September 2021

www.aftermarketonline.net SEPTEMBER 2021 AFTERMARKET 37 PASSION FOR TECHNOLOGY. PUMP EXPERTISE PREMIUM-QUALITY VACUUM, WATER AND OIL PUMPS. FROM THE SPECIALIST FOR INNOVATIVE AND FORWARD-LOOKING PUMP TECHNOLOGIES – PIERBURG. www.ms-motorservice.com/pumps Networking I contacted the customer to provide an update on where I was at and where I would like to go next, which would involve removing the ECU and either replacing it or sending to be tested/repaired. The customer opted for the unit to be sent for test and repair if possible. However, attempting to remove the bolts securing the ECU cage proved no good as they were heavily corroded, so I had to cut and drill them out. Once the cage was removed the aluminium control unit cover was found to be heavily corroded which wasn’t easily spotted on initial testing indicating water intrusion and sending for testing proved the unit to be beyond repair. Phoning Renault to price a new unit, I found it was around £900 and on back order from France. Thanks to the power of networking though, I managed to source a used unit and sent it to be cloned. This involved copying the data from my faulty unit and writing it to the used unit so it would plug and play. This saved the customer a lot of money and also got the vehicle back on the road more quickly and efficiently. On reassembly, the unit was covered to prevent water intrusion again and new bolts were fitted to secure it in place. An extended road-test confirmed the fix with no fault codes stored. All in all, a rather strange job especially with connecting a scan tool making it cut out. The water intrusion had caused corrosion on multiple circuits, causing them to short together explaining the K Line data affecting the crankshaft signal and why the vehicle would sometimes run but then at other times refuse to start. This again highlights the importance of a test plan, which was forever changing in this case due to weird symptoms. Sticking to it saved me going off-track however, and also helped me to keep note of what my thoughts were, what I wanted to do next and what tests had already been done so I did not go around in circles. www.aftermarketonline.net Above: Fig.3