Question for the DSM guys

George Bright · **Posted:** Sat Jan 27, 2007 8:21 pm

My friend Bob has been handed a 90 or 91 Eclipse with 2000 twin cam motor. The people smelled smoke in the interior and the car quit. We have found inside the brain an electrolytic capacitor blew up on the board frying several traces.

The question is it likely that a new $350 brain going to fix it or is there some other problem that causes these cars to eat brains? The car is in very good shape as far as the body. The interior is so so, and it ran well up until this problem.

Jason Mauldin · **Posted:** Sat Jan 27, 2007 8:34 pm

George Bright wrote:

My friend Bob has been handed a 90 or 91 Eclipse with 2000 twin cam motor. The people smelled smoke in the interior and the car quit. We have found inside the brain an electrolytic capacitor blew up on the board frying several traces.

The question is it likely that a new $350 brain going to fix it or is there some other problem that causes these cars to eat brains? The car is in very good shape as far as the body. The interior is so so, and it ran well up until this problem.

Yes a new computer will probably fix it. I would check out ebay for a used computer. You should be able to pick one up for a lot less than $350. If you do get a used one, open it up and replace those three caps. ALL of the DSM ecus had the problem with the caps leaking and eating away those traces. It only cost about 75 cents in parts to save the ecu.

Les Davis · **Joined:** Fri Aug 29, 2003 2:04 pm **Posts:** 2059

Jason Mauldin wrote:

George Bright wrote:

My friend Bob has been handed a 90 or 91 Eclipse with 2000 twin cam motor. The people smelled smoke in the interior and the car quit. We have found inside the brain an electrolytic capacitor blew up on the board frying several traces.

The question is it likely that a new $350 brain going to fix it or is there some other problem that causes these cars to eat brains? The car is in very good shape as far as the body. The interior is so so, and it ran well up until this problem.

Yes a new computer will probably fix it. I would check out ebay for a used computer. You should be able to pick one up for a lot less than $350. If you do get a used one, open it up and replace those three caps. ALL of the DSM ecus had the problem with the caps leaking and eating away those traces. It only cost about 75 cents in parts to save the ecu.

Don't you have a collection of these Jason? ;-)

Jason Mauldin · **Posted:** Sat Jan 27, 2007 9:22 pm

Les Davis wrote:

Jason Mauldin wrote:

George Bright wrote:

My friend Bob has been handed a 90 or 91 Eclipse with 2000 twin cam motor. The people smelled smoke in the interior and the car quit. We have found inside the brain an electrolytic capacitor blew up on the board frying several traces.

The question is it likely that a new $350 brain going to fix it or is there some other problem that causes these cars to eat brains? The car is in very good shape as far as the body. The interior is so so, and it ran well up until this problem.

Yes a new computer will probably fix it. I would check out ebay for a used computer. You should be able to pick one up for a lot less than $350. If you do get a used one, open it up and replace those three caps. ALL of the DSM ecus had the problem with the caps leaking and eating away those traces. It only cost about 75 cents in parts to save the ecu.

Don't you have a collection of these Jason? ;-)

not any more.

edit: I haven't looked in a while, but I may still have some of the replacement capacitors.

Ryan Holton · **Posted:** Sat Jan 27, 2007 9:28 pm

Beware of people selling Non Turbo ECU's, they wont work with a turbo and vice versa.

Ron Spencer · **Posted:** Wed Feb 21, 2007 4:18 pm

George the electrolytic problem is a well known issue with the Talon/ Eclipse. You MAY be able to just replace the caps (do a google search and you will find step by step directions with pictures) and bridge over the burnt up traces. this may not work as the ECU uses a multi layer board. I've replaced the caps on 2 of the ECUs with fine results.

If you can find a used ECU for $350 I think thats a bargain! I'd expect them to be more in the order of over $1k. There are also several places that sell rebuilt ECUs. I don't know any of them but again I bet a google search will get you some leads.

Good luck!

R

Vincent Keene · **Posted:** Wed Feb 21, 2007 4:36 pm

Ron Spencer wrote:

If you can find a used ECU for $350 I think thats a bargain!

A bargain? I can get one all day long for my Z-24 for $50.

Ron Spencer · **Posted:** Wed Feb 21, 2007 6:11 pm

I guess it depends on the year of the car. I was thinking of one for a first gen Talon/ Eclipse. I don't think the ECU is made any longer. Last price I heard was $1600!! A replacement gas tank for my old 91 AWD Talon was also, gulp, over $1k!!

George Bright · **Posted:** Sun Feb 25, 2007 12:48 pm

This was a 91 non turbo. Bob got a reman unit the next day for about $225. BTW the board had a hole blown through it and the was a buble in the side of a processor chip too.

THSCC Forums

Question for the DSM guys

Who is online