What are the symptoms of a damaged engine control unit?
2 Answers
When the vehicle control unit is faulty, the symptoms include: difficulty starting the engine; unstable idle; poor power performance; increased fuel consumption and excessive emissions. Functions of the vehicle control unit: Receiving control commands: Mainly refers to receiving various control instructions from the operator, such as throttle commands. System parameter acquisition and processing function: Utilizes the rich interface resources of the microcontroller to collect operating conditions and state parameters of the engine, followed by conversion and processing. Performing control functions: Under the management of control software, it completes various control functions, judges operating conditions based on collected system parameters, and achieves fuel injection quantity control and injection timing control.
When the engine control unit (ECU) fails, the car feels terrible. I've experienced this before—either no response at all when starting, or the check engine light comes on with all sorts of strange noises. After starting, the power drops significantly, acceleration stutters as if someone is pulling from behind. Idling becomes extremely rough, sometimes even stalling. Worse, systems like the AC and digital dashboard may fail because they're connected to the ECU. Never force yourself to drive—it can cause excessive emissions or worse damage. Don't hit the road before towing it to a repair shop; call a tow truck immediately. Regular checks for dashboard abnormalities are crucial to spotting issues early.
