Turn Off ECM Warnings

[Jaspire]

Lads and Lassies

 

Bit of weird one here, but my daughter is looking for a mule vehicle to try doing some work to. 

 

This will involve basically throwing away/disconnecting the ECM in a modern vehicle, or buying a vehicle from pre-ECU/ECM era, so she can use her own controller, etc. In making her decision on which vehicle, she knows I have my VCDS, etc., and due to the availability of parts from various models, she was looking at a VW group model to start with.

 

Is it possible to stop the EML coming on by turning off all the warnings, or telling the car that it no longer has an ECM so it doesn't look for one if the wires are removed from the ECU.

 

If no one knows, then I can always revert to asking Ross-Tech, but there may be another way of doing it that I or Ross-Tech are unaware of.

 

Cheers

 

Lennie

Edited 22 October, 2019 by Jaspire

[langers2k]

It'll just depend how modern the vehicle is...

 

I would expect most modern cars have sufficient electronics in their instrument cluster to illuminate the EML when there are no communication with the ECU (via CAN-bus or similar). In theory, the light could be turned off with a CAN-bus simulator sending the correct message(s) to the cluster. I'd expect there to be loads of other problems as modules rely on signals from others modules including the ECU to work properly.

 

Older cars would be a better option, even more so if the cluster is 'dumb' and the EML light is actually connected to ECU directly.

 

What sort of cars is she looking at?

[Eddie-NL]

what car does she have?

[Jaspire]

13 hours ago, langers2k said:

It'll just depend how modern the vehicle is...

 

I would expect most modern cars have sufficient electronics in their instrument cluster to illuminate the EML when there are no communication with the ECU (via CAN-bus or similar). In theory, the light could be turned off with a CAN-bus simulator sending the correct message(s) to the cluster. I'd expect there to be loads of other problems as modules rely on signals from others modules including the ECU to work properly.

 

Older cars would be a better option, even more so if the cluster is 'dumb' and the EML light is actually connected to ECU directly.

 

What sort of cars is she looking at?

She is keeping her options open at the moment, the only reason she was looking at VAG stuff was because she knows I know the Fabia, Polo, and Caddy quite well, and would have access to VCDS to turn stuff off or on accordingly if she went for a more modern vehicle.  It has only to be used as a mule, so she was initially looking at pre-1990 cars, as those are most likely to be mechanical injection, and easier to convince the ECU that all is well.

 

 

[Jaspire]

8 hours ago, Eddie-NL said:

what car does she have?

She hasn't decided yet, what she gets will depend upon what age would be easier for her to work with.  She would prefer modern but she has to be able to stop the EML light coming on, as she will be running her own Software.

 

She has her own MK1 Fabia, but is currently unable to drive,  and is an Automotive Engineering Graduate, so is putting her spare time into something productive until she finds out about being able to drive again, which probably won't be until after the new year.  I am thinking along the lines of maybe a felicia or similar as a mule, maybe even a pickup, although to be honest if she was going old school, I would prefer she got something like a MK1 Golf, or even better a MK1 Astra, or an Early 80's Audi 80 Sport.  She will probably go for something like a pick up or a beetle or something.  Actually rear engined would probably suit her needs better.

Edited 23 October, 2019 by Jaspire