Technical New skills

[Seasidegirl]

Any advice on: ecu location

sometimes you are pushed out of your comfort zone and have to learn new skills due to lack of funds i am now trying to repair my 21 year old sweet Punto. I’m looking forward to learning more.
This forum is a great find.
I have a fiat auto 1.2 2004 gifted to me 8 yrs ago as the owner couldn’t be bothered to repair it has been wonderful.
I currently paid an engineer to come to reroute the immobiliser I need a replacement ecu apparently
I probably stupidly Paid him he went off for a part and he has now gone awol so I’m investigating myself to mend.
Onward and upward folks this car deserves better.

 

[bugsymike]

Any advice on: ecu location

sometimes you are pushed out of your comfort zone and have to learn new skills due to lack of funds i am now trying to repair my 21 year old sweet Punto. I’m looking forward to learning more.
This forum is a great find.
I have a fiat auto 1.2 2004 gifted to me 8 yrs ago as the owner couldn’t be bothered to repair it has been wonderful.
I currently paid an engineer to come to reroute the immobiliser I need a replacement ecu apparently
I probably stupidly Paid him he went off for a part and he has now gone awol so I’m investigating myself to mend.
Onward and upward folks this car deserves better.

This may be a bit of a problem for you re a replacement ECU, unless you buy an expensive brand new one or a "viginised" second hand one from a specialist, even if you locate a correct type of ECU for you model second hand , it will not run as the Immobiliser side, chipped keys etc. will not match the replacement.
It may be a good idea to speak to a professional ECU specialist.
When you say you paid an "engineer" to reroute your immobiliser side, do you mean the car wouldn't start at that point anyway?
Incidentally when you said a fiat auto 1.2, did you mean an automatic car as that ECU will be different from one for a manual gearbox car?
The ECU may look something like this photo below, others on Forum will know exactly re position etc. But on a 2006 Fiat Grande Punto 1.3MJ I worked on for one of my daughters, it was positioned on the drivers side inner wing in the engine compartment and if you say the "engineer" removed it, then you will be looking for a pair of multi pin plugs hanging loose that plugged into the original ECU.
Did he take the keys as well as they would match that missing ECU or anything else from the car?

 

[Seasidegirl]

Thank you for your reply
I ordered a unit which overrides the ecu and it doesn’t need you to change the keys apparently.
The engineer came good so far he had emailed me some details to be able to order the part but not told me.. anyway part arrived so waiting for him to return to fit. I was hoping to locate the old ecu to try do it myself to speed things up . It’s in passenger foot well area but it’s not obvious of how to proceed. He says he won’t charge me further to fit.
THANKYOU everyone.

 

[Mike1alike]

If it looks like this

it is located on the throttle body, under the air filterbox, towards the windshield. It is held with 4 torx screws, very easy to replace. Has the 2 electrical connectors on it, first you need to push the safety lock then rotate that thing and pull out plug. Comes off easy.
Here it is

 

[Mike1alike]

You can see it here too, plus kind of everything else.
So I put these here

 

[ZaphodB]

I was hoping to locate the old ecu to try do it myself to speed things up . It’s in passenger foot well area but it’s not obvious of how to proceed. He says he won’t charge me further to fit.

I currently paid an engineer to come to reroute the immobiliser I need a replacement ecu apparently
I probably stupidly Paid him he went off for a part and he has now gone awol so I’m investigating myself to mend.

The engineer came good so far he had emailed me some details to be able to order the part but not told me.. anyway part arrived so waiting for him to return to fit. I was hoping to locate the old ecu to try do it myself to speed things up . It’s in passenger foot well area but it’s not obvious of how to proceed. He says he won’t charge me further to fit.

I'm confused .... is it the ECU (engine control unit) or the BCM (body control module) that's disappeared?

And you've paid him to go and get one (whichever it is) and then he disaappeared with your money ?

Then he emailed you with the details of what to order? and you've paid more money out for this part yourself?

 

[Seasidegirl]

Thanks for info yes my new part is like that, I don’t think he has taken anything away he said he had disarmed immobiliser and I need this new bit .
I’ll try tomorrow and remove air filter unit and have a go.
I just went online and found auto electronic Co you pay £60 then an engineer rings to make an appointment he came and I naturally thought he was local but he came from Essex not a quick pop over to Margate. He has said he gets other work in kent so will call when he comes to kent which isn’t clear when yet that’s why I thought I’d crack on and try doing it myself.
I paid him £150 for the visit so that’s £210
And part was £155 so keeping fingers crossed .
Thank you for all the images that is most helpful.

 

[judderbar]

Thanks for info yes my new part is like that, I don’t think he has taken anything away he said he had disarmed immobiliser and I need this new bit .
I’ll try tomorrow and remove air filter unit and have a go.
I just went online and found auto electronic Co you pay £60 then an engineer rings to make an appointment he came and I naturally thought he was local but he came from Essex not a quick pop over to Margate. He has said he gets other work in kent so will call when he comes to kent which isn’t clear when yet that’s why I thought I’d crack on and try doing it myself.
I paid him £150 for the visit so that’s £210
And part was £155 so keeping fingers crossed .
Thank you for all the images that is most helpful.

The immobiliser prevents the car from starting without the correct code being received electronically. So if the immobiliser is 'disarmed' why exactly do you need this new bit for this 21 year old car???

You have not told us why this person `disarmed´ the immobiliser.

And you have not told us why you are spending money on the car. What is the problem with the car?

 

[Seasidegirl]

The immobiliser prevents the car from starting without the correct code being received electronically. So if the immobiliser is 'disarmed' why exactly do you need this new bit for this 21 year old car???

You have not told us why this person `disarmed´ the immobiliser.

And you have not told us why you are spending money on the car. What is the problem with the car?

Thankyou for your concern it’s this car or no car and I believe everything can be fixed so I am trying. I’m just trying now taking the air filter off, perhaps you can help me, can I unbolt the two main screws and take the air filter unit off in one or do I need to take the lid off the screws are corroded so this is tricky. Maybe I have to get inside air filter unit to release a nut.
Thankyou for your thoughts
Jill

 

[judderbar]

I was asking why you asked a person to work on your car. What was wrong with your car that caused you to ask a person to do things with the car?

 

[Seasidegirl]

Got it off Hoorah
Let the dog see the rabbit as dad would say
Feeling positive

 

[bugsymike]

Got it off Hoorah
Let the dog see the rabbit as dad would say
Feeling positive

That's good , but as @judderbar asked "What was wrong with your car that caused you to ask a person to do things with the car?" in the first place.
Often a correct diagnosis of a problem depends on all the relevant information being given, then we can advise the best way for you to repair the fault.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Good morning Seasidegirl. First off can I say my heart bleeds for you. I really don't intend this to sound patronizing, but I think you are very brave to be trying a repair like this when you seem to have no experience in this sort of thing. Anything to do with automotive electronics invariably turns out to be complicated and far from simple. I'm intrigued by your chap's claim to have "rerouted" the immobilizer? By their very nature this would not be something simple to do, if even possible at all?

I know this is simple for me to say now, but there are a number of electronic repair businesses - google them - who will take your old ECU by post and reengineer it with upgraded/improved components and return it too you, all at very reasonable cost. The big advantage to doing it this way is that it's a "plug and play" procedure when you get your repaired unit back - So, no reprogramming needed, no new immobiliser keys to buy, you just refit it, plug the plugs back in and it's good to go.

I think it would be of benefit to you to try to find out if there is an Independent Italian car specialist - so not a FIAT main agent - near you. It'll probably be cheaper for future "events" and servicing.

Mind you, at least you're not stranded somewhere. My daughter set off from us up here in Scotland, after her time at Uni, to take up her first job down in England. She only got as far as Carlisle before the radiator in her very old Fiat Panda leaked and ruined the engine! She had no breakdown cover so I had to cover the recovery costs and it took about a day for all this to be arranged and for a relay trip in the recovery vehicle back home. Poor dear, she was shattered by the time she made it back to us. I repaired her car - head gasket was also blown - and we part exchanged it for another, much newer, Panda which she ran for several years before buying a Suzuki Swift which was an exceptionally reliable car. Fell apart with rust eventually although mechanically was still fine.

Good luck with the Punto.

 

[Seasidegirl]

I was asking why you asked a person to work on your car. What was wrong with your car that caused you to ask a person to do things with the car?

It would start, immobiliser light wouldn’t go out.

 

[bugsymike]

It would start, immobiliser light wouldn’t go out.

Surely if immobiliser light doesn't go out the engine would not start?

 

[Seasidegirl]

Surely if immobiliser light doesn't go out the engine would not start?

My mistake
“Would not go out”

 

[rmjbn1]

Hi, we'll do our best to help you, but really need to know what the symptoms are. As much detail as possible.

Could you confirm please:
engine does NOT start, immobiliser light stays on.
Is this correct?

Maybe take a video of the dash when you try to start so we can see & hear what it's doing?

'Need a new ECU' is what they say when they don't know what's wrong in my experience. Very rarely fail.