ECU..lots of questions

[russc]

Hi I have scoured the net for answers and worn out the haynes on this one so any help would be greatly appreciated.

My friend's 1998 Micra K11 has gone kaput. The garage seem to think that the ECU is not responding...pretty wierd as it was before it went in for repair as the engine was flooding etc. Tried wd40 around the HT leads to make sure there was no shorting.

Now the car is getting current to the starter motor but will not turn over. is the immobiliser and ECU before the starter motor?

So I want to know, can I put in a reclaimed ECU/replacement? The immobiliser is a seperate unit so does that need any attention? Also what is the cheapest way to test these? Is it worth getting the cable for the diagnostics socket? Or should they just send it to a specialist? Can you test the ecu via the self test option? If so where can I get a full list of error codes for it?

I have heard about open/unlocked ECUs and immobilser bypass units, what would be the best bet here?

OK so final point now...let's just suppose that the garage were trying to pull a fast one on my friend (my thoughts to some extent). Is there an easy way to check that that the engine is getting fuel? You see in the past the old fuel pump fuse out trick has helped clear a flooded engine...the supposed probs with the ECU seem to have popped up since the car went in to have its electrics sorted out and this occasional flooding thing.

Sorry for the big list of questions, any help would be greatly appreciated.:grinning:

 

[Craig]

Sounds like a NATS problem to me - do you get current to the sparks + fuel pump?

I seem to remember that re-coding is an expensive Nissan job, you could swap the whole loom over for a non-NATS one, but you'd need the ECU from that as well.

Has the ring by the ignition barrel been disturbed?

Craig

 

[russc]

Thanks Craig


So it loks like the immobiliser to you then? Not sure if the ring by the ignition has been disturbed...I am guessing not.

What is the best/safest way of checking if there is a current to the sparks and fuel pump. I was considering popping the fuel line off under the bonnet and seeing if the pump is pumping any, an old school mechanics trick I am told. I am a bit dubious of doing this though because of the potential for a disaster.

Am I supposed to be able to see fuel when I look though the round hole with gauze in the airfilter into the Throtle body?(not sure if that is right)

So let me get this right, the NATS key talks to the immobiliser but not the ECU? Is the ECU coded to a particular key, if so can my friend not get a (set of locks), keys ecu and immobiliser unit from a scrap micrathen calibrate that?

Why would te loom need changing? Are the 3rd party ECU's a different pin out?

Anyone know of any good ecu people. I am in wirral near liverpool NW england.