What are the causes of ECU damage?
2 Answers
ECU damage causes: 1. Components had issues at factory production; 2. Temperature increases significantly reduce service life; 3. Voltage breakdown; 4. Current burnout. Solutions: 1. Monitor working temperature of circuit boards or specific components; 2. Before touching ECU circuits, discharge static electricity by touching vehicle body or ECU ground with metal tool. ECU (Electronic Control Unit), also called vehicle computer or onboard computer, automatically records fault codes in RAM and implements protective measures when system fails, reading substitute programs from preset routines to maintain engine operation.
I've seen quite a few cases of ECU failures, with water-induced short circuits being the most troublesome. For example, driving through deep water during heavy rain or carelessly spraying high-pressure water jets into the engine bay during car washes can lead to water seeping into the ECU board gaps, which is disastrous. Another common issue is messy wiring during modifications. A friend of mine once installed ambient lighting himself and crossed the wires, directly burning the ECU motherboard with a noticeable scorched smell. Voltage instability is also deadly – a faulty alternator regulator causing over 15V high voltage or loose battery terminals leading to repeated power cuts and restarts can fry the ECU chips. Long-term vibration has its effects too; I've seen off-road vehicles with broken ECU brackets where all the chip solder joints were shaken loose. These problems are not only expensive to fix but also particularly troublesome when it comes to matching anti-theft data.
