...@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:
> This can be seen by pressing on the wiring plug for the
> sensors, when the MAF shows a constant +5.1 vaults, as does the intake
> airflow temp sensor. Typically this would be due to a broken common
> earth, but the wiring and sensor are not at fault.
Most sensors have 5 volts going in, and variable out. How are you checking
it?
--
*According to my calculations, the problem doesn't exist.
Dave Plowman dave....@argonet.co.uk London SW 12
RIP Acorn
Tim (Remove NOSPAM.
> The engine management light comes on the dash frequently, the car then
> runs in limp home mode (really rich), and periodically there is a loss
> of power and the car will judder.
>
> I have a friend with an engine management fault code reader, which
> identified the fault as being the mass airflow sensor. Having
> initially thought the problem was with the mass airflow sensor or
> wiring, it has been determined that the fault is within the ECU
> itself. This can be seen by pressing on the wiring plug for the
> sensors, when the MAF shows a constant +5.1 vaults, as does the intake
Hang on, most engine sensors, MAF, CTS, ATS etc are designed to run on +5v
from the ECU and supply back a varying figure from 0 upto ~4.5v depending on
temperature / load.
Can you please clearify what / where you are measuring...
Tim..
Ian Jones
So, just to clarify. On my model of Vectra, there are 2 ECU's.
1) The immobiliser ECU
2) The engine management ECU
Where is the immobiliser ECU?
So basically, I can remove the engine ECU, replace it with one from
the breakers yard, and simply input the VIN (or rather the Vauxhall
dealership can using the Tech2 system) into the new engine management
ECU?
Problem solved?
On Sun, 14 Mar 2004 13:00:49 GMT, "Anthony Britt" <anto...@8msn.com>
wrote:
Ian Jones
I'm no expert on teh subject, but my mechanic has a snap-on engine
management fault code reader.
The sensors usually read about 1 volt. When the error occurs, they
stick at 5.1 volts. This can be seen on the LCD display.
Does that make sense?
Ian Jones
This is a copy of what I sent to Dave....
I'm no expert on the subject, but my mechanic has a snap-on engine
management fault code reader.
The sensors usually read about 1 volt. When the error occurs, they
stick at 5.1 volts. This can be seen on the LCD display.
This can be replicated by pressing on the ECU itself.
Does that make sense?
Tim (Remove NOSPAM.
> Hi Tim
>
> This is a copy of what I sent to Dave....
>
> I'm no expert on the subject, but my mechanic has a snap-on engine
> management fault code reader.
>
> The sensors usually read about 1 volt. When the error occurs, they
> stick at 5.1 volts. This can be seen on the LCD display.
>
> This can be replicated by pressing on the ECU itself.
>
ecu. Did you give ATP a go?
Tim..
Ian Jones
They have not got any stock of my ECU, so they have to do a repair.
It's £150 for a replacement, but £240 to repair an existing one. I
have no choice other than to go for the more expensive option.
gona...@gmail.com
gona...@gmail.com
Tim+
message" part of your coursework.
Just a shame that you've failed the "How to read dates" section.
Must try harder.
C-
Tim
MrCheerful
will appear.
Graham J
> I have this hope that one day a question on carbide lamp maintenance
> will appear.
newsgroup.
--
Graham J
MrCheerful
'The non glare car light'
Dave Plowman (News)
> On Saturday, March 13, 2004 at 4:21:15 AM UTC, Ian Jones wrote:
> > I have a Vauxhall Vectra 1.8 LS (2000/X)
--
*Why is the word abbreviation so long?
Dave Plowman da...@davenoise.co.uk London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.
MrCheerful
> In article <ca763baa-fa9b-4147...@googlegroups.com>,
> <gona...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> On Saturday, March 13, 2004 at 4:21:15 AM UTC, Ian Jones wrote:
>>> I have a Vauxhall Vectra 1.8 LS (2000/X)
>
> Not to worry. It will have gone to scrap years ago.
>
offered 90 quid for it. I was a little surprised that the rear wiper
arm was already obselete, but the breakers had loads.
Dave Plowman (News)
rare on the road.
--
*How do you tell when you run out of invisible ink? *
George
> On 17/02/2016 15:29, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
>> In article <ca763baa-fa9b-4147...@googlegroups.com>,
>> <gona...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> On Saturday, March 13, 2004 at 4:21:15 AM UTC, Ian Jones wrote:
>>>> I have a Vauxhall Vectra 1.8 LS (2000/X)
>>
>> Not to worry. It will have gone to scrap years ago.
>>
>
> my sister's one is still running well, about 12 years ago webuyanycar
> offered 90 quid for it.
MrCheerful
and takes 5 people and masses of luggage, so it is really cheap
motoring, by any standards.
Mike Tomlinson
<g.odon...@yahoo.co.uk> escribió:
>They were used on all types of vehicles, the Bleriot type was called
>'The non glare car light'
I'll get my coat.
--
(\_/)
(='.'=) Bunny says: Windows 10? Nein danke!
(")_(")
damdu...@yahoo.co.uk
wrote:
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obtain since one of the main manufactures Petzl stopped making them.
The rapid development of LED has made them obsolete , so fast that
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the post did not help and stockists of that are fewer now.
One advantage they still retain over LED is as an emergency handwarmer
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G.Harman