ECU required for C200Sport 1995

[ogstonj]

Have a misfire on 2 cylinders and have been advised by local garage that it’s the ECU. 1) What is the quickest way and lowest cost way to resolve this? Trying to choose between having a rebuild, second hand part or new part.

Garage tell me they have spent all week finding out where the issue lies and have replaced the coil which did not fix the problem. They are going to charge me for all of this before they will give me my car back. Also quoted £1,300 for new ECU? Am I being ripped of and if so, any advice?

Would dump the car but we have had this since new and it’s only done 107k. Need help urgently please. Currently hiring a car and running out of cash.

 

[Richard Moakes]

So you have to pay for their failure to find the fault, I have never liked that aspect of the motor trade!

Anyway, that doesn't help you, but this might... http://www.injectioncorrection.co.uk/

Richard

 

[jibcl500]

You might want to make sure there are no faults with the coil packs first, I read somewhere a faulty coil pack can destroy the ECU.


I could be wrong!!!!! its just a hunch.

jib

 

[premmington]

Yep... faulty coil pack can destroy ECU

http://www.remmington.plus.com

 

[kth286]

ogstonj

If you had taken the car to a proper Merc specialist thay should have found that fault within the hour.

Tell us where the car is and how long they will bill you for .

What is the bill you are expected to pay.

We need to know this as we need to keep away from that garage perhaps.

Thats the benefit of the forum for its members.

You could threaten to take them to Trading Standards because that is very basic diagnostics in this day and age and shows them to be incompetent.

You should pay for diagnostic time, BUT you should not have to pay for their learning time on your car. You should mention the responses you have had on this forum which will indicate that they might get bad publicity if they pursue you too vigorously.

And yes the coil can blow the output driver in the ECU.

 

[Merc Tech]

If they're saying that the coils are faulty I would be cheaking the wiring loom. I have changed two this week on similar aged cars with the plastic coating coming off the wires and shorting on each other. New loom - good as gold. Loom approx £500 from main dealer.

 

[premmington]

New loom.....! Ouch.......... Whats wrong with, cable, solder & heat shrink....? I've been a auto electrician for 21yrs and i've left miles of redundant cable in cars.

http://www.remmington.plus.com

 

[kth286]

There is a loom problem on the six cylinder engines but not generally on the four cylinder.

On the 6 cylinder it is in the coil feeds that is contained in the strapping under the spark plug cover. The insulation cracks and comes away from the inner wires when the cables are moved to do a spark plug change. The inner wires then short on start up, blowing a coil.

If the same coil blows every so often it is a sure thing the insulation of the coil feed to that coil is breaking down and the other feeds to the other coils will soon follow.

Fixing the insulation at that place is not easy and will not last and you might be causing the ECU to blow in due course when the next plug change takes place.

The only proper fix is to replace the loom and get at least a further 12 year life out of it.

IF the quality of the new looms is now better, it will last much longer.

 

[ogstonj]

WOW! Amazing responses guys MANY THANKS to all contributing. Still no idea what they are going to charge for investigative work so far, should find out tomorrow. DO know that they have replaced the coil though AND that the auto electrician they brought in did some work on the cables. Been on line and found a company that can rebuild the ECU, awaiting a quote and timescale. ANY ONE got any experience with a reconditioned ECU.....did if work?

 

[kth286]

ogstonj

premmington above seems to have a lot of experience of these repairs. See his website in above post.