Remove ECU Gti

[Bassik]

Hey all,

I'm thinking about getting a tune done next week and the guy that is doing said he would reduce the cost if I can get the ECU out. Does anyone know if this is tricky or if it's simple or even if there are any DIY guide online to doing it?

Also I'm gathering that once the ECU is out I can't drive the car correct, So lets say I take it to a mechanics and they do it I wont be able to drive the car back to the tuners?

thanks

[nomadx38]

Yep correct, you can't drive it without the ECU. Also there could be problems with the immobilzer and other systems that require a constant signal from this unit.

But other than that to take it out I would disconnect the battery first. Then look for a silver box with fins on it on the top of the firewall begind the air filter box the DSG. It has 2 big bunches of cables coming out of it (You will probably have to remove the air filter as well to get full access to it).

Once you get access to it, there is a plastic clip on the bottom which you push down and then pull the silver box towards you. Then you can disconnect the cables.

[PGTI]

Hey all,

I'm thinking about getting a tune done next week and the guy that is doing said he would reduce the cost if I can get the ECU out. Does anyone know if this is tricky or if it's simple or even if there are any DIY guide online to doing it?

Also I'm gathering that once the ECU is out I can't drive the car correct, So lets say I take it to a mechanics and they do it I wont be able to drive the car back to the tuners?

thanks

Getting the ecu out if the car is pretty straight forward. Pull from the holder and take the two cables out. However opening the ecu is tricky and can be damaged easily if done without care.
That part I would leave to a professional.

[h100vw]

That would be quite something if you could drive home with the ECU on the seat next to you!

Seriously, have you looked under the bonnet. The ECU is on the firewall and easy to get to.

How much cheaper was it going to be?


The Volkswagen Club of South Africa - View topic - Official 6R Polo GTI thread


Gavin

[noone]

If its like the 9N3 you will need to get at the anti-tamper bolts (with an angle grinder) and its not going to look stock if someone looks.
No idea if they've continued implementing this frustrating design.

[h100vw]

If its like the 9N3 you will need to get at the anti-tamper bolts (with an angle grinder) and its not going to look stock if someone looks.
No idea if they've continued implementing this frustrating design.

It would fall out on a my13 if you gave it a Paddington Bear hard stare.

Gavin

[Bassik]

Yeah I knew that would be a stupid question I just wanted to check.

All I need to do is get the ECU out, I don't have to open it or anything basically if I get it out it will save me $150. So I would like to try at least.

Jake also I sent you an SMS recently

[Lucas_R]

Remove ECU Gti

I took the ECU out of my brothers 2012 Skoda TDI about a year ago to send it off to John @ DNA for a stage 1 tune. Had no issues getting the ECU out (took 5 mins) and had no issues with any warnings / errors etc when re-fitting it a few days later.

[Bassik]

I took the ECU out of my brothers 2012 Skoda TDI about a year ago to send it off to John @ DNA for a stage 1 tune. Had no issues getting the ECU out (took 5 mins) and had no issues with any warnings / errors etc when re-fitting it a few days later.

Is the engine bay identical though?

[Sparkz0629]

Yeah I knew that would be a stupid question I just wanted to check.

All I need to do is get the ECU out, I don't have to open it or anything basically if I get it out it will save me $150. So I would like to try at least.

Jake also I sent you an SMS recently

Fairly easy to get our. as explained above, you can un-clip it from the firewall. Once out though, to unplug the cables, you going to need to remove the tamper free bolts.

The revo guys here in SA used a Dremel to get it out. You basically make a straight cut across the top of the bolt, and then use a screwdriver to unscrew it as per normal. Just make sure you don;t cut too deep, i would hate to mess that part up.

Once you get it back, just get your hands on some replacement Brek-off bolts, and you a-for-away.

[Bassik]

Fairly easy to get our. as explained above, you can un-clip it from the firewall. Once out though, to unplug the cables, you going to need to remove the tamper free bolts.

The revo guys here in SA used a Dremel to get it out. You basically make a straight cut across the top of the bolt, and then use a screwdriver to unscrew it as per normal. Just make sure you don;t cut too deep, i would hate to mess that part up.

Once you get it back, just get your hands on some replacement Brek-off bolts, and you a-for-away.

So basically there is no torq screw to unwind it out, you gotta make a slit to be able to unscrew the bolts out?

[Lucas_R]

Is the engine bay identical though?

No the engine bay on an Octavia is much more like a Golf than a Polo - but the point i was trying to get across is that the ECU's can be removed quite easily.

[Lucas_R]

So basically there is no torq screw to unwind it out, you gotta make a slit to be able to unscrew the bolts out?

If you have a look at the pics in this thread you will see what Sparkz0629 is trying to explain regarding using the Dremel to cut a slot in the "anti-tamper" screws. If you dont have a Dremel im sure you could use a hack saw blade to cut a slot in the screw heads. Once you have the screws off you will be able to remove the wiring to pull the ECU out: How to Remove ECU - VW TDI forum and Audi TDI forum - myturbodiesel.com

[gavs]

If you have a look at the pics in this thread you will see what Sparkz0629 is trying to explain regarding using the Dremel to cut a slot in the "anti-tamper" screws. If you dont have a Dremel im sure you could use a hack saw blade to cut a slot in the screw heads. Once you have the screws off you will be able to remove the wiring to pull the ECU out: How to Remove ECU - VW TDI forum and Audi TDI forum - myturbodiesel.com

Lucas, I edited your post because it had a very infammatory comment in it which had absolutely no bearing on the original reason for this thread being started. I'm glad I caught it when i did because it could have potentially turned into a mud-slinging thread, as per the golf sections of this forum, especailly when it comes to tuning.

Please refrain from doing it again. Who people go with for tuning their car is their choice. Those of us that have tunes can provide our own personal opinion on the tune that is in our cars but not on a product that we don't have.

That goes for anyone. There is a tuning section of the forum, leave the mud fights in there people. No matter what tuner the OP is going with, the output figures are all about the same so there is no point in saying one is better than the other. Without knowing the intricacies of how each tune makes it's power and torque through the code writting, we cannot as a collective say "Tune A is better than Tune B because my brother's cousin has a mate whos sister's boyfriend knows this guy who says...." because we don't know.

[Bassik]

If you have a look at the pics in this thread you will see what Sparkz0629 is trying to explain regarding using the Dremel to cut a slot in the "anti-tamper" screws. If you dont have a Dremel im sure you could use a hack saw blade to cut a slot in the screw heads. Once you have the screws off you will be able to remove the wiring to pull the ECU out: How to Remove ECU - VW TDI forum and Audi TDI forum - myturbodiesel.com

Awesome that write up looks helpful. I'm waiting back to hear from the guy and then I'll get cracking on it..

Thanks