Ok so i changed the oil, checked and cleaned my partial load nipple, and adjusted my throttle cable (it was reading 82% at full pedal and i got it to 100%. I didn’t test drive it since i had 2 other cars to work on, and then today i went to go to a friend’s house, it was 95deg so i thought the ac would be nice, and it fired up and ran smoothly. I pulled out onto the road and after about 2 min it started shuddering and the rpms went to about 500 at idle and the poor vehicle performance and engine error, and then the check engine lights came on. I brought it home and did a quick code read and a quick look online and im leaning towards the ecm. However i really didn’t look too hard yet. Could doing the battery cables together thing make a difference? Could it be from me adjusting the throttle? Part of me thinks maybe and the other part thinks its coincidental. Heres a screenshot of the codes.

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Oh I forgot to say that it would all of a sudden run smoothly at standard idle, then shudder, drop rpm and flash warnings. Oh and i think its the slowest ive ever driven the car! Lol

 

Just went out and swapped my 2 ignition modules around and cleared the codes. I started the car and it ran smoothly for about 30 seconds then started shuddering and throwing lights again. I checked and they’re the same codes so the codes didn’t follow the modules. Drrrrr. So i guess my next thought will be my first thought of the ecm.

 

Only had that happen a couple of times on the same trip. Replaced the battery, did a hard reset and no issue since then with Christmas tree on the dash. I was having some problem with the transmission during that little episode, you didn't mention that, so maybe not the same.

 

No trans issues at all. Last time i checked the battery, a month or so ago it read as good though. Thanks for the suggestion though, i will retest my battery this week

 

That's the same symptoms my 97 had when the ECU failed. It's probably a good idea to send it out for testing. That particular year suffered from leaking capacitors.

 

Yes sir thats what ive been seeing, pretty sure i saw you on one of the threads i read. Do you remember who you sent yours to?

 

Yes, I'd do a hard reset (battery cables together thing). I know you probably did this, but did you take a look at the state of the charge/battery when it was shuddering? I just identified trouble with a heat sensitive alternator, bringing up this particular hammer for this particular nail....

Also, somewhat outside the usual issues, did you look at the climate control module for errors (i.e press auto and recirc on the climate control while you turn the key, then press auto to see if there are any codes). Nothing like a struggling AC to suck up power.

 

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I did do the hard reset and have watched my voltage some today. I actually readjusted my throttle and i took it for a drive. It went into engine fault 3times for about 3 seconds each time, but drove awesomely apart from that. I decided to take it to go get my allergy shots, stopping for a car wash on the way. It did do engine error sitting in the wash, but then performed flawlessly all the way to the drs! Wooohooooo! I thought. Then i went to leave after being there almost an hour and it fired right up and ran smoothly! Of course then i came to a stop sign and drrrrrrrrr! Engine fault, reduced vehicle performance and EXTREMELY low acceleration hit. I tried to pull out and it took some effort. I decided to just try to get home and needless to say, the faults never went away. There were times that i would get a big grumbling at the rear and then if i tried pushing it, she would buck and kick so i would back off and it would smooth out a little. I was able to get up to 55mph, but if i slowed down too far it was back to pedal car acceleration. I pulled my ecu and didn't really see anything, but i have had boards go out without showing anything on other cars. I may just pull the ecu back out and send it for check and repair. I may try swapping in my spare throttle body just to see

 

Seems prudent at this point. Good luck with it.

 

Swapped coils from my spare engine, and my spare throttle body this morning. Plugs look ok so i didn’t put in new yet, but did flip a couple of the plugs to different cylinders. Cleared my codes and fired it up. Ran pretty good, and i drove it around the “neighborhood” which is about a mile and a half look and 40ish mph, with 2 stop signs. It ran great for about 2 laps then the engine fault and poor vehicle performance popped up again showing all the same codes. It would be extremely coincidental to have bad coils in the spare motor in the same place i would think.

 

Just send the ECU out for testing.

 

I chatted with ASI today and from what I've seen on other posts, their prices must've gone up. They told me it's be $350 plus shipping and tax and a 1yr warranty to have it repaired, which is definitely cheaper than buying a whole ecu. There are a few other places that I'm looking into, just to see. The one place is in Texas and they say they test, repair, and then test again giving a 5yr warranty for $250 plus shipping. They have a very good rating and have been in business since 98. There is another place that offers a similar service in California however they list as a "lifetime warranty" for $150. While they have good reviews, I'm just not sure about them. I asked a couple of questions and they kinda gave short answers including "there's no magic box to test one to see what's wrong with it". When I asked if they basically just replaced " basic" components then did a multimeter type test and sent it out as good. They basically said "testing included, components replaced and circuitry repaired" so I don't know. Sometimes you get what you pay for, and yes, you can slap a warranty on anything and sometimes it's not worth the paper it's written on

 

So as an update I ended up going with the $250 option in Texas. I sent it out and it got there and they did find some issues stating the capacitors leaked and corrosion on the traces. Ok fine, I didn't see it when I just looked, but I didn't look for anything more than very obvious type deal. They shipped it back and it was to be delivered by 8pm on the 3rd! Unfortunately that time came and went! I have been watching the tracking and dog gone it! It's shown as "in transit running late, but still on the way" since then. Argh! I really hope USPS didn't loose my just repaired computer!

 

I think it's time to contact the shop and have them put a trace on it. They may have made a mistake on the shipping label USPS lost it. No way it's still in transit.

 

I messaged the seller and had them talk to USPS. A little later I checked and it said that it arrived back in Texas on the other side of them smh. Then it went back to “in transit” argh! Long story short, it finally arrived today! It said out for delivery at 7:41, the mail came at 10, and then the same lady came back at 4:15pm to drop it off. Smh! I installed it and fired it up. It ran perfectly. I let it warm completely up, and then went for a 30mi drive. No issues! Then I came home and let it sit for an hour and then went out for a nice long drive again. Not even a hiccup! So hopefully that was my main problem! We’ll see!