Stru

I know I'm all over this thread about the godamn ECM/IACV bullsh*t, but I'm a total novice with cars in general and being a part-timer working for minimum wage in Connecticut, dealerships and shops just aren't an option.

I'm scared to get a rebuilt ECM just because there is no guarantee that it'd work. For example, I took mine out of my car and noticed the STA509A was fried. Okay cool, I bring it in for repair and the repairman explains to me there is no fixing it. Why? Because the damn shortage burned THROUGH every layer of the motherboard and almost through the metal case. So yeah, a new chip could be soldered on but it doesn't mean it'll work if the damn connectors are charred to nothing.

Anyway, do you guys have any positive experiences with certain places for used ECMs? I'm looking to spend no more than $300, so new ones are out of the question. No traction control on my vehicle. Also, will an i30 ECM work with my Maxima? Thank you in advance.

-Stru

Grand_hustle17

iTrader: (22)

car-part.com

NmexMAX

iTrader: (22)

A lot of those companies offer warranties. Keep in mind, you'll need to deal with NATS and all that stuff, transponder, etc.

Stru

Would that all be settled once my car is towed to the dealership and they reprogram everything? I'm not sure how much they're going to charge for it though. I live in CT, so probably a lot.

Grand_hustle17

iTrader: (22)

A lot.... A locksmith can actually reprogram em... I know there is one here in MD that charged like 90$.... Might be the same at the dealer though

NmexMAX

iTrader: (22)

It's like 130 at the dealer, but you could probably get them down to 90$.

Pilm

You can quickly determine if the output connections from the mosfet to the ECU connector are ok, just get a multimeter and probe continuity of the following:

ECU pin 6 ----- STA509A pin 9
ECU pin 7 ----- STA509A pin 7
ECU pin 8 ----- STA509A pin 3
ECU pin 17 --- STA509A pin 5

If any of these are open circuit, you just need to add a jumper wire from the mosfet pin to the connector. Not sure why the repair shop you visited was so clueless, probably just didn't want to deal with it, but the fix isn't hard and isn't risky. You don't even need to solder the new chip into the board, you could just tape a new one down and run jumpers wires from the leads to the 10 i/o. Remove the old one of course.

Stru

Lol dude, there was a hole in the motherboard the size of a dime. I could honestly see through it. There's no repairing that.

Pilm

Yeah man, a picture is worth a thousand words!

DjHackStyle

if it didnt affect any bus lines on the board i think the jumper idea would work great

Stru

Well, pictures on how to do this? And where to connect the pin to?

Pilm

Post some close up pics of the STA509A chip, both top and bottom of board, and I'll see if I can mark up where you need to probe for continuity and/or add jumper wires.

aackshun

iTrader: (3)

You'll pay out the @$$ for their services but http://www.autocompdirect.com/ is who you want to talk to.

It's who the car-part.com people (like me) deal with from time to time.

I'm not a fan of their prices but their work is reputable.