The Reasons Behind A Failing Engine Control Module

The Engine Control Module (ECM) manages a wide range of functions in your vehicle’s engine. The ECM is responsible for maintaining efficient fuel distribution through your engines, maintains the diversion of torque and power throughout the vehicle and ensures that your vehicles run smoothly. Assuming that your ECM fails, you’ll notice a lot of problems like rising fuel consumption, performance problems or your truck might not start at all.

If you’re managing a fleet of heavy duty commercial vehicles,—you should know that if you want your business to grow, between 90%–95% of your assets must be operational. Beyond this, each vehicle must be productive enough to justify keeping it as part of your fleet. For this reason, vehicle maintenance comes to light as one of the most important factors that determine the profitability of your fleets—particularly the maintenance of ECMs.

Part of the maintenance regiment is an understanding of how and why ECMs can fail, some common reasons for ECM failure include:

1. Dead Batteries

The ECM needs electricity to function—power that your truck’s battery provides. Dead batteries are one of the most common reasons for ECM failures. So remember the next time your vehicle doesn’t start—get your battery checked out to see if that’s why the ECM isn’t working.

2. Corrosion and Moisture

As with any other piece of electronics, moisture and corrosion can cause enough damage to make them malfunction. Exposure to moisture or water can cause corrosion on the harnesses and wiring that connects the ECM to the various parts of the car. When this wiring is damaged, the ECM can short out or won’t get the appropriate voltages to function properly.

3. Jump Starts Can Short out ECMs

The ECM requires very sensitively controlled voltage and power levels to work. A lot of times people jump start their trucks without considering the possibility that the surge might short circuit their ECMs—and their trucks don’t start despite the jump start. So be extra careful when you’re jumpstarting your truck—better yet, take them to your mechanic to minimize the risk of ECM failures.

4. Faulty Starters

A lot of people replace their starters without understanding how that might affect their ECM. Sometimes your starter rebuilder bypasses the voltage control systems that determine the power supply to your ECMs. With unstable or high/low voltages flowing to your ECM, that might cause malfunctions in the computer.

If you think that your ECM is malfunctioning, you should get in touch with the technicians at CATECM. We specialize in repairing, reprogramming and replacing ECMs for Caterpillar vehicles. Our services include Caterpillar computer sales, marine ECM repair services, and repairs for CAT C7 ECM, CAT C13 and CAT 3406 ECM repairs. Call us today for more information on our services.