Matching a used ECM

[JeepBuilder]

Yep, the white truck it is. I sent all my payment info today. Same risk minus someone messing with it in a ECM shop. It came right off the truck so I hope it will fix the problem. No warranty or even a statement that it even works. They promise nothing. So I am reaching deep for faith that 1. the ECM works fine. 2. it solves my dead pedal problem once and for all. If it runs good but dead pedal returns, well I have more work to do and I have a good spare ECM for the future. If the ECM is bad, well I may have to go sit in the corner and talk to myself in a foreign language that even I don't understand. I don't want to even think about that one.
So while talking with the Cummins guy, he mentioned a shop in Colorado. Midwest ECM repair. I called him and he only works on big rig ECM's. He said that these smaller truck ECM's were not serviceable. That just opening them up destroys them. That these resellers just clean them up and send them out. When one does not work the have you return it and the ECM shop will keep sending them till you get one that works or they tell you it is not repairable. I know this guy at Midwest has no skin in the game here and I am not sure if he is right or not. I did not know if I should believe that statement. But that did not help with trusting the ECM shops any more than I already did (or didn't)... I honestly think finding a wrecked truck is the best bet. So, the white truck it is. Great feedback from all of you. Thank you for that.

 

[JeepBuilder]

Man, sorry you're having such a time.

As I mentioned in the other thread, I got excellent service from Auto Computer Specialists, as did whoever made that chart I posted.

I was dealing with them on an ECM for my son's '06 Mustang GT. The car had been totaled before we bought it and, unbeknownst to us, the ECM was damaged and all the wiring at the ECM connectors was all hacked up. We had all the wiring repaired back to OE specs then found the original ECM wouldn't communicate with Ford's IDS. I got an ECM from ACS and what do you know, it wouldn't talk either. I called ACS and they sent me another one, no charge, Next Day Air the same day. It wouldn't talk either. After further inspection, the Ford dealer it was at for programming (it was a Ford TRUCK dealer we deal with daily with our buses, but the techs weren't very familiar with Ford CARS) figured out that the CLUSTER is the "Gateway Module" that EVERYTHING goes through. I found a used cluster, they put it in, and voila, the original and BOTH the ACS ECM's started talking. I kept the first ECM I bought from ACS and returned the second one to them along with a check for a guestimate of their NDA charges.

I am glad they worked out well for you. They had some of the worst reviews. And good ones too. But they all do though. I did not find much dirt on 1enginecontrol BTW. That company is only three years old. But they are connected with several other ecm shops. The Mustang problem sounds like it took some serious time to resolve. I can imagine the high fives when it came to life. The story gives me hope to keep on my dead pedal issue. I just wish I had more time for it this summer. I already have a lot of home repair issues going on. The truck is kind of a luxury problem of sorts. I really like the truck and I will make the time for it. grin... The ECM company chart was made by our own Idaho resident Mopar1973man.

 

[Signal73]

P pump it.

 

[JeepBuilder]

P pump it.

I have exceeded the value of this truck with the seemingly endless funneling of money so far that there is no way I could do that. The day I sell this truck (and I don't want to) is the day some buyer out there will be getting a lot of truck for the money. Trust me I don't like computer controlled rigs. I even considered an earlier dually that was able to haul my camper that did indeed have a P pump. But it would come with all new repair requirements due to age. Best thing to do is get it reliable, then spend any extra on the Jeep build I am trying to finish. Then stop building rigs. It is getting to expensive to restore old stuff with china parts. Not worth it anymore.

 

[Joe Mc]

It is getting to expensive to restore old stuff with china parts. Not worth it anymore.

I hear ya. Years back I went to Dodge,just because I wanted OEM quality, for an evap and heater core. After I installed (8 hour job) 2 days later I got that sweet (anti-freeze) smell... new heater core bad. Looked at boxes, both had stickers in big bold text "Genuine Mopar replacement parts", on the bottom in like 0.5 size font one said "made in Taiwan" the other "made in Korea". Sucks...

 

[JeepBuilder]

I would be frustrated by that. 8 hours of practice? You might try a little sealant in the coolant. KB seal in the little blue bottle with an orange label is amazing stuff. I saved a 1500 dollar John Deere radiator with that product. China made stuff is amazingly bad. A china pen looks like a pen but it does not write.
I am currently waiting for the replacement ECM. After 6 maddening attempts to email my visa number to the wrecking yard after signing their you can't return it or even get a refund form, I asked for a tracking number which they have not sent. My neighbor has a plow truck sitting and not being used. He offered his ECM to swap in and drive for a while to see if that was it. Then swap back. It would have been a nice option but not needed now. I have great neighbors.

 

[JeepBuilder]

Found this and posted it in my dead pedal thread. Later on someones search on ECM's, this tip may be important to know when swapping the ECM

From Blue Chip Diesel
PLEASE. When installing any ECM, be SURE to ground it to the engine FIRST, before connecting the big plug. This prevents any problem from static electricity or a voltage spike getting into the ECM which can blow away the software and or computer inside.

 

[JeepBuilder]

I feel like the questions behind the posting of this thread have been answered. However more comments and tips are always welcome. I have my replacement ECM here and as long as it runs the truck well I will feel like it was a success. If the truck still dead pedals than I have a good spare. If the replacement ECM is faulty then I should have gone to Vegas instead. So what did I do to find this ECM?
I assumed any truck in a wrecking yard that had no body damage probably had drivability issues. Something to avoid in my opinion. So a truck being crunched meant it was running when it hit what ever it hit. So that was my goal to find. Using car-part.com I found a wrecked 2000 truck exactly like mine built 2 months before mine with the help of a fellow TDR member. My 2001 apparently had a ECM change 06/01 mid year. The replacement came out of a 2000 truck. I matched the ECM part number of 3946242 to begin with. Then checked the serial number on the ECM to make sure they were somewhat close. Same with the ESN which I learned from a conversation with Cummins means Engine Serial Number. Mine is 56692073 and the replacement is 56665967 with 26,106 engines coming off the factory line till mine got built. Lastly I used this Dodge VIN checker to find exactly how the truck left the factory as compared to mine.

https://fcacommunity.force.com/RAM/s/equipment-listing This site will show what your truck came with new. Pretty cool.

I feel like I found the best scenario for what I was trying to do. So as long as the replacement ECM works (zero warranty) I will be that much further ahead. I appreciate all the input from everyone.
And for what it is worth, Cummins still sells the ECM new and for those with really deep pockets, they are 3200 bucks and still need to be flashed by a dealer. This was not an option for me. Onward!

 

[BigPapa]

That website's pretty sweet. Got to use CAPS, though. It did list my old '95 as having "Power Rack & Pinion Steering " which is definitely not correct.

 

[JeepBuilder]

I have a good ending here. To recap, I bought the used ECM from the truck built 2 months before mine. Installed it and got a very rough loping idle and a code for crank position sensor. My truck does not have a crank position sensor. Contacted 1enginecontrol.com and they said they could reflash the ECM to my 2001 VIN number. Sent it down to Texas, Got it back and installed it and it runs perfect. 1176.00 for the used ECM. 200.00 for the reflash. About the same price I was quoted for a replacement ECM. I thought I would post that I had success with 1enginecontrol (Fort Worth Texas) because looking for a ECM replacement brings up the worst of the worst reviews with other companies. Many of these companies are also tied together but have different names. I reinstalled my original ECM because since I removed the edge tuner it has not dead pedaled once in 600 plus miles now. At least I have a spare ECM now. I don't mind having spare parts one bit. Expensive but a good ending. Thanks for all the help.