where to get new//recon/used Bosch engine controller for Cavalier?

[Dave Plowman]

Rule one with mechanics - it's always the most expensive component that has failed. So after paying for that, the cost of the sensor (or whatever)

*as well* seems trivial.

[The Natural Philosopher]

My other halfhad a pug 205 that ran fine for about half an hour and tehn would always stall at idle.

Garage diagnosed 'airflow sensor' - always the most expesnive bit to replace and handily removed teh idel airblled as they said te mixture was very rich.

Fiortunatly I knew a petrson who built a business out of thrird party ECU support, and had a chat to him. He sent me a sopare screw and like me, reckoned it was teh water temperature sensor.

I finally after many hairuy periods of driving at no less than 3000 RPM (any less would stall) got the wretched car home from the garage, and eventually foundteh water sensor, removed it, and tested it. About

4kohms. Semmed fine. Then I decide to be thorough and stuck it in a pan of boiling water. About 4.5k ohms.

Got a new one for 11 quid, bunged it in, and tho the idle was always a bit rough, it pased an MOT and ran well enough to eventually sell.

I missed teh first part of this thread, but I still have a list of error codes for just about every ECU if someone cares to repost the original problem.

Not starting, but rinning might be a shorted water sensor. Engine will start on effectively full weak hot mixture.

Sometimes flooring ther throttle will inject enough fuel to overcome.

IME sensors go more than ECU's

[Pete C]

Just looked it up on the web and there's also a top dead centre position sensor (and a No 1 piston position sensor too!):

so it's possible the car can run on the other two sensors alone. The car had trouble idling with the new ECU, as apparently the ECU can use some memorised reading if the crankshaft position sensor fails.

cheers, Pete.

[Tim (Remove NOSPAM.]

The Honda V6 uses two other sensors, a Cam phase sensor, and a tacho sensor, both in a dissy-like housing, so yes, it will run with a U/S crank sensor.

99.9% of other cars won't though, as you say.

Tim..

[Dave Plowman]

It's a very common sensor problem, but they usually fail open circuit resulting in a rich mixture. You don't have to remove them to test them - they read about 3k at ambient temperature and about 175 ohms at operating temp. If you're unsure, substituting a 175 ohm resistor after starting and warming will allow it to be driven normally.

[Dave Plowman]

It can't strictly speaking be a crank position sensor if other devices have this function. It presumably measures engine speed and the rate of change of that. Nor can any crank position sensor give an accurate indication of where a piston is on a four stroke engine - you need a cam position one for that. Although many engines simply fire two plugs at once

- the so called wasted spark system - to avoid the need to know which piston is actually near the end of the compression stroke.

[Dave Plowman]

Yup - my BMW will run too with a faulty cam sensor. It's just that if it can, it hasn't got a crank *position* sensor - simply a crank movement sensor of some form. But if I remember earlier this thread, the magnets on the flywheel included a group to determine the position, so I'd say it's highly unlikely it would run at all with this sensor open circuit. Of course they frequently go intermittent - usually with heat.

[Paul Dormer]

"Dave Plowman" emitted :

In my case the mechanic made three evening visits to my house. He acquired the appropriate ECU, then returned it to his supplier when it didn't fix the problem. Returned with a recondition starter motor and I was back in business. Charged me £45. He wouldn't accept any more so I bought him some beers to say thanks. Really nice bloke..

-- S i g n a l @ l i n e o n e . n e t

[Guy King]

The message from Paul Dormer contains these words:

Ah - repeat business. This is what yer KwikKwack place doesn't understand - and the staff aren't usually there long enough to care.

[Dave Plowman]

Remember to send him a Xmas card too - he's one in a million.

[Paul Dormer]

"Dave Plowman" emitted :

He's retired now.. but he did get repeat business (cambelt change, wheel bearings, lights, suspension, brakes). His prices were good, and the work was done properly. Not the fastest.. didn't have the most up-to-date technology.. but good honest work.

-- S i g n a l @ l i n e o n e . n e t

[hudsterou]

Our local kwikfit replaced the NSR front brake hose incorrectly, resulting in the hose permanently rubbing against the steel rim of the wheel and eventually almost wearing through the host before I happened to park with the wheels turned at an angle and noticed it....