code 51

[shmed]

ok i got a code 51 again
the e prom is in the socket tight, tried cleaning it a little with an eraser. i did this the first time this happened.

now i got it again. this time the engine was idling then out of nowhere it almost stalls, the fuel pump got quiet and then the revs went way up.

no codes no ses light nothing, but now the scanmaster is saying code 51.

is there any way of telling if its a faulty chip?

 

[Sleeper]

shmed
This sounds like some sort of electrical glitch more than a faulty chip... but to be sure, disconnect the orange wire and clear the ECM try another chip and see if it codes. If it doesn't put the suspect chip back in and see if does it again. There is a possibility that the chip may be faulty, but if it was it would throw a code every time.

Are you running DS ? If so, do the usual edge connector re-clean, and wrap the ribbon cable in foil. Make sure all the grounds are ok.

HTH
Paul

 

[Weazel]

I was getting the same "phantom" code 51 a little while back. I took the chip out, it looked fine. Then I disconnected the ECM as a whole, and where it plugs in up top, those sockets were all dusty. I took an old soft toothbrush and cleaned them out, and the car ran fine after that. Just something that needs to be done every once in a while. I was worried about the chip too, but since I didn't have a spare one to swap in, I just hoped it was something else. It was. Good luck, hope it's an easy fix.