34 replies to this topic

[RawlinsGTR]

Hi all,

Just thought I'd fill you in on what happened today that lead to a blown ECM and a blown relay box.

I drove to school, and forgot to turn my lights off. (N00b error).

Got in the car at the end of my day (2:30) to find a dead battery. Without jump leads, we tried to rolling jump start it. It didn't work.

So luckily someone came down who had jump leads, and we set to connecting them up. I connected my end up, and he did his. Unfortunately, although he 'claimed' he knew which way to put the jump leads (there was no indicator on the battery, he had to use the manual diagram), I turned my ignition on, and within around 5 seconds smoke was billowing out the engine. I quickly told him to stop, and he then realised he had them on the wrong way round. So I called the AA and explained the problem. They said they would send someone out.

I went to the fuse box, and found one of the fuses blown. So I replaced that with a spare I had, turned the ignition, and the engine started. Mid-call to the AA, the engine cut out, and wouldn't start again.

So that was it; I was stuck. The AA sent someone out. He took around 1 and 3/4 hours to get to me. After a few different tests, he found that the ECM was blown, along with the relay box for the immobiliser and fuel pump control unit. "Very expensive", he told me. He also said that I would probably need a new battery. He then called for a recovery truck to come and get me. He told me it would take about 1 hour to arrive, and left.

After around 45 minutes, I got a call from the AA to say that the recovery truck hadn't left, and was just about to. So I waited for another hour, and he arrived. He put my car on the truck, and drove me home, whereby I rolled the car into the garage.

And this is where I'm at. I arrived home around around 8pm, meaning that I was sitting in my school carpark for around 5 and a half hours.

I've now got plenty of people mocking me on facebook, but I'm not too annoyed about it. There's always time for a first experience. However, what I am annoyed about is having to pay for a new ECU, which I am led to understand is pretty expensive. Plus the fact that if the jump leads hadn't been placed the wrong way round on the other guy's battery, I would have been on my way within minutes.

So yeah. Now I've got to decide which garage I'm going to get it to, what ECU I'm going to buy, and how I'm gonna get it to the garage. Plus, it'll need pairing with the new immobiliser and fuel pump control unit.

I'll be asking plenty more questions about ECU's later on, but for now, this is all I wanted to say

And two pictures, for fun





Thanks for reading.

Simon

[maggies_minder]

i broke down once, whilst dropping someone home. the car started i pulled out the car park and it just died.
it was the ignition switch.
the RAC got me home.

it happens to everyone.

[RawlinsGTR]

Actually, yeah, I agree.

But I 'spose since this is my first EVER breakdown, and it involves a pickup truck, I wrote this in the heat of the moment.

I'll also say that the title was meant to be an overstatement, so.

Bear with me on this; I'm all hyped up over it because of the amount of people who have been questioning me over it. You have to remember, I still go to school, so something like this is a bit of a drama for most of us

I promise I won't document my future breakdowns.

Mrs Moderator.

Simon.

[maggies_minder]

i wasnt having a go
didnt rrealise it read so blunt. (sorry)

[LukeMoss]

There's someone on here selling the ECU, alarm box and fob ill see if i can find the link for you..

http://www.theminifo...howtopic=199304

reason for edit... found the link

Edited by LukeMoss, 10 November 2011 - 09:09 PM.

[RawlinsGTR]

No worries maggie. I did take it as you having a go, but I realise it wasn't now.

Thanks Luke, but that's for a SPi, and mine's an MPi. You didn't know that, so no problem. Thanks for the concern anyway.

Simon.

[maggies_minder]

when i broke down it was in a rough part of brum a 1 in the morning,
the guy on the phone at the RAC told me to leave my car as they'd be over an hour.

i told him no chance.
if only i was better with lectrics.

[Msmith3327]

The head gasket has blown twice on mine.
Got picked up by the same AA driver from exactly the same layby on the A30, to say he was amused and suitably sarcastic is an understatement

[redhotminilewis]

Your not alone mate.

I broke down about a month ago at some lights on a round about, not the best place. managed to wheel it off the round about into a bit of grass. All electrics were fine but engine would not start. thought coil had gone. But instead it was a wire that had snapped of the coil and i had no tools in the boot. all i had was a first aid kit. so i stripped the wire with my finger tips and then held the wire in with surgical tape.



Blue Mini - 006 by LewisH949, on Flickr

Theres its is.

Best roadside repair of my life so far. Expecting many more

Edited by redhotminilewis, 10 November 2011 - 11:26 PM.

[charie t]

I have them coming up forsale from my 98 mpi, pm me if interested

[mab01uk]

For the next time tell your friend, car batteries are always marked with + (positive red) and - (negative black) symbols near the terminals but in the dark you may need a torch to see. Always connect like to like and if in any doubt ask someone you can trust to check, never take a guess!

Edited by mab01uk, 10 November 2011 - 11:45 PM.

[RawlinsGTR]

Thanks minidizzy. I'm getting there in working out what way to sort it out.

mab01uk; Yeah, I did ask him a few times if he was sure about which way it was, because, at the time, I wasn't able to see on his battery, but only on mine. It turns out he was correct; someone changed them round on his battery whilst I was connecting it up to my battery, and didn't tell me or the owner of the car.

This other person said he changed them because he thought that sparking on connecting up the batteries must've meant that he had them the wrong way round.. this man who changed them is a teacher at my school.

I could kill him I had an audience of around 10-15 people all egging me on to trying the ignition, which is why I failed to recognize that he had swapped them.

Lets hope that the repair/rebuild isn't too stressful. For now, she's sitting in her garage warm and cosy, if a little sulky

Simon.

[pierres]

If your teacher swaped round the connections on the battery send him the bill after all its his fault this happened

[maggies_minder]

If your teacher swaped round the connections on the battery send him the bill after all its his fault this happened

me too or id at least be leaving his car on bricks after ive taken his wheels for a deposit.