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Toyota Avensis 01 reg ECU needs replacing

  • 18-05-2009 12:52pm
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 16


    Hello all,

    A few days ago, our Toyota Avensis stalled and then failed to restart. After leaving it alone for a 20 minutes, it would try to start, as perhaps a little amount of fuel had trickled to the engine and then it would cut out and not turn. Had to be pushed to a space and taken to a garage in a delivery truck.

    The guy at the garage suspected that either the immobiliser has stopped working or the fuel pump is gone. Some investigation later he confirmed that it was not the fuel pump and the car had to be taken to Toyota garage for the immobiliser to be reset.

    There they did more investigation and told us that the ECU is gone. New one will cost 1700. The car is 01 reg so quite a lot of money to get it back on the road.

    I found a complete ECU set from a Y Reg Toyota Avensis (our car is also UK import Y reg) for 100 pounds. But the Toyota garage said that they will not fit a second hand part in the car and that the central locking etc will have to be changed so it would be a lot of labour if we took the car elsewhere.

    The problem of course is that the car does not start so taking it anywhere means using a recovery truck.

    At the moment the garage are trying to see if they can repair the ECU. But if this fails, I will have to fork out the money.

    Do you think that the symptoms I have described are because of ECU? Does the ECU on a toyota go so quickly. The car is fairly low mileage about 26k. Any advice will be helpful.

    Thanks,
    sth


Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,401 ✭✭✭DublinDilbert


    Never heard of a toyota ECU going, doesn't mean its not possible. If it was me, i would like to know more information about why they think its the ECU. Does the engine fail to turn over at all? or turns over but doesn't fire?

    A lot of so called ECU problems, aren't ECU problems at all, but a problem else where on the vehicle.

    I would imagine the second-hand ECU would need to be coded to the immobiliser before it will work. There are diagnostic specialists out there who can do this for Merc/BMW/VW, not sure about toyota, as its so rare they give trouble. Or there might be a trick out there to disable the immobiliser on the ECU which you can get second hand.

    Anyway i wouldn't be parting with €1700 too quickly....


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,513 ✭✭✭BrianD3


    Contact "Mr.Diagnostic" on boards.ie (real name Kane Automotive from Sallins Co. Kildare) He may be able to help.

    From what I've seen many garages are very quick to tell people their ECU is scrap. I would be dubious about the ability of some of them to diagnose problems such as yours in a logical manner.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,721 ✭✭✭E39MSport


    I had a Toyota main dealer on the M50 tell me the same thing for a different car only to find out that they were wrong. I had the impression that if thy can't find out whats wrong then they blamce the ECU. Get them to swap out one in the forecourt before charging you. If it is the problem then swap it out yourself for the 100 squid one. Its out of warranty anyways so can't do any harm. Make sure the ECU is transferrable to yours.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 552 ✭✭✭Number Nine


    sth wrote: »
    Hello all,

    A few days ago, our Toyota Avensis stalled and then failed to restart. After leaving it alone for a 20 minutes, it would try to start, as perhaps a little amount of fuel had trickled to the engine and then it would cut out and not turn. Had to be pushed to a space and taken to a garage in a delivery truck.

    The guy at the garage suspected that either the immobiliser has stopped working or the fuel pump is gone. Some investigation later he confirmed that it was not the fuel pump and the car had to be taken to Toyota garage for the immobiliser to be reset.

    There they did more investigation and told us that the ECU is gone. New one will cost 1700. The car is 01 reg so quite a lot of money to get it back on the road.

    I found a complete ECU set from a Y Reg Toyota Avensis (our car is also UK import Y reg) for 100 pounds. But the Toyota garage said that they will not fit a second hand part in the car and that the central locking etc will have to be changed so it would be a lot of labour if we took the car elsewhere.

    The problem of course is that the car does not start so taking it anywhere means using a recovery truck.

    At the moment the garage are trying to see if they can repair the ECU. But if this fails, I will have to fork out the money.

    Do you think that the symptoms I have described are because of ECU? Does the ECU on a toyota go so quickly. The car is fairly low mileage about 26k. Any advice will be helpful.
    .
    Thanks,
    sth

    This crack of charging a alot of labour is an old garage trick to try and stop you taking you car to another garage

    There are any amount of ECU available in scrape yards in the north .

    As for fitting it , No problem tops £200 .

    £100 Plus labour or £1700 plus labour

    It seems like a no brainer to me

    If you do get it done at the main dealers , make sure that you get the car checked by another garage to confirm that the ECU has been replaced by a NEW one .

    You know what they say out of sight out of mind


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 16 sth


    Thanks everyone.

    I was also thinking that they are just being too quick to say that it is the ECU.

    However, at the moment, we have asked them to try and fix it so waiting for them to give some feedback on that.

    E39MSport, you mentioned swapping it out myself. Will I then have to get it remapped to pair with the key or something. Or would I simply use the key that comes with the scrap ECU and it will all work.

    BrianD3, thanks for the Mr Diagnostic. Will try to contact him.

    Thanks everyone. With some luck won't have to shell out the huge wad of cash.

    sth


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,721 ✭✭✭E39MSport


    sth wrote: »
    Thanks everyone.

    I was also thinking that they are just being too quick to say that it is the ECU.

    However, at the moment, we have asked them to try and fix it so waiting for them to give some feedback on that.

    E39MSport, you mentioned swapping it out myself. Will I then have to get it remapped to pair with the key or something. Or would I simply use the key that comes with the scrap ECU and it will all work.

    BrianD3, thanks for the Mr Diagnostic. Will try to contact him.

    Thanks everyone. With some luck won't have to shell out the huge wad of cash.

    sth

    I just had a goosey on t'interweb and it looks like a straight swap aint possible by design. This dude (who is in Ireland) might be able to help you out.
    http://www.usedcarmart.co.uk/forum/archive/index.php/t-12158.html
    Looks like some jiggerypokery is needed.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 937 ✭✭✭Mr.Diagnostic


    OP, If I was available to help you with this I would do so happily but I am no longer based in Ireland.

    In your post you mentioned that you had sourced an ECU “set”. If so then that is all you will need, assuming it is an ECU fault. If all you sourced was the ECU then you will not be able to fit that without some specialist help.
    Whoever told you that the central locking would be effected by fitting a used set is incorrect.
    Dublin Dilbert is correct that these ECU’s do not fail very often. You said the car broke down while being driven, that is not likely to be an immobiliser fault either. Since you have already bought the set then it makes sense to try it at this stage.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 247 ✭✭beam99


    2 things, The fuel pumps sometime on them gave trouble, they were loosing pressure when left for a bit, and you had to crank them over for a bit to build the fuel pressure back up before it would start, and i also had one before that the water pump was leaking on and the water worked its way into the cranksensor and failed to start. That is if your engine is a 4AFE OR 7AFE ENGINE. And if you got a new ECU and lockset all you have to replace is the engine ecu , the ignition lock and key, { or you can just swap the inside bits from the keys and still use your old lock set] and the transponer around the key.( Transponder key amplifier]


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 16 sth


    Mr Diagnostic/beam99,

    I haven't bought the ECU Set yet. I wasn't sure that a straight swap would be possible on Toyota and having read your post it seems I will need to change the ECU and ignition lock or the transponder around the key at least. I am not sure I could do this myself. Do you know someone in Dublin area who would be able to help me out?

    E39MSport,

    Thanks for the link to the other forum. I will try to contact the person who posted there as he said he was based in Ireland (although that was back in 2007, so who knows)

    Toyota garage say that they are still working on trying to fix the ECU. I don't know whether it is really taking them this long or whether the guy hasn't had a chance to look at it yet or whether they are simply waiting for me to give in and hand over the cash.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 247 ✭✭beam99


    Yes i can look at that for you, but I'm away on hoil for another week and a half. Don't think toyota main delears fix ecu's unless they sent it out to get fixed, has all the wiring going from the ecu to the other engine/electric compounds been ckecked for bad connections or breaks? Is the ecu your getting the same part no? and did it come out of a running car?


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,401 ✭✭✭DublinDilbert


    beam99 wrote: »
    Yes i can look at that for you, but I'm away on hoil for another week and a half. Don't think toyota main delears fix ecu's unless they sent it out to get fixed, has all the wiring going from the ecu to the other engine/electric compounds been ckecked for bad connections or breaks? Is the ecu your getting the same part no? and did it come out of a running car?

    To be honest, I can't see anyone at a toyota dealer opening a ECU up. I also can't see it being sent out for repair. I would say the lads in the dealer are messing around with the car in their spare time between jobs to see if they can get it running again. I could be wrong, but would doubt its a faulty ECU...

    A non-running car shouldn't be too difficult to fault find, if they have the right skills.


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