Has anyone else seen one of these ? I was getting code 21 so I dismantled my series 1 PTU after reading the Tech article on repairing them. The back of the case was different to the pics in the article, and the internals looked nothing like the pics. This is what I expected to see - This is the inside of mine after I scraped out all the filling - ( my apologies for the low quality pics. They were taken months ago, before I got my shite together as a car parts photographer ) Slightly dismantled - It looks like something you'd make from a Jaycar kit. I'm not against the idea, I like the old school style of construction. I believe the reason for the modern laminated design in the top pics is purely to cut costs, not to improve reliabilty. This PTU showed current leakage from some of the transistors to the case. This turned out to be from moisture getting in through some of the screw holes for the transistor mount screws, see the line of 6 holes beneath the top row of 6 solder tabs. You can see the old insulators laying on the bench. This pic doesn't show it but I replaced all the heatsink insulators & sealed the screw holes with thermal paste - I'm not sure what to make of this, it's a work in progress. After the repairs I was still getting code 21 immediately on start up with a cold PTU. No misfires or rough idling, just the code. The external connectors are in need of attention, they're pretty sad. If I was going to ask a Tech question it would be - " Has anyone else encountered a code 21 immediately on start up with a cold series 1 remanufactured PTU ? " When I get the engine back in I'll run more tests but I thought I'd show this to you guys if only for the entertainment value. Cheers, Mick.
LOL Nice that goes straight to the pool room of improvised repairs. Did the car run with this in place ? Draw up the schematic with component values if you can be bothered .... or a better picture.
It's not as bad as it seems. This PTU was sold by a reputable firm who are still trading in reco car ignition electronics. Yessum. Sideways bitch with a hair trigger throttle. I had an intermittent rough idle problem when the engine reached temp so I started checking the usual suspects. Schematic would be easy to draw if I knew for sure what the transistors were. The markings have been removed, surprise surprise. I assume them to be MOSFETs but I wouldn't bet money on it. The resistors & diodes are easy to identify. If I get back to you with a partial diagram could you fill in the blanks please ?
This would be my guess. http://www.diyautotune.com/tech_articles/using_bosch_bip373s_with_megasquirt.htm A little pricey at $8US a piece. What did the "manufactured" PTU cost and from whom ?
Fairchild ISL9V5036P3 IGBT (Insulated-gate bipolar transistor) might be an alternative. Although not really cheaper retail, it may be more accesabile in quantity. http://shop.diyefi.co.uk/index.php/...irchild-isl9v5036p3-igbt-ignition-driver.html
Why didnt you just ask DAG ??? !!! I have spare series one here you can have cheap. Beats spending 3 hours fixing an old crap one. BTW briz, They are transistors NOT IGBT's
maybe ask Bryan a.k.a O'connor television.He's a electronic wiz and would be able to answer if it's a good idea.
Remanufactured by Automotive Computers Australia. http://www.aca-auto.com.au/new_products.htm It's still in their catalogue, part No. IM171. But no longer available to buy. Fitted to the car in Feb 2004, approx. 21,000 km's ago by a Nissan dealership in S.A. They slugged him $390.90 for the module.
This should be a huge warning to people who are fooled by fancy websites(any business can be made to look reputable by a web designer). That PTU module looks like it was soldered by a first week apprentice with severe disabilities, and the contents of the casing would be hard-pressed to have cost more than $50. It may have worked OK, but it was $300 overpriced.
Tektrader's Megastore. Now I understand your fascination with squirrels. Probably easier if you tell me which parts you DON'T have. Thanks for the offer Tek. I should have realised you'd have a PTU squirrelled away somewhere.
Funnily enough I just bought a series 1 PTU from Bryan. The rough idle fault didn't happen often enough to allow a diagnosis so I thought I'd swap the PTU & drive it for a couple of weeks to see if the fault was still there. Or whether I still get code 21 on cold start ups. For the price that Bryan charged it's a cheap way to diagnose the thing.
You'll love this. My ECU has a " remanufactured " sticker on it too ! I'm not game to look inside it. Probably see some sticky tape, paper clips, and Blutak holding it all together. Or maybe a cockroach with a tiny little abacus.
Bosch BIP373 are actually triple darlington transistor configuration, that's "3" transistors for you victorians. The IGBT was a possible "alternative", that means it will provide a similar enough effect but not necessarily identical or of the same structure. BTW an IGBT is a transistor, by pure definition of its name, Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor. Don't know where you come up with this stuff.
You CANT directly substitute an IGBT for a transistor or a darlington pair or triple can you ! Where I come up with this stuff is 4 years at RMIT studying electronic engineering. He was lookng for direct subsitutes, not any device that can vaguely be used to accomplish the same job with a heap of supporting circuitry to help. You may as well have told him an SCR will work. No point offering an Orange if the recipe calls for a Lemon based on the fact they are both citrus, is there. IGBT's are used for their high switching speeds. Darligton pairs and triples are used for their extremly high GAIN. Different applications Anyway, I am finished with this discussion. Its a bit pointless.
Firstly you said an IGBT isn't a transistor - WRONG Why cant you substitute ? I said "might" ie some additional investigation would be required, your saying that hard pipes cant be substituted for OEM factory inlet hoses because there construction is different. When I asked "where do you come up with this stuff" it wasn't from an engineering perspective, more psychological. 4 years at RMIT hey ? , I have met PhD grads that were absolutely useless in the real world, what have you done outside the play pen ? The point of this forum is to expand and discuss and increase knowledge if you cant be involved with out being pointless and destructive then dont. And the icing on the cake: "Anyway, I am finished with this discussion. Its a bit pointless." Well here's your bat and ball.
