Happy to be a new member -- have put a proud 85k on my Civic as a commuter car. Up until now, have spent nearly nothing on the car other than maintenance.

But, apparently, my alternator has fried my ECU. Dealer wants 900 to install one, and I'm not quite willing to part ways with cash that easy.

What do I do now? It's a 2001 4dr DX, auto, SOHC. My service advisor gave me the part number, but I left it on my desk at work. I know it was a a PLM ecu. Can I use any ecu with PLM in the middle? Do I need to make sure it's for an auto (5 for second to last character)? Does year matter? Argh!

Thanks in advance,
Edward

 

Go on eBay. $900 is ridiculous. They should be slapped. Installation of a new ECU should only take 5 min. I do not see how an alternator damaged the ECU, but I guess it could be possible?

 

High system voltage can burn out a lot of stuff. More likely though there is a problem with a lack of power or ground to the ECU. Truly dead ECUs are rare.

 

I guess that on these cars, the alternator grounds through the mount. Alternator was loose, and there was a voltage spike.

An example: 2004 Honda civic ex 5 speed. wierd issue...limp mode? - Honda-Tech
A TSB: http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/tsb/civic/x00-098e.pdf

So -- trying to find one on eBay...2001 DX SOHC Auto....which PCMs work?

 

on 01 civic, need to reprogram yr key(s) .otherwise car wont start...
part # are different on all model ...
A/T computer & M/T computer are different