147 Motor control system failure

Help!!!
Hope someone can, my 147 has just started giving a ³Motor Control System
Failure² when we first start the car, it stays on for only a couple of
seconds then disappears. My local Alfa dealership have checked it over and
say they don¹t know why it is doing it as the log in it¹s little black box
has registered no faults. They¹ve also run something that checks the
connections and apparently no faults there either. As the alarm doesn¹t stay
on, they think there is nothing to worry about and their only solution is to
replace the ECU (over £400) and they also say as they are not sure what is
the problem, this is just a stab in the dark and may not work. Any
suggestions as to what may be causing this and how to rectify would be
gratefully received. Oh and yes its out of warranty.

Hope someone can, my 147 has just started giving a ?Motor Control
System
Failure? when we first start the car, it stays on for only a couple of
seconds then disappears.

Hi Chris,
These things drive you round the bend when you don't know whats causing
it to happen. Could it be just the computer setting itself up? as you
say it just comes on for a few seconds, then disappears.
When you first switch the ignition on you are supposed to wait a few
seconds anyway, while all the lights go out before fully turning the
starter to fire up. I'm not surprised the dealers cannot find a fault,
Alfa dealers are not the only dealers who cannot work out faults on
electrics these days, the so called technicians, if they had to strip
down parts in order to fix and not replace, wouldn't know where to
start. They only know how to plug in a laptop these days.
John,UK.

On 5 May 2006 02:01:56 -0700, "John, UK." >,
wrote:

>They only know how to plug in a laptop these days.

How else do you look inside a computer chip?
It is only fair to remember that the majority of cars on the road now
have sealed units. The car is substantially controlled by the EMU
which is just a fancy Eprom. Not a lot different to the BIOS chip on
the motherboard of a PC. Plugging in a laptop or propriety computer
and tweaking at a limited number of the settings is all that a garage
can do. It is down to the manufacturer to provide a software update
to fix problems that the garage then uses the propriety computer to
Flash upgrade the chip.

It is all part of the "modular" and "disposable" age that the world
has been sucked into. The only way out is to buy an older car with
carbs and basic electrics and a lovely big socket-set :-)

Pete
--
>
156 2.0 TS (2001) - Proteo Rosso

Pete wrote:
> On 5 May 2006 02:01:56 -0700, "John, UK." >,
> wrote:
>
> >They only know how to plug in a laptop these days.
>
> How else do you look inside a computer chip?
> It is only fair to remember that the majority of cars on the road now
> have sealed units. The car is substantially controlled by the EMU
> which is just a fancy Eprom. Not a lot different to the BIOS chip on
> the motherboard of a PC. Plugging in a laptop or propriety computer
> and tweaking at a limited number of the settings is all that a garage
> can do. It is down to the manufacturer to provide a software update
> to fix problems that the garage then uses the propriety computer to
> Flash upgrade the chip.
>
> It is all part of the "modular" and "disposable" age that the world
> has been sucked into. The only way out is to buy an older car with
> carbs and basic electrics and a lovely big socket-set :-)
>
> Pete
> --
Thanks Pete, you sound as if you know a bit about computers, I think I
must be too old to take in all the tec. info you give.
But I'm sure if we could, [but as you say have been sucked in] a lot of
drivers would rather go back to carbs and straight forward injection,
at least we know how to fix them or a garage could. As it is, now we
pay 3 or 4 times as much for the car which will break down at the least
thing and no one but the factory knows how to fix.
That explains why an Alfa dealer ordered a new computer for my car when
my side light bulb went off, but some how they didn't need to fit the
expensive item. And it was the same when my rear fog not working
warning kept showing, even when it was switched off. they couldn't find
the fault, but after I checked the earth terminal to the bulb holder
and bent the terminal it works fine now. Thank you for letting us all
know why the dealers seem to be failing us, I'm sure your right.
John, UK.


> >
> 156 2.0 TS (2001) - Proteo Rosso

On 6 May 2006 13:38:18 -0700, "John, UK." >,
wrote:

>That explains why an Alfa dealer ordered a new computer for my car when
>my side light bulb went off, but some how they didn't need to fit the
>expensive item. And it was the same when my rear fog not working
>warning kept showing, even when it was switched off. they couldn't find
>the fault, but after I checked the earth terminal to the bulb holder
>and bent the terminal it works fine now. Thank you for letting us all
>know why the dealers seem to be failing us, I'm sure your right.

You quote classic cases John. Ones that I have fallen foul of too.
Unfortunately too often the mechanic reaches for the diagnostic
computer before checking the standard obvious causes. Just like with
the earthing. Equally I have been left with a car "dead in the road"
in the middle of a major A1 junction because the EMU failed. A chip
which would have cost 9p to buy as a bare chip. Encoded by the car
factory to run the fuel and goodness knows what else settings, and
placed into an epoxy sealed box with a couple of wires and spade
terminals. Replacement price 120 quid. Thank goodness for breakdown
insurance as I hate to think what the breakdown lift to the dealer
would have added to the bill.
Last year I had a warning light on the 156 keep blinking. No apparent
reason. AR had to take the dash out and replace the unit behind the
speedo. Wonderful. IIRC about 300 quid.
Trouble is I am so ancient now that I can't get out and get under but
I love to remember the good old days when Alfa won the Grand Prix
regularly. Year after year. :-)

Pete
--
>
156 2.0 TS (2001) - Proteo Rosso

Pete wrote in
>

> On 6 May 2006 13:38:18 -0700, "John, UK." >,
> wrote:
>
>> That explains why an Alfa dealer ordered a new computer for my car
>> when my side light bulb went off, but some how they didn't need to
>> fit the expensive item. And it was the same when my rear fog not
>> working warning kept showing, even when it was switched off. they
>> couldn't find the fault, but after I checked the earth terminal to
>> the bulb holder and bent the terminal it works fine now. Thank you
>> for letting us all know why the dealers seem to be failing us, I'm
>> sure your right.
>
> You quote classic cases John. Ones that I have fallen foul of too.
> Unfortunately too often the mechanic reaches for the diagnostic
> computer before checking the standard obvious causes.

Happy days - when you could see what was broken because you could see it was
broken. Seems so simple, looking back.

--
PeterMcC
If you feel that any of the above is incorrect,
inappropriate or offensive in any way,
please ignore it and accept my apologies.

On Sun, 7 May 2006 11:40:22 +0100, "PeterMcC" >,
wrote:

>Happy days - when you could see what was broken because you could see it was
>broken. Seems so simple, looking back.

Yep and the panels were so thin you could see through them too :-)

Pete
--
>
156 2.0 TS (2001) - Proteo Rosso