mogley

Hey guys
Long time haven't been around here for a while been busy with life not really driving my car much.

Anyway, i did take it for a drive the other day and i noticed a CEL. Took her into Mazda and they told me it was throwing a P0610 code but told me there was a loose connector and hopefully that solved the problem, and if the light came on again, i probabaly had a faulty PCM.

Lo and behold the light came back and they said they rang Mazda Technical and concluded i have a faulty PCM. They have been quite helpful in helping me out and suggested they could have the PCM repaired instead of replaced at a cheaper cost.

My question is though, my car is driving fine, bar the light she is better than ever, and I am reluctant to spend more money to fix something that may not ever become an issue? Or at least hold out for a while until I have more money to fix it.

What risks am i taking if i continue to drive? And why isn't the car showing any signs of fault if the PCM which controls the engine etc is faulty?

auzoom

I am assuming you have no warranty?

If thats the case then I would ask them to firstly quote the repair work and asses it from there.

takahashi

P0610 is a PCM configuration code.

Possible causes

Configuration procedure not completed
PCM malfunction.

I guess I cannot tell what is wrong with the PCM, so if it brings bad air fuel mix to the engine, it ain't good. I may be doing it lean so you are feeling the car better; but it ain't doing the cat or the engine any good though.

mogley

omg they are quoting me $2000 to replace the PCM cause it is faulty.
I've only got 50,000km.

Taka, so you don't recommend driving it until it is replaced?
Would i be able to get the PCM from a wreckers?

ARgh!

auzoom

Call Simon at ProMaz and ask him for details on where they sent my PCM.

Cheers

Andrew

takahashi

Drive if you have to.

Sort it out ASAP.

Other people PCM is not bad, but need to reprogram your VIN and code to match the BCM.

mogley

Thanks for all the help guys.
auzoom, is ProMaz in Melb? I'm in Sydney.

1 . Taka, what damage could i do to my car with the faulty PCM?

I ask because the dealership told me that because it is a computer part, it won't necessarily wear and tear and if my car runs fine now, it may continue to run fine indefinately albeit with an annoying CEL light. That seems to make sense to me, and i'm not sure what the blown diodes are doing to the PCM and the car because it seems to drive fine.

I am also reluctant to get a new PCM because I have this feeling the diodes were blown because of something else in the car shorting it out and so until I find out what that was (Mazda dealership won't be of much help i think) I don't want to put a new one in and blow it again.

2. How can i diagnose what blew the PCM?

auzoom

Yes they are in Melb, however there are very few places that have worked on these ecu's. I know these guys have and they did a great job with mine. It would be a simple matter of taking the ecu out, mailing it to them and they will mail it back.

Any number of things. Taka has pointed out one scenario where the ECU could start sending lean mixtures thinking they are correct. The code is telling you that the startup configuration didnt complete so it may not have loaded LTFT, STFT, any number of things. You'll never know exactly what unless you spend lots of money.

See the next answer

You will need to spend money at an Auto Elec'.

Cheers

Andrew

mogley

Hey auzoom and taka thanks for the replies.

I'm thinking of sourcing a used PCM if i must and Mazda has quoted me $400 to pull the PCM out and send it to a lab to find out what blew it and what exactly is wrong with it.


I am reluctant however because I've noticed that my CEL actually disappears when i've filled up and will re-appear when i stop the engine after filling up and restart it again. This is conjunction with the P0610 PCM options malfunction light.

I am a bit confused now.

The car still drives fine and fuel consumption is as usual.

Why is the PCM CEL light linked to my fuel tank??

I'm starting to think this goes deeper than i originally thought.

auzoom

From what I can make out the P0610 code indicates that an auxilliary sensor connected to the ECU is not being read properly. I have read of a faulty MOP and ABS causing the ECU to throw this code.

Based on what you are saying it could be a faulty fuel level sensor.

Again, I suggest you speak to Simon at ProMaz to get the details of where they sent my ECU and call them. They specialise in auto computers.

Cheers

Andrew