That's not going to be cheap

"WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe" (wesbarton89)
05/04/2015 at 09:24 • Filed to: None

I believe the ECU is bad on the Infiniti. Random cylinder misfires, intermittent, and the plugs and coils are all good. It also likes to die when you first start it. Problems point to the ECU from what I can see. I found one for $150.

http://autowreckingca.com/buy-used/2000-…

Is this the right part?

Plus, I figure once I get the part (when I can get it), it’ll have to be programmed by the dealer, which I can imagine will be expensive as well. Ugh. I hope that this solves the issue.

Most of the ECUs I saw were like $900 and up, like this one:

http://www.liaparts.com/oe-infiniti/23…

I don’t know how that’s any different from the first one. I can’t find anything on RockAuto. But I have a feeling that this certainly is going to be a pain to fix. Flippin’ computer systems in cars.

DISCUSSION (14)

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
05/04/2015 at 09:27

Have you troubleshot all of the sensors? Could just be getting a bad signal from somewhere, though being OBDII, it should be throwing a code.

505Turbeaux > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
05/04/2015 at 09:29

I wouldn’t write that off just yet. Please give us the year, model and engine code, and the testing procedures you have gone through to point to the ECU.

WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
05/04/2015 at 09:40

The CEL is on, and it’s throwing different cylinder misfires and some manufacturer ignition code or something I can’t remember.

WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe > 505Turbeaux
05/04/2015 at 09:53

2000 Infiniti I30. P0300, P0302, and I think P1320. My stepdad is a mechanic, has his own OBD scanners, and works on cars a lot. Problems I’ve noticed are random misfires, continuing following spark plug replacement, dying when I first start it in the morning. (Not due to the cold, did it this morning, and it was 60 degrees), and a very rare failure to shift out of first. Turning the car off and back on fixes that. Coils appear to be good, but maybe I will replace all of them just to be on the safe side. The misses tend to be pretty bad at times, with the CEL flashing, then going solid again, plus it causes a lot of fuel usage.

Also, I can’t get the remote programmed, which I’ve heard is a symptom of a bad ECU. The remote I ordered has the proper FCC ID and model number. (KBRASTU10/model O1A)

These problems don’t happen all the time, but it does happen 3-4 times a week. I keep premium gas in it, if that helps.

505Turbeaux > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
05/04/2015 at 10:01

what is he using for OBD, a little homeowner guy or something with some more usefulness, like an Ethos?

Anyhow, I would test each coil separate. Continuity test might be a little telling, pulling them and looking for some chalky marks on the boots would be good to know too (that is where the spark escapes the boot). I will do a little digging on this today. Just dont throw parts at it just yet!

WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe > 505Turbeaux
05/04/2015 at 10:05

He has two. The handheld basic, and one called a MODIS. He hasn’t gotten the MODIS one charged up yet. It’s hooked up to a computer monitor, but it detaches. It looks like a Wii U gamepad. He’s gonna try that next weekend.

I don’t have the space or tools to check the boots myself, but that is a good idea. Will do next Sunday.

DeWayneV8 > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
05/04/2015 at 10:09

Usually an ECU either works or it doesn’t, methinks your issue isn’t the ECU. Wiring? MAF? Aliens?

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > DeWayneV8
05/04/2015 at 10:41

#Hamilton’sFault

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
05/04/2015 at 10:43

Sounds like your #2 coil. Could also just be the wire leading from it to the plug.

DeWayneV8 > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
05/04/2015 at 11:16

Ah....that makes sense. Must be why my power steering line exploded over the weekend too.

wantafuncar > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
05/04/2015 at 12:15

Had this problem on a Nissan Maxima.

After much grief and frustration with missed diagnosis, it turned out to be a couple of injectors that had gone bad. For whatever reason, they would work intermittently causing what seemed like a misfire condition, while not throwing a code. Replaced 3 injectors and it ran like a top for another ~25k until we sold it. Might be worth a shot?

WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe > wantafuncar
05/04/2015 at 12:44

Yeah, replacing the injectors might be a good idea. The car has almost 253k on it right now, so it has lived a busy life, but the more miles I can get out of it, the better.

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
05/04/2015 at 16:07

On my 525i I was getting some erratic sensor readings, and everything appeared to point to a failed speed sensor. Since the car was 15 years old at the time I thought it might be surface corrosion on some contacts so I removed and reseated the ECUs. Everything started functioning normally after that, and has remained functional for the last 10 years. I was going to coat the contacts in dielectric grease, but it turned out not to be necessary.

WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
05/04/2015 at 16:19

Oh wow, that’s definitely worth a shot. I definitely want to do some trial and error here, but without screwing anything up worse. I really don’t want to spend any money on this issue.