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Is my ECU bad?


hemi_jj

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So my 2010 Journey (3.5) overheated from a coolant leak and didn’t seem to cause any internal engine damage but now gets an instant P0325 as soon as you reset it and drive it. Engine runs smooth and no knock detected by my ear. I didn’t want to pull the intake to replace the sensor just to discover that was not it, so I bought a new sensor and hooked it up outside the engine. Same issue. I then tracked the 2 wires back to the orange plug on the ECU and they tested fine from pin to pin. I cleaned all the contacts and again, same issue. My gut says bad ECU, but wanted to see if anyone else had any ideas or thoughts on this one. I’m stumped.

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IMO.... I highly doubt that it's the ECU/ECM. Did you try ohming the OE one against the replacement? AND just because the plastic connectors latch tight does NOT mean the 2 wires inside are actually making good connection. This is an older motor now and I've come to find out that piston slap is a common high mileage problem with this motor and can be picked up by the knock sensor that your ear will not .

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Both the old and new sensors test the same. My thought is that in researching the P0325, it is saying the knock sensor circuit is bad and not that it is detecting a knock. I did a wiring test from end to end including g the connectors and the wiring is good. The new sensor is wrapped in a towel to avoid it detecting any knock and it still triggers as soon as the car hits the 2000 rpm in drive that it has to reach to scan the sensor. I will order a reconditioned controller and see if that resolves it. I will post back in a week.

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Thanks. It was the knock sensor. I’m not ready to tear the intake off and ended up attaching it to a bracket on the side of the engine. It seems it has to detect it is picking up some engine vibration or it reports a bad knock sensor circuit. No knock, just a bad sensor. 
 

now to fix the stupid horn that goes off at random! 
 

Dang 2010 Journey issues!

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Thanks for the info, helpful for the site. Cars can do weird things and make trouble shooting tricky at the best of times.

 

If you remove intake, new rear plugs might be a good idea if they are close to being due. Most of work done at that point.

 

Random horn mmm. Is the airbag light showing on dash, is there a drivers side code for airbag. Horn often shares clockspring wire harness.  Switch mechanism  in steering possibly.

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It seems searching for Journey random horn finds a ton of owners with the same issue but not always the same resolution. Seems like  they are all 2010’s with this issue. I’ve got a new clock spring as well as the horn ring on the way. 99% sure it is in the steering wheel as I can stop it by just touching the steering wheel when it happens.

 

Great idea on those rear plugs, I’m sure they are original and have 104K on them.  


Thanks again! I will post back what I find on the horn.

 

Jeff aka Hemi_JJ

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