are you guys aware of the need to replace your ECU capacitors?
12-19-10, 09:16 PM
#1
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Thread Starter
are you guys aware of the need to replace your ECU capacitors?
???
hey guys... just a quick question to you all... as i'm unsure of what the culture in america is like - but you guys (especially SC400 guys) ARE aware of the NEED to replace your ECU capacitors, right???
if you all already know about it then fine... but i am seeing a lot of problems popping up and all they need is replace the ECU capacitors...
this will improve / fix the following (but not limited to)
fuel economy (i get about 600km per tank)
central locking
remote boot release
power loss in the cold
power dips in the heat
stalling
rough idle
gearbox issues especially sloppy shifting and
overdrive
blinky dash (more a soarer thing)
loss of horsepower - it's NOT due to old age!!!!
loss of torque - also not due to old age..
blowing smoke from the exhausts
strange electrical inexpleicable problems
^^^all these problems and many more which you might not even be aware of, will be fixed by replacing your ECU capacitors.
are you USA guys aware that this needs to be done? or is this information not really that well known over there...
Regards
Rowan
hey guys... just a quick question to you all... as i'm unsure of what the culture in america is like - but you guys (especially SC400 guys) ARE aware of the NEED to replace your ECU capacitors, right???
if you all already know about it then fine... but i am seeing a lot of problems popping up and all they need is replace the ECU capacitors...
this will improve / fix the following (but not limited to)
fuel economy (i get about 600km per tank)
central locking
remote boot release
power loss in the cold
power dips in the heat
stalling
rough idle
gearbox issues especially sloppy shifting and
overdrive
blinky dash (more a soarer thing)
loss of horsepower - it's NOT due to old age!!!!
loss of torque - also not due to old age..
blowing smoke from the exhausts
strange electrical inexpleicable problems
^^^all these problems and many more which you might not even be aware of, will be fixed by replacing your ECU capacitors.
are you USA guys aware that this needs to be done? or is this information not really that well known over there...
Regards
Rowan
12-19-10, 09:56 PM
#2
Keeper of the light
iTrader: (17)
Snake oil.
Our ECU's don't have any reported issues. Our cars (JDM v/s USDM) do seem to be as different as night and day on problems. For example, Blinky dash is a capacitor problem, no electronics on the board are the cause of the USDM cluster issues.... the caps and other components are bulletproof. Our boards hold up, our load is the failure.
The active soarers have several issues with electrical, but are ten times more advanced. Even the regular Soarers have a different harness and setup such as full digital dash and the Nav style radio instead of the regular radio.
I won't deny there could very well be issues with the more advanced Soarers, but the USDM ECU's hold up and give no failure rates we've seen in any number at all.
Our ECU's don't have any reported issues. Our cars (JDM v/s USDM) do seem to be as different as night and day on problems. For example, Blinky dash is a capacitor problem, no electronics on the board are the cause of the USDM cluster issues.... the caps and other components are bulletproof. Our boards hold up, our load is the failure.
The active soarers have several issues with electrical, but are ten times more advanced. Even the regular Soarers have a different harness and setup such as full digital dash and the Nav style radio instead of the regular radio.
I won't deny there could very well be issues with the more advanced Soarers, but the USDM ECU's hold up and give no failure rates we've seen in any number at all.
12-20-10, 08:42 AM
#4
Yep, at least Bartledoo and me are aware. We have a few dead SC400 ECU's laying around, all with blown capacitors. We only attempted once to fix it, but even after replacing all the caps we though were blown, it still didn't want to work.
92-94 ECU's are known to have issues eventually.
A side tip, if your car will crank but not start, see if the CEL comes on in the ON position. If it doesn't, you have a bad ecu
92-94 ECU's are known to have issues eventually.
A side tip, if your car will crank but not start, see if the CEL comes on in the ON position. If it doesn't, you have a bad ecu
12-20-10, 10:44 AM
#5
Keeper of the light
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Only time I have ever seen them blow is if the car is modded. Most of the time it is from the fender harness being cut. Sure there are dead ecu's and sure they need caps, but not in any actual volume of mass numbers like it sounds in the OP (for USDM) IMO.
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12-20-10, 12:45 PM
#9
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I have had a few bad ecus due to leaking capacitors.
what They look like when really bad.
back up link in case that one goes down
http://imgur.com/09iHK.jpg
Why it goes bad.
A capacitor is a very thin, long silver strip covered in anti-conductive jell. During it's operation DC current is passed through the strip from one side to the next. This is then rolled up and put in a plastic shell (this is why it is in cylinder form). Over time (and due to a design flaw) the capacitor heats up, and the jell becomes a different and unintended viscosity allowing it to leak from the capacitor case. Due to the very thin, long silver strip being rolled up and the jell leaving the case the roll starts to pass DC current over the layers instead of the intended full length path of the strip.
Because of the mechanical nature of this jell moving, the variety of electrical functions and complexity many capacitors carry out in a ECU just one leaking can cause many problems or one specific problem. But that's not the worst part, the problem that the faulty capacitor is causing can come and go depending on many factors like the map the ecus is using at the time(if it's a map ecu), or the temp of the weather effecting the jell Etc.
one common issue I have seen with faulty capacitors are the injectors just wont fire or they fire 100% all the time or something between like a lean/rich mix. The statement that it with effect fuel economy is spot on in my experience. As is most the rest the OP made.
I had http://www.driftmotion.com/ replace the one in my 1jz ecu. I tried the repair on a different ecu and did not have the proper tools to do it right.
what They look like when really bad.
back up link in case that one goes down
http://imgur.com/09iHK.jpg
Why it goes bad.
A capacitor is a very thin, long silver strip covered in anti-conductive jell. During it's operation DC current is passed through the strip from one side to the next. This is then rolled up and put in a plastic shell (this is why it is in cylinder form). Over time (and due to a design flaw) the capacitor heats up, and the jell becomes a different and unintended viscosity allowing it to leak from the capacitor case. Due to the very thin, long silver strip being rolled up and the jell leaving the case the roll starts to pass DC current over the layers instead of the intended full length path of the strip.
Because of the mechanical nature of this jell moving, the variety of electrical functions and complexity many capacitors carry out in a ECU just one leaking can cause many problems or one specific problem. But that's not the worst part, the problem that the faulty capacitor is causing can come and go depending on many factors like the map the ecus is using at the time(if it's a map ecu), or the temp of the weather effecting the jell Etc.
one common issue I have seen with faulty capacitors are the injectors just wont fire or they fire 100% all the time or something between like a lean/rich mix. The statement that it with effect fuel economy is spot on in my experience. As is most the rest the OP made.
I had http://www.driftmotion.com/ replace the one in my 1jz ecu. I tried the repair on a different ecu and did not have the proper tools to do it right.
12-20-10, 01:15 PM
#10
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Yes, I had to replace both the Main ECU and the Fuel ECU over failed/leaking capacitors (you could clearly see the leaking and staining of the ECU case). Even with only 52,000 miles, the capacitors have seemed to reached their endlife after 18 years and began leaking. Car runs perfect now.
12-20-10, 03:05 PM
#11
quick question on an injector(s) not firing would the car sound like it has a missfire similar in sound to a plug not firing?
I've been trying to diagnose an intermittant issue (that seems to be getting worse over the last 2 days) and have yet to pull the ecu and open it up due to the weather in socal atm.
sound clip
http://s552.photobucket.com/albums/j...1217101657.mp4
I've been trying to diagnose an intermittant issue (that seems to be getting worse over the last 2 days) and have yet to pull the ecu and open it up due to the weather in socal atm.
sound clip
http://s552.photobucket.com/albums/j...1217101657.mp4
12-20-10, 03:17 PM
#12
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on my 92 sc300 a few capacitors in my ecu were leaking/busted. caused the car to run like utter *****. i just put another stock ecu in
whats the deal with the capacitors in our cars from that time period? bad manufacturing?
whats the deal with the capacitors in our cars from that time period? bad manufacturing?
12-20-10, 03:18 PM
#13
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quick question on an injector(s) not firing would the car sound like it has a missfire similar in sound to a plug not firing?
I've been trying to diagnose an intermittant issue (that seems to be getting worse over the last 2 days) and have yet to pull the ecu and open it up due to the weather in socal atm.
sound clip
http://s552.photobucket.com/albums/j...1217101657.mp4
I've been trying to diagnose an intermittant issue (that seems to be getting worse over the last 2 days) and have yet to pull the ecu and open it up due to the weather in socal atm.
sound clip
http://s552.photobucket.com/albums/j...1217101657.mp4
12-20-10, 03:59 PM
#14
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Why it goes bad.
A capacitor is a very thin, long silver strip covered in anti-conductive jell. During it's operation DC current is passed through the strip from one side to the next. This is then rolled up and put in a plastic shell (this is why it is in cylinder form). Over time (and due to a design flaw) the capacitor heats up, and the jell becomes a different and unintended viscosity allowing it to leak from the capacitor case. Due to the very thin, long silver strip being rolled up and the jell leaving the case the roll starts to pass DC current over the layers instead of the intended full length path of the strip.
A capacitor is a very thin, long silver strip covered in anti-conductive jell. During it's operation DC current is passed through the strip from one side to the next. This is then rolled up and put in a plastic shell (this is why it is in cylinder form). Over time (and due to a design flaw) the capacitor heats up, and the jell becomes a different and unintended viscosity allowing it to leak from the capacitor case. Due to the very thin, long silver strip being rolled up and the jell leaving the case the roll starts to pass DC current over the layers instead of the intended full length path of the strip.
I'm becoming curious now how many of the very first ECU's are failing since I heard the nichicon's in them were good for 25 yrs.
12-20-10, 04:07 PM
#15
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The biggest key is staying active, not being overused as suggested above. It is when you let a capacitor sit dormant that it dries out internally. Working it is like working your body muscles. It doesn't build up the cap, but it keeps it in working order. Batteries that sit go bad because they are the same design of a capacitor. If you shelf a battery it will go bad, but if you use it, it will stay in working order.
This is why I'm curious how big a deal it is in USDM ECU's as far as failures because the nichicons are good for about 25 years if they stay in working commission.
The end result of a capacitor dying that is used and kept in working order (which means it didn't dry out) is fatigue of the bottom plate.