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Holden VZ V6 Engine Computer ECU Replacement (Replacements for Failed ECU, ECM, PCM)

Trev084

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Good old failed ECM. Honestly I’d just send it all off to injectronics and get them to fix it. I didn’t even bother with second hand stuff with mine.
 

The Don 1981

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Hey all. Been having trouble with the dredded ecu starting failure for 2 yrs. Was pulling out the ecu relay and putting it back in as a shortcut to start it. Today after reading heaps of threads picked up a second hand ecu, pim, tcu and bcu for $200 wacked em all in and she's starting without failure. No doubt it will fail again in the future but thanks for the info. Helped me out heaps.
 

Leuspage

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Please help. I done the full security set replace. Now it is throwing up warning lights. Abs fault, esp fail, says trac off when I hit the mode button also handbrake light stays on. Due for rego in three days and I am so stuck. Any help would be really appreciated
 

Fu Manchu

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If you replaced from same engine (LE0 or LY7 depending on what is in your car), and the BCM level is a match (mid or high depending on your model) then the set would be faulty.

Super important that all voltage to these systems is disabled before fitting. No battery connected.
 

high_point

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Bit of a bump of an old topic, but thought I might check to see if anyone knows.

Looking to do a swap out of an ECM,PIM,BCM set for my car rather than sending off the ecu, do the Engine number prefixes need to match (I have a HBH engine and have found a HBL donor) or do I only need to match it up to the engine type on the VIN plate? (LEO in this instance)
 

Fu Manchu

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Correct. LE0 ECM and you’ll need the key head too. Make sure the BCM is numbered the same as yours. It’s printed on the side. Mid 588 as an example of something you might see. (Off the top of my head)
 

Blackbeard

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Does anyone know of a place/someone that makes a heat shield for the ecm? It was mentioned earlier in the conversation and I see this as the only solution - other than mounting the ecu away from the engine. Please let me know, I’m willing to buy one
 

Blackbeard

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Not sure about switching a full set of modules between a crewman and executive but it should work in theory.
If your mechanic is telling you that you need to replace coil packs or if your vz is doing dicky things like not opening or staring intermittantly, throwing multiple sensor faults, especially when the car is hot, try cleaning out the ecu connection lightly with compressed air and checking the terminals for corrosion or oxidisation before you go down the road of throwing parts or replacement modules.at it.
I had the same problem with my vz's a few years ago. (I was running a fleet of 4 as work vehicles)
Each ecu has a code on it which corresponds to the bcm, pim and key. From what I can remember, there are 20 something different codes and gazillions of key combinations. I bought used bcm's with matching codes that were reset but each time I had to get a Holden tech to reprogram them....and then I had to get my locksmith mate to reprogram the spare keys. All of this ends up super bloody expensive!
A good option is to use a full set of ecu, bcm, pim and keys from a donor (I was paying about $600 + freight a set) but as Tazzl said...you can't be sure of:
a. They work
b. They will last
AND, as most wrecks will only come with one key, you will have to pay for a spare key that's coded by a locksmith. All of this gets full on exxy when you have to do it more than once and on more than 1 vehicle!!
Tazzl was right....the ecu's get hot! and mounting them on the front of the engine is the stupidest thing ever!
After I'd been down the same road 4 times, I came up with the idea of making a shield that sat behind the ecu to shield it from the heat from the engine. I'm a leccy, so I used the back of an old switchboard (yes, it's asbestos) cut to be about 50-60mils bigger than the ecu each side...with a lil bit of tweaking to make it fit and longer bolts to hold it in place....never had a problem again!
They all got traded so I can't attach a pic, but if you come across any white ve wagons with the ecu mounted on a small sheet of fibre board...that was me! lol
I now run a 2010 SV6 wagon and I'm starting to notice that it'll throw weird fault codes, that don't log (ie. don't show up when you plug in a scan tool), when it's hot, wet, dusty or if I've given it a flogging.
The ecu is mounted away from the engine block (Holden learned a lesson), but its off to the side of the engine bay and still gets exposed to heat, dust, moisture etc. I'm in the planning stage of making a box or shield for this.....I'll keep you posted.
Hi mate, you can’t perhaps cut me an asbestos heat shield like you did before, could you? Cheers
 

Fu Manchu

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I can run a computer set from a wagon on my crewman. Works just fine. Only the fuel gauge is out.
 

Fu Manchu

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Does anyone know of a place/someone that makes a heat shield for the ecm? It was mentioned earlier in the conversation and I see this as the only solution - other than mounting the ecu away from the engine. Please let me know, I’m willing to buy one
Someone made a great mount off the ABS module. The ECM could be moved off the motor and kept cooler. Solved an issue for them.
 
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