anybody have experience or know of someone that rebuilds ecu's for subaru

the bad news is that an ecu is a computer will all hard-wired software. so if something goes bad with it... its turns into a paper weight. you're better off trying to find one from a junk yard for a car with the same engine/fuel system as yours.

I have repaired a few of these units. Two of them were for a '88 GL-10 that had the same problem. A transistor that drives the power transistor for the fuel pump ground went bad and for $1.80 I replaced the bad transistor.

 

Another unit had a problem with the IC that turned on the ECU light. Replacing the IC fixed that.

 

What kind of trouble are you having with your unit?

At the moment I am not experiencing any problems with the ECU, but only thinking about some alternatives if problems occur and looking for ways to be flexible so that I can take the 86 GL10 turbo where ever...for those who have driven on the Alaskan Highway and far further north then Anchorage to the Artic circle will know exactly what I am talking about...I have been up that way twice and some people will say that maybe I should buy a new car...but on several occassions I have seen $40-$60K cars stranded in Norhthern BC/Yukon with the only option of towing them a 1000 miles to the dealer..then again maybe I should keep on travelling with my carbed subaru...any further info would be appreciated...Thanks....

I have repaired a few of these units. Two of them were for a '88 GL-10 that had the same problem. A transistor that drives the power transistor for the fuel pump ground went bad and for $1.80 I replaced the bad transistor.

 

Another unit had a problem with the IC that turned on the ECU light. Replacing the IC fixed that.

 

What kind of trouble are you having with your unit?

You can get refurbished units but they are still fairly expensive, at least over a unit from a salvage yard.

 

I live in Anchorage so I'm fairly close by the area you are talking about. There are some other members around here also.

just one question ...refurbished from where??...

You can get refurbished units but they are still fairly expensive, at least over a unit from a salvage yard.

 

I live in Anchorage so I'm fairly close by the area you are talking about. There are some other members around here also.

I purchased a refurbished ECU through a locale auto parts store here in Anchorage. This was before I ended up fixing my original unit. I wouldn't worry too much about the ECU failing on you. They are usually very reliable. Mine gave out after I installed a new replacement alternator because the original one was having diode problems. I think the little extra voltage from the new unit caused the transistor in the ECU to fail. A shop had gave me one to work on that fit my car and the exact same transistor in it was bad also. I think the transistor either had a production line fault or was not the correct one to use for that design. A generic replacement worked ok. Another car I had of the same year and model didn't have this trouble.

 

If you are going to purchase another ECU for a spare I would try looking for one at a salvage yard, you should be able to get one fairly cheap. You can plug it into your car at the yard and see if it works. I would leave it in place and keep the original as a known good spare.

The main issue I had with my standard ECU was dry joints on the main board. It used to cut out if I went over any harsh bumps etc

After resoldering it about 4 times, I got jack of it & bought an aftermarket ECU...

A year ago when I was first starting to try to get my 1988 GL running, I found a place in Great Britan somewhere that will take, check/diagnose, and if needed repair ECUs. I didn't contact them, and I'm afraid I've lost track of it, but it's got a web page somewhere.

 

I have a "spare" -- the '88 didn't pass smog 'til the mechanic replaced the ECU (this was before I bought the car). It supposedly had a 'bad internal ground in the ECU connection to the EGR' but I doubt it. The code came back, after I bought the car; they'd left one of the two EGR ports plugged solid with carbon.

 

I suppose sometime I should swap them again just to see if it works.

 

After I redo all the ground wire connections ....

the ECU is small and lightweight, just carry an extra one somewhere. great insurance if you're worried about it, takes about 3 minutes to swap.

 

extra alt, ECU, coil, starter, ignitor, fusible links, full size spare and you're golden (assuming your t-belts and ignition are good, which i assume would be on a long trip).