Apexi Pfc Problem

[snozzle]

Hey guys,

a friends car has developed a problem in his s14 and i think his pfc-dj has failed

he was driving the car quite casually when his engine check light started flashing and the car started to mis-fire then it stalled.

the cars relays now tick whenever the key is turned to ignition mode, however the only light on the dash that was flickering in sync with the clicking noises was the engine check light.

the car still cranks

managed to get the car home, i removed the ignition relay next to the ecu as i got suspicious of that, put the car into ignition mode and problem was still there so i undid the 10mm bolt on the ecu and unplugged it, problem gone

i then fitted the stock ecu, no ticking noise but the fuel pump now primes and everything looks ok, didnt start the car coz it would overfuel etc has 740's, map sensor etc

so my questions are, does this 100% mean that its the power fc? has this happend to anyone here before? if so, is it an easy fix? will the tune be lost?

we will be contacting apexi japan to claim under warranty as it was purchased only last year brand new

thanks

[paulr33]

apexi offer factory repair of a powerfc, but they will charge you for it and it has to go back to japan. good luck with a warranty claim, its more likely it has failed due to install issue (ie dodgy wiring, hacked loom etc). it certainly is possibly the powerfc has failed on its own (ie warranty) but i doubt it

open up the PFC and check for damage, smell for burns etc

how is the cars wiring loom? is it %100 oem and in prefect condition or is it hacked to bits?

was the ECU firmly secured into the loom with the screw in to hold it in place?

[snozzle]

the wiring loom is 100% oem condition and yes the 10mm bolt was firmly fastened at all times

the ecu was also cable tied firmly in place, wasnt rattling around or anything and the car was fully operational for atleast 2 months? tuner also looked at how it was setup and didnt find anything wrong with it

how would apexi prove that its not a factory fault?

[paulr33]

i guess they will check what has failed and why and then pick the likely cause

its like a garrett turbo if it fails, you send it to garret and they diag why it failed

the usual culprits are pod intake has let dirt into the bearings

unless they see oh its a fault form the bearing kit we used, then your instake etc is at fault (in the case of mashed bearings)

[snozzle]

yes with that logic one could only guess, i will let u guys know how it goes

in the meantime, has nobody else has had a problem like this before?

i also dont want to open the unit as it has never been opened before incase they blame me for "tinkering" with it, when nobody has lol

Edited May 17, 2010 by snozzle

[STATUS]

how would apexi prove that its not a factory fault?

was it tuned and installed by a apexi factory approved dealer? then no warranty.

ps there are no factory approved tuner dealers in aus

[snozzle]

are u serious? thats not fair.....

[paulr33]

yeah sounds right

unless installed by legit apexi it may be void

thats probably what the warranty card says (in japanese)

[snozzle]

Ok........ its been a long time but the power fc has finally arrived back from japan, they claim that there is nothing wrong with it!! arghhh

So now im thinking theres a problem with the car, possibly a ground or power source in a pin that only the power fc utilises that the stock ecu does not.

I'm going to try and find some one with a S1 S14 and fit my friends ecu into their car and see if the problem is still there.

In the mean time, any suggestionns/help would be appreciated.

Thanks

[Ruffels]

yeh, its one of your engine control fuses under the dash (under steering wheel) ... when its blown the powerfc will crack the shits and make all the relays click... but when the std computer is plugged in, there are no problems

its not the computer, its just a blown fuse

[snozzle]

hmmm im pretty sure we checked all the fuses already but we will check them all again now

thanks

[snozzle]

fixed! ruffels i love you haha

[paulr33]

haha the simple ye olde mystery fuse strickes again

what fuse was it? 10A engine control?

[snozzle]

7.5amp EGI fuse

so happy we found the problem after all this time lol feel so stupid didnt even check the simplest thing that i usually check

the unplugging of the ecu which stopped all the error symptoms is what threw me off i think

any ideas as to why this fuse blew out spontaneously while driving?

[Ruffels]

usually a short in the airflow metre wiring, i would say when the car was converted to map sensor, the air flow metre plug may have been cut off or somehow shorted between wires, this will cause said fuse to blow!