Recommendations on ECM rebuild/repair services

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speedyjp

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HB in the OC
i have used these types of services for my prior bmws and porsches... does anybody have any recommendations on services to rebuild/repair our infiniti/nissan ecm units?

i have a high system idle problem that does not go away. we checked for air leaks everywhere and resealed practically everything up/new gaskets around the plenum, installed new airflow sensor, throttlebody, reset the system but immediately reports the same p0507 code upon start up. doesn't even give time for the idle to drop below 1000. thinking one of these service providers can fix it in the ecm.

thx in advance!
 
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i performed it several times first and watched the mechanic also do it several times. fail. he was smoother than me at doing it but still a fail. thx for your help tho!
 
there is an idle air bypass valve which allows the ecu to control the idle. I'd pull that and inspect for carbon buildup and make sure that is functioning properly

the main throttle butterfly is factory calibrated to a minimum idle which is very low, usually under 500rpm, then the idle air bypass valve is opened by the ecu incrementally to allow the idle to come up from there by bypassing the throttle body and adding more air. sounds like there is an issue with this not being able to close off enough air for some reason, or extra air is getting past the throttle body for some reason, you sure there are no vacuum leaks? I wouldn't bet on this being a bad ecu
 
thx turbocad. i'll look it up but can you point me to its location? may be one of the parts we swapped out for a new one. thx!

turbocad6 said:
there is an idle air bypass valve which allows the ecu to control the idle. I'd pull that and inspect for carbon buildup and make sure that is functioning properly

the main throttle butterfly is factory calibrated to a minimum idle which is very low, usually under 500rpm, then the idle air bypass valve is opened by the ecu incrementally to allow the idle to come up from there by bypassing the throttle body and adding more air. sounds like there is an issue with this not being able to close off enough air for some reason, or extra air is getting past the throttle body for some reason, you sure there are no vacuum leaks? I wouldn't bet on this being a bad ecu
Click to expand...
 
Sorry to pull this old thread. My AWD FX35 is now at 64K a few hundred miles shy of 65k. Recently the car had been having some rough idle issues. From a cold start it would usually be running between 1700 to 2000 rpm gradually dropping to about 1000 rpm when it reaches normal engine temp. The SES code lit up on the dash. I did the ECU and throttle reset a few times, including disconnecting the battery terminal and doing the "pedal dance". The SES light will disappear for a bit and will return after about 50 miles of driving.

I've check hoses, disconnected the CAI, inspect the TB, the MAF sensor, reconnect them back, reinspect them again. No indication of any issues, no weird wheezing or high pitch idle noise. I'm at a loss. I brought my car to the dealer yesterday and currently am in a loaner. I received a call from the dealer this morning, was told the issue was a bad ECM that has to be replaced. I was quoted $2,000 with parts and labor.

So here are the questions: 1) Does anybody had a similar issue, if so, what was done and what was the fix? 2) Is there something that I may have missed or I needed to do to avoid this expensive fix? 3) Is the repair cost quoted within range?

I am out of warranty, so I am hoping there is another fix out there that the dealer may have not considered before I had to bite the bullet.

Any help is greatly appreciated.
 
Thanks for the response Andy.

Code P0507. Service Manager said they need to replace the ECM to the tune of $2000. :-(


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Ruben, sounds like you all the checks yourself already. :good:
The ECM is the only thing left, but $2000 is hard to take.
 
Yeah it sucks. That money could have gone to some other mod that I have put on the backseat for a bit. I will take a closer look again tomorrow, probably will look at the grounds. I've read somewhere that a faulty grounding sometimes gives the ECM some issues.

Nice avatar btw.
 
Let me know if you need a ECM. My mechanic bought me one thinking i had a bad ECM and that was not the case. So i have a spare ECM for a 2007 Infiniti FX 35. As long as you don't have adaptive cruise control it will work. Let me know as i will give you a great deal. On a side note we bought the ECM because the dealership said we needed to. They were wrong. All the dealership may need to do is reprogram the ECM i have. Send me money for the shipping and once installed and everything is ok you can pay me what i want for the ECM.

---------- Post added at 03:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:18 PM ----------

This is what you need to do. Your computer is fine. Stolen from someone elses posts. Dealerships usually just replace things to fix problems they don't usually try different things tat can also fix problems:

Hello friends, just thought I would post this since I went through the same issue. The regular relearn/reset procedure did not work for me even after 20 attempts. The below procedure worked on the first attempt.

Quote:
[TABLE="width: 100%"]
[TR]
[TD="class: alt2, bgcolor: #DCE1E5"]Found this on nissanhelp



Quote:
ENGINE COLD
Perform "Accelerator Pedal Released Position Learning" .
Make sure that accelerator pedal is fully released.
Turn ignition switch “ON” and wait at least 2 seconds.
Turn ignition switch “OFF” wait at least 10 seconds.
Turn ignition switch “ON” and wait at least 2 seconds.
Turn ignition switch “OFF” wait at least 10 seconds.
WAIT over 10 seconds before this next step.
Perform "Throttle Valve Closed Position Learning" .
Make sure that accelerator pedal is fully released.
Turn ignition switch “ON”. WAIT EXACTLY ONE SECOND SHARP. Turn ignition switch “OFF”
THEN wait at least 10 seconds.
Make sure that throttle valve moves during above 10 seconds by confirming the operating sound. - Very hard to hear anything at all. Just believe this is happening by faith.
Now, here's the big change
Start engine and warm it up to normal operating temperature.
AND RIDE YOUR CAR FOR AT LEAST 15 MINUTES, this will make for correct operating temperatures to happen within the engine for the following steps. Warming your car in the garage in the morning aparently does not cut it.

Turn ignition switch “OFF” and wait at least 10 seconds.
Confirm that accelerator pedal is fully released, turn ignition switch “ON” and wait 3 seconds.
Repeat the following procedure quickly five times within 5 seconds.
Fully depress the accelerator pedal. Fully release the accelerator pedal.
Wait 7 seconds
Fully depress the accelerator pedal and keep it for approx. 20 seconds until the MIL stops blinking and turns ON.
Fully release the accelerator pedal within 3 seconds after the MIL goes off. Start engine and let it idle. THE ENGINE MUST BE STARTED WITHIN THE 3 SECONDS AFTER IT STOPS BLINKING, THATS HOW THIS LIGHT GOES OFF. THE SERVICE MANUAL DOES NOT STATE THIS, BUT IF YOU LOOK AT THE DIAGRAM WHERE THE ENGINE LINE ON-OFF IS, IT CLEARLY SHOWS YOU SHOULD TURN IT ON WITHIN THESE THREE SECONDS.
This is where your engine will start to learn the correct idle settings

Wait 20 seconds.
Rev up the engine two or three times and make sure that idle speed and ignition timing are within the specifications.[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]


I think the main difference is driving the vehicle around to reach operating temps, when I did it originally I would just warm it up in the garage. I drove it around for 5 minutes (not 15) and redid the above procedure. Works perfectly if done right, I actually did it on the first try using the cd player as a clock.

---------- Post added at 04:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:21 PM ----------

also make sure you clear any codes before or after performing the above procedure. (I cleared the P0507 code after I got the idle right). [/quote]

---------- Post added at 03:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:36 PM ----------

They just want to replace your ECM so they don't have to do these things. I am sure your ECM is fine. I recently went through some things with my FX and learned a lot, especially how dealerships work. I am sure if they replace your ECM everything will be fine but you don't need to replace it
 
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Thanks teemoney. My car had the ICC or adaptive cruise control though. I'm familiar with the " pedal dance " and did the procedure a few times in the past. I tried it again using my iPhone as a stop watch. No luck. Idle is still high and CEL returned shortly there after.

I'd check the car again thoroughly over the weekend and see what I find. I guess it's time to hunt for a decent priced ECM. Where did you buy yours?


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Problem fixed. I did the pedal dance again. Just took my time, memorize the steps so I don't get distracted looking at the guide and performing the procedures. I used my cell phone lap timer stop watch to time.

Idle is back to normal level. I have been driving the car for more than 150miles now since the reset. CEL never returned. Thank Andy and teemoney!
 
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