Car won't start with standard ecu

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Caleb-mr2
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Location: N.Ireland

Car won't start with standard ecu

Post by Caleb-mr2 »

Okay so I'm getting ready to give up now!

The car I bought was misfiring and as I got an apexi power fc I couldn't read codes. I've just bought the standard ecu and fitted it. Thinking this is great I'll be able to read codes now and get this thing running.

So I get in the car turn the ignition and everything lights up as it should. Proceed to try and turn it over and it just dies, doesn't try to start at all, and when I turn the ignition again nothing happens or lights up.

Why would it be doing that??

Any help seriously appreciated
mr2garageswindon
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Re: Car won't start with standard ecu

Post by mr2garageswindon »

Start at the beginning... check the battery, does it have an immobilser?
SonicSW20
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Re: Car won't start with standard ecu

Post by SonicSW20 »

Also have you tried reading codes with the stock ECU installed? And have you cross referenced the P/N to make sure it's the right ECU for the car?
Caleb-mr2
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Location: N.Ireland

Re: Car won't start with standard ecu

Post by Caleb-mr2 »

Battery is charged.

I'm not sure about an immobilser as the car came with one key and all the buttons removed so could have one. But would the apexi power fc mean it would remove the immobiliser?? Cause the car starts but misfires and the fuel pump relay clicks causing it to stumble.

No codes but I'm guessing that's because it hasn't been started yet to store codes. Ecu number is 89661-17460 which I'm sure is right, I have a rev 5 turbo
shinny
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Re: Car won't start with standard ecu

Post by shinny »

Caleb-mr2 wrote:The car I bought was misfiring and as I got an apexi power fc I couldn't read codes. I've just bought the standard ecu and fitted it.


The car had an aftermarket ECU fitted... generally people fit one because their mods go beyond what the stock ECU can handle. The obvious mismatch would be bigger injectors (which would cause the stock ECU to flood fuel into the engine), but all kinds of other mods and wiring changes could easily mean a standard ECU won't plug-and-play with the car again.

Unless you are absolutely sure the engine is so lightly modified that the APEX'i PFC is just there to provide mapping, I would return to the PFC and figure out how to get codes out of it. (Does that mean you need to buy a hand commander?)
androo007
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Re: Car won't start with standard ecu

Post by androo007 »

Rev 5 turbo could be anything

Rev 5 UK shell with rev 1-3 turbo engine installed
Rev 5 JPN shell with Rev 5 turbo engine in
Caleb-mr2
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Re: Car won't start with standard ecu

Post by Caleb-mr2 »

Honestly I dunno, has all the bolt ons (intake, exhaust, hks intercooler) but I'm not aware of any injector changes.

How do you read codes with an apexi power fc??
Do you need a hand controller or is it something else?
alanmr2turbo
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Re: Car won't start with standard ecu

Post by alanmr2turbo »

Hasn't the REV5 got the ignition Trasnsponder built into the ECU?

If so your key will prob need programming to the standard rev5 ECU
Caleb-mr2
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Re: Car won't start with standard ecu

Post by Caleb-mr2 »

androo007 wrote:Rev 5 turbo could be anything

Rev 5 UK shell with rev 1-3 turbo engine installed
Rev 5 JPN shell with Rev 5 turbo engine in


It's a jdm rev 5 turbo not a conversion.
Is there any difference between rev 3 and 5 engines?
SonicSW20
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Re: Car won't start with standard ecu

Post by SonicSW20 »

Block is a little different but electronically it's the same as far as I am aware.

Good points by Shinny with the PFC, could well be running larger injectors which the stock ECU won't have a hope in running.
Caleb-mr2
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Location: N.Ireland

Re: Car won't start with standard ecu

Post by Caleb-mr2 »

alanmr2turbo wrote:Hasn't the REV5 got the ignition Trasnsponder built into the ECU?

If so your key will prob need programming to the standard rev5 ECU


Do rev 3 up not have the same ecu?

Is there any way of bypassing the immobiliser/alarm?
SonicSW20
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Re: Car won't start with standard ecu

Post by SonicSW20 »

Rev4/5 JDM turbo ECU is the same P/N as Rev3 according to the EPC.
Caleb-mr2
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Re: Car won't start with standard ecu

Post by Caleb-mr2 »

Gazza_DJ wrote:Block is a little different but electronically it's the same as far as I am aware.

Good points by Shinny with the PFC, could well be running larger injectors which the stock ECU won't have a hope in running.


I'm not sure because it doesn't crank over at all or try too, it just dies as soon as you try to make it. All the lights come on in the dash but everything cuts out as soon as you try to crank it.
Odin_S
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Re: Car won't start with standard ecu

Post by Odin_S »

I would put the standard injectors back in. The ECU you sourced, is it from a Rev 3 I'm only sure they out of the 3-5 JDM or UK did not have an immobiliser.

First rule in tuning, be patience and work methodically
Caleb-mr2
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Re: Car won't start with standard ecu

Post by Caleb-mr2 »

Odin_S wrote:I would put the standard injectors back in. The ECU you sourced, is it from a Rev 3 I'm only sure they out of the 3-5 JDM or UK did not have an immobiliser.

First rule in tuning, be patience and work methodically


As far as I know the injectors are stock.

Yes the ecu I picked up was from someone breaking their rev3 turbo. Are the ecus not the same for rev 3,4,5?
Odin_S
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Re: Car won't start with standard ecu

Post by Odin_S »

Caleb-mr2 wrote:
Odin_S wrote:I would put the standard injectors back in. The ECU you sourced, is it from a Rev 3 I'm only sure they out of the 3-5 JDM or UK did not have an immobiliser.

First rule in tuning, be patience and work methodically


As far as I know the injectors are stock.

Yes the ecu I picked up was from someone breaking their rev3 turbo. Are the ecus not the same for rev 3,4,5?


Essentially the ECU are the same 3-5 for making the car work, but from Rev 4 they added a transponder for the immobiliser just not sure they did it for JDM too.

You need to know what injectors you have
SonicSW20
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Re: Car won't start with standard ecu

Post by SonicSW20 »

The P/N's are the same for Rev3+ Turbo ECU's.
markstevieandmads
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Re: Car won't start with standard ecu

Post by markstevieandmads »

Think a lot of you are missing the point. Right or wrong injectors it should still turn over.
From the description the op is saying it just dies so i guess everything goes blank and lights go out when turning to ignition start?
If so this is an electrical problem.
mr2garageswindon
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Re: Car won't start with standard ecu

Post by mr2garageswindon »

As my first post... battery... immobiliser?... trace the power to the ignition switch then to the relay then starter..
Getting it cranking is the first job.
You can even take a power feed to the starer exciter wire to see if starter will even crank... could be that simple.. duff starter.
shinny
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Location: Reading, UK

Re: Car won't start with standard ecu

Post by shinny »

markstevieandmads wrote:Think a lot of you are missing the point. Right or wrong injectors it should still turn over.
From the description the op is saying it just dies so i guess everything goes blank and lights go out when turning to ignition start?
If so this is an electrical problem.


My point is, he's made things worse by swapping the ECU. I'd swap back to the PFC, check the thing behaves as it did before (it clearly started and drove) and then work the issue through with the PFC. Swapping from aftermarket to stock ECU without a full knowledge of why the aftermarket ECU is there is highly unlikely to help the situation, as the OP has found out.
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