Technical ECU Spike

[notahappycamper]

The garage has just called me to day and said another garage has coursed an ECU spike, the cars dead, the lights on the dash come on but the engen will not fire.

My question is two fold.
1: Is it worth reparing the car or coult it of fried all the engine managment
2: I supposed it is possible to take legal action agains the incompetent sob who fitted the new bat and has killed my car.

 

[DaveMcT]

Its usually arc welding that spikes the ECU. has the immobilser been checked out?

 

[T14086]

strange for a garage to slag another....tell the original garage that the other garage said you f*cked my car and let them sort it out. Very unproffesional in my opinion!

 

[fingers99]

I'd suspect almost anythingexcept the ECU............

 

[T14086]

Exactly.........ECU is last thing on list.

 

[notahappycamper]

Had the car at an Auto Electritions today and he has confirmed that a Spike has gone through the ECU and nacked the engine managment. So I guess the garage was wright it was the incompitant SOB who fitted the new battery ect who have blown the ECU. Looks like I be taking this furter with trading standard, my solicitor and the courts. They have just bugged up my car I am not happy and they are going to pay.

No one kills my car and gets away with it.

 

[T14086]

so how did this person actually 'spike' the ECU and how did the auto electrician prove this happened?

 

[notahappycamper]

I am no Auto engineer so I dont know the best explination they gave me was when they where fitting a new battery they connected the terminals the wrong way and that sent a charge through the car. I am an IT engineer and I can tell you if there has been a power spike it can damage the electronics and that what the SOB look like they have done as some of the fuses where also blown.

Not sure how they diagnosed a power spike but I know neither green flag, nore the garage where the car when nor the auto electical could get a read from the ECU.

When the car was at the last place before it died they changed a number of componehts in the engine inc the battery, and the sensors in the sump and cat. Looks like they did not take the car they should off. I have seen the cat they fitted and to say it was shoddly fitted is an under statment.

The gasgit is sticcking out and some of the bolts are not in. So looks like that needs fixing to.

Guess that what you get when you take it to garage that I thought had a good reputation and turns out to be a back street cowboy!

 

[jimboy]

I'm a bit intrigued at this. Why was your car at the first garage? What was it exactly in for? When a ecu is spiked it tends to take out vital censors along with it. Am I reading this wrongly, or has the first garage tried to cover things up & changed a few sensors etc.

 

[notahappycamper]

Till they can run a diagnostic after fitting a new ECU they wont know the exact damage, the car was in for a new Battery, Sump , Cat and Exorsed. Due to corrosion and the old battery not chargin any more.

From a conversation I had to day they have changed some of the fuses as the cars back at the main dealer where I got it from It was at the other place as there quote came in cheeper then the main dealer to fit the sum, cat ect. But looks like as I said the SOB have damaged the car. They are going to call me on monday with a price for the new ECU and a full diagnostic, the cat all so needs reffitting as the gasgit material is poking out and it not been bolted on correct. I am tempted to name and shame the garage that has all but destroyed my car.

I see them put out of business if it the last thing that I do.

 

[T14086]

I am tempted to name and shame the garage that has all but destroyed my car.

...........we do have a garage section you know

 

[DaveMcT]

A Q for the tech guys - can an alternator with a blown regulator take out the ECU?

The OP says the battery was shot - it might have simply been old, but a blown Vreg can boil a battery to death with over voltage. This might be what happened and Im wondering if this could also be enough to stuff the ECU.

 

[gimmiemorefiats]

why do so many threads die just when they're about to get really interesting?!

 

[s and b]

certainly reads like a faulty alternator blew something and obviously this is quite possible
i always use a surge protector when welding
i always disconnect the neg terminal when battery charging
i know this is an old thread but way i read it not all the story is being given and like most tales one reads on the internet its an all one way tale of woe where the other side doesn't get the chance to respond
but hey its just like reading the daily wail whilst waiting for a molar extraction

 

[Brin]

Put the jump leads of a booster pack on the wrong way onto the battery it will fry the ECU a smack head apprentice did it at me old work the same day 3 of us got fired cos of that nob head

 

[s and b]

Put the jump leads of a booster pack on the wrong way onto the battery it will fry the ECU a smack head apprentice did it at me old work the same day 3 of us got fired cos of that nob head

yep i know someone who did this on a mk1 punto and he blew the pretty robust ecu that they had fitted so the later one i guess on the mk2 would be a disaster too