I’d like to know more about the ECU, what it actually does, as a newbie to all things Fiat I am reading various articles regarding the above.

My understanding of the ECU, is that it’s the engine management system correct!

As such I’ve also read on the Bravo Guide that if you remove the negative lead from the battery terminal for a certain amount of time; the system, when the lead is reconnected will set itself back to factory defaults.

I’m also of the impression that this system when reset will start the learning process again e.g. how and individual drives that particular vehicle.

With that in mind, would it not be an idea when buying a Bravo/a second hand to actually reset the ECU?

I suppose what I’m getting at is this, the vehicle has been driven from new in a particular way by one owner; the system has adapted to that style of driving it’s then resold to a second party, now does the system continue to adjust for that new driver or is the previous drivers’ style and handling locked into that system?

I’d also like to say that in the few weeks that I’ve owned my Brava, I have come to regard this forum and in particular this section as gold, there are some really knowledgeable people out there.

With that in mind, I’d like to make an off-topic suggestion here I know there is a guides section, but it isn’t that obvious until you see the link, what I think would be ideal is a “New to Fiat?” “Read this first” section, which consists of how tos and information about the ECU or cam belts etc…

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Fiat Brava 1.6 16V

i think you're a bit confused about the ecu reset/relearn procedure.

when you reset the ecu it doesnt learn how a particular person drives, it learns how a particular engine operates and what fueling and ignition timing is best for that engine.

the preset values are an average taken by fiat to be usable on all engines of a particular model. but when you reset the ecu it then learns more specific values (parameters) based on the particular engine so that it can adjust the fueling and ignition to be as efficient as possible. this is done because each engine will be slightly different so there can't be one set of values that are best for every engine. the preset values in the ecu will make the engine work, but it wont be a fuel efficient or as powerful until specific values for that engine are learnt by the ecu.

if you change anythig on the car that will affect the ecu's values it is always worth while resettig it. for example a new sensor, or spark plugs.

thepieman said:

With that in mind, I’d like to make an off-topic suggestion here I know there is a guides section, but it isn’t that obvious until you see the link, what I think would be ideal is a “New to Fiat?” “Read this first” section, which consists of how tos and information about the ECU or cam belts etc…

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i think a guide and common fault fixing section could save me the hassle of reposting the same thing again and again. it could also help people when considering the purchase of a model.

Thanks Jug, you cleared up a misunderstanding I had which sort of brings the point home about making sure you seek as much advice as possible before sticking your nose into something you don't entirely understand or not at all in my case.

The answer you gave was succinct and to the point, and would be a candidate for the “Read this first” section, and yes it would probably reduce the amount of people post questions that have been answered before.

Sorry about this, but going off topic again I do try and search for an answer before I post anything but the problem is as with all search systems under what criteria / wording do you use to try and find an answer?

i have the same problem on all forums and its a good point. the answer you want could be sat there waiting to be read, but how do you find it? you have to get lucky and search for the right words, or get busy and spend a long time reading many posts until you find it.

an index of common problems and useful guides would be a good additon to every model specific section on the foum. we try to use stickies for this but they only cover a fraction of the stuff that could and should be readily available.

maybe each model section should have "guides" "common faults" and "useful information" sections as well as the current general, technical and styling sections. its worth a post in the forum ideas section.

"when you reset the ecu it [...] learns how a particular engine operates and what fueling and ignition timing is best for that engine."

hm, when I change from 95 octane to 100 octane, would that affect the ecu settings? Would the ecu automatically adapt (and after how many time resp. miles?), or would I need to make a "hard reset" to it?

What about winter/summer? I have heard that petrol companies slightly modify the additives of their products depending on season.

Zardo

ECU settings are changing continuously throughout driving. Settings such as ignition timing are immediately adjusted according to knock sensor, vacuum, throttle setting, engine speed, etc. The most immediate settings are stored in ram and destroyed by disconnecting battery. The accumulated averages are stored in NVRAM and are only re-adjusted during running by the uP. The preset values are stored in read only memory (prom) and cannot be altered. NVRAM values can be changed by erasing only by using external equipment.
Dont worry about octane rating changes, ECU will automatically adjust to it.
Tony.

exactly, which is why you think the higher octane fuel makes the car feel faster at first (ecu hasn't adapted to it), but without realising it any gain is only short term and within a matter of minutes the gain is lost as the ecu has adjusted the fueling. super unleaded is a complete waste of money if your car isn't designed to run on it (as shown in several tests)