That's highly unlikely MAGK944.
I doubt the old lady I bought it from had her car chipped.
Besides, the spare came from a junked car and is functioning perfectly as did the original before I seemed to screw it up by boosting it.
The experts told me there was nothing wrong with it, but it did start the car before I sent it to them and now it won't after four tries at fixing it.

 

Really clutching at straws trying to figure this out. Your engine# is correct for US/CDN/JAP and the DME is the correct part#.

Only thing it could be is that your PR car has some country specific tune different from US models. You have no cat so probably no O2 sensor like some Euro models yet you have a US spec engine. All US cars have a cat and O2 sensor, so ecudocs are probably testing to US spec and not your PR spec. I take it your spare DME is also from PR, so that is why it works.

This powerprom site doesn't help (posted as a reference) apart from listing part#'s for specific markets. It seems that the last two numbers must matter for them to list them separately. However you have a US DME on a US engine with no cat or O2, so I would know where to look for that spec.

http://www.powerprom.com/944_84.htm

 

Car has 02 sensor and a Cat.
Threw the Cat away a long time ago.

I suspected perhaps the DME was country specific after the second fix and commented it to the guys at eudocs because of the "01" suffix in the serial number, but they dismissed my suspicions saying that the 01 suffix only represented the "batch" bought by Porsche for that year model.

I will have to secure a DME from a local car and confirm my suspicions because nothing else makes much sense.

Perhaps it will come as a surprise to the experts in as well.

 

I assume ECUDocs have covered the basics with you, but just in case, I assume you've confirmed that you are running on the same map ECUDocs used when they tested the DME? There is a country code jumper in the harness that will alter the map you are running, and if you and ECUDocs are not on same image it may explain why it works on their car it not yours.

http://www.motronic.ws/4in1.htm

 

It looks like country code jumper only applies to later DMEs, not the early ones.

 

I have no idea what you're talking about.

 

Just seems odd that ECUDocs can't seem to figure out what the problem is after four attempts to fix it.
Has mine been the only early DME they've worked on?

Has anyone else here experienced a similar problem with them in their early car?

 

They are a US company, they fixed it and confirmed it works on a US spec 944. So there must be some country specific difference on your car. Your country code is C04, I would check with the factory what differences your country has that would affect the DME.

Porsche: "Most Porsche cars are built for a specific target market, geography or country. Porsche Country Codes identify the geographic region or country for which a particular vehicle was built. Note: the specification for a given model can differ depending on the country for which it was built."

 

One would think it would be ECUDocs task to do this rather than mine.

 

Not quite true, see link below. Contact FR Wilk, I am sure he will shed some light on this issue.
http://www.powerprom.com/do_i_need.htm
http://www.powerprom.com/944_dme.htm

 

Interesting.
I stand corrected.

 

One though I would try is to jump the DME relay to make the fuel pump run. It might not be getting the signal from the starter for the DME to activate the DME relay to start the pump while cranking. BUT, I really can't explain why it would work at ECUDocs and not in your car. It just sounds like what happens when the fuel pump doesn't start running while cranking. A quick surge (existing fuel) then a no start.

 

UPDATE

If this don't beat all...

It's been a year since I've been dealing with ECU Docs on this issue.
The fourth fix they did on the ECU didn't work either.
Like the rest before, it would pop once and then give up. Replacing it with the one installed on the car after testing would make it a bit difficult to start, but it would catch and all was well again.

A few months ago, someone here posted a very interesting Wilk write up on the early ECUs and its peculiarities, so I contacted the ECU Doc contact (Jorge Morales) and told him I was sending him the Wilk link to see what he could find that would help them set my ECU right once and for all.

The silence has been deafening.

At this point, I had spent $175 on the original repair, which they said nothing was needed and was for having inspected it. Then four additional tries at fixing it with shipping cost at my expense.
Shipping cost is $50 from Puerto Rico and $50 back, so add that up to the original $175.

And I still have a non-working ECU.

So I called them up to see what could be done.
They said they couldn't figure it out.

OK, I said. Refund my money.

Gulp.

They said they couldn't.
Why not?
Sit down for this one, my Porsche friends.

"We never promised we would fix your ECU"

Is it me, or doesn't the company claim they fix computers?

I paid these gentlemen real money to fix it, as they say they do, and it turns out it was all for the tinkering and head scratching on their part to then have to admit they don't know what they're doing.
And refuse to refund my money because they never PROMISED THEY WOULD FIX IT.

Just a heads up to whoever of you plan on sending your ECUs to the Docs for repair to fix your no-start.

That is all.

 

Sorry to hear about your troubles.

My experience with ECU Docs has been very good. I've had them do both a KLR and DME and have had zero problems. They even sent me a new chip for free several years after the rebuild when I was chasing a problem that turned out to be unrelated to their work. If they are testing your DME to be good, yet it fails on your end, you might spend time looking to see what might be causing the failures. Excessive current draw from a bad harness, component or grounds possible?

I've never had them diagnose a DME, but rather I've always paid the full price for a tested/rebuilt unit with warranty. Rather than have them patch up your existing DME, have you asked about paying for a warrantied unit? Either way, if there's something about your car that is damaging the DME, you'd need to get to the bottom of that first. Most auto parts stores won't warranty electrical parts once installed because there is no way to know if the part failed on its own, or if the car killed it. Must be very frustrating -- so sorry!

 

Can't blame my car.

It runs better now than when it came out of the factory and has been my daily driver for the last 25 years.

The DME worked when I sent it to them, but the Voice In My Head told me it might be about to fail, so I switched to the spare and sent the unit to them for R&R.

They returned it to me not working at all.

If they don't promise they will fix your DME, as was their excuse for refusing a refund, perhaps they ought to put that in their advertisements.

"We Don't Promise Anything"