ECM operating temperature

[richard sanderson]

I am a bit concerned when I have taken the car for a run, and whipped the hood up afterwards to check that everything looks OK, that the ECM seems extremely hot. Is this normal? How hot can it get before trouble sets in? Has anyone any idea why it should get hot? Should the connectors be unplugged and cleaned do you think? All ideas welcome!
Cheers from sunny Spain,
Dick:icon_thum

[tomtom72]

Yea, things get really hot under our hoods after about an hour of running. It's amazing that the solder doesn't melt on the ECM's main board, or at least it seems that it should.

Hi Rich,

I've nothing that I can point to in the FSM about that question to answer your concerns. I can only say that about four hours on a fuel run at highway speeds doesn't seem to bother my ECM.

My thought is that the electrical/computer engineers took all of that into account in the design & testing of the electronics package. I'm sure that over time the heat will eventually take a toll on all of the electronics, I guess?

I can't even say that there are any preventative measures that an owner can take; except to just make sure that the cooling system is looked after to maintain it's performance at optimal levels. I know, not a very good answer. Sorry!:o

I think that I agree with your thoughts on cleaning connection points. I do that every two yrs or so. I did it when I first got my car. Took apart all the connectors I could get to and looked for corrosion, if found I cleaned it up, and used dielectric grease on the pins and sockets and the gaskets, and reconnected them. I also did the same to all the ground connections I could locate. After that I don't know that there is much else to be done as a preventative measure.

:cheers:
Tom

[scholtmj]

Most commercial off the shelf components are rated at 85 degrees C (185 F). Even then they often have "margin" built in. The engine may run at 185, but ambient air will be cooler.