MadScientistMatt
MadScientistMatt HalfDork
4/9/09 10:05 a.m.

About 2 weeks ago I had the stock ECU on my Civic go up in smoke. I swapped it out and the new one fired right up, but from time to time I still get a strong whiff of the smoke from the old one. Any thoughts on how to get rid of the smell without going so far as to steam clean the interior? I would just toss an air freshener in there, but most of them tend to be so cloying they're hardly an improvement over the smell of fried capacitors.

NYG95GA
NYG95GA Dork
4/9/09 10:32 a.m.

Leave a dish full of white vinegar in the front seat for awhile (several days). It'll make you crave salad every time you get in the car, but it will overcome almost any smell.

walterj
walterj Dork
4/9/09 10:37 a.m.

Box of baking soda or a dryer sheet under the seat.

EastCoastMojo
EastCoastMojo GRM+ Memberand Dork
4/9/09 11:14 a.m.

change the air filter for the a/c system

walterj
walterj Dork
4/9/09 11:18 a.m.

Spill baby formula into the carpeting and park it in the sun.

splitime
splitime New Reader
4/9/09 11:26 a.m.

What went up in smoke on the ECU? Might want to double check that it isn't going to happen again.

MadScientistMatt
MadScientistMatt HalfDork
4/9/09 11:36 a.m.

One of the capacitors on the power supply circuit. I think it was just a capacitor that started leaking or something. I checked the wiring and it's not damaged.

John Brown
John Brown GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
4/9/09 11:56 a.m.

Bolt on bullhorns and light the rest of the car on fire.

splitime
splitime New Reader
4/9/09 11:57 a.m.

Ah, its the Cap over by the ecu plugs right? Yah... they dry up and arc. If damage is just to the component, and not the board, you can fix it. A replacement was found. www.xenocron.com has the piece, he includes it in his chipping kits now.

FWIW.

alex
alex Reader
4/9/09 2:32 p.m.

I read the title and thought, 'Oh, that's easy. Just sell your MG.'

Jay
Jay Dork
4/9/09 4:41 p.m.

Try running a bottle of stop-leak through the wiring harness.

MadScientistMatt
MadScientistMatt HalfDork
4/9/09 7:56 p.m.

Thanks, everyone. Unfortunately the original ECU is burned beyond repair. I'm pretty sure I could find a replacement cap if I want to do some preventative maintenance on the one I just bought. Although I'm tempted to try the John Brown method, I'll probably try vinegar first.

Alex, funny thing is that I used to have a Spitfire that I nicknamed the Flying Orange Tinderbox for its tendency for the wiring to catch on fire. The Civic may get nicknamed the Flying Tinderbox II for its antics now.

alex
alex Reader
4/10/09 2:50 p.m.
MadScientistMatt wrote: Alex, funny thing is that I used to have a Spitfire that I nicknamed the Flying Orange Tinderbox for its tendency for the wiring to catch on fire. The Civic may get nicknamed the Flying Tinderbox II for its antics now.

Dammit! I was gonna go with Triumph, but I changed my answer at the last minute.

Jensenman
Jensenman SuperDork
4/10/09 4:40 p.m.

Burn a couple of fattys in there. Then you'll have a different smoke smell to contend with.

John Brown
John Brown GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
4/10/09 4:44 p.m.

Too bad you don't know anyone that could make a stand alone computer for it.

InigoMontoya
InigoMontoya New Reader
4/10/09 5:05 p.m.

You can also febreeze the inside of the car, be sure to get the headliner, your smoke traveled in that direction, that is where you are probably getting the scent from

You'll need to log in to post.

Our Preferred Partners
YAHaOixwTtBm9Mx89eqOyOzrwsf3y14FEt5Qpsd9qpX9DS4F99aXKrfgxDBSRm5l