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Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) ECM Failure

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2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission trading 4.1 gear for 3.54

Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) Oil Tube

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Anyone have there ECM Die or is it just RNR and Me ?????



We are trying to figger out what we can change to keep the next one from dieing



we have already went threw our trucks bumper to bumper and told each other anything we did that most people would likly do it diffrent so far we have a few and we have agreed that we will add additional mods to do it diffrent... .



so far they are



1. -RUN A NEG wire from the batter back to the Pusher Ground and attach both the NEG pusher wire and the Battery NEG wire to the frame on the same Self Tapping Screw.



2. - Move the Comp POS. to a diffrent fuse other than the same fuse that we power our gauges from



3. - Not re-soldering the pump wire ... I have found fansy 2 pin wire taps that we will use ... I mailed RNR's his today



just about every other bomb we have done is the same way everyone else does it



I also questioned how often he used the BOTTOM BLASTER and he said very often ... SAME AS ME so Im going to start doing it the hard way again and save some $$$ in the mean time.



Im not saying any of this has anything to do with a DEAD ECM all Im saying is these are the UN-ORINGIAL things we done the same so to just give a shot in the dark ... with our new ECM's were going to do them diffrent



Any information on DEAD ECM's would be great



My last mod before my ECm died ... ..... CAB LIGHTS



When my ECM was going south I turned my comp OFF then it died completly ... when RNR turned his Comp on his ECM Died ... so just to be safe both of our COMPS are in utah getting updated and gone over as well as all the comp wiring ... EDGE Requsted that we send in our wiring so they can check for shorts ..... RNR's is a drag comp ... mine is just a COMP-COMP



DM
 
Im also courious ...



has anyone had there stock Dead ECm reflashed by Marco with a Catcher program .....



Did it work ??? ... and for How Long ????



Would I be better off getting a reflash $499 or a Whole Catcher $815 ????



A stock is $800 so the $815 catcher is still a deal IMO



DM
 
This is certainly a strange situation, and an unusually quiet TDR crowd I might add. I hate that this happened to DM, but really glad to have someone to compare notes and confirm sanity with. DM has been awesome in sharing info, asking questions, and offering potential solutions. Thanks you very much for your support!!! I hope we figure this out real soon.



On a side note, a TDR member from far away sent me an ECM to test with and borrow until mine is restored. I am very grateful to this person for extending this extraordinary level of trust to me, someone he does not know personally. I now refer to him as my new best friend in his area of the USA. This action of kindness really helps rejuvenate faith in mankind. This person's generosity plus DM's active communication and more, truly speaks volumes for the brotherhood associated with being a TDR member. Although I have had many positive experiences with people met through the TDR, these two are seriously "top shelf"! Annual membership is certainly a no brainer... .



ECM perplexed in MI,

Bill
 
possible lead

I found this off a BIG RIG CUMMINS SITE



its about ECM failure and Why basically.....



what to prevent future failure and why did it fail



kind of interesting but I have no idea what applys to our trucks need help... ...



Decifer Please !!!!!



1. Replace Your Fuel Solenoid Located on Top of Your Fuel Pump & Check Your Batteries/Cables

For Low Voltage, Dead Cells or Broken Internal Plates, That Could Short Out Your ECM!

Why? 95%) of the time, this component will short out the ECM even if it opens

correctly. Damage occurs when a electrical spike is sent back into the ECM,

when you shut off your engine. This solenoid is only $65, will worth the money!

2. Check the resistance in all 6 of your injectors to make sure that you don't have

any high variance in resistance between all 6 injectors. Please note that open

or closed circuit (Shorting Out To Ground) will short out you ECM.

Why? 75%) of the time, this component will short out the ECM from over heating

the ECM Driver that controls the firing of that particular injector.

3. Check your injector wiring harness also for shorts

Why? 50%) of the time, this component will short out the ECM from over heating

the ECM Driver that controls the firing of that particular injector.

4. Check the two 15/20 amp fuses located in the harness between the ECM and

your firewall.

Why? 50%) of the time, these fuses will be blown when a short occurs in your wiring

or the ECM fails internally.

5. Check the TPS sensor (located under your accelerator pedal) if you are experiencing

a loss of throttle some times.

Why? 35%) of the time, this component will short out the ECM from over heating

the ECM Driver that controls the TPS or (throttle pedal/positioning sensor) circuit.

6. Check all ground cables for corrosion and all positive cable for shorting out to something

metal on the engine or truck. Also add a extra ground cable from the ECM to the engine and check

the ground cable

from the starter to the engine block. Note the EPS Sensor, TPS Sensor & Fuel Solenoid have the

highest fail rate.

Why? 35%) of the time, this condition will short out the ECM from to low or high of voltage.





Thanks

DM
 
none of those--have you checked to see if you have any pins that are bent in the wiring plug---in case you didn't know it the ECM doesn't have to be bolted to the engind to work--you can wire tie it up to test new or used ECM's----chris
 
Both of our trucks are running on stock loaners at this time.



and yes I had 2 ecm's under my hood today stock loaner bolted & Bills sour cather hung and there is a debate that the ECM uses the motor as a ground so some say you have to bolt it up... . BOB said it didnt matter so I didnt ...



as for 100% fact I would be willing to say Im not Sure



DM
 
it doesn't have to be bolted---Marco tests some of his ECM's by plugging them into his truck--he has his wire tied up and has for some time--chris
 
thats what bob said



but



maybe the wire ties are grounding it out ...



if you said ZIP ties then maybe you would be right about them not having to be grounded.



just kidding on that part ... . LOL



DM



I wouldnt say none of those things apply to our trucks ... the bad batteriers ,,,ground ect is a possibillity since all of our codes for LOW VOLTAGE was on the same GROUNDING terminal in the ECM.



Here are the codes I had :



P1295 APP Sens. Suppy Voltage Low

P0606 EMC FAILURE

P1488 Aux. 5 Volt Output too low

P0112 1 AT Sencer Circuit Low Voltage

P0342 Cam Pos. Sensor Circuit Low Voltage

P0237 Map Low Voltage

P0562 Charging Sysytem Voltage Too Low

P0217 Decrased Engine Performance Engine Over Heat

P1693 Companion Module

P0606 ECM/PCM Processor

P0122 TPS Sensor A Circut Low Input

P0117 Eng Coolant Tmep Snsor Curcuit Low Temp
 
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One of the oddities is that both ECMs failed, but the loaners are working fine. My reflashed unit worked on a test truck, and failed within a minute of re-installing back on my truck, but once again the loaner is working fine.



3. Check your injector wiring harness also for shorts

Why? 50%) of the time, this component will short out the ECM from over heating the ECM Driver that controls the firing of that particular injector.



If there is a problem with the VP circuit board, the ECM could overheat. But then I would expect to be having a problem with the VP/loaner ECM.



1. Replace Your Fuel Solenoid Located on Top of Your Fuel Pump & Check Your Batteries/Cables For Low Voltage, Dead Cells or Broken Internal Plates, That Could Short Out Your ECM!

Why? 95%) of the time, this component will short out the ECM even if it opens correctly. Damage occurs when a electrical spike is sent back into the ECM, when you shut off your engine. This solenoid is only $65, will worth the money!



Bad Batts???



Seems like this is not a common issue, DM and I have the same condition, caused by something we have done to the truck. Or is it just a fluke that two '02 trucks with auto trans,2nd pusher pumps, and gauges from MI and OH have a failed ECM within 1 month of each other. btw, DM and I have not met yet, so we have not been working on each other's trucks :D
 
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In the past sometimes ECM's would fry when adding boxes--it was just one of those unfortunate things---it's possible both of you have ECM's that don't/didn't like the EDGE boxes, as evidenced by the loaner box working--will be interesting to see what EDGE says---I'd be getting MARCO's MAD ECM if I was to replace the ECM--or I'd think very hard on it before I bought a new one--- so many codes point to a bad ECM IMO---chris
 
and BOTH trucks are 2002 -auto -federal emmission.



rock-n-rammer is running a california emissions ecm :confused: and it works :-laf
 
The ECM does NOT need a ground from it's body to the engine.

My ECM's have been sitting on top of the PDC for the last 4 years. No ground provided to the body of the ECM... In fact the the grounds of the internals of the ECM are in no way connected to the ECM's body. All the grounds the ECM needs come from the wires in the connector.



Not too many ECM's fail. Two at the same time is almost a new record.



Let's see, what's the most common cause for an ECM to fail?



I'd say without doubt, works done to the truck with shorts!



I've repalced a lot of voltage regulators, fixed a lot of burned traces, swapped transistors... . and and and , in these ECM's. Almost always the fault has been the operator of the vehicle.



There's a simple fix for that. Disconnect both cables from both batteries. Even better would be to bridge the + & - cables while doing work on the eletrical system. That, or you better be SURE what you're doing. Welding on the truck with the batteries connected is a no no too!



The Cummins ECM's have been provided by the factory with a lot of protections in their I/O circuits. Almost impossible to shoot the ECM without doing something very stupid. ( Not saying that you've done something stupid but you get the picture. . ).



Then I've seen a few ECM's with failed digital circuits like CPU/ Memory / ROM and the like. Those failed without doubt simply because their time had reached. Happens in the real world.



All in all I'd say, don't worry too much about the ECM, it's one VERY GOOD design.



Marco
 
Mine started as an occasional "dead pedal" almost like the APPS was going south... Finally determined it was the LP. replaced that and installed guages. . Truck seemed fine for a short while, maybe 300 miles, then it started acting up again. Of course this time while I was on a trip. Seemed like it was doing the same thing, but the FP stayed steady at 10 psi. Got throught the trip[ and back home and truck got steadily worse for a few days. Checked on here for tips and did everything suggested, ie: remove and clean all grounds etc. Finally went to dealer and they diagnosed bad ecm... Truck was throwing so many codes I cant even remember to list them all but I do remember that a lot of the codes were directly contradicting each other. One code was for APPS voltage High and the next code would be for APPS voltage low. . Dealer installed new ecm, then it showed that the VP had failed. They replaced that under warranty and truck has been fine for the last few months. . BTW the only mods on mine are a pyrometer and a FP guage. '01 HO 6 spd.

Bill
 
My oh My, there is somebody else (besides DM and I) that has experienced this problem! Thank you for posting, DM and I have been going nuts trying to figure out what caused this and worrying about it happening again to the replacement ECM.
 
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