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VZ 2006 ECU dead

mbannout

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hey guys,

long time lurker first time poster and a proud owner of a 2006 VZ.

the ECU in my car is dead and requires replacing, just want to ask if replacing the ECU requires replacing any other parts ? cause a local mechanic is trying to sell me the ECU, 2 other parts that are unknown to me and a set of keys. he also wants to charge me 490 dollars for parts and 150 for installation, that is also steep no ?

thanks
 

sidecar55

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It actually sounds cheap! Unless you can send the ECU off somewhere to be repaired I'd go with that.
 
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i'd say he is selling you an second hand ecu with a body control module (bcm) and a key reader. sounds like an alright price though
 

mbannout

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thanks for the replies guys, got some update on my problem and now i am not sure that the ECU is the problem.
got it checked by another guy and he found 2 error codes:
1- Malfunction indicator request from transmission control module = P0700
2- not sure what the second error code was but he got it when he checked the transmission and it was about something "TCM low voltage or current."

furthermore the car behavior is as follows:
- 3 warnings on dashboard - "check powertrain", "reduced performance" and "safety mode".
- taking off doesn't use first gear, it feels like i'm taking off on second or even third gear, reverse and higher gears are ok and car power is normal.
- if i manually put gear on 1 and then upshift as the car accelerates it takes off normal but changing from second to third is anything but normal.
- turning on the car is not normal anymore, now i have to keep key on ignition until the car is on before i can release it, before the problem i was able to release the key before it is on.

PS: dealership wants the car for 4 days to check the problem so not going through that.

anyone faced these problems before ?
 

Tro

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I have had the powertrain issue a few times, it puts the car in "limp mode" - and drives as you are experiencing...

what I did was, remove the kick-panel on the passengers side and pull out the unit, put the pug in and out about a dozen times to ensure I had a good connection
got a reader off ebay ($15 or so) and reset codes
Over a year on and no more issues, recommended in investing in one

you might not be so lucky due to the codes your getting, keep researching if you can

I wouldn't drive the car in limp mode if you can help it

Tro
 

mbannout

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hi Tro, thanx for reply.

both mechanics tried to reset the codes, came back immediately. i also had the "powertrain" warning before but car behaved differently and usually goes away after restarting the car.
now error and car behavior is persistent. a friend of mine has the reader, i'll test error again and post the exact error codes.

what is the TCM anyway and how much does it cost ? is it easy to change ?

regards,
 

TazzI

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hey guys,

long time lurker first time poster and a proud owner of a 2006 VZ.

the ECU in my car is dead and requires replacing, just want to ask if replacing the ECU requires replacing any other parts ? cause a local mechanic is trying to sell me the ECU, 2 other parts that are unknown to me and a set of keys. he also wants to charge me 490 dollars for parts and 150 for installation, that is also steep no ?

thanks

Your symptoms sounds like a dead/dieing ECU. Although the TCM fault (Transmission control module) is a bit off putting.

When the ECU begins dying the common problems that occur are (in order of what happens normally):
- SVS warning
- Fuel gauge error
- Power train error
- Car begins running terrible as injectors have begun to fail
- Car intermittently starts
- Car no longer starts, ECU no longer responds to scantool.

If the issue is ONLY the ECU, then only the ECU should be replaced!. I would be saying that to your mechanic.
What he is doing, is swapping out the ECU, BCM, PIM and keys.. this makes it easier for him as its all plug and play but costs ALOT more for you.

Just the second hand ECU can be reset and programmed to another vehicle, the main term there is it needs to be reset so the security code needs to be known.. once reset it can very easily be programmed to another car.


hi Tro, thanx for reply.

both mechanics tried to reset the codes, came back immediately. i also had the "powertrain" warning before but car behaved differently and usually goes away after restarting the car.
now error and car behavior is persistent. a friend of mine has the reader, i'll test error again and post the exact error codes.

what is the TCM anyway and how much does it cost ? is it easy to change ?

regards,

So there were no faults from the ECU? (Engine control unit). Normally get a bunch of fautls occur from the ECU when its failing.

Next, what 'reader' is being used? It may not be able to actually read Holden specific fault codes, if it only reads generic faults then you may be missing some faults.

TCM = Transmission control module
I think.. for the VZ V6's... they use a T42 TCM... and from memory is connected to the side of the transmission.. or it sounds familiar that its inside it or something like that.
 

mbannout

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Thank you all for the wonderful help,
i am not sure what reader he is using exactly but the second mechanic is ACdelco station which is specialized in Chevy and GMC vehicles so i think the reader is reliable.
today i borrowed a universal reader from a friend and scanned the car myself, error codes i received were:

P2534 - powertrain - ignition switch RUN/Start position circuit low.
P0700 - powertrain - Malfunction indicator request from transmission control module.

checking around the web, i found that P2534 is caused by a faulty ignition switch and that it can actually cause limp mode. does this sound right ? can my problem be only ignition switch ?

regards,
 

mbannout

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just to give an update, i changed the switch ignition and problem persists. gonna bite the bullet and change the ECU tomorrow, i'll update again.
 

mbannout

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i ended up changing the TCM, cleared the initial problem but now i got a new error code and new symptoms:

error code = P0717 - input speed sensor circuit no signal
symptoms = shifting between gears at low speed is very rough specially from 1st to 2nd.

anyone ever had this problem before ?
 
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