gaastra Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 Hello, Took my 04 Forester to the dealer because my A/C was not working well. They said it is the ECM, they got the A/C to work, but very intermittently. They told me they found a used ECM and could buy it and install it for $485. That seems steep. What are my options here? Could a non-dealer mechanic do just as good a job? What would their cost be do you think? Advice? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 i would have the AC looked at by an AC shop. it may just need charging. as far as the computer goes, you can buy one for $50 - $100, maybe less and install it in 15 minutes. look here, http://www.car-part.com, if you decide to buy one, but i doubt you will need it. i have never heard of the computer causing the AC to fail. http://www.car-part.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaastra Posted May 16, 2011 Author Share Posted May 16, 2011 Yeah they said it definitely wasnt the charge - which is what I noticed too. It wasnt a gradual loss of coldness. Suddenly it didnt work. They said sometimes wen you press the A/C button it would kick in, but not often. So maybe I could jush press the A/C button a bunch until it works each time... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 It does sound a little suspicious to have an intermittent problem with the ECU. I would suspect a intermittent relay problem which I believe the ECU controls. Hopefully the shop did their troubleshooting correctly and identified the right area of the trouble. If the trouble really is with the ECU you should be able to get a used one from a salvage yard for a lot less than the price you were quoted from the shop. You can also get a rebuilt one with a warranty for less money. I would make sure the relay isn't causing the trouble before replacing the ECU. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 could it be the switch? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferret Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 Check this link .... page 2, post 11 is what I usually find: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=102171&page=2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregB Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 Had a similar issue with the wifes protoge. After the inept dealer we bought it from, could not find the problem on our large dime, I took it to an AC shop. His diagnosis, similar to post above, adjusted the clutch, $50 away we went. Worked great until some kid hit the wife and totaled the car. As i was recently reminded, having a good small indy shop in the area is great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 oh my word i've never heard of an A/C issue caused by the ECU, is this for real? is this just due to the idle control - for bumping up idle when the a/c is on at idle? if that's the case can it be diagnosed by just throttling up, in which case the idle circuit shouldn't even matter? man this is weird. but yeah the cost is hideous. ECU's are really cheap (because they almost never fail) and really easy to replace. 30 minutes under the passengers side carpeting. pull back carpet, remove a couple bolts on the cover, swap ECU - it's really easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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