Yup blown capacitor(s).
The comp must have shown some instability issues prior.
it was.
the vehicle was running fine, but would not pass inspection. here in nj, anything newer than 1996 doesn't get a true emissions test, but rather the computer gets plugged in.
providing that there are no codes, and allof the computers monitors have set, the car will pass. the presumption is that with those conditions met, then the emissions must be within acceptable limits.(this is wrong, as i have proved at least twice)
so what this vehicle was doing, was not setting the monitors. at first i thought that anyway, as i sent the customer on their way, telling them that a week or two of driving would set them.
what was REALLY happening, was that as she drove the vehicle, the monitors were indeed setting. the problem being that whenever she'd shut the car off, they'd then clear, or unset themselves.
back in the late 90's, early 2000's, the state allowed us to bypass when monitors couldn't be set, as some cars simply would not set them. not so anymore.
this vehicle was brought to me with the sunroof leaking. the passengers side drain tube was restricted, causing the water to leak inside the car, then run down the passengers side "A" pillar. the ECU is mounted in the passengers side kick panel. that's where the water came from.
it appears as if it's been leaking for quite some time. i've seen computers with water damage before, but this is one of the worst i've seen.
