Date:         Thu, 16 Mar 2000 21:51:50 -0800
Reply-To:     Darrell Johnson <vanagon_carat@YAHOO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Darrell Johnson <vanagon_carat@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Re: ECU Lifespan?--failure prevention
Comments: cc: "Tom L. Neal" <jneal@NETCOM.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Sounds like temp is indeed a factor here, which makes
sense.  As you, Tom, and "my other brother" Darrell
have hinted at I am going to clean out my storage
under the rear seat pronto to give that black forest
box some air.  Since under the rear seat is the data
center, it would be interesting to rig a small fan
under there for cooling . . . just an idea for the
coming hot weather.

Darrell's discussion got me thinking of the market for
spare ECU's.  A reconditioned ECU with the resolder
work, inspection that Darrell mentions would help cut
the cost vs. a new box.

--- "Tom L. Neal" <jneal@NETCOM.COM> wrote:
> Specific types of solder joints fail in a fairly
> predictable manner given
> temperature fluctuations.  Vibration and current
> make them fail faster.
> And if they aren't very good joints in the first
> place, even faster.
>
> Best prevention against solder failure is to lower
> the max temperature the
> ECU experiences by scraping off the black paint and
> put a super thin layer
> of thermal grease between the ECU and the
> heat-sink/cover at its contact
> points.  Also, don't pile anything on it and give it
> space for air
> circulation.  I'm just repeating stuff that Darrell
> Boehler has said from
> time to time.
>
> Cheers, Tom Neal
>
> On Thu, 16 Mar 2000, Darrell Johnson wrote:
>
> > With Ken's tale of Digifant ECU failure, and many
> > others ECU failures I've heard about, it makes me
> > wonder why these things fail.  Is there input
> voltage
> > fluctuations in older vans that would stress the
> > compenents?  Is it from physical shock?  Is the
> ECU a
> > part that should be changed after, say, 10 years?
> It
> > sounds like a spare would be good to have on hand
> for
> > longer trips.
> >
> > =====
> > Darrell Johnson
> > '90 Vanagon Carat
> > Mission Viejo, CA
> >
> > __________________________________________________
> > Do You Yahoo!?
> > Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger.
> > http://im.yahoo.com
> >
>


=====
Darrell Johnson
'90 Vanagon Carat
Mission Viejo, CA

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