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Bad ECU?

Juicemane

By Juicemane
in Ask A GM Technician

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Juicemane Enthusiast

Juicemane

Posted
Posted

Just went to best buy today and had an amp kit installed for my stealth box (BP8T) that I ordered from Crutchfield. After the installer was finished my truck had a very rough idle. After about 2 minutes the "Service Brakes" notice popped up on the dash. About 5 minutes later the check engine light came on so we pulled the codes. All of them were in reference to misfires in banks 1/2. Before I brought the truck into BB everything was fine. Its a 2011 GMC Sierra 1500 Ext Cab Non Bose with 21k. I checked all of his wiring and everything is nice and clean. The only thing that happened during install was the battery was disconnected briefly. I went to Auto Zone and had the codes pulled and cleared but the issue persists. Does this sound like a bad ECU? Would it need a reflash or am I SOL and require a new one? Any input would be greatly appreciated!

 

- Pete

MikeNH Senior Enthusiast

MikeNH

Posted
Posted

Best buy idiots did something bad. Start by disconnecting their work.

 

 

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jdubub Senior Enthusiast

jdubub

Posted
Posted

I agree. Lately every tech at BB has been useless that I have talked to. They are retarded. I had to school the lead tech the other day on my Viper alarm. Something he had installed hundreds of.

 

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Juicemane Enthusiast

Juicemane

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Everything looks fine, checked all of his wiring he fed the power through the main harness under the drive side dash. Remote line was tapped into the factory radio along with the converter. Not to mention the radio should have nothing to do with the ECU? I could literally tap into any wire in that harness and it shouldn't mess with my ABS system...

MikeNH Senior Enthusiast

MikeNH

Posted
Posted

They did something wrong, period. The electrical systems in these trucks are too reliable for this to randomly happen after letting those hacks near your truck. They screwed up and are trying to cover their ass. Every minute you wait to make them fix their mess up is a minute too long.

TimmyG Senior Enthusiast

TimmyG

Posted
Posted
Everything looks fine, checked all of his wiring he fed the power through the main harness under the drive side dash. Remote line was tapped into the factory radio along with the converter. Not to mention the radio should have nothing to do with the ECU? I could literally tap into any wire in that harness and it shouldn't mess with my ABS system...
doesnt n

Mean they didnt poke 10 other wires looking for the right ones or didnt damagae wires while running wires threw the firewall

 

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Juicemane Enthusiast

Juicemane

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I got it in writing on the invoice that the check engine light came on and the codes listed. I had to have the truck towed to my local Chevy dealer today (Throttle was sticking and it was unsafe to drive). I will find out tomorrow what the issue is. I already disconnected everything that was installed at BB, it was just a simple amp kit install. I called crutch field and tried to reset the ECU after removing the amp kit completely and it is still happening. I have no doubt that whatever happened was a result of the installer, I was just curious as to what would cause this. It has to be some sort of relay or the ecu itself sending bad data to the engine, how that happened is a mystery. Lesson learned, I was in a jam for time and having the install done at BB was the most time convenient option. I have done numerous installs myself and would have had no issues doing it. I simply didn't have the time. Lesson learned... first and last install from BB.

Juicemane Enthusiast

Juicemane

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Everything looks fine, checked all of his wiring he fed the power through the main harness under the drive side dash. Remote line was tapped into the factory radio along with the converter. Not to mention the radio should have nothing to do with the ECU? I could literally tap into any wire in that harness and it shouldn't mess with my ABS system...
doesnt n

Mean they didnt poke 10 other wires looking for the right ones or didnt damagae wires while running wires threw the firewall

 

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2

 

 

The factory harness is fully wrapped through the firewall, he only ran a 10G wire through the side and I looked for any signs of damage on the harness, everything on that portion looks normal. As for everything else, I spent a solid 6 hours checking every single connection and wire from under my dash to the engine and I was unable to find anything that looked cut/tap'd/disconnected. The only thing he told me that happened was the + terminal on the battery came disconnected and I'm wondering if it made contact with the frame... Even then the only thing that should have happened was a blown fuse not a total system melt down... Anyways, I will update tomorrow when I hear back from the Chevy service dept. Hopefully its just a relay or something stupid, either way Bestbuy is going to pay for this.

MikeNH Senior Enthusiast

MikeNH

Posted
Posted

Installer likely used a power probe (like a test light, but can apply power and ground) to a wire he shouldn't have.

Juicemane Enthusiast

Juicemane

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Installer likely used a power probe (like a test light, but can apply power and ground) to a wire he shouldn't have.

 

 

So if that happened what would the solution be?

MikeNH Senior Enthusiast

MikeNH

Posted
Posted

Installer likely used a power probe (like a test light, but can apply power and ground) to a wire he shouldn't have.

 

 

So if that happened what would the solution be?

 

Likely a new module.

Doug_Scott Senior Enthusiast

Doug_Scott

Posted
Posted

I got it in writing on the invoice that the check engine light came on and the codes listed. I had to have the truck towed to my local Chevy dealer today (Throttle was sticking and it was unsafe to drive). I will find out tomorrow what the issue is. I already disconnected everything that was installed at BB, it was just a simple amp kit install. I called crutch field and tried to reset the ECU after removing the amp kit completely and it is still happening. I have no doubt that whatever happened was a result of the installer, I was just curious as to what would cause this. It has to be some sort of relay or the ecu itself sending bad data to the engine, how that happened is a mystery. Lesson learned, I was in a jam for time and having the install done at BB was the most time convenient option. I have done numerous installs myself and would have had no issues doing it. I simply didn't have the time. Lesson learned... first and last install from BB.

 

 

Your truck is drive by wire, so, the throttle "sticking" should be a clue that BB back probed a wire they shouldn't have. Vehicles these days are very sensitive to how wires are checked for power. Using the old test light can destroy a sensor. Chances are they used a test light to find a switched power source to turn the amp on, and hit a wire going to the gas pedal. Doubt it took the ecm out though. Be interesting to see how the dealer handles it, you may end up with an invoice for BB to pay.

Juicemane Enthusiast

Juicemane

Posted
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Posted

Just got a call from the dealer, the seal inside my ABS controller vacuum line is bad and according to them is what is causing all of the issues. Apparently a bad seal is enough to cause misfires, throttle sticking, and other craziness.... They ordered the part overnight so we will see tomorrow once they replace it under warranty. Maybe this was pure coincidence?

Juicemane Enthusiast

Juicemane

Posted
  • Author
Posted

So this had nothing to do with Best Buy, just odd timing. I re-installed my amp kit myself and everything is fixed and working great.

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