ECU gone in Fiesta

wclarke20

Hi all,
Just been informed from the garage that the ECU is gone in the Fiesta. They told me it has to go to a main dealer.

Does anybody have any experience replacing one themselves? and if so is it difficult?

I'd pick up a second hand one if I could and fit it.

thanks!

ford jedi

what year is your fiesta?

Mr Benevolent

ford jedi wrote: »

what year is your fiesta?

And what are the symptoms? Odd for a Fiesta ECU to go.

wclarke20

it's a 2003 fiesta. turning over but no spark. changed coil pack, plugs, crankshaft sensor and no luck.

the garage said they think its the ecu as all else is ruled out. apparently they are known to go on fiestas according to the mechanic...

Mr Benevolent

wclarke20 wrote: »

it's a 2003 fiesta. turning over but no spark. changed coil pack, plugs, crankshaft sensor and no luck.

the garage said they think its the ecu as all else is ruled out. apparently they are known to go on fiestas according to the mechanic...

The cost of a new ECU won't be worth it though. You'd be lucky to see change out of e1500.

wclarke20

Your pretty much spot on with that quote!

The problem with doing it yourself is the coding. Looking at picking up one from the scrap yard, fitting it and getting Ford to code it.

shamwari

wclarke20 wrote: »

it's a 2003 fiesta. turning over but no spark. changed coil pack, plugs, crankshaft sensor and no luck.

the garage said they think its the ecu as all else is ruled out. apparently they are known to go on fiestas according to the mechanic...

I'd be very reluctant to shell out that kind of money if they "think" the ECU is gone. I'd want them to be absolutely certain its gone first. If you google a company called BBA Reman in the Uk, you may me able to post your ECU to them and they will test and repair it. It will work out a lot cheaper than Ford, and if the ECU is ok, it will save you a packet.

Has the garage ruled out the immobiliser and if fitted, the inertia switch? Have they scoped the crank sensor to see if its producing the correct waveform? Have they also eliminated other electrics such as fuses and relays first? I'd be asking these questions before going near the ECU.

Design_Dude

You could get an ecu, clocks, keys and lockset for cheap enough and just swap the lot over.

>heres an example on ebay<

wclarke20

When the problem arose first, I did a bit of trouble shooting but couldn’t figure it out without the proper tools. Took it to a local garage and like I said they changed coil pack, plugs and ordered and replaced a crank sensor. I presume they checked fuses etc. Unsure about the inertia switch. They ran a diagnostics on it and couldn’t pick up anything.

The mechanic told me he was onto his buddy in Ford who said it’s probably the ECU as everything else was checked. Apparently due to their positioning in the car, they are susceptible to breaking due to water damage.

He said it would need the Ford computer to be certain.

There’s no immobiliser light coming on but I see where you’re coming from, I had an immobiliser problem on a different car and the symptoms are similar. I’ve been looking at companies that repair ECUs – could be an option but I need to find out more first.

Midnight_EG

OP, be sly and ask them did they check for any CEL codes...if they say yes they're screwing you over...:pac:

shamwari

wclarke20 wrote: »

When the problem arose first, I did a bit of trouble shooting but couldn’t figure it out without the proper tools. Took it to a local garage and like I said they changed coil pack, plugs and ordered and replaced a crank sensor. I presume they checked fuses etc. Unsure about the inertia switch. They ran a diagnostics on it and couldn’t pick up anything.

The mechanic told me he was onto his buddy in Ford who said it’s probably the ECU as everything else was checked. Apparently due to their positioning in the car, they are susceptible to breaking due to water damage.

He said it would need the Ford computer to be certain.

There’s no immobiliser light coming on but I see where you’re coming from, I had an immobiliser problem on a different car and the symptoms are similar. I’ve been looking at companies that repair ECUs – could be an option but I need to find out more first.

An therein lies the reason why I would be scared of their diagnosis that it's the ECU. As I've said before in quite a few other threads, Ford's manufacturer specific codes need either IDS or some other suitable high-end scan-tool to allow them be properly read.

Midnight_EG

shamwari wrote: »

An therein lies the reason why I would be scared of their diagnosis that it's the ECU. As I've said before in quite a few other threads, Ford's manufacturer specific codes need either IDS or some other suitable high-end scan-tool to allow them be properly read.

It's ETIS actually.

Plug

I can guarantee you they didn't even test the wires going to the coil:rolleyes: Also it could be just an issue with the plug that goes on the coil. I never seen an ECU fail on these, Im pretty sure. Theres probably a 2% chance the ECU is fcuked.

Plug

Midnight_EG wrote: »

It's ETIS actually.

Theres ETIS, ETIS IDS and normal IDS actually:p

Midnight_EG

Plug wrote: »

Theres ETIS, ETIS IDS and normal IDS actually:p

Well in 2009 it was only ETIS :P

shamwari

Plug wrote: »

Theres ETIS, ETIS IDS and normal IDS actually:p

Thanks Plug, it's deffo IDS I've used.

ashleey

Did you jump start the car? And then pull off the leads as soon as it started? The still flat battery causes the alternator to try and correct this and the consequent swing in voltage will fry circuits in your ecu.

leahcim

I just got the ECU replaced in a 2004 ford fiesta.

The garage said a coil pack failure caused the ECU to get some sort of power surge.

Getting a new coil, spark plugs, ecu and fords programming fees all added up to 1400 inc vat.

I investigated getting a second hand ecu from a scrap yard but none in ireland had an ecu for my model of car.

The car is probably worth only 2000 so spending 1400 on repairs makes me feel pretty sick.

Mr Benevolent

leahcim wrote: »

The car is probably worth only 2000 so spending 1400 on repairs makes me feel pretty sick.

That's a pessimistic valuation, you'd probably get €3500 if it makes you feels any better. Still, not sure if I'd spend €1400 repairing a €3500 car either...