Battery replacement – DDEC IV only (No internal battery in a DDEC III)
Back in 2008 if a DDEC IV or DDEC V had an active fault code 46 (SID 214): “RTC backup battery low” it was believed that the ECM had to be replaced. I had to tell the owner of that ECM that he needed to replace it to correct the problem and he was looking at about $2,000 dollars. I hated giving out that bad news and I hated not being able to offer any other option. So I took some time to look into the problem.
After dissecting several cores I found that fault code 46 went active when the voltage from the internal battery to the RTC (Real Time Clock) circuit dropped below 2 volts. As it turned out an active RTC fault was really fairly minor problem but should be taken as a warning. Want to know what\’s a lot worse than a dead internal battery in an ECM? A dead internal battery leaking acid…all over the circuit board.
Back in 2009 I didn\’t have a source for the OE batteries. Instead, I used large coin cell batteries such as those found in key fobs. That procedure bought the owners of DDECs with this problem a few more years but nothing close to the life of the original battery. Besides short life these coin cell batteries had another problem. Sometimes the battery itself would pop out of it\’s holder and bounce around the inside of the ECM until it shorted and shut the truck down. Coin cell and other consumer grade batteries are not anything like the industrial OE batteries used in these ECMs. Ever go to change the batteries in a Maglite flashlight and find the cap jammed and white oxidation around the batteries? It didn\’t take those flashlight batteries 20 years to get like that. … on are more likely to leak than the OE batteries. I\’ll never install a coin cell or camera battery again in a DDEC because I know the problems that come with the cheaper batteries aren\’t worth it. We only use the OE batteries. If the ECM is not connected to a 12 or 24 volt unswitched supply and instead sits in a shelf somewhere in a parts room the internal battery life will be about 10 years. If the DDEC is kept hooked up to a truck and that trucks batteries are good the internal battery life will exceed 10 years.
**The internal battery in DDEC IV ecms is not the only part that fails over time. This service includes the replacement of all other parts other than memory that typically fail within a 10-15 year period.
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Most original 1998-2002 DDEC IVs have and internal battery that\’s low or dead.
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A DDEC IV will still run with a dead internal battery. The real problems start when that battery starts leaking.
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Some DDEC repair shops use key fob or camera batteries as replacements but consumer grade batteries like those are not designed for the vibration and the thermal cycles the OE battery was designed to endure. Some other shops cuts up soup can lids and use the strips to hold down DDEC batteries.
Battery
Estimated Cost
$300 + return shipping
- After replacement the new battery voltage is tested the following day to ensure the new battery is not defective and the DDEC doesn\’t have an abnormally fast internal battery discharge rate
- Average job completion time is 2 business days provided other scheduled jobs are not pending.
- Expediated service is $450 + shipping when available
- If oil, fuel, or water has contaminated or oxidized the circuit board traces or circuit board components then an additional fee gets added to the job to cover the extra work. The additional costs range from $50 to $250 depending on the amount of extra work that was needed to get the circuit board and its components cleaned up. If circuit board traces are shorted, broken or other damage is found and/or other major components are damaged and need replaced then the job gets upgraded to a repair.
DDEC III and DDEC IV memory replacement
Estimated cost for this service: $500 (includes reprogramming if done before the program is too corrupt to start the engine.)
Estimated repair time: 24 hours
The DDEC III doesn\’t have RTC battery issues like the DDEC IV and DDEC V. The weak link in a DDEC III are the memory. When the diagnostic code for Nonvolatile memory failure or Nonvolatile memory data incorrect (Flash 53) pops up most technicians believe an ECMs memory chip has failed and it\’s time to core it. Sometimes they\’re right and fuel and oil damaged a trace or component in digital processes but most of the time the these DDEC IIIs are ready to be put back into service after the memory and a few other parts are replaced. If Memory failures and data corruption is allowed to go on it will get worse over time and eventually progress to a no start issue.
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If those two fault codes are active and cannot be cleared then it\’s not too late to save the program in your DDEC III. If you get it here soon we can probably recover it, check it for corruption then install it into the new memory.
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Sometimes it\’s just bad parts and sometimes it\’s damaged parts and damaged circuit board. This DDEC III will need more than memory to get it running again.
Memory replacement estimated cost
$500 + return shipping
- After replacement the new memory is tested by running an overnight test on a test bench and then checking the stored data. That also checks to make sure the new memory isn\’t defective.
- Average job completion time is 2 business days provided other scheduled jobs are not pending.
- Expediated service is $650 + shipping when available
- If oil, fuel, or water has contaminated or oxidized the circuit board traces or circuit board components then an additional fee gets added to the job to cover the extra work. The additional costs range from $50 to $250 depending on the amount of extra work that was needed to get the circuit board and its components cleaned up. If circuit board traces are shorted, broken or other damage is found and/or other major components are damaged and need replaced then the job gets upgraded to a repair.
DDEC III and DDEC IV memory and battery replacement
When it comes to DDEC ecms with internal batteries (DDEC IV and up) The most common ecm component failure is the internal battery buy a mile followed by memory. Some DDEC IV software versions will trigger an active flash code 46 (SID 214): “RTC backup battery low” when the internal battery voltage drops below 2 volts. Flash code 53 Nonvolatile memory failure and/or Nonvolatile memory data incorrect (Flash 53) is triggered from an invalid checksum that’s purpose is to detect data corruption in a DDECs program. Both Flash 46 and 53 cannot be cleared while active.
DDEC III & IV rebuilds
I define a rebuild as the replacement of any or all component(s) that is close to reaching or have already reached the end of it\’s recommended service life as defined by the manufacturer of that component. That\’s usually DDEC III memory, some DDEC IV Memory and most DDEC IV batteries and a few other parts. I\’ve seen in some Detroit reman ecms that make me feel pretty good about that standard. Below is a 2012 reman DDEC IV E01 and a 1998 DDEC IV E01. Motorola made the DDEC IV from 1998 to 1999 before another manufacturer took over. Every component in the 2012 reman DDEC IV has the same 1998 build date as the 1998 DDEC IV except the battery.
I define a ECM rebuild as the replacement of any or all component(s) that have reached or exceeded its service life as defined by the manufacturer of that component. Followed by the removal of any oil, fuel, or water contaminating the circuit board. Then an overnight test of the ECM and its new components. If nothing abnormal is logged or observed during the overnight test then the circuit board gets treated with sealer and the ECM is sealed back up and ready for return shipping.
The difference between the rebuild I just described and most Detroit remans is Detroit replaces the connectors and case. I don’t unless the case, connectors, or service plate are damaged in a way that would allow water or other contaminants to get inside the ECM. Also if the engine or OEM side connector are missing or have severely corroded pins the connectors might need to be replaced to restore the full functionality of the ECM.
So if the ECM is original, undamaged, fully functional and shows no symptoms of a problem when tested and no reports by the ECM’s owner of a problem other than active memory and battery faults then a standard rebuild can be done with out the added cost of any repairs.
Otherwise if ECM is damaged or it doesn’t start for any other reason other than programming or memory failure then a rebuild won’t restore full ECM functionality without a repair.
The ECM rebuilt is the best option to extend the life of older and factory original DDEC IIIs and DDEC IVs that are undamaged, fully functional, and show no symptoms of a problem other than a memory or internal battery fault
I rebuilt a DDEC IV with over 2 million miles logged in 2019. Four years later it\’s still on the road. Mileage doesn\’t bother them.
Not all ecms are worth rebuilding or repairing. The DDEC IV below was destroyed by acid from it\’s own battery. Given time the acid from a leaking internal battery will eat everything.