3 ms·

ECUs made in the last 10-20 years don’t really ever fail. Bosch has really figured things out and produces reliable ECUs for most OEMs. Sure they do. Take a l

ECUs made in the last 10-20 years don’t really ever fail. Bosch has really figured things out and produces reliable ECUs for most OEMs. Sure they do. Take a look at the FICM failures with the Ford 6.0 diesel. In the gasoline world you'll come across failed injector or ignition drivers if you look hard enough. Failures due to environmental causes (like the wiring harness wicking hydraulic fluid into the control unit itself) are a thing as well. It's not engine related, but BMW's late 90s-early 2000s five series uses a computer to control its lights. The failure mode is that your lights stay on as long as the battery is hooked up (fail safe). Unfortunately the IC that BMW used was discontinued by Infineon. I think a surface mount version is still available, but ultimately yeah these things wear out and you're largely at the mercy of the OEM.

Aloha 7y ago
Injectors and ignition coils are effectively wear parts however on an ICE engine. Though for balance here, I just had to replace the fuel injector on one of my cars, it lasted 30 years however, so I'm not too upset by the 300 bucks it cost to replace it.
- inferiorhuman 7y ago
  Injectors and ignition coils are effectively wear parts however on an ICE engine. Injector drivers and ignition drivers are part of the control unit.
  - barrkel 7y ago
    I'd strongly dispute that. Why not include the spark plugs as well? And the fuel pump? The ECU is a computer, a packaged bundle of chips which plugs in to wires and does nothing but communicate to other components via those wires. That's what an electronic control unit means. The driven devices, amplifiers etc. are under the control of the control unit. They are not part of the control unit. They're located in areas subject to much more heat and mechanical stress, and in most cases (ignition coils excepted) are mechanical in function.
    - phaedrus 7y ago
      I think GP is saying they're physically located on the ECU board / inside the ECU box, not that they're conceptually part of the ECU even if separate. Whether they are or not (physically inside the ECU box) differs by make and model.
    - inferiorhuman 7y ago
      I'd strongly dispute that. Why not include the spark plugs as well? And the fuel pump? Because... The driven devices, amplifiers etc. are under the control of the control unit. They are not part of the control unit. They're located in areas subject to much more heat and mechanical stress, and in most cases (ignition coils excepted) are mechanical in function. I'm not talking about the driven devices. Here's a diesel example in video form: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4k-G1dMgFUo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4k-G1dMgFUo Here's one in gasoline form: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mWlUuEx_xE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mWlUuEx_xE

Aloha 7y ago

Injectors and ignition coils are effectively wear parts however on an ICE engine. Though for balance here, I just had to replace the fuel injector on one of my cars, it lasted 30 years however, so I'm not too upset by the 300 bucks it cost to replace it.

inferiorhuman 7y ago
Injectors and ignition coils are effectively wear parts however on an ICE engine. Injector drivers and ignition drivers are part of the control unit.
- barrkel 7y ago
  I'd strongly dispute that. Why not include the spark plugs as well? And the fuel pump? The ECU is a computer, a packaged bundle of chips which plugs in to wires and does nothing but communicate to other components via those wires. That's what an electronic control unit means. The driven devices, amplifiers etc. are under the control of the control unit. They are not part of the control unit. They're located in areas subject to much more heat and mechanical stress, and in most cases (ignition coils excepted) are mechanical in function.
  - phaedrus 7y ago
    I think GP is saying they're physically located on the ECU board / inside the ECU box, not that they're conceptually part of the ECU even if separate. Whether they are or not (physically inside the ECU box) differs by make and model.
  - inferiorhuman 7y ago
    I'd strongly dispute that. Why not include the spark plugs as well? And the fuel pump? Because... The driven devices, amplifiers etc. are under the control of the control unit. They are not part of the control unit. They're located in areas subject to much more heat and mechanical stress, and in most cases (ignition coils excepted) are mechanical in function. I'm not talking about the driven devices. Here's a diesel example in video form: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4k-G1dMgFUo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4k-G1dMgFUo Here's one in gasoline form: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mWlUuEx_xE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mWlUuEx_xE