[X9_BC]

Hello,
Looking for some urgent help.
I have an 09 Auto 4x4 X, and the dealership says the ECM has been fried. Won't start, had it towed.
Dealership says a new ECM is required, but they cant get one for about 2 months. They've given me 2 part#'s and said only these will work;
23710-ZL32A & 23710-ZL100C.

There is a label on my ECM with a part# of MEC71-410 C1 8626 A

I am finding ECM's at Junkards, with Part#'s like MEC71-410 A1...

Would anybody know how specific these really need to be, could I get one from a junkyard from the same year, 4x4, auto etc... and call it a day?
Would anybody also know what the difference between C1 or A1 would be?

The prices on these things vary from $100 all the way to $800+

 

[Eurow]

Try contacting Flagship1:

Nissan ECM | Nissan PCM | Nissan ECU

We specialize in the programming of all Nissan ECM | ECU | PCM. All units come with a FREE Lifetime Warranty and Shipping throughout the USA.

www.fs1inc.com

 

[X9_BC]

Try contacting Flagship1:

Nissan ECM | Nissan PCM | Nissan ECU

We specialize in the programming of all Nissan ECM | ECU | PCM. All units come with a FREE Lifetime Warranty and Shipping throughout the USA.

www.fs1inc.com

I should mention I have talked to FS1, who will be able to help me but that will be a last resort. They will be $800 shipped to me...My issue is more to do with part#'s at junkyards where the ECM is only $100
I am not trying to spend $800 if I dont have to

 

[CaptInsane-O]

Here are a couple of other options...

https://moduleexperts.com/modules/nissan-ecm-repair/
https://www.solopcms.com/2009-nissan-xterra-4-0l-pcm-ecm-ecu-repair-service-only/

FS1 lists a price of $387 here...

https://www.fs1inc.com/23710-zl04a-2009-nissan-xterra-4-0l-pcm-engine-computer-ecm-ecu-programmed-plug-play.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI8Z61jIjw_AIVMxxlCh2RtAuvEAYYASABEgKEIfD_BwE

 

[X9_BC]

Here are a couple of other options...

https://moduleexperts.com/modules/nissan-ecm-repair/
https://www.solopcms.com/2009-nissan-xterra-4-0l-pcm-ecm-ecu-repair-service-only/

FS1 lists a price of $387 here...

https://www.fs1inc.com/23710-zl04a-2009-nissan-xterra-4-0l-pcm-engine-computer-ecm-ecu-programmed-plug-play.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI8Z61jIjw_AIVMxxlCh2RtAuvEAYYASABEgKEIfD_BwE

Thank you..

The $800 im getting is because Im in Canada....So after shipping & conversion that $387 turns into $800...
Shocking stuff...I am getting used to Canadian money being worthless though...

 

[CaptInsane-O]

Thank you..

The $800 im getting is because Im in Canada....So after shipping & conversion that $387 turns into $800...
Shocking stuff...I am getting used to Canadian money being worthless though...

Ah, yeah ouch. Didn't notice the little Maple Leaf in your profile. Tried ebay.ca?

 

[Lowcountry idn]

I have been looking at this for a very long time, and I can not find anything definitive.

The ECU's Nissan are quoting are generic hardware. At some point Nissan went to a generic ECU that fit a broader set of vehicles, and the old numbers were obsoleted.

Outside of those model ECU's there are several other models. I would presume that if you found the exact same part number as your original, it would be possible to program it for your car. I assume other part numbers would as well, but how you know is a mystery to me so far.

Once you have the proper ECU - it still need to be re-flashed. The VIN needs to match your VIN. I believe the VIN is stored in the ECU and BCU at minimum. It may be in other modules as well. They need to match, supposedly. You don't need to have the dealer program it - other shops can if they have the generic software. You can download your program from the Nissan site for a few bucks.

The mileage is also stored in the ECU. I am not sure who can update that. I have read however it doesn't matter - if the mileage doesn't match it will store that error but not throw a code or stop your vehicle from functioning, but it will be stored as a mismatch.

Honestly $800 CAD for a programmed ECU sounds pretty reasonable.

If you do find out, please let us know!

 

[X9_BC]

Well I've gone ahead today and purchased a unit from a Junkyard with a part# of MEC71-410 C1
I will post back by then end of this week and let you guys know if it worked or not.

Nissan gave me 2 part#'s to look for (23710-ZL32A or 23710-ZL00C) - I have been able to confirm that the ZL32A has been discontinued and replaced by ZL00C
These part#'s however reference MEC71-410 A1....And Nissan stressed how important it was that these match.
The computer in my car though, is MEC71-410 C1.....So with that said....I reckon the previous owner has already replaced the computer in the past with a junkyard piece...And that worked....SOOO...my fingers are crossed here hoping for the best.

Will let ya'll know soon.

Thanks!

 

[Lowcountry idn]

Following

 

[07 Offroad]

If you can open your Ecu and identify the burned out capacitor you can order capacitors for very cheap and most of the time this is what goes bad in an ECU. You can then take your ECU to a local repair place and have them desolder the bad cap and solder in a new one. It is difficult, but not impossible to do yourself if you have the skills. One of my family members was a Biomedical engineer so he does my soldering, but all in all not very difficult. You shouldn't have any burned traces in there, but if you do they are easily repaired by someone qualified. Probably cost you 50 bucks if you can find a local computer repairman. My burned capacitor in the picture is from my Hilux Surf and was fairly easy to spot the damage. Take a magnifying glass or use phone camera zoom and take time to see what you can. Well worth your time and effort.

 

[07 Offroad]

NISSAN 2009 FRONTIER XTERRA 4.0L MEC71-410 C1 ENGINE COMPUTER MODULE ECU ECM PCM | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for NISSAN 2009 FRONTIER XTERRA 4.0L MEC71-410 C1 ENGINE COMPUTER MODULE ECU ECM PCM at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

 

[07 Offroad]

2009 NISSAN XTERRA 4.0l A/T ENGINE CONTROL MODULE ECU ECM PCM MEC71-410 CE | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 2009 NISSAN XTERRA 4.0l A/T ENGINE CONTROL MODULE ECU ECM PCM MEC71-410 CE at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

 

[07 Offroad]

I posted 2 potentials for you. Just a guess slash thought... I wonder if the last 4 numbers of your ecu code is actually the key code they are usually 4 digits. Curious if the 8626 is key code. MEC71-410 C1 8626 A

 

[X9_BC]

I posted 2 potentials for you. Just a guess slash thought... I wonder if the last 4 numbers of your ecu code is actually the key code they are usually 4 digits. Curious if the 8626 is key code. MEC71-410 C1 8626 A

That is interesting, because in all my research I feel that those last 4 numbers are not incredibly important, and have varied wildly.
I really hope so!

 

[X9_BC]

If you can open your Ecu and identify the burned out capacitor you can order capacitors for very cheap and most of the time this is what goes bad in an ECU. You can then take your ECU to a local repair place and have them desolder the bad cap and solder in a new one. It is difficult, but not impossible to do yourself if you have the skills. One of my family members was a Biomedical engineer so he does my soldering, but all in all not very difficult. You shouldn't have any burned traces in there, but if you do they are easily repaired by someone qualified. Probably cost you 50 bucks if you can find a local computer repairman. My burned capacitor in the picture is from my Hilux Surf and was fairly easy to spot the damage. Take a magnifying glass or use phone camera zoom and take time to see what you can. Well worth your time and effort.

Really cool!
If this all works out I will definitely take the old one apart and see what it looks like.

 

[JeffInDFW]

I am NOT an electrical repair guy at all, but I was able to spend about $40 in capacitors and repair my old THX certified Tivo $$$$ years ago. From 1999 to 2007 a Chinese company was using stolen information that was written down wrong (you can't make this stuff up) to make capacitors by the billions that were all faulty. They flooded the supply chain world wide. Anyway, I watched a bunch of YouTube videos, got out my soldering iron and gave it hell. I replaced all the capicitors in my Tivo and it freaking worked when I was done! 10 years later it still works!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitor_plague

 

[campisi]

I am an electrical engineer (or was, retired) and have repaired several boards around my house just by doing this. It's rare that a semiconductor goes bad ... it's usually an electrolytic cap like the one shown above or a faulty solder joint that finally opens. Sometimes you can just retouch the solder joints to fix them. If you can get a look at a faulty module/board it's worth a close inspection for easy fixes.
BTW, though I'm an engineer my soldering skills are no better than anyone else. We always had well-trained techs to solder stuff for us so I rarely soldered anything. I'm certainly a hack at soldering!

 

[Lowcountry idn]

Pretty sure the last 5 numbers in the part number are the actual firmware number. The key codes I am pretty sure are stored in the BCU. The ECU stores the VIN - as does the BCU, and I think there going to need to match. I am looking forward to finding out how critical all that is.

Lots more information here: Nissan Publications

You can download the manual for the Nissan programming software there - it shows the process, etc

 

[X9_BC]

OK fellas, gave the junkyard ECM to the dealership this morning & they just phoned me to say it works!!!

So here's my summary on the situation;
Ignore part#'s given by the Dealership, they are only used by the dealership. Everyone else, retailer or Junkyard will reference these MEC numbers.
That's what's printed on the labels stuck to the ECM, not the Nissan #'s.

All you really need to worry about is getting a computer from the same year and configuration as yours. You can ignore your MEC#'s too... So in my case, had to be 2009, had to be an automatic, and had to be a 4x4.
Being from a Junkyard, your keys will need to be programmed in. This can be done by any shop with the right equipment. Nissan charges $150/HR whereas a regular shop would be around $80.

With that said, I am willing to bet any ECM from a 2nd gen X or Frontier with the same configuration (Auto/4x4) would have worked as well...but now I will never know unless somebody here tries it out and posts results here.

Junkyard ECM cost me $100, and overnight shipping was another $100.
Dealership cost was $845 and a month wait
FS1 Retail refurbished plug & play programmed to your VIN no dealership or mechanic required $750 delivered in 5-8 days.
(Canadian Monopoly Dollars)

I will be taking apart the old ECM now and seeing if there's something I can fix. Will post up more when I get to that.

 

[07 Offroad]

OK fellas, gave the junkyard ECM to the dealership this morning & they just phoned me to say it works!!!

So here's my summary on the situation;
Ignore part#'s given by the Dealership, they are only used by the dealership. Everyone else, retailer or Junkyard will reference these MEC numbers.
That's what's printed on the labels stuck to the ECM, not the Nissan #'s.

All you really need to worry about is getting a computer from the same year and configuration as yours. You can ignore your MEC#'s too... So in my case, had to be 2009, had to be an automatic, and had to be a 4x4.
Being from a Junkyard, your keys will need to be programmed in. This can be done by any shop with the right equipment. Nissan charges $150/HR whereas a regular shop would be around $80.

With that said, I am willing to bet any ECM from a 2nd gen X or Frontier with the same configuration (Auto/4x4) would have worked as well...but now I will never know unless somebody here tries it out and posts results here.

Junkyard ECM cost me $100, and overnight shipping was another $100.
Dealership cost was $845 and a month wait
FS1 Retail refurbished plug & play programmed to your VIN no dealership or mechanic required $750 delivered in 5-8 days.
(Canadian Monopoly Dollars)

I will be taking apart the old ECM now and seeing if there's something I can fix. Will post up more when I get to that.

Congratulations on getting fixed up now save your old one and open it up to see what you can see. Very likely an easy repair and you have a spare or one to sell.