Sending The Computer Off To Be Re-manufactured?

jimilane

Founding Member
Aug 20, 2001
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17
Raleigh, N.C.
Hi,

I have had no luck finding a place that currently sells a computer for my 1993 GT. It comes with the F3zf-FA computer. I have tried finding ANY automatic computer for sale at any of the auto parts places around town.

Autopart.com sent me an email back really fast saying they would re-man the one I have for $175.

Has anyone ever sent theirs off to be repaired?

Also, where is the best place to get another computer?

Thanks.
 
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What happened that you need a new computer? They are usually very reliable, most of the problems are with sensors or wiring.
 
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I would think you can use ANY 89-93 AOD computer, you don't need a specific 1993 computer as those are the only year with that model and hard to find.

I was able to get a 1989 Mustang AOD computer to load into my cart.
 
What happened that you need a new computer? They are usually very reliable, most of the problems are with sensors or wiring.

I'm not sure what happened. I have my daughter driving this car at college. She went out to start the car and the fuel pump continued to run. The engine would turn over, but did not start. The fuel pressure relay coil was not letting go until you turn the start switch off. (there was fuel pressure at the valve) I switched the FP Relay with the WOT relay that is the same and had the same results. I swapped computers with my 5 speed car and the automatic car started right up. The computer relay is working fine and the start solenoid is working fine, so I'm not worried that something is damaging the computer.

I could put a quaterhorse chip on my spare computer and just load the files for an automatic. I had rather keep it simple and get another computer since my daughter is away at college.
 
You can put an Auto trans computer in a 5 speed car and it will be OK. If you put a 5 speed computer in an auto transmission car, it will damage the computer's internal signal ground. That will cause all sorts of sensor and drivability issues.

The computer type ID is on the sticker on the opposite end from the main wiring connector.

5 Speed computers
A9L - 89-93 5.0L Mustang 5-spd Mass Air
A3M - 93 5.0L Mustang 5-spd Mass Air
A3M1 - 93 5.0L Mustang 5-spd Mass Air

Auto Trans computers.
A9P - 89-93 5.0L Mustang Auto Mass Air
C3W - 89-93 5.0L Mustang Auto

Fuel Pump Troubleshooting for 91-93 Mustangs

Revised 08-Dec-2012 to add check for 12 volts at ignition coil to prove the ignition switch is good.

Clue – listen for the fuel pump to prime when you first turn the ignition switch on.
It should run for 2-5 seconds and shut off. To trick the fuel pump into running, find the ECC test connector and jump the connector in the upper RH corner to ground.

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If the fuse links are OK, you will have power to the pump. Check fuel pressure – remove the cap from the Schrader valve behind the alternator and depress the core. Fuel should squirt out, catch it in a rag. A tire pressure gauge can also be used if you have one - look for 37-40 PSI. Beware of fire hazard when you do this.


No fuel pressure, possible failed items in order of their probability:
A.) Tripped inertia switch – press reset button on the inertia switch. The hatch cars hide it under the plastic trim covering the driver's side taillight. Use the voltmeter or test light to make sure you have power to both sides of the switch

B.) Fuel pump Relay:
On 91 cars, it is located under the driver's seat.
On 92 and 93 cars it is located under the MAF. Be careful not to confuse it with the A/C WOT cutoff relay which is in the same area. See the diagram to help identify the fuel pump relay wiring colors.
Be sure to closely check the condition of the relay, wiring & socket for corrosion and damage.
C.) Clogged fuel filter
D.) Failed fuel pump
E.) Blown fuse link in wiring harness.
F.) Fuel pressure regulator failed. Remove vacuum line from regulator and inspect
for fuel escaping while pump is running.

Theory of operation:
Read this section through several times. If you understand the theory of operation, this will be much easier to troubleshoot. Refer to the diagram below frequently.

Diagram of the fuel pump wiring for 91-93 cars.
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The electrical circuit for the fuel pump has two paths, a control path and a power
path.

Remember that the computer does not source any power to actuators, relays or injectors, but provides the ground necessary to complete the circuit. That means one side of the circuit will always be hot, and the other side will go to ground or below 1 volt as the computer switches on that circuit.

The control path consists of the computer, and the fuel pump relay coil. It turns the fuel pump relay on or off under computer control. The switched power (red wire) from the ECC relay goes to the relay coil and then from the relay coil to the computer (light blue\orange wire). The computer provides the ground path to
complete the circuit. This ground causes the relay coil to energize and close the contacts for the power path. Keep in mind that you can have voltage to all the right places, but the computer must provide a ground. If there is no ground, the relay will not close the power contacts.

The power path picks up from a fuse link near the starter relay. Fuse links are like fuses, except they are pieces of wire and are made right into the wiring harness. The feed wire from the fuse link (pink/black wire) goes to the fuel pump relay contacts. When the contacts close because the relay energizes, the power flows
through the pink/black wire to the contacts and through the dark green\yellow wire to the inertia switch. The other side of the inertia switch with the brown\pink wire joins the pink/black wire that connects to the fuel pump. The fuel pump has a black wire that supplies the ground to complete the circuit.


Power path:
Power feed: Look for 12 volts at the pink/black wire (power source for fuel pump relay).
No voltage or low voltage, bad fuse link, bad wiring, or connections. Remember that on 92 or later models the fuel pump relay is located under the Mass Air meter. Watch out for the WOT A/C control relay on these cars, as it is located in the same place and can easily be mistaken for the fuel pump relay.

Relay: Turn on the key and jumper the ECC test connector as previously described. Look for 12 volts at the dark green\yellow wire (relay controlled power for the fuel pump). No voltage there means that the relay has failed, or there is a broken wire in the relay control circuit.

Inertia switch:
The location for the inertia switch is under the plastic for the driver's side taillight.
There should be a round plastic pop out cover over it, remove it to access the switch button.
With the test connection jumpered and ignition switch in The Run position as described above, check the brown/pink wire. It should have 12 volts. No 12 volts there, either the inertia switch is open or has no power to it. Check both sides of the inertia switch: there should be power on the dark green\yellow (inertia switch input) and brown/pink wire (inertia switch output). Power on the dark green\yellow wire and not on the brown/pink wire means the inertia switch is open.
Press on the red plunger to reset it to the closed position. Sometimes the inertia switch will be intermittent or will not pass full power. Be sure that there is 12 volts on both sides of the switch with the pump running and that the voltage drop measured across the switch is less than .75 volts.

Pump wiring: Anytime the ignition switch is in the Run position and the test point is jumpered to ground, there should be at least 12 volts present on the black/pink wire. With power off, check the pump ground: you should see less than 1 ohm between the black wire and chassis ground.

Make sure that the power is off the circuit before making any resistance checks.
If the circuit is powered up, your resistance measurements will be inaccurate.


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Control path:
Relay: The red wire for the fuel pump relay coil gets its power feed from the ECC relay.
No 12 volts here, and the ECC relay has failed or there is bad wiring or bad connections coming from it. The ECC relay is located on top of the computer, which is under the passenger’s side kick panel. It is not easy to get to, you must have small hands or pull the passenger side dash speaker out to access it.

Another possibility is that the ignition switch is faulty: look for 12 volts on the red/green wire on the ignition coil. No 12 volts with the ignition switch in the Run position and the ignition switch is faulty or the fuse link in the ignition wiring is blown.

Relay: The light blue/orange wire provides a ground path for the relay power. With the test connector jumpered according to the previous instructions, there should be less than .75 volts.
Use a test lamp with one side connected to battery power and the other side to the light blue/orange wire on the fuel pump relay. The test light should glow brightly. No glow and you have a broken wire or bad connection between the test connector and the relay. To test the wiring from the computer, remove the passenger side kick panel and disconnect the computer connector. It has a 10 MM bolt that holds it in place. Remove the test jumper from the ECC test connector.
With the test lamp connected to power, jumper pin 22 to ground and the test lamp should glow.
No glow and the wiring between the computer and the fuel pump relay is bad.

Computer: If you got this far and everything else checked out good, the computer is suspect.
Remove the test jumper from the ECC test connector located under the hood. Probe computer pin 22 with a safety pin and ground it to chassis. Make sure the computer and everything else is connected. Turn the ignition switch to the Run position and observe the fuel pressure. The pump should run at full pressure.
If it doesn't, the wiring between pin 22 on the computer and the fuel pump relay is bad.
If it does run at full pressure, the computer may have failed.

Keep in mind that the computer only runs the fuel pump for about 2-3 seconds when you turn the key to the Run position. This can sometimes fool you into thinking the computer has died.
Connect one lead of the test light to power and the other lead to computer pin 22 with a safety pin.
With the ignition switch Off, jumper the computer into self test mode like you are going to dump the codes. Turn the ignition switch to the Run position. The light will flicker when the computer does the self test routine. A flickering light is a good computer. No flickering light is a bad computer. Remove the test jumper from the ECC test connector located under the hood.

See the following website for some help from Tmoss (diagram designer) & Stang&2Birds (website host)
for help on 88-95 wiring Mustang FAQ - Engine Information

Fuel pump runs continuously:
The fuel pump relay contacts are stuck together or the light blue/orange wire has shorted to ground. Remove the fuel pump relay from its socket. Then disconnect the computer and use an ohmmeter to check out the resistance between the light blue/orange wire and ground. You should see more than 10 K Ohms (10,000 ohms) or an infinite open circuit. Be sure that the test connector isn’t jumpered to ground.
If the wiring checks out good, then the computer is the likely culprit.

Prior to replacing the computer, check the computer power ground. The computer has its own dedicated power ground that comes off the ground pigtail on the battery ground wire. Due to it's proximity to the battery, it may become corroded by acid fumes from the battery. It is a black cylinder about 2 1/2" long by 1" diameter with a black/lt green wire. You'll find it up next to the starter solenoid where the wire goes into the wiring harness.
 
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I checked the light blue/orange wire. It checks fine. Thanks for all the info.

I called around a few performance shops here in Raleigh that do mostly Mustangs. They say they just send theirs out to get repaired at EcuExchange on ebay for $120 total. You just buy the service on ebay. They send you a box to mail it back to them. 24 hour turn around. They say if they send one out on Monday, they get it back by Friday. Of course you have to be mailed the box first. I think it's the cheapest way to go. I also looked at the MegaSquirt MSPNP for the Fox Mustangs. It seems it eliminates your MAF by placing a MAP just after the TB. I haven't heard of this one before. I was actually thinking of getting it and trying it out. It's $850, but I think if you want to program you have to buy some software.
 
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I sent my old computer off on a Thursday and got it back the following Tuesday.

EcuExchange on ebay did a great job!

I have put over 300 miles on the new computer with no problems.

They have a lifetime warranty also. The price was $118 excluding you shipping the computer to them. You ship it to them and then $118 is the total price after they ship it back to you.

They also offer Gauge cluster repair, Vin programming, and calibration updates.

[email protected]