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Car thread, regarding ECU

plantersplanters Registered User regular
edited October 2008 in Help / Advice Forum
If you take an ECU out of a car and put it in a different car that's exactly the same, would it need reprogramming?

planters on

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    TheFishTheFish Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    Possibly, assuming it's the same car - same make, same model, same engine (check because sometimes manufacturers use a couple of different engines in a model during it's lifetime).

    One thing to watch out for though is that some newer cars have the vehicle alarm/immobiliser integrated into the ECU, in which case there might be problems.

    TheFish on
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    YourFatAuntSusanYourFatAuntSusan Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    The ECU is programmed to the VIN of the car. It will not work in another car.

    YourFatAuntSusan on
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    TheFishTheFish Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    YourFatAuntSusan wrote: »
    The ECU is programmed to the VIN of the car. It will not work in another car.

    Not in any car I've ever worked on it isn't.

    TheFish on
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    Lord YodLord Yod Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    planters wrote: »
    If you take an ECU out of a car and put it in a different car that's exactly the same, would it need reprogramming?

    Sometimes manufacturers changed ECU programming depending on the date the car was made, but other than that, yes it should work.

    Lord Yod on
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    Casually HardcoreCasually Hardcore Once an Asshole. Trying to be better. Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    There's a lot of variables to take account of, but if those variables match then it'll work.

    What kind of car you're talking about?

    Casually Hardcore on
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    ImDrawingABlankImDrawingABlank Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    I have swapped multiple different ECU's on early to mid 90's ford's with no difficulties, they are not as far as I have ever seen programmed to the VIN

    ImDrawingABlank on
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    wallabeeXwallabeeX Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    I work with VW and Audis and I've never had any trouble so long as the engine is the same. Please keep in mind that, to a computer, it's entirely about what it's communicating with. The VIN has nothing to do with that.

    wallabeeX on
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    illigillig Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    YourFatAuntSusan wrote: »
    The ECU is programmed to the VIN of the car. It will not work in another car.

    i think you're confusing things

    VIN mismatch will only cause issues at inspection time, and VIN encoding into the ECU only started a few years ago, so it has to be a pretty new car to cause issues

    so:

    1. if the OP has a fairly new car, and
    2. if the OP lives in an area that requires ECU scanning as part of the inspection
    3. and if the location doesn't allow some sort of exceptions for ECU replacement due to failure,

    THEN the differing VIN will mean an automatic inspection fail

    mechanically, the car will be fine, however

    illig on
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    Lord YodLord Yod Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    illig wrote: »
    2. if the OP lives in an area that requires ECU scanning as part of the inspection

    Is this actually done anywhere?

    Lord Yod on
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    fuelishfuelish Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    A lot of states are going away from the sniff inspection and going to an OBDII based inspection. So far as I know the scan is only checking to see if the car has coded. If it has an uncleared code it will not pass inspection.

    fuelish on
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    DasUberEdwardDasUberEdward Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    So uh what kind of car is it?

    Year and model. That'd help things a lot as some systems are much more picky than others.

    DasUberEdward on
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    tinkerinbella14@gmail.comtinkerinbella14@gmail.com Registered User new member
    Please help me inter web peeps. I have a 2011 Nissan jUke base model turbo and need a new ECM. I have already dumped almost a grand into this and turns out my ECM is bad. Can I get another ECM from another juke same make same model same engine. Everything even though the model number is not the same as mine. Nissan wants 850 for a new one. And I just can't afford it. Can reprogramming another ECM from another juke like mine work even if they are 2 different model numbers. My ECM model is 23710-1kc7a. Or does my vin make this impossible to swap. Please any help would be my salvation to my problem right now.

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