Ecu replacement

[brad8314]

Hello,

My Ecu is corrupted so I"m stuck with a truck that won't start.
So my options are disconnect the drive shaft and tow my truck to ford to have the Ecu reflashed.

Or replace the Ecu. But I seem to remember something about having to have the new Ecu flashed any ways before it can be used. Can anyone tell me for sure if it is a simple swap or if the new Ecu would have to be flashed?

The vehicle is a 2002 explorer 4.6l

Thanks

 

[arco777]

How did you arrive at the conclusion of a dead PCM?

Whether a replacement PCM will work out of the box or not depends on where you're buying it, and getting the right one. Check for the catch code - it is usually on a sticker on the PCM and is four characters. For example, UMP1. Match that code up to another PCM with the same catch code and everything should work fine.

 

[brad8314]

The ecu was corrupted after using a tuner.
I was hoping it would of been easy and I could of just got another ecu and plugged it in, to save from having it towed.

In the end I had the explorer towed to ford and had them reflash the ecu. The tech said the computer was completely erased, so he had to do a full reflash.

sucked having to pay for the tow and reflash.
Needless to say the programer went back, just didn't have faith in it any more,
besides if it happened again my wife would kill me haha

 

[arco777]

Glad it got worked out, sorry you didn't get an answer sooner. At least you didn't have to pay for a completely new PCM.

 

[Nevea'sExplorer]

The ecu was corrupted after using a tuner.
I was hoping it would of been easy and I could of just got another ecu and plugged it in, to save from having it towed.

In the end I had the explorer towed to ford and had them reflash the ecu. The tech said the computer was completely erased, so he had to do a full reflash.

sucked having to pay for the tow and reflash.
Needless to say the programer went back, just didn't have faith in it any more,
besides if it happened again my wife would kill me haha

What tuner did you use that erased your ecu?

 

[brad8314]

What tuner did you use that erased your ecu?

It was the sct itsx. Not all versions of the 02-05 explorers were supported out of the box, something that wasn't mentioned on their website at the time.
Crappy thing is there isn't too many other choices avail.

 

[Nevea'sExplorer]

It was the sct itsx. Not all versions of the 02-05 explorers were supported out of the box, something that wasn't mentioned on their website at the time.
Crappy thing is there isn't too many other choices avail.

That stinks that's an expensive unit to not work. I just ordered the SCT Performance 3015 SF3 and I got a little worried thinking that was the one you had trouble with. I just want simple plug in play with it.

 

[brad8314]

That stinks that's an expensive unit to not work. I just ordered the SCT Performance 3015 SF3 and I got a little worried thinking that was the one you had trouble with. I just want simple plug in play with it.

I"m sure you"ll have no issues with it, wired connections are always a better way to go for programming, less chance of errors during the read and write .
plus if you vehicle is fully supported out of the box you should be golden.

Have fun with your new programmer

 

[Nevea'sExplorer]

How long does it take for the SF3 to update? I'm trying to update to the latest firmware before connecting it to my truck and I've had the same message on my computer telling me "Do Not Disconnect The Device While Updating Firmware." and on the scanner it's self it says "Bootloader, Please Wait, Do Not Unplug." It has to have been a good 30 minutes so.