ECM Location?

Wondering where the ecm is located on my 88 TC?

Welcome to the board.
Behind the passenger side kick panel, in front of the car door.

Originally posted by Pete D:
Welcome to the board.

+1

Not to get into your business, but why do you need to know? Are you just curious or are you having problems? For what it's worth, in my experiences with TCs (or most any other Ford), the ECMs don't go bad.

Well bought the body from a guy and he had pulled the engine.He said the car wouldn't go no faster than 40 mph so he pulled the motor.I've owned three of these cars in the past and so i know how one should run.Anyway I took the motor and 5 speed out of my wrecked 87 and put it in this one,but for some reason the car although it goes faster than 40 it just doesn't want to accelerate like it should.By the way this is an 88 and the motor/tranny is an 87.Im wondering if it needs the ecm from the 87 to run right?Do you know anything else I should try?

The 88 ECM is not a problem just because it is an 88 and not an 87.

There is a whole lot of reasons why it might not be running right and an ECM problem would be dead last on my list, unless the wiring is hacked. See below

What diagnostics have you done? Have you pulled the codes?
http://www.turbotbird.com/techinfo/Retri..._codes.htm
http://www.turbotbird.com/techinfo/In_Ca...rCodes.htm
http://www.tbirdheritage.com/turbocoupe/...-Chart.php
Let us know what you get at each of the 3 stages of the test.


Assuming the engine from the wrecked car ran OK, have you checked the fuel system out?
http://www.turbotbird.com/techinfo/Fuel_...ostics.htm

How about an exhaust system restriction, like a clogged cat. That stops an engine from making power and slows down acceleration. See if the exhaust manifold and turbo glow after just normal driving.

There is more but let us know what codes you get and how the fuel system checks out.

Originally posted by FLSTCI71:

Originally posted by Pete D:
[b] Welcome to the board.

+1

Not to get into your business, but why do you need to know? Are you just curious or are you having problems? For what it's worth, in my experiences with TCs (or most any other Ford), the ECMs don't go bad. [/b]

Having some time working with the EECs/ECMs/PCMs. Like any electronics, they can and do go bad. I have helped some members here who have had a failed EEC in their TC. A voltage spike or other power circuit issue can damage them easily. When they fail, they don't always stop functioning completely. Normally, when the EEC goes bad, it tends to give some obvious signs. Some common signs would be the cooling fans not operating correctly (always on with the key on), and unable to communicate with the EEC.

However, I agree with Pete that the EEC wouldn't be a suspect on the top of the list. I think Pete gave a good start towards tracking the issue.

JT, you are 100% correct. When referring to the EEC/ECM/PCM, I should have said, "seldom go bad" instead of "don't go bad". Personally, I have never seen one go bad that wasn't caused by operator error (crossed wires, incorrect trouble shooting, accidental shorts, etc), but I am not a mechanic by trade, so I am sure people who fix cars for a living have seen it. I will choose my words more carefully next time. Thanks for keeping me honest.

Thanks for the info!I didn't even know that u could pull codes from an 80's car.I'll be getting on it Tuesday so i'll reply and let yall know what i found.Thanks again and I'm glad to be apart of this forum!