ECU on my 01 volvo s40

ayjayirl

Hi guys,

Hopefully someone can help me. I am having a problem with my car taht it keeps cutting out when it idles. This has been going on for a few months. I have gotten it serviced, replaced the AFM and filters but the probem still persists. When my mechanic put the computer on to the car, it said there was a faulty AFM (air flow meter) - which I replaced, but it keep happening. My mechanic said there must be something wrong with my ECU and I need to goto a volvo dealer to get it re-programmed/checked out.

Th problem I have with this is that it is very expensive to get this done and I have already forked out quite a bit on the mechanic and parts - ones that were probably ok to begin with :mad:

My quesiton is, Does anyone do this kind of re-programming? I'm an IT guy and I am pretty sure this is something that car enthusiasts like yourselves might know.

Thanks,
Aj

v240gltse

hi

More details on the car type petrol/diesel , turbo/non-turbo would help .

When you say it cuts out does it die immediately or does it hunt up and down for a few seconds and then die ?.

does it restart easily or do you have to crank it a lot ?

does it start from cold easier than when hot ?

has the mechanic checked all vacuum lines for cracks or disconnections as this can also be a source of idle problems.

regards

brendan

DublinDilbert

Does it idle at all? Or just randomly cut out?

If it won't idle, check the fuel rail pressure, could be petrol pump on the way out...

ayjayirl

v240gltse wrote: »

More details on the car type petrol/diesel , turbo/non-turbo would help .

When you say it cuts out does it die immediately or does it hunt up and down for a few seconds and then die ?.

does it restart easily or do you have to crank it a lot ?

does it start from cold easier than when hot ?

has the mechanic checked all vacuum lines for cracks or disconnections as this can also be a source of idle problems.

Hi Brendan, It is a 1.8i petrol (no turbo). It cuts out once it is idling for about a second so I can come to a stop in the car take it out of gear and then I have to push the accelerator to keep it going. It starts easy enough afterwards (no discernible delay or struggle) and there is no difference between hot and cold starts that I can see. I had the mechanic looking at it and he gave it a service. We even replaced the AFM cause thats what the computer said (the engine light is on) and he said he can't see anything physically wrong but he said its the ECU (hence this post ). Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated. I know I may have to get teh ECU re-programmed but I am hoping don;t have to pay an arm and a leg to get it done.

DublinDilbert wrote: »

Does it idle at all? Or just randomly cut out?

If it won't idle, check the fuel rail pressure, could be petrol pump on the way out...

It will idle on first start (the automatic choke is on) but after 5mins its back to cutting out.

one more thing, this all started when I replaced the battery. It was dead but as soon as I replaced it, this started to happen.

Thanks for your help
Aj

v240gltse

hi

ok so after changing the maf you still have the check engine light ( CEL ) on the dash ? . Did the mechanic clear it using Vadis as it wont self clear.

If the status wasn't cleared you wont know for sure whats causing the current problem and could be going round in circles. Also was the MAF a genuine Volvo/Bosch or was it an Ebay special , as most if that all of those ebay ones are pure rubbish.

Here's a link to a commonly over looked item for idle problems linky clean it out and also check all hoses.

you will need to have the code re-read to determine the cause of the CEL ( check engine light )

also have a look at the Volvo owners forum for s40 owners here

regards

brendan

v240gltse

http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=106914

GreenTech

Have the ignition coils been checked? I'm not too familiar with the S40 petrol engine but I have certainly come across this problem in other cars and it turned out to be faulty ignition coils. The problem can sometimes appear to have solved itself at higher revs as the altenator is supplying more power to the sparks but still causes problems at low revs.


P.S. I have a diesel volvo S40 and I wouldn't recommend going to the dealership unless you like ridiculously high bills!

ayjayirl

v240gltse wrote: »

hi

ok so after changing the maf you still have the check engine light ( CEL ) on the dash ? . Did the mechanic clear it using Vadis as it wont self clear.

If the status wasn't cleared you wont know for sure whats causing the current problem and could be going round in circles. Also was the MAF a genuine Volvo/Bosch or was it an Ebay special , as most if that all of those ebay ones are pure rubbish.

Here's a link to a commonly over looked item for idle problems linky clean it out and also check all hoses.

you will need to have the code re-read to determine the cause of the CEL ( check engine light )

also have a look at the Volvo owners forum for s40 owners here

regards

brendan

Hi Brendan,

I replaced the MAF with a volvo official part - used! from a breakers yard. My mechanic did put the computer thingy into the car and the engine code said that it was a problem with the MAF. This is why we replaced it. When I put it in, he cleared the error code and the engine light went off. Then it cut out again, and the engine light came back on - same problems. I was frustrated to say the least.

I'll check out that volvo forum as well. thanks for that.

One more thing - when it struggles and is about to cut out, it goes into what I can only describe as safe mode... The car loses all power and the engine light flashes. It then doesn't cut out but will only tick over and no power at all. to 'resolve' this, I have to turn off the car for about a minute and restart.


Thanks,
Aj

ayjayirl

GreenTech wrote: »

Have the ignition coils been checked? I'm not too familiar with the S40 petrol engine but I have certainly come across this problem in other cars and it turned out to be faulty ignition coils. The problem can sometimes appear to have solved itself at higher revs as the altenator is supplying more power to the sparks but still causes problems at low revs.


P.S. I have a diesel volvo S40 and I wouldn't recommend going to the dealership unless you like ridiculously high bills!

I'll check out the ignition coils - thanks