The job of your vehicle's engine control module is to monitor the various sensors in your car. It uses the information from these sensors to help control the ignition timing, the air/fuel ratio, and the emissions system. It is often considered the brains of your vehicle, since it even sends those crucial error codes to the dashboard to let you know something is wrong. Here is how you can tell if the engine control module is going bad. 

The Engine Has Error Codes

The engine control module not only reports error codes from other parts, but reports error codes about the engine control module itself. For example, you may get a service engine light that has the error code P0602, which means that there is a problem with one of the control modules having a programming error. 

Unfortunately, a bad engine control module can cause it to give error codes for parts that are functioning properly. If you do not find a problem related to a specific error code, it is worth looking at the health of the engine control module to see if that is the problem.

The Vehicle Does Not Start

If the engine control monitor cannot make decisions based on the other sensors in the vehicle, it is not going to allow your car to start. The engine control module needs all of that vital information to know how much fuel and air to pump into the engine, and it is possible that the vehicle will not do anything if it cannot read that data.

The Engine Stalls

Did your vehicle stall for no reason while driving down the road? This could be due to the engine control module failing. If the brain of your vehicle is unable to control the combustion process properly, you run the risk of having the engine not getting the resources it needs to keep your vehicle moving. It can cause your car to stall unexpectedly with no other warning signs. 

The Vehicle Loses Acceleration

The engine control module also has the job of reading the throttle position sensor. If the module is not able to read how much you are pressing down on the accelerator, it is possible that it thinks that you are not pushing it the correct amount. This will cause you to accelerate slower than you want due to not sending enough fuel or air to the engine, which is a big problem that needs to be fixed for your safety.

Find out more about engine control modules and other car parts today.