The engine control module is the main computer chip in your car, truck, or utility vehicle. It is the heart of the computer system in your automobile. It serves many purposes. In fact, if the engine control module dies, you will not be able to get your engine started. If you are driving, the engine will stop running immediately and refuse to restart. Let’s talk more about the engine control module below.
What It Does
There are two specific things that the engine control module does. First, it controls certain aspects of the engine when it is running, which is why your engine will die if the module goes bad. One of the things that the module does is fire the spark plugs in the exact order in which they need to be fired. Another thing it controls is the balance of the air and fuel in the combustion chamber.
The engine control module also communicates with the system sensors that are located throughout your automobile. These sensors monitor their respective systems to make sure everything is running safely and efficiently. If something goes wrong, the sensor will immediately report the problem to the engine control module. It uses a specific error code that the module recognizes to do this.
If the module can resolve the problem on its own, it will, and you will keep driving unaware that there was ever any problem. If the module cannot resolve the problem, it will alert you using the dashboard warning system in your automobile. If the problem has a specific light, such as low oil, it will turn on the associated light. In this case, it will turn on the oil light. If the problem does not have a specific light, such as transmission problems, the module will turn on the check engine light.
How Diagnostics Work
When you bring your automobile to our shop with an illuminated dashboard warning light, we will run a diagnostic test if necessary. In the case of the check engine warning light, this test is necessary because the check engine light covers a ton of different problems.
When we run the diagnostic test, it downloads all of the communication data between the engine control module and the system sensors. As such, we received the error code that was reported to the module. This points us directly to the problem with your automobile, which makes it quick and easy to fix. There you have it. The engine control module is the main computer chip in your vehicle.