# Help!! ECU for Fiat Ducato 2.8jtd advice please



## 101776 (Nov 13, 2006)

I took the m/h into fiat complaining that the snorting horse (injector) light was on, after days of telling me they could not get their diagnostic machine to talk to it, they have just phoned to say it needs a new ECUunit.

The problem is they want £575 + labour + vat to fix it. I asked if I could get one from a salvage yard and he said no because they have to go back to factory to be reset and refurbished, can only get one through Fiat, a new one is over £800....

Is he pulling my plonker or not?? and does anyone know if a normal garage can get one and will it work???

I don't even know what it does other than its a computery bit that controls your fuel? (I think)

HELPPPPPP!


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## 102160 (Dec 20, 2006)

This should give yo some help/idea...http://www.ecuexchange.biz/


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## 101776 (Nov 13, 2006)

Thanks, got ECU testing.com, really lovely girl called Sarah trying to help me out, I've put the wind up the bloke at Fiat.......

I cannot believe the trouble I'm having and have not even done any mileage in the damn thing.


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## 101776 (Nov 13, 2006)

Update, after a lot of phone calls yesterday, I found out that I don't have to get the thing from Fiat, as other companies can supply or repair but having spoken to a chap who does Bosch fitting at his garage he said he can't fit me in for two weeks and the unit will cost £375 plus fitting plus vat so I'm not much better off...

Besides which he also told me that the Fiat garage I'm at is useless and it is probably not the ecu unit anyway....more likely to be the wiring or a relay...

Quandry, do I trust Fiat or not???? I guess in this case I'm gonna have to tell Fiat to do it, and that I want my old ecu unit...(so I can be sure they have changed it). And try and extract a few promises.....

It just seems a lot of money especially as van is running fine anyway...


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

bouncer said:


> Besides which he also told me that the Fiat garage I'm at is useless and it is probably not the ecu unit anyway....more likely to be the wiring or a relay...
> ...


I know nothing about ECU units but it seems to me that you are already unhappy with what you have been told by Fiat and not inclined to trust them. If you get them to do the work you are always going to wonder if you have been conned.

Why not try another garage even if you have to travel a bit further to get it done ?

G


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## 101776 (Nov 13, 2006)

Grizzley,
Do agree with you but....its miles to another suitable garage, and from my vague understanding ecu controls fuel injectors,,, am scared its going to conk out on me so have given in to Fiat.. reluctantly...but insisted that if they put new ecu on and it does not cure it that I will not pay for it and they are to put myold one back on... also said I want old unit...

Thats the trouble with these new fangled computer controlled things...too technical for me...a mere woman...actually I used to have no qualms about fixing me truck with a lump hammer, but the guy at Fiat advised me that ecu units do not react well to this treatment...shame hey!

We shall see....we shall see...... and its a shame cos as much as I love me likkle Hobby 600 I shall sell it immediately I get it back from Fiat cos we are house moving and I need something bigger to live in between houses........


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## Spacerunner (Mar 18, 2006)

I had the ECU light come on in my, then, 2 week old 'van. Was assured by the AA techie department, Fiat Emergency Service and my local Fiat dealer that it was still safe to drive. If your 'van still drives ok, then assume it might not be the actual ECU. The dash light can come on for any number of reasons. Ours came on because, wait for it....the Air Flow meter was on the same fuse as the reversing light. The reversing light bulb holder had a small bit of corrosion which had caused the fuse to blow. This of course, in theory also stopped the Air Flow meter from working, which told the ECU to switch the warning light on. However, as I understand it the Flow Meter doesn't need a fuse! It took my local dealer a week to remedy, by calling in a specialist auto electmagician, but all is well now.


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## arturusuk (May 27, 2005)

*ECU for Fiat Ducato*

Had a look on the net and found "ECU Doctor" at http://www.the-ecu-doctor.co.uk/
He is at Plymouth.
Also on another forum (http://www.motorhometoday.co.uk/) a guy describes problem with flashing injector warning light and there was a very good answer.
BrianM


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## 101776 (Nov 13, 2006)

The Update : Well two weeks have past since my Hobby 600fs went into Fiat, and despite me telling them that it was not the ecu unit, and them insisting it was..............

i've had no phone calls from them and having phoned them about a dozen times and getting no information other than 'the techies are still working on it'....I lost my temper...

Now normally I'm a calm logical woman (okay okay) however today was the last straw, when I asked the girl on the phone 'have they done anything to my vehicle and are too scared to tell me' to which she said 'I am not allowed to comment' hmmmmmmmmmmm!

So I got the manager on the phone who eventually apologised and said no it was not the ecu, it was a fault with the earth on the fan...mmm, but we can't do any more with it until monday as we don't have a diagnostic machine, mmm a main fiat dealer that does not have its own diagnostic machine mmmm????

But you've had it two weeks, and got no where!!! blah blah blah

So I have made it clear that if it is not fixed to my satisfaction by monday I will be taking my own techie (rival garage around corner) who will fix it in front of their techies.....(ho dear I hope I don't have to do that!).

I cannot believe the attitude of this garage, especially as they know I had a major problem with the last Fiat dealership I used....
On the brighter side I phoned their head office and found out the name of the chairman (he's on holiday in Spain at the moment)...but you know me I will be writing to him!!!!


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## bigfoot (May 16, 2005)

The majority of so called mechanics at main agents are just glorified fitters. The reliance on computer systems has made them lazy they will replace until the fault has gone and don't posess the skills to analyse fault conditions. Give them an intermittent fault and they are completely banjaxed. Keep with the garage round the corner.


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## some-where-in-oxford (Apr 18, 2006)

bigfoot said:


> The majority of so called mechanics at main agents are just glorified fitters. The reliance on computer systems has made them lazy they will replace until the fault has gone and don't posess the skills to analyse fault conditions. Give them an intermittent fault and they are completely banjaxed. Keep with the garage round the corner.


I would agree with this from my experience also. One reason they often are unable to diagnose a problem is because many stores do not keep the parts in stock, so they are unable to borrow parts from the stores to swap out until the fault is found.

I had a very good Hometune guy local to me, he was ex RAF aircraft electrician. Used all sorts of gear always found problems that I had when I was running an old Jag. They often have a van full of diagnostic gear and if an enthusiast have a few bits of extra gear also.

A good technician will be able to check out the signals to various components and see if it is correct, its amazing to see them work using a voltmeter and ociliscope referring to a wiring diagram to check out where the signals should be.


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## lindyloot (May 20, 2007)

> would agree with this from my experience also. One reason they often are unable to diagnose a problem is because many stores do not keep the parts in stock, so they are unable to borrow parts from the stores to swap out until the fault is found.


The reason they don't "borrow2 parts from the stores is because they have a security seal on the box and if it has been broken they cannot sell it as new. Having worked for a main agent they have three different depts, Service ,sales( cars) and parts and each dept has to earn their own money. Because of the sealed part system(quality control) they no longer allow the service dept to draw items from the parts dept to enable you to cure a fault by fitting various parts and returning them to the stores until the have cured the problem as we used to do years ago. I left the agency and started my own business 20 years ago as a lot of the better mechanics do, leaving young people with barely any knowledge with lack of experience in the main agents . The disadvantage to us small indepenent garage owners is that the manufactures with hold the technical information on newer models rendering our diagnostic equipment useless until such information is released We use internet forums such as BBA-Reman where we collaborate together to use all our knowledge and help people out of problems. This is our way of trying to beat the agencies. Any of our fellow MH'S are able to use this forum it's free to use and you don't have to be in the trade. www.bba-reman.com


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## 101776 (Nov 13, 2006)

what has really annoyed me is that if I had not said right from the outset 'No its not the ecu unit' they would have charged me £600+ for it and then just kept going....What really winds me up is that although I have no mechanical knowledge I do know that an ecu unit controls flow of fuel to injectors, therefore its logical to me that if there is something wrong with it, your engine is going to at least run 'lumpy' or misfire or something....

I went to Fiat because I was told that other garages would not touch it, then i found the guy around the corner, he reckons he can have it sorted within an hour, but now Fiat have had it for so long I won't move it until they do fix it, cos once I drive it away I've got no come back on them...

I do understand the difference between a proper mechanic and one of these 'technicians' in main dealers, what really has done it for me is WHY did they agree to take it on when they don't even have their own diagnostic machine (because they broke it) so they are borrowing one from another depot two days a week......buy a new one!!!

(Excuse me chaps ...............B***** men!) do they think its suddenly going to come back to life or wot????????????????


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## zulurita (May 9, 2005)

I know how you feel. They think us ladies know nothing! and then try to pull the wool over our eyes!


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## 101776 (Nov 13, 2006)

Update...we are now in week three....no further progress has been made in resolving my problem, so the manager at Fiat has now decided his own techies cannot fix it and has booked an appointment for a 'REAL' techie to come from Head Office and troubleshoot it.

I am not impressed!!, as he will not appear until the 30th July (another week away), which means they will have had it a month....

I've given up being annoyed, I am sort of resigned to never getting any holidays in this year........


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## lindyloot (May 20, 2007)

Bouncer, it may pay you to go on the forum at www. bba-reman.co.uk it is a forum for us in the motor trade but the public can use it as well. There are a lot of experts on there and they may have come across your problem before. I know they were very helpful to a chap with a Citroen C3. That was quite a long saga but was resolved in the end. 
The other thing you might consider is trading standards as your motorhome is not fit for purpose, if you cannot use it due to this problem and it has taken then so long and you are no nearer to having it back after 3 weeks. I would be fuming if I were in your shoes after all you've spent your hard earned money on a new MH hoping to enjoy it, I would also be wanting some form of compensation for loss of use and stress. 
Don't give up hope, keep on smiling and keep on at them till it's fixed.


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