Author Topic: car no start after chip install  (Read 2940 times)

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Offline sxtacy

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car no start after chip install
« on: Feb 24, 2009, 10:39AM »
OK, I have searched a number of times and can't really find anything the same.

Well, as the title says, I installed my stage 3 chip in my ecu, and now it won't start. Don't hear any fuel pump noise, but everything else is fine.
Question: Is the ECM light supposed to come on when you turn the car to ON, before you start it? Because mine doesn't. turn it on, all the lights come one except the ECM light. Then I try to start it, it cranks over, but doesn't start coz of the fuel pump.

So, is the fuel pump stuffed, coincidently at the same time I chipped the car, or did the computer shop I got to desolder the chip, stuff it up?

I'm going to try and find a stock ECU and try that, see if it starts.
just thought someone else might know the answer before I tried that.

Not urgent, I have another car to drive in the meantime.
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Offline SSS

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Re: car no start after chip install
« Reply #1 on: Feb 24, 2009, 12:14PM »
Is the chip installed the correct way?

My bet is on a dry solder joint, or the chip installed incorrectly.

The ecu sends a signal to the relay to switch the fuel pump on.

Yes, the ECM light, along with all other warning lights, should illuminate when the key is turned to on, before starting the engine. It does this as a globe check for the driver.

Offline sxtacy

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Re: car no start after chip install
« Reply #2 on: Feb 24, 2009, 11:28PM »
Thanks for that.

So, it has something to do with the ECU.
The chip is in the right way, same as the original. I will have a look at the solder joins and see if they are all ok.
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Offline sxtacy

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Re: car no start after chip install
« Reply #3 on: Feb 28, 2009, 11:20AM »
I have looked at the solder joins, fixed a few, still not working. Measured the resistance across the chip, found that two were not letting any power through, soldered them back up and everything looked like it should work.
But put it back in the car and nothing!

This is really doing my head in. Gonna take the chip back out and have a look at the board and see if the computer shop broke anything.  ???Fun!  ::)
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Offline sxtacy

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Re: car no start after chip install
« Reply #4 on: Feb 28, 2009, 12:52PM »
Ok, some progress, maybe.

I plugged the ecu back into the car, and now when I turn it on, the ecm light flashes a few times, I can hear relays clicking on and off as well. ecm light doesn't stay on though.
But this only happens half the time, otherwise it does nothing. It's like it has a bad earth, or power or something and is intermittant, sometimes it kinda works, sometimes it doesn't.

Any ideas??
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Offline Jono

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Re: car no start after chip install
« Reply #5 on: Mar 1, 2009, 03:35PM »
bad earth, or power or something?
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Offline sxtacy

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Re: car no start after chip install
« Reply #6 on: Mar 2, 2009, 11:21PM »
wow, that was helpful.  :D

What I meant to say was that if it is a power prob, does anyone know what colour the power and earth wires are that go to the ecu?
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Offline Jono

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Re: car no start after chip install
« Reply #7 on: Mar 3, 2009, 02:14PM »
Orange for power, black for ground.
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Offline sxtacy

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Re: car no start after chip install
« Reply #8 on: Mar 3, 2009, 11:11PM »
Thanks Jono
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Offline sxtacy

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Re: car no start after chip install
« Reply #9 on: Mar 4, 2009, 01:08PM »
Ok,the power and ground wires look good. I resoldered it again, put it back in, the ecm light came  on for a second, and the car started, then stalled. this has happened twice now.

so the car starts now, which makes me think that the problem is a bad connection on one of the leads. but all of them look good and I have resoldered them 3 times now. Would this happen if say part of the board was ripped up when the original chip was taken out?
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Offline Jono

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Re: car no start after chip install
« Reply #10 on: Mar 7, 2009, 07:33PM »
If a track has been damaged it might be causing those symptoms. It's hard to say though.

Can you put the standard chip back in again, or was it destroyed when it was taken out?
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Offline sxtacy

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Re: car no start after chip install
« Reply #11 on: Mar 8, 2009, 12:40AM »
The standard chip has a leg broken off so I won't be able to use it. When the computer shop took the standard chip out small parts of the board look like they were lifted and stuck to the chip (or the glue stuff)

I have 2 days off now, so I will take everything off and inspect the board properly. Hopefully it is only something small.
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Offline sxtacy

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Re: car no start after chip install
« Reply #12 on: Mar 8, 2009, 03:15PM »
IT LIVES!

Took the chip out and found that a few tracks had lifted, 6 in total, 3 on each side. So I grabbed some wire and bypassed the connections straight from the chip to the corresponding solder joint.

Put it back in the car half expecting it not to work, but she started straight up, no issues.

A word of advice: If anyone else gets a shop to desolder their chip, it doesn't mean that they can't damage it, just get them to do the whole job and if it doesn't work, grab the receipt and take it back to them.
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Offline Jono

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Re: car no start after chip install
« Reply #13 on: Mar 9, 2009, 01:58AM »
Nice work.  :)
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