Volvo EC15B cutting out

[Muz]

I appreciate this is an old thread, but while trying to diagnose the same issue on a customers EC15b I stumbled across this thread.

My customer said that the engine kept cutting out when it got hot, so I started down the overheating route (blow out rad, check thermostat etc). Rad was full of leaves etc so after blowing out and running for over an hour, the machine didnt cut out. Customer came to collect it, next day, shut down again, back to workshop.

Again in the workshop it ran fine, until i lifted up and slammed shut the rear counterweight. The shock of shutting it was enough to kill the engine. It happened everytime.

Anyway, long story short, it was the 'ECU' at fault. Disconnecting it does indeed solve the issue. I also had an attempt at fixing the board to no avail, but I did come up with a cheap workaround/alternative option for others with this issue.

Leave all sensor wires connected as they should be. Completely remove the ECU (but make sure to reattach any other earth wires which shared the mounting bolt). On one of the two plugs that connect to the ECU is a terminal that earths when either the oil pressure or temp sensor fire (perhaps all sensors share this terminal but those were the only 2 i tested for), run a wire from this terminal to the negative side of a 12v buzzer. You have two options as to where to take a live feed for the buzzer from, 1) ignition fed live (buzzer will sound as soon as ignition is turned on as there is no oil pressure - buzzer stops when engine is running unless there is an issue) or, what I done, 2) tap into a alternator switched live (only live when engine is running)

Doing option #2 means the buzzer won't opperate when the ignition is switched on, but sounds when there is an issue. This allows you to switch off the engine manually before any harm can be done to the engine.

On the back of the plate where the ECU is mounted is another module, one of the wires coming out of this module is live only when the engine is running, I just scotchlocked into this wire to give my 12v buzzer its live feed. There are probably other wires you can tap into but that was the first one I found. I positioned the buzzer inside the left control pod, beside the throttle lever so it can easily be heard even at max rpm.

A buzzer can be brought for under £10 from most motor factors. This saves you a HUGE amount compared to the actual ECU and helps removes the risk of engine damage by just disconnecting the ECU.

Hope this helps someone somewhere with the same issues.

Good post Thank you ( and welcome also )

[Mattir]

I appreciate this is an old thread, but while trying to diagnose the same issue on a customers EC15b I stumbled across this thread.

My customer said that the engine kept cutting out when it got hot, so I started down the overheating route (blow out rad, check thermostat etc). Rad was full of leaves etc so after blowing out and running for over an hour, the machine didnt cut out. Customer came to collect it, next day, shut down again, back to workshop.

Again in the workshop it ran fine, until i lifted up and slammed shut the rear counterweight. The shock of shutting it was enough to kill the engine. It happened everytime.

Anyway, long story short, it was the 'ECU' at fault. Disconnecting it does indeed solve the issue. I also had an attempt at fixing the board to no avail, but I did come up with a cheap workaround/alternative option for others with this issue.

Leave all sensor wires connected as they should be. Completely remove the ECU (but make sure to reattach any other earth wires which shared the mounting bolt). On one of the two plugs that connect to the ECU is a terminal that earths when either the oil pressure or temp sensor fire (perhaps all sensors share this terminal but those were the only 2 i tested for), run a wire from this terminal to the negative side of a 12v buzzer. You have two options as to where to take a live feed for the buzzer from, 1) ignition fed live (buzzer will sound as soon as ignition is turned on as there is no oil pressure - buzzer stops when engine is running unless there is an issue) or, what I done, 2) tap into a alternator switched live (only live when engine is running)

Doing option #2 means the buzzer won't opperate when the ignition is switched on, but sounds when there is an issue. This allows you to switch off the engine manually before any harm can be done to the engine.

On the back of the plate where the ECU is mounted is another module, one of the wires coming out of this module is live only when the engine is running, I just scotchlocked into this wire to give my 12v buzzer its live feed. There are probably other wires you can tap into but that was the first one I found. I positioned the buzzer inside the left control pod, beside the throttle lever so it can easily be heard even at max rpm.

A buzzer can be brought for under £10 from most motor factors. This saves you a HUGE amount compared to the actual ECU and helps removes the risk of engine damage by just disconnecting the ECU.

Hope this helps someone somewhere with the same issues.

Thanks for documenting this.

[xp677]

I've recently bought an EC15, so have been reading through this forum to see if any horrors await me in the future! I have a load of small niggles with my machine, and will start a thread on it shortly.

But, with regards to this unit.

Muz, do you still have the "ECU" which you removed the potting compound from? Part of my job is electronics and PCB design, as you mentioned, this looks to be a very simple circuit. If I had access to an example (or even decent photos of the front, back, with each component value visible), I could likely reverse engineer it to produce a low-cost alternative.

The PCB itself would generally cost around $1. Most components could be changed to surface-mount, which simplifies the board layout significantly as well as reducing its size and cost. Other than the larger black component which I can't see clearly (maybe a relay?), I imagine there is less than £3 of components on that board. The electrolytic caps would be the biggest component expense.

An enclosure would be the most expensive part for a unit like this. To keep the IP rating especially, likely £5-10 (reducing the PCB size will help this quite a bit.

If I reproduced this, I'd go with a PCB mounted connector (like every other ECU in existence!), which reduces the risk of fatigue on the wires as they enter the unit. Again, a cost increase, especially for sealed connectors, but wouldn't be necessary.

It's probably achievable for around £20 per unit as a kit. More for assembled units as the labour would have to be covered. But in either case, it would be plenty less than the £120-odd that alternative units have been found for!

[Mattir]

I've recently bought an EC15, so have been reading through this forum to see if any horrors await me in the future! I have a load of small niggles with my machine, and will start a thread on it shortly.

But, with regards to this unit.

Muz, do you still have the "ECU" which you removed the potting compound from? Part of my job is electronics and PCB design, as you mentioned, this looks to be a very simple circuit. If I had access to an example (or even decent photos of the front, back, with each component value visible), I could likely reverse engineer it to produce a low-cost alternative.

The PCB itself would generally cost around $1. Most components could be changed to surface-mount, which simplifies the board layout significantly as well as reducing its size and cost. Other than the larger black component which I can't see clearly (maybe a relay?), I imagine there is less than £3 of components on that board. The electrolytic caps would be the biggest component expense.

An enclosure would be the most expensive part for a unit like this. To keep the IP rating especially, likely £5-10 (reducing the PCB size will help this quite a bit.

If I reproduced this, I'd go with a PCB mounted connector (like every other ECU in existence!), which reduces the risk of fatigue on the wires as they enter the unit. Again, a cost increase, especially for sealed connectors, but wouldn't be necessary.

It's probably achievable for around £20 per unit as a kit. More for assembled units as the labour would have to be covered. But in either case, it would be plenty less than the £120-odd that alternative units have been found for!

I have been playing around with electronics as well. The ECU circuit is rather simple and it would be easy to replicate. Your cost estimate is realistic. Spare parts are normally priced with a remarkable multiplier making their price astronomical compared to cost of components.

could contributebto the reverse-engineering on a voluntary basis.

[xp677]

I have been playing around with electronics as well. The ECU circuit is rather simple and it would be easy to replicate. Your cost estimate is realistic. Spare parts are normally priced with a remarkable multiplier making their price astronomical compared to cost of components.

could contributebto the reverse-engineering on a voluntary basis.

Good to know :). I'd plan to publicly release the PCB design files (I use EAGLE), gerbers (for manufacturing), and BOM (component list) for anyone who wants them. And I'd likely offer bare PCBs, PCB kits (solder yourself), and complete PCBs (with or without enclosure? who knows) for sale to those who want a complete solution.

[Muz]

Muz, do you still have the "ECU" which you removed the potting compound from?

I'll need to search .. it was a c*nt of a job to dissolve the rubber of it to expose the components on the board.. it was made by Mitsibishi if thats any help as I remember .. in fact theres a pic of it on here somewhere I'm sure

[xp677]

I'll need to search .. it was a c*nt of a job to dissolve the rubber of it to expose the components on the board.. it was made by Mitsibishi if thats any help as I remember .. in fact theres a pic of it on here somewhere I'm sure

Cheers, I've seen the pic of the insides, it's in this thread, I think. For some reason, I can't click on the pictures to get a better view, I get a message saying I don't have permission.

I didn't see a picture of the back side - this is what I'd need most of all to reverse engineer the PCB.

My ECU is currently working so I don't want to mess with it. I don't fancy dissolving all the rubber either, if there's one already done!

If you can find it, I can have a design ready to clone the board within a few hours, it looks like a very simple circuit.

Cheers :)

[Mattir]

I'll need to search .. it was a c*nt of a job to dissolve the rubber of it to expose the components on the board.. it was made by Mitsibishi if thats any help as I remember .. in fact theres a pic of it on here somewhere I'm sure

For the reconstruction, the numbers/letters printed on the pcb would enable searching for some ancient files and perhaps lead to a major discovery: circuit diagram.

Below most likely a useful hint for reconstruction.
http://m.covenantuniversity.edu.ng/c...ne+Standby.pdf

[xp677]

I'll need to search .. it was a c*nt of a job to dissolve the rubber of it to expose the components on the board.. it was made by Mitsibishi if thats any help as I remember .. in fact theres a pic of it on here somewhere I'm sure

Don't suppose you've managed to track this down? I've found that mine has already failed and had been bypassed. I'm not looking forward to dissolving that gunk on my unit!

[Muz]

Yeah as you said your self ... its post #4 on this thread And no one likes to have to dissolve gunk off their unit

[xp677]

Thanks, I've seen the picture, it doesn't help with recreating the board as it's not possible to see the component values. I'd also need to see the rear of the board.

Do you still have the "de-gunked" board?

[Muz]

Thanks, I've seen the picture, it doesn't help with recreating the board as it's not possible to see the component values. I'd also need to see the rear of the board.

Do you still have the "de-gunked" board?

No Sorry I dont.. emmm .. i'll check the back of my benches tomorrow .. usually I binned them thinking no one would ever have a use for it ?

[Rossy5566]

Has anyone got the part number for this,mine has started doing the same. I have a 2006 EC15 b. Cuts out prob 2 or 3 times in an hour....thanks in advance

[Ecb20]

Hi, someone have information abot the two glass diode into the 16a11-14001 regolator? I have the other components but i cant read the two diode
thanks

[John.denneny]

Having bought a second hand ec15 a week ago exhibiting these same problems I was relieved to read this set of posts since it’s clearly a well known fault, easy to diagnose and easy to fix. I’m not particularly put off by the £150 replacement part courtesy of eBay but I’m delighted to hear of someone willing to research and reverse engineer this component. My machine is 2007 with just under 3000 hours on it. The only problem I’m having right now is removing the seat! The mechanism seems to be rusted pretty well. Naturally I’ve sprayed everything with penetrating oil but I’m at a loss to work this out so far. I’ve managed to open a plastic container located under the seat that turned out to be empty.
I can’t tell you all how much I appreciate you sharing this knowledge. I’ve already saved hours just be reading this post and I’m a lot happier knowing this fault can be easily fixed.