Resolved 2GNT ECU failing Intermittently?

[Nova95]

I've been chasing a weird problem with my 96 Eclipse 420a NT for a few months now. Randomly in the middle of driving she'll cut out and will not start back up. Eventually it will start again on its own. Usually after killing my battery first, and having someone jump me for 5-10.

Lately it's gotten worse and she just will not restart. I've replaced the cam/crank sensors, fuel pump, filter, MAP, Ignition switch, coil pack, plugs, wires. With each part I thought I had fixed the problem because it would run perfect for the next two days or so then I'd cut out in the middle of traffic again.

The fuel and ASD relays are good, but the connectors were pretty badly corroded so I replaced both of them. It ran good for a day then same thing. Unplugging the battery for 5-10 minutes allows me to restart it, but then she dies even if I try to gas it as if the fuel just got cut.

Yesterday and today she died in some pretty crappy spots and the only I was able to limp her home was by jumping the ASD relay to the negative on my battery. She tried to cut out but both times I could actually rev her up to 5-6k to stop her from cutting out (finally getting fuel). After about 5 minutes of driving in these RPMs, the car acts perfectly normal again like nothing ever happened. I can unplug the jumper wire and use the car as normal for the rest of the day till it decides to die randomly again, usually the next day.

Oh and the car is not throwing a single code for me to even try to work with. What is going on? Could my ECU be failing just sometimes?

 

[luv2rallye]

Alright I'll work on getting a fuel gauge to test all of that soon

I hope you mean fuel pressure gauge. It would be nice to see if you still have fuel pressure in the fuel rail when your engine dies to rule out a fuel pressure problem.

 

[Nova95]

I hope you mean fuel pressure gauge. It would be nice to see if you still have fuel pressure in the fuel rail when your engine dies to rule out a fuel pressure problem.

Fuel pressure gauge should be here Tuesday or Wednesday. I took the ECU apart one more time just to see if I couldn't get a better look through the gel. I cant see much of the board itself, but one of the capacitors (the smaller one) is definitely leaning against the bigger capacitor at almost a 45° angle. It looks like the picture I've attached, but I cant see below it. Thats not normal right? Because the other two capacitors that I can see are sitting perfectly straight up and down.

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[victorgalant]

Fuel pressure gauge should be here Tuesday or Wednesday. I took the ECU apart one more time just to see if I couldn't get a better look through the gel. I cant see much of the board itself, but one of the capacitors (the smaller one) is definitely leaning against the bigger capacitor at almost a 45° angle. It looks like the picture I've attached, but I cant see below it. Thats not normal right? Because the other two capacitors that I can see are sitting perfectly straight up and down.

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I'm no expert, but if you ask me, that capacitor is leaking. It might be your problem

 

[luv2rallye]

Capacitors don't have to be sitting straight up or down, they just have to have both leads soldered into the board. Ya under the 33uF capacitor looks like may be some leakage. It probably should be replaced. If you can't do it look here (but check if they are still testing and repairing them): https://www.dsmtuners.com/threads/fuel-pump-stays-on.288184/#post-151452504.

However also know that an ECU can be bad even if no capacitors are leaking.

Here is the fuel pressure test procedure:

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[Nova95]

It turned out to be a faulty crankshaft sensor. got another replacement and car is running perfectly now. Thanks for all the help guys.

 

[vbgmcpu]

It turned out to be a faulty crankshaft sensor. got another replacement and car is running perfectly now. Thanks for all the help guys.

I'm having the same issue on my 95. May I ask where did you get the replacement from?

 

[BLACK'98DSM]

I'm having the same issue on my 95. May I ask where did you get the replacement from?

There are many available, but they will have the newer connector. '95 420A connectors were different and most of those sensors were discontinued. RockAuto has replacement pigtails and sensors.

 

[Nova95]

I'm having the same issue on my 95. May I ask where did you get the replacement from?

Your local parts store should have a Masterprosensor for it. Be careful of the ones you can get online through like parts geek because some of them are slightly shorter than what stock is, and can throw off the readings sent to the computer apparently.

 

[BLACK'98DSM]

The length difference is supposed to be very minimal. I would consider it a defective part if the difference in length were enough to truly affect performance. Many of the aftermarket sensors are 0.005" - 0.008" shorter than the OEM sensors. Intended to be very precise. This is because the original sensors actually wear against the crankshaft ring when new, and most aftermarket sensors usually aren't designed this way- to avoid dispersing shavings within the oil pan.

My reasoning for suggesting RockAuto was mostly the price. Plus, RockAuto does support DSMTuners
I'm sure that almost every parts store should have sensors and pigtails in stock, if you're in a hurry and willing to pay double. This specific sensor was used in a WIDE range of vehicles, so the market isn't dry just yet.