Is it normal for the ECM to be hot to the touch?

[Jeff]

I have been attempting to adjust my IAC and TPS today using an Actron ScanTool (it's what was available to me today). I had spent 30-60 minutes adjusting, shutting the car off, readjusting, restarting, etc. Towards the end of my adjustment I started getting occasional erratic numbers, things like the RPMs at 4500 when it was actually sitting idling, that it was drive/reverse when it was in park, TPS at 3 or 4 volts when I knew it wasn't.
Anyway, I pulled the kick panel to have a look at the ECM and it is hot to the touch, maybe 100 or 110 degrees F. Is this normal? The car has been shutoff for nearly an hour now, I stopped to eat lunch. I have had three fans blowing around the engine compartment during testing.
I am really getting confused....could be ECM be bad?
Jeff

 

[Steve Wood]

ecm is usually quite warm to the touch. That is normal.

 

[bruce]

Originally posted by Jeff
I have been attempting to adjust my IAC and TPS today using an Actron ScanTool (it's what was available to me today). I had spent 30-60 minutes adjusting, shutting the car off, readjusting, restarting, etc. Towards the end of my adjustment I started getting occasional erratic numbers, things like the RPMs at 4500 when it was actually sitting idling, that it was drive/reverse when it was in park, TPS at 3 or 4 volts when I knew it wasn't.
Anyway, I pulled the kick panel to have a look at the ECM and it is hot to the touch, maybe 100 or 110 degrees F. Is this normal? The car has been shutoff for nearly an hour now, I stopped to eat lunch. I have had three fans blowing around the engine compartment during testing.
I am really getting confused....could be ECM be bad?
Jeff

I've had them at a true 115dF while running on the ecm bench.
usually the injector drivers are the first thing to act up at excesssive temps, and that's usually at higher rpm..

I bad ecm can have the ALDL go nuts, or blank. So can a flakey chip. I've seen some scanners get flakey, too.

 

[Jeff]

Is there a way to test the ECM or chip?

I found my fuel pressure problem (kinked return line, now fixed) but the O2s are still all over the place all the time.
Also, strange things seem to happen when the car gets hot (not over heated, just good and warmed up). I was driving it with the ScanTool hooked up, and all of sudden the thing starts going from open to closed loop, RPMs were way off, even the PROM number was changing around. I unplugged the ScanTool from the cigarette lighter, let it sit a minute or two, then plugged it back in, same deal. The other thing I noticed is that when the scantool readings go haywire the car begins to run differently, leading me to believe that it's the car and not the scantool, which is new.
Please let me know if there are some troubleshooting procedures I can use to sort this out. It's driving me nuts!
Jeff

 

[Steve Wood]

The o2s are supposed to vary..that is what a closed loop chip does for you.

You are not running Direct Scan are you?

 

[Jeff]

Not using Direct Scan...

I called Conley Tuesday, they said Direct Scan required DOS prompt. My laptop is WIN2000, and I couldn't figure out how to get a DOS prompt, it's also a work PC so there are some weird setups related to company controls. I was thinking of getting ScanMaster, or I guess I could spring for an old laptop and get T-link or DS.

Still interested in a way to check my ECM...

Jeff

 

[Jeff]

One other thing...

My RPMs seem to go up when I put the car in gear...I can't imagine that this is normal...
Jeff