doug791

The engine will idle but if you give it any gas it stumbles and back fires like hell. My tach and oil pressure gauge both just died. It has to be something electrical what do you think my problem could be.

DarthIROC

Maybe your ECms trashed?

doug791

That was what i was starting to think and i just wanted to hear it from someone else. If the ecm went haywire would this kill the gauges in my car? (i know it wouldnt kill the speedo cause thats tranny driven). I dont know what else it could be. How hard is it to replace the ecm and what kind of bucks am i generally looking at.

angel71rs

ECM for my 89 formula was $89 for a rebuilt unit from checkers. Don't jump on the ECM yet. I don't have my Formula anymore, so I don't have the wiring diagrams, but I believe the gages aren't ECM controlled. I think they go from the dash to the sensor itself. With your multiple smptoms, sounds more like a voltage problem.

Only reliability problem I has with the Formula was the alternator. 1st time it dies, I didn't notice it on the voltage gage, but when the radio died and engine started running like kaka, I saw it then.

Lifetime replacement at autozone was like $120. Good investment cause I replaced it 2 more times in the 7 years I owned the car.

angel71rs

I'll add: if you do have to replace ECM, it's cake. Just disconnect battery -, pop the bottom panel under passenger side of dash, remove the 2 bolts that hold ECM, and slide it down. Unplug connectors and you are done. You will have to transfer the chip to replacement ECM.

I knew my ECM was done for when I dropped it down, started the engine, and rapped on the ECM case with my knuckles. Engine hesitated. When I smacked it hard, engine died.

Irocdriver89

this is just my guess but i have an 89 formula and when this same thing happened it turned out to be my control mod. in my distributor from what i was told that's what allowed my take to work .....................just my opinion.

doug791

LoL i actually just replaced that. I figured since my tach was dead and the engine wasnt firing when it was supposed to be that the distributor control module would be the cause. Once i replaced it and the car still didnt work i noticed that the oil gauge also wasnt working, so now i know electrically something is wrong with the car. Its going to be hell to track down could be a bad ground, could be my alternator, and it could be one of like 20 other places some being fuseable links some being blah blah blah, i want a carbed car lol

Rice Killer87

smartest words ive seen on this board in a while

doug791

lol i love my efi, when it works. But im definitly finding out how much of a pain in the *** it is to trace problems with it. Im thinking it might be my alternator which would be awesome. But if not i might just tear out all my wiring and redo it my self