Volvo ECM rebuilder.

Parrformance · November 10

In 2021 my 2006 Volvo with the D12 Volvo engine suffered an ECM failure.

I found a used ECM, with a very close VIN# and bought it.

This got the truck going again. Fast forward to October 2024 and the used ECM suffered the same failure.

I figured the units were nearing 20 years old and it might be time to purchase a replacement that has been remanufactured, this way many of the aging components may be new or renewed.

I found an outfit out of Texas, GOECM, had some good reviews and the price was almost twice a used unit, but a whole lot less than a new pickup truck.

They also offered a rebuild of your broken ECM.

I shipped mine off and after they received it I contacted them only to find out it was not a candidate for rebuild as “the processor had failed.

I believe both of my ECM have the same issue.

They did say it would count as a core for parts, so I ordered one of their lifetime warranty rebuilt ECM’s.

Thats when they shared they are built to order and the tech would take 4-6 days to complete the remanufacturing.

Took slightly longer than quoted but it did finally arrive.

Before the ECM failure the truck ran very well.

I got it installed and used the dash to communicate with the “new” ECM, it was littered with codes. I figured this was a result of bench testing so I cleared them all and started the truck.

It ran poorly and produced a code for electrical fault with the Cylinder 1 fuel injector.

I quit for the night and started it back up the next morning and got Cylinder 1-3 electrical faults. The fuel pedal did not work at all at this point.

I reached out to GOECM, and after a couple of phone calls, they sent an overnight shipping label for me to return the ECM under warranty.

I called after a couple of days for a status report, and was told the tech had found leaky capacitors. They were also trying to determine what was causing the injector faults.

I waited longer than I should’ve, and reached out again for an update. A full week after they received the faulty ECM back.

I was assured the replacement was ready and was scheduled to ship back that day.

They did ship a different unit, I suspect the first one was not inspiring confidence with the tech.

I did get a notification of shipping @ 7:04 pm on Thursday evening.

They shipped it back overnight and it was at my door just after 11:00 am on Friday!

I got it installed this morning and the truck is up an running just as good as before.

I did have an issue with the replacement, but GOECM made it right at their expense.

So overall 4 stars out of 5.

goecm.com

Edited November 10 by Parrformance
Corrected

SuiteSuccess · November 10

I sent mine to Circuit Board Medics for repair. They contacted me and it was destroyed by water and oil intrusion around the backing shield. No charge to diagnose only $50 for both way shipping. Mine was replaced at dealer for a price that was near CBMs replacement. Dealer had to put on computer to reprogram my parameters after installing. One thing I would call attention to is the “waxy” seal on the back side of the ECM deteriorates and that’s where the oil and water intrusion occurred on mine. There were several big holes in it. I think maybe pulling it off every few years for inspection might be beneficial. There are YouTube videos on how to pull it off.

Tina-Jim · November 23

Thank you both for sharing you experiences. Very helpful.

@Parrformance Have you DRIVEN the truck yet with the 'new' ECU? Is everything 'good'? Better? Not as good?

Or, is the jury still out?

Thank you,

Tina-Jim

Parrformance · November 23

Drove 700 miles to my son’s place in Western North Carolina, yes, right in the middle of all the devastation.

Their place is high enough and all is well.

The truck ran as expected, no issues, no hiccups. While I was waiting on the ECM, I replaced the manual fuel pump/filter housing because it was weeping diesel fuel just a little bit.

While I had the fuel pump/filter housing off, I removed and cleaned all the ground connections on the side of the engine block.

So other than a passenger side head lamp failure, a leaking passenger side cab air bag, and a depleted camper battery at our overnight stop, it all went well.

I ran a 12 gauge jumper wire from the driver side blue power wire to the same blue wire on the passenger side headlight. This resolved the low voltage issue on the passenger side.

I have installed the deep space lights, and they are a fantastic improvement.

I would recommend piggybacking a larger gauge wire to the passenger side when you install the upgraded lights.

I have a replacement set of cab bags on the way and will install the replacement one day next week.

I think I have a workaround for the dead deep cycle battery, I will test the theory on the next set of travel days.

The ECM did resolve the issue thus far.

The Chinese are making a knock off ECM, and I am curious if they would be a good option?

Parrformance · November 23

On 11/10/2024 at 9:55 AM, SuiteSuccess said:

I sent mine to Circuit Board Medics for repair. They contacted me and it was destroyed by water and oil intrusion around the backing shield. No charge to diagnose only $50 for both way shipping. Mine was replaced at dealer for a price that was near CBMs replacement. Dealer had to put on computer to reprogram my parameters after installing. One thing I would call attention to is the “waxy” seal on the back side of the ECM deteriorates and that’s where the oil and water intrusion occurred on mine. There were several big holes in it. I think maybe pulling it off every few years for inspection might be beneficial. There are YouTube videos on how to pull it off.

The remanufactured ECM that I received from GOECM had a full metal backing plate mounted on it.

Looks to be a better cover/seal then the original design, time will tell.

Tina-Jim · November 24

Wish there were emojis to 'acknowledge' comments and responses.

Thank you for the update.

Tina-Jim

rickeieio · November 24

Another thanks on the update.

I put the Deep Space lights in our 2001 Volvo and was very pleased with them. The difference was amazing. Now I'm about to pull the trigger on ordering a set for the KW.

Parrformance · November 24

3 hours ago, Tina-Jim said:

Wish there were emojis to 'acknowledge' comments and responses.

Thank you for the update.

Tina-Jim

👍

Parrformance · November 24

2 hours ago, rickeieio said:

Another thanks on the update.

I put the Deep Space lights in our 2001 Volvo and was very pleased with them. The difference was amazing. Now I'm about to pull the trigger on ordering a set for the KW.

😎

SuiteSuccess · November 24

Par,

I watched your previous video on replacing cab airbags. Very informative. I have replacement bags and shock sitting in my garage (2 years now). Just another project I need to tackle. Trouble is, I’ve got a 900# drom box I have to manipulate out of the way in some manner to get to them.

rickeieio · November 24

2 hours ago, SuiteSuccess said:

Par,

I watched your previous video on replacing cab airbags. Very informative. I have replacement bags and shock sitting in my garage (2 years now). Just another project I need to tackle. Trouble is, I’ve got a 900# drom box I have to manipulate out of the way in some manner to get to them.

Carl, I can send Susan. She's done 'em on ours.😁

Parrformance · November 24

3 hours ago, SuiteSuccess said:

Par,

I watched your previous video on replacing cab airbags. Very informative. I have replacement bags and shock sitting in my garage (2 years now). Just another project I need to tackle. Trouble is, I’ve got a 900# drom box I have to manipulate out of the way in some manner to get to them.

I have had success going at the bags from underneath where I slide between the drive shaft and frame rail.

Would that be an option?

I also found a way to raise the cab with a Large off-road floor jack from HF and three pieces of 2x4’s right in front of the saddle tanks on the cab frame rail. Works very well to provide enough space to remove the old bag.

I plan to do the same for the installation when the new bags arrive.

Just above the front edge of the saddle tank there is a reinforced area on the cab frame rail perfect for spreading the load.

rickeieio · November 25

When we did ours, most of the work was done from under the cab. At first, I couldn't get under there, so my darling bride dove in. Eventually, I did cut a "window" in the back of our headache rack so I could assist from the outside. I also used bottle jacks to raise the truck enough to get some boards under the tires so I could get under there and not miss out on the fun.

The job is do-able from under the truck.

We also replaced the cross member, shocks, and nearly all hardware.

Chad Heiser · November 27

On 11/24/2024 at 11:51 AM, SuiteSuccess said:

Par,

I watched your previous video on replacing cab airbags. Very informative. I have replacement bags and shock sitting in my garage (2 years now). Just another project I need to tackle. Trouble is, I’ve got a 900# drom box I have to manipulate out of the way in some manner to get to them.

I had the same issue. Literally a week after I put the drom box on my truck, I developed a leak in the passenger side cab air bag. That was fun. Luckily, the way I mounted the drom allows for it to be unbolted and slid along the bed to get it out of the way without a huge amount of hassle. It was still a pain though.