Need Advice on ECU - Saxperience

Dante____ · 9th February 2013, 14:48

I have done some research before posing this question to you but I want current information, in a 2013 thread and directed to me for my specific problem.

My car is Citroen Saxo 1.1 T Reg. 98/99

OK so my ECU has a fault, the fuel is rich, it's overfuelling (one of those three)

What do I do? Buy a second hand ECU? Buy a new ECU? Or do I get my current ECU repaired?

My car has no immobiliser. This is where the problem starts, if I get a 2nd hand or new ECU it won't be able to be programmed right? Will it search for a code from the non-existent immobiliser and not work? Or will the ECU be installed fine and the car will start up?

So do I get an ECU (if i were to get a new one) which says ''pulled from XXX car'' or do I HAVE to find one which says it is ''uncoded''.

Also what is your opinion on plug-and-play ECUs?

I just want to make the right decision as my car has undergone a lot of work and has to pass the MOT. The problem is the emissions.

Please bear in mind I know nothing about cars only that my car runs FINE, eco this and global warming that is screwing this up and costing me money, as I'm sure it is everyone else and we can all agree... it's bullshit.

mlawlan69 · 9th February 2013, 15:15

Can I ask why you believe the problem relates to the ecu??

Dante____ · 9th February 2013, 15:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by mlawlan69

Can I ask why you believe the problem relates to the ecu??

I believe it has been tested.

Also 2 people have looked at it and deduced that it can't be anything but the lambda sensor or the ECU as a new cat was put in and it made no difference whatsoever.

What do you think, I'd be grateful to hear.

Prickle^p · 9th February 2013, 15:30

Was it a PSA cat or a cheap shitty one?

Quick · 9th February 2013, 15:44

How far out were the emissions for the MOT??

jeffchiz · 9th February 2013, 17:33

i might be wrong but i cant see how fitting a new cat would effect over fuelling as its fitted after the combustion has taken place, i would have said its unlikely its the ecu, if a professional as said that it could be the lambda that would be the first thing to replace as that tells the ecu how much fuel to put in

Dante____ · 9th February 2013, 18:01

I think you're right dude because the cat DID do nothing.

As for the other guy I've no idea what kind of cat it was.

How far out were the emissions? No idea.

Lambda sensor is what I'm going to check or clean, whatever I have to do with it. I won't be doing it alone so I don't need to know what I'm doing.

OK man thanks for educating myself a bit on the lambda, is it a case of cleaning it? Or replacing it? Either way that's cheaper than fixing the ECU!

I will report back tomorrow and see if sorting out the lambda has fixed anything.

Bad news is the car is extremely low on fuel which as I'm aware would make it pump out shitty fuel and can also cause problems. Can't drive to get more fuel either, maybe it's worth putting some in a fuel can before doing anything else.

jeffchiz · 9th February 2013, 18:04

i think it would just be a case of changing the lambda rather than cleaning it, and im sure you could get a 1.1 ecu for pennies if you wanted to try it, but obviously it would have to be unlocked, you do this by turning the donor car on and unplugging the immobiliser this will unlock the ecu so it can be used on your car

Dante____ · 9th February 2013, 18:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeffchiz

i think it would just be a case of changing the lambda rather than cleaning it, and im sure you could get a 1.1 ecu for pennies if you wanted to try it, but obviously it would have to be unlocked, you do this by turning the donor car on and unplugging the immobiliser this will unlock the ecu so it can be used on your car

a brand new one is EXPENSIVE. over £100

For a 2nd hand one I can get one for £30 up to £50 or so

lambda sensor is £35 from what ive seen on ebay, haven't looked too hard yet but will try to get a better priced one once Ive looked around a bit more.

thanks for the advice on the ECU, i don't have the option of pulling one from a car or seeing it done

. I'll have to make sure the one I buy from Ebay is unlocked and from a reputable seller.

tillygti6 · 9th February 2013, 19:00

It could literally be anything causing the overfueling. Most aftermarket cats arnt worth a toss either.
Could be related to the ignition side. Scabby plugs,leads, coil.

Could be temp sensor related. But highly unlikely to be the ecu.itself.
First thing would be to find a helpfull garage. They sound useless
Even whipping the airbox off will lean it off. The lambda can be cleaned up as they get scabby tips. Also practically every lambda sansor used by pug/cit is interchangeable. Just reconnect the coloured wires to suit the plug your loom needs.

jeffchiz · 9th February 2013, 19:10

i mean a 1.1 ecu would be pennies on here, scrapyards can properly over charge for certain products, in there eyes an ecu is an ecu weather its an unlocked vts ecu (worth around £50-70) or a locked 1.1 ecu (pretty much worthless), you can pick up whole 1.1 engines with loom and ecu for a tenner on here if you tried hard enough , i just threw my old vtr engine/loom/ecu away as it wasn't worth selling on here

Dante____ · 9th February 2013, 19:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by tillygti6

It could literally be anything causing the overfueling. Most aftermarket cats arnt worth a toss either.
Could be related to the ignition side. Scabby plugs,leads, coil.

Could be temp sensor related. But highly unlikely to be the ecu.itself.
First thing would be to find a helpfull garage. They sound useless
Even whipping the airbox off will lean it off. The lambda can be cleaned up as they get scabby tips. Also practically every lambda sansor used by pug/cit is interchangeable. Just reconnect the coloured wires to suit the plug your loom needs.

thanks dude.

hopefully after a visual inspection I can work that out.

I hope it's just a case of cleaning sensors, that would be brilliant from a time and money perspective.

I'm sure the leads and spark plug have been changed within the last year so that rules those out. Also it's got a brand new coilpack in it.

tillygti6 · 9th February 2013, 19:38

Find a helpfull garage man! if they wernt prepared to spend 5 minutes playing take your money elsewhere.

Fuck the world. Precat cars ftw

Dante____ · 10th February 2013, 15:54

going to check a load of things

dirty plugs
dirty lambda sensor
pcv valve
air filter
dirty injectors

not sure what else to do, hopefully can narrow it down

2+ weeks without a car is soul destroying.

andyyy · 12th February 2013, 20:11

id put my money on Map(air) sensor is either vdirty or dead

Dante____ · 13th February 2013, 14:29

was thinking about the MAP sensor but can't find it for the life of me.

Also having trouble ordering a lambda sensor from Ebay as 2 different companies have said to me the part I need isn't on Ebay when some lambda sensors on there say they fit my car so how come they actually don't?