Technical Blown up the ECU on the wife's Barchetta

[AndrewMclarenHenry]

After being told by my better half that the battery had too little charge to start her 1998 Barchetta; I thought I would be of assistance by jump starting the car. Bad Idea.

Following a popping noise and some electrical smoke, I can only assume that the ECU has been fried. The ECU is bolted onto the engine block with a multi connector either side.

Can this unit be replaced reasonably easily or am I in a world of pain, with the likelyhood of Divorce?

Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

Andrew:worship:

 

[BILL33]

Ηow did you do it? I've jumpstarted many cars never had a problem!!
The bigest problem i guess is the immobilizer.

 

[Rustbucket]

Ow! The official way of jump starting cars with sensitive electrics..(anything Italian) is don't. Swap the battery for a charged one and start it that way...

Punto HGT 'should' work..same engine on both cars and there ought to be a few in scrappies. Fiat will sell you one for a leg and both arms.

If you are in the south west then there is a scrappie south of Bristol breaking a B and the engine was still complete last thurs...

 

[wish mine was orange]

sounds expensive
i have jumped mine a few times and the rac have done it so i dont know what happened there, unlucky mate.

 

[afroking]

It is safe to use a jump pack but I can't say I have jump started my cars from another car.

 

[s130]

I would say that a jump pack is OK. These are no different to using another battery in parrallel to you exsisting one. The ONLY AND MOST IMPORTANT point/fact to ensure you get correct is that you connect BOTH batteries together terminal to terminal. Do NOT connect the negative lead to the engine block, chassis or other ground point. Must always be terminal to terminal.

Often modern batteries are cluttered with all sorts of other coverings, terminal distribution plates etc. that make connecting another battery difficult. This leads to people looking for the next nearest contact/connection place and it is this that leads to voltage differentionals and excessives currents and voltages to be induced into the cars systems, often resulting in blown components.

 

[Rustbucket]

After being told by my better half that the battery had too little charge to start her 1998 Barchetta; I thought I would be of assistance by jump starting the car. Bad Idea.

Following a popping noise and some electrical smoke, I can only assume that the ECU has been fried. The ECU is bolted onto the engine block with a multi connector either side.

Have you checked the ECU is dead before leaping to conclusions?

 

[HP]

I would say that a jump pack is OK. These are no different to using another battery in parrallel to you exsisting one. The ONLY AND MOST IMPORTANT point/fact to ensure you get correct is that you connect BOTH batteries together terminal to terminal. Do NOT connect the negative lead to the engine block, chassis or other ground point. Must always be terminal to terminal.

Often modern batteries are cluttered with all sorts of other coverings, terminal distribution plates etc. that make connecting another battery difficult. This leads to people looking for the next nearest contact/connection place and it is this that leads to voltage differentionals and excessives currents and voltages to be induced into the cars systems, often resulting in blown components.

This kinda flies against the info offered elsewhere.

If you use the engine block it's connected back to the battery with a heavy earth strap.

What could have happened is a poor connection between jump lead and battery terminal and it's used another wire in the loom for the return of the cranking current if this wire is also connected directly to the battery terminal. It may have just melted an earth wire.
If the engine earth strap fails and you think the battery's flat as it won't turn over - where really the problem is a poor circuit between starter and battery - then connecting battery to battery can actually help melt looms as well.

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

I assume surge protected leads wern't being used then?

I hope its not to serious.

 

[s130]

This kinda flies against the info offered elsewhere..

and see whole post.

I also agree with you about using block /sturdy bonding. The problem is that one has to ensure that the whole earthing/bonding is good.

Also most ECU power connections are direct feeds from central -ve power point and +ve power points and not via engine block grounding.

The point about connecting across the battery is that the battery is a power sink and regulator. Jump packs run at approx 15V to even 20V in cheaper units. Connect these across a battery and the battery will hold the 20V back to 12-14V sinking the current in the process. If there is a dodgy earth connection from battery to earth/chassis then the car electrics can see no more than the battery & jump units combined/clamped voltages.

If connecting to battery +ve and engine block and there is a bad block to battery/chassis connection then the car electronics could see a 20V supply.

In reality if ANY of the cars major earthing / negative circuits are dubious then all bets are off.

Personally I would prefere to connect directly across the battery as this is the cars normal power source and has the ability to clamp voltages.

If you have a screwed battery and bad wiring then it is cheque book time!

 

[AndrewMclarenHenry]

Thanks to everyone for your input. Haven't had a chance to look at the car since Sunday, have now removed the ECU and it doesn't smell of burning. Am going to reconnect everything and try to bump start (not jump start) it. I am really hoping that it was a short across the starter motor that made the bang and the smoke (not as expensive as an ECU).
FINGERS CROSSED.

 

[stu4art]

I'm no expert, but isn't a push/bump start going to possibly damage the catalytic converter?

 

[bumble]

Have I missed something. Why can't you recharge the battery? Good luck anyway.

Steve

 

[AndrewMclarenHenry]

Hi all.

Charged battery and tried to start. Starter motor was very keen...engine less so, just wouldn't run. Have since sent the ECU to ECUTesting in Nottingham, who were unable to look at it.

Does anyone know of an ECU tester who would look at the Hitachi 0465330120 ECU or possibly supply an unlocked direct replacement?

Cheers,

Andrew

 

[Rustbucket]

If you put it in jiffy bag and post it to me in Dublin I know a man here who can read / diagnose the unit..Re-programming / re-chipping apparently isn't possible as the unit is designed to be hard to read /tamper proof to meet Japanese emission laws.

If you get stuck PM me. I might also be able to source a direct replacement ECU...Would you need the immobiliser box and complete set of keys with it?

 

[AndrewMclarenHenry]

Hello Barchetta Fans,

Bit of an update on the situation. Just got car back from the Garage. ECU had to be sent off for repair as a result of a spike from the process of jumping the car with my diesel engine still running. DOH.

The car was all put back together including the inlet manifold, which blew off as a result of the miss-fire caused by the spike.

All in all Garage costs and repair - £655.00. Expensive lesson.

Got car back on Saturday. Sun out; roof down all is good with the world. Until.....

Coming back from London - after doing 150miles without issue - noticed that the temperature had gone to the top of the dial. Asked wife to pull over on M4, and shut off engine. Much steam issued forth. Waited for engine to cool added some tepid water and drove a couple of miles to get off motorway. The engine temperature rose really quickly to boiling point again.

With engine off, i checked the oil filler and the water reservoir - no signs of oil in water or cream in oil. Started engine briefly with reservoir open. no signs of bubbling. Although the temperature was up the rad fan wasn't running.

Initial thoughts are knackered pump or coolant temp sensor. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

Thanks guys.

 

[afroking]

Hello Barchetta Fans,

Bit of an update on the situation. Just got car back from the Garage. ECU had to be sent off for repair as a result of a spike from the process of jumping the car with my diesel engine still running. DOH.

The car was all put back together including the inlet manifold, which blew off as a result of the miss-fire caused by the spike.

All in all Garage costs and repair - £655.00. Expensive lesson.

Got car back on Saturday. Sun out; roof down all is good with the world. Until.....

Coming back from London - after doing 150miles without issue - noticed that the temperature had gone to the top of the dial. Asked wife to pull over on M4, and shut off engine. Much steam issued forth. Waited for engine to cool added some tepid water and drove a couple of miles to get off motorway. The engine temperature rose really quickly to boiling point again.

With engine off, i checked the oil filler and the water reservoir - no signs of oil in water or cream in oil. Started engine briefly with reservoir open. no signs of bubbling. Although the temperature was up the rad fan wasn't running.

Initial thoughts are knackered pump or coolant temp sensor. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

Thanks guys.

The pump runs off the cambelt so if it seized I think it would throw the belt.

It could be time for a new radiator...have a look see if the fins are corroded around the bottom, give them a poke.

 

[Funkstar De Luxe]

I'd guess either the head is gone, or your radiator is done.

 

[desert rat]

Sorry to hear about all of your problems.

If as you said your fan wasn't running i'd start looking here.

check the fuses under the bonnet near the battery ( i had one of them blow before luckily spotted temp was rising)

You could probably bypass the coolant temp sensor using a piece of wire to see if it's working?

Do you have the extra aircon fan? If so there is a resistor mounted just behind the rad in line with the exhaust. My origional one was a thin wire wound on a ceramic core and this failed causing the engine to overheat on hot days.

Any chance the garage didn't bleed the cooling system properly maybe just air in the system caused it to overheat)?

Hope it turns out to be a simple fix, especially after all the trouble you've had recently.

Good luck

 

[F4usT]

at what temperature radiator fan should start blowing?