Can you test a TCU on the bench?

techboy · Aug 20, 2009

If you read the thread a little further down, my car is in limp mode. I going to pull the codes uses the pulses as listed in the sticky above, but my multimeter seems to be broken, even after I replaced the fuse. So today I pulled the TCU completely out of the car.

Is there a way to test it when it's out? I opened it up and all the capacitors look good. There's nothing that gives off any concern. I read on Tuners site that you can test the voltage on the "center pin", but this means nothing to me.

Help.

techboy · Aug 21, 2009

I talked to a mechanic today and called a professional auto computer place and neither seemed to know of a way to bench test a TCU.

So, since nobody seems to have an answer on this I think I'm going to plug the TCU back in and try find someone I can borrow an analog multimeter from and read the codes. Hopefully that'll get me somewhere with this car.

techboy · Aug 26, 2009

So I made my own "multimeter" with a small LED and wired it to some alligator clips. I hooked everything up for TCU code reading as described in the above sticky on TCU's.

Here's what I got: Nothing. No pulses, no flickering, nothing. So, am I to assume the TCU is completely dead? Input?

PS - I did test my homemade "multimeter" on another device to make sure it worked.

GDNF2ET · Aug 26, 2009

Borrow a TCU from someone local and see if it works in your car...It doesn't have to be a turbo TCU either, just has to be a compatible year...

techboy · Aug 27, 2009

GDNF2ET said:
Borrow a TCU from someone local and see if it works in your car...It doesn't have to be a turbo TCU either, just has to be a compatible year...

That thought crossed my mind. Only problem is I don't know anyone with a 1G automactic. All the 1G guys I know have manuals. I need to make a new friend ... lol

Can you test a TCU on the bench?

techboy

techboy

techboy

GDNF2ET

techboy

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