Hi there , just a quick question . Got a 2004 punto 1.2 8v . It's developed a bad misfire and has eml on , with code p0351 . Been told its ecu . Any ideas .

Told by who?

ECU tests in the guides.

But code is for ignition coil 1.

If the plug leads have been in place for more than 3 years, replace.

You can determine which cylinder(s) are misfiring by pulling one lead off the spark plugs at a time. The cylinder which is missing won't affect engine speed.

This will help in diagnosis.

The ECUs in the Punto Mk2 are -- there's no nice way of saying it -- of diabolically poor quality. But to conclude that that's the issue on the basis of that code is absurdly premature and potentially costly.

Rebuilt ECU -- £140 or so

Coils -- £40 the pair and upwards (but get OE ones)

Plug leads less than £20.

Ok , thanks a lot for the info , took car to fiat dealer and they said the ecu is at fault . Had new coils last year and is serviced on time . Just poor quality ecu I guess

I still have my doubts -- and they'll probably want to replace the ECU with a factory one.

I'd print out the ECU tests and take the car to an independent.

On the basis of that code, I can't see how they can pinpoint the ECU.

Hi there , got car fixed today . Needed a new ecu . Drives so much better now , just lighter in the pocket ........