6.7 Cummins ECM failure and delete tune issues after having ECM rebuilt ...

[kville]

2008 Ram 2500 with 6.7 Cummins ECM failure and delete tune issues after having ECM rebuilt ...

Facts: 6.7 Cummins ECM failed, sent it off for refurbishment, came back and ran once (60 miles), parked and failed to restart, towed home. Removed ECM and sent it back for second refurbishment. Discussed with techs who didn't find any anamolies with ECM but reprogrammed it anyway since it was there terms "all jumbled up like someone scrambled the software". Second refurb of original ECM failed again. This time they assumed the "board" was bad and sent another ECM from their refurb stock. It failed after running once in the driveway (learned my lesson about taking it for a test drive on initial restart). They reprogrammed it and sent it back again. Failed again after initial restart.

Discussions with the techs have now honed in on and finally figured out this truck was "Deleted" before I bought it from a dealer years ago without me knowing what or how it was done. So, when the refurb techs didn't ask, I didn't know to tell them that 1) it was deleted and 2) a delete program must have been installed back in the day.

They can and will factory reset the ECM units once again for me. However, they say I need to find someone that can program / reprogram the truck after installing the ECM and "BEFORE" starting it the next time to recognize the deletion which should keep it from scrambling data and keep it from going into this safe shut down mode. For me, this programming would be easiest if done in my driveway if not possible, then I will have to have it towed to the shop.

How do I find someone capable of this programming/reprogramming so that I can end this nightmare that has been going on for a year now? Yes, a year now. I broke down and bought a third truck last year after dealing with this for a few months. I really need to get this truck fixed, running and either sold or at least turned into something on the ranch etc.

All help is greatly appreciated.

Kyle
(Houston / Harris County area)

 

[06 Dodge]

Some thing is really odd, as I understand it just having missing parts aka deleted should not brick/kill the ECM/ECU, as I understand it once the ECM/ECU has new programing it should have replaced the pervious code the ECM/ECU had prior to it being refurbished, too me it sounds like something is shorting out the ECM/ECU, so have you looked for bear or broken wires, checked to be sure all the grounds are attached...

 

[kville]

Thanks. Yes, I've looked and no, I / we haven't located anything. We kept suspecting there was some kind of "power surge" or issue related to signal and / or power from the PCM initially. I was able to find a great, refurb'd PCM and replaced it with the very first install of the ECM. Obviously, the same result occurred.

But, you are definitely on the same thought track that I forgot to mention and that we had concluded wasn't causing the issue after replacing the PCM. I've even considered looking for a replacement wiring harness but without further evidence of it being somehow the cause, it didn't seem prudent to do all that work.

Plus, we (I had it initially in a shop) scanned for issues with any other modules. But none showed to have any problems except for the ECM. Upon investigating ECM issues, and with reference of the shop, I just decided the PCM was a good insurance policy and was likely to need a refurb due to some weird electrical gremlins with the radio fuse anyway.

I'm still perplexed by the weird data that keeps being found in the ECMs, correlation of the issue beginning with the first trip out the day after a large thunderstorm, and most importantly what can be fooling the ECM so severely to put it into that mode even though it runs fine after installing a refurb ECM and the OBD scans while it is running don't show that anything is wrong except as you mention, the missing EGR equipment.

Kyle

 

[nlambert182]

If they're reprogramming the ECM, any delete tune would have been wiped out anyhow. It's prudent to check the wiring harness. There could very well be a short somewhere. Highly unlikely that the old tune is causing issues on a new ECM.