Hey guys...first off, i wasn't sure if this was the proper thread to post this question in,but here it goes. I got my ecu tuned recently and the tuner noticed water damage. He said to go home and douse the ecu with electric spray...the actual board of the ecu and not just the exterior casing of it. I already have dielectric grease so i was wondering if that would have been alright to use on the board as well.

 

No, use brakekleen or something similar to clean it. Then once it dries...paint it with some spray clear coat to protect the interior.

 

norconex, Chris? you would recomend using brakekleen on the board itself? wouldnt you want to use contact cleaner instead, somthing that is alittle less harsh.

 

Brake, carb or throttle body cleaner won't hurt anything on the board. They will do the best job at cleaning everything. Yes the brake cleaners and such will remove some of the factory applied clear coat. That is why he stated to re-apply a coat of clear after the board has dried.

 

ahh alright, i thought brakekleen would have been to harsh, well i guess you learn somthing new everyday

 

lol even after hearing this i'm still scared to try it cuz i do not feel like messing up the board and buying a new one lol. has anyone actually tried it before?

 

if norconex said it, it will be ok to do it. He is one of the premire honda tuners out there.

 

I'm not a premier Honda tuner but I use this method every time I chip an ECU. I completely strip all of the factory applied clear coat from both the top and bottom of the board around the sections that require soldering. After I'm done soldering the components onto the board I shoot a few light layers of $4.49 Krylon clear coat enamel. When I first started I used clear nail polish enamel. Then I found that it is much faster to spray it on from a can than it is to brush it on. I've never had any moisture or circuit failures after using this method.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by GhostAccord &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I'm not a premier Honda tuner but I use this method every time I chip an ECU. I completely strip all of the factory applied clear coat from both the top and bottom of the board around the sections that require soldering. After I'm done soldering the components onto the board I shoot a few light layers of $4.49 Krylon clear coat enamel. When I first started I used clear nail polish enamel. Then I found that it is much faster to spray it on from a can than it is to brush it on. I've never had any moisture or circuit failures after using this method. </TD></TR></TABLE>

nice i like that process, mind you i have not chipped to many ECU's myself, but next time im going to try that

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by evokidvii &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

nice i like that process, mind you i have not chipped to many ECU's myself, but next time im going to try that</TD></TR></TABLE>
If you do try it and you are using a ZIF socket for the EPROM chip. Make sure you remove the EPROM chip from the zif and put a piece of low tack masking tape over the contact holes of the socket before you spray. You wouldn't want to clear coat any of those contacts....

 

yeah that prob wouldnt be a good thing

 

Note: that if you are going to spray anything on your ECU make sure you cover the Baro Sensor hole if your ECU has one.



Top half of the image shows the side of the baro sensor with the hole. The bottom half of the image shows the top of the sensor in relation to the board.

 

OK so if i read this correctly here is my understanding of how to keep my ecu safe:
1) After taking off the panels, remove the eprom chip.
2) Cover the socket for the chip and Baro sensor with masking tape.
3) Spray the board with Brake, Carb, or Throttle body cleaner.
4) Then spray it down with a clear coat.
I have some autozone brake cleaner. Anyone have a specific type of clear coat in mind?
BTW someone correct me if I am wrong in any step I mentioned.

 

bump

 

Just make sure the board and all of the components are completely dry before you spray the clear. I usually leave mine on a milk create outside my garage door for 20-30 min just to be sure the cleaner is evaporated. Watch out for dark clouds if you do this outside.

I'm using a generic parts store clear coat at the moment. Motomaster Automotive Clear Coat, it's Canadian Tire's Brand. It doesn't have to be anything spectacular the cheap stuff works. Krylon & Dupli-Color are the only name brands that I can think of right off that you might be able to get at your local parts store.

 

alright sounds good. thanks a lot! i'm off to go get some krylon

How many coats of the enamel do you spray?

 

3 light coats will do it just fine. Where it's not directly exposed to the elements I don't see any reason to build it up much more than that.

 

i went to the Lowe's hardware store near my house and picked up a can of Rust-Oleum's Crystal Clear Enamel from the paint aisle. Hopefully, this stuff will work well.

 

well i sprayed the ecu down today. However, i only sprayed down the section with the water damage. I did 2 coats of the clear coat and let it dry for nearly 3 hours and plugged it back up. The car started up. I would have let it dry longer but i was blocking my mom's car which she needs in like 6 hours haha. The stuff said 1 hour to handle so i think i'm all set. If there is anythign else that has to dry up, it should be done by the morning.