There are many factors that come into place when something goes wrong with your ECU. The Engine Control Unit is an electronic module that controls the function of the engine. Which is done through electronic components and sensors.

If your vehicle has a bad engine control unit, it can cause a whole range of problems with how the engine performs. This will result in issues with your ability to operate your vehicle safely and effectively on the road.

As soon as you recognise one of the following issues on your vehicle, you need to contact a specialist mechanic as soon as possible. As an ECU Testing will need to take place to see where the fault within the ECU is coming from.

Check Engine Light

The biggest giveaway of a “faulty” ECU is that the Check Engine warning light will show up on your dashboard. There are many factors for why this warning light would light up.

In most cases where the ECU detects an issue with its electronic components, circuits and/or sensors, it will immediately light up a Check Engine warning light.

However, sometimes the engine control unit will make mistakes and light up false warnings; if this occurs then you will need to search for the specific trouble codes on your vehicle’s computer.

If this is happening for you, either contact an ECU Testing specialist or check with your manufacturer or owners manual for extra information.

Engine Misfires/Stalls

Another indication of a faulty ECU is if your engine misfires or even stalls. There won’t be any consistency with these issues, with misfires and stalls occurring at random times. This can be difficult to pinpoint a specific engine problem.

But most of the time this will happen due to the ECU feeding the engine false information. If you leave this issue then you may notice that the engine will deteriorate while it’s running.

Your Vehicle won’t Start

There is nothing worse than trying to start your car and it just won’t start, but if this happens then there might be an issue with the engine control unit. This is due to the ECU failing meaning it will not function.

If this happens then your vehicle’s engine will have no computer system to control and guide its functionality. Although you may be able to start the engine, it won’t work due to the computer not being able to feed important information so it can perform its job.

Make sure to use an experienced ECU Testing specialist to ensure they find the issue and fix it.

Poor Performance

If you notice when you step on your gas pedal and your vehicle doesn’t accelerate like it used to, then you may have an issue with your ECU. This means that not enough fuel is being delivered to the combustion chamber, which creates poor performance.

You may even notice shakes or vibrations, mainly if you are going up hills, if there’s extra weight in your vehicle or when towing.

However, you may also have the issue where the ECU is sending too much fuel to burn within the combustion chamber. This will result in your vehicle using too much fuel, which will be expensive on your end and bad for the environment.

Hopefully, this blog post has given you an insight into the signs of a faulty ECU. It is important that if any of these symptoms show; then you need to see an ECU Testing specialist straight away. Not only will you ensure the safety of yourself and other road users, but dealing with the issue early on it can be a lot cheaper to fix.

Have you read our recent blog post all about What is ECU Testing?