Engine control module: common defects and their signs

1. Appearance of microcracks in the printed circuit board.
   • Jerks of the car during braking.
   • Difficult gear shifting in automatic gearbox.
   • Unstable work of engine cylinders.
   • Spontaneous turning on of the passenger compartment fan. This can be connected with breakdown of the heater control module. But this sign can as well be the result of the engine control module defect.
2. Wiring breakage, or short circuit between the terminals.
   • Engine power noticeably decreases. This may be caused by the defect of the ignition control module.
   • Fuel consumption increases.
   • Fuses often blow out on the car.
   • Sometimes the engine fails to start. Often the defect cause is breakdown of the glow plug control module.
   • The control module doesn’t receive signals from different sensors and actuation mechanisms.

How to repair and replace engine control module?

In order to detect the location and degree of defects in the engine control module, you should perform thorough diagnostics which includes check of the glow plug control module, the heater control module and the other elements. It should be performed at the service station with the help of special computer-aided equipment. If defects are found to be insignificant, then specialists will clean the terminals, solder the microcircuit chips, and replace the air-conditioner control module, the seat control module or the other broken down elements.

In case if damages are significant, the component should be replaced in assembly. The process of the engine control module replacement is better to entrust to specialists of a service station, not only because it is located in the hard-to-reach place, but also because mistakes which can take place at installation will imminently lead to incorrect work of many other car systems.