Bad ECU Swap/Battery Malfunction. HELP!!
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Driver School Candidate
Joined: Mar 2019
Posts: 2
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From: Wa
Bad ECU Swap/Battery Malfunction. HELP!!
Hey there,
So I recently had an issue with my '96 LS 400's (manufactured in 11/95) ECU. What was happening initially is that the car would stall, rough idle, and the check engine and Trac lights would come on. The latter of which would just flash. I took it to my mechanic and he told me it looked like the ECU Caps were leaking which wasnt a surprise (more of a nightmare) So I bought a junk yard ECU from EBay which was supposedly tested and to be clear while I find someone to replace the Caps on the original. I took off the glove boxes and switched out the ECU's put it all back together and now I am getting P1600 which is the battery malfunction. The rough idle doesnt seem to be present and the car turns over just fine. The only issue that is persiting is some white smoke from the tail pipes which i believe is just unused fuel (due to the strong scent) Ive looked at the fuses and the battery connections which all look to be fine but for the life of me I cant figure out what the issue is. Ive read other places that it could be a poor connection on the wires connecting the ECU and a simple wiggle might work. However before I take that all off again or take it back to my mechanic. I wanted to check with you brilliant folks to see if you might have any other recommendations.
Any help would be appreciated!
So I recently had an issue with my '96 LS 400's (manufactured in 11/95) ECU. What was happening initially is that the car would stall, rough idle, and the check engine and Trac lights would come on. The latter of which would just flash. I took it to my mechanic and he told me it looked like the ECU Caps were leaking which wasnt a surprise (more of a nightmare) So I bought a junk yard ECU from EBay which was supposedly tested and to be clear while I find someone to replace the Caps on the original. I took off the glove boxes and switched out the ECU's put it all back together and now I am getting P1600 which is the battery malfunction. The rough idle doesnt seem to be present and the car turns over just fine. The only issue that is persiting is some white smoke from the tail pipes which i believe is just unused fuel (due to the strong scent) Ive looked at the fuses and the battery connections which all look to be fine but for the life of me I cant figure out what the issue is. Ive read other places that it could be a poor connection on the wires connecting the ECU and a simple wiggle might work. However before I take that all off again or take it back to my mechanic. I wanted to check with you brilliant folks to see if you might have any other recommendations.
Any help would be appreciated!
CL Community Team
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 4,178
Likes: 1,008
From: Japan
Sorry for your trouble. The code P1600 means that the voltage checking circuit is not getting the VCC or the voltage is out of the range. This is usually caused by the failed voltage regulator or the open trace, if the external fuse is not open. Sometimes a reverse mounted capacitor causes the problem, I must add.
I'm afraid to say that in the worst scenario, the internal layer of the VCC line in the ECU board was damaged and corroded by the leaked QAS. Generally speaking it is very hard or impossible to fix the damaged internal trace. It can be fixed by a skilled person if the open trace is at the surface side.
Most of mechanics are not OK to handle this type of problem and you need to find someone who is capable or simply use another good ECU.
I'm afraid to say that in the worst scenario, the internal layer of the VCC line in the ECU board was damaged and corroded by the leaked QAS. Generally speaking it is very hard or impossible to fix the damaged internal trace. It can be fixed by a skilled person if the open trace is at the surface side.
Most of mechanics are not OK to handle this type of problem and you need to find someone who is capable or simply use another good ECU.
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