Many of the major components inside a DDEC III or DDEC IV had an expected service life of 50 years or more. Premature failures are not uncommon but most of the time when something like the primary microprocessor or the analog to digital converter fails it’s because the component suffered damage from heat, too much current , oxidation damage from water or battery acid, or exposure to voltage that exceeded the components maximum rated voltage. Sometimes the damage is immediately obvious and sometimes it isn’t and requires component specific tests to be identify and locate as it did with the 9308 DDEC IV in this photo
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.
Estimated Cost
$500* + return shipping
- *If damaged then job upgrades from a rebuild to a repair.
- Average job completion time is 2 business days provided other scheduled jobs are not pending.
- 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 & IV circuit board repairs and component replacement
When the circuit board or circuit board component in a DDEC suffers damage that results in the loss of some or all ecm functions then replacing the damaged ECM and programming the replacement is sometimes the only option. Other times depending on the severity and location of the damage an ECM circuit board repair could be attempted to reconstruct the damaged section of circuit board and replace any damage components to restore road worthiness and full ECM functionality. Many of the major components inside a DDEC III or DDEC IV had an expected service life of 50 years or more. Premature failures are not uncommon but most of the time when something like the primary microprocessor or the analog to digital converter fails it\’s because the component suffered damage from heat, too much current, oxidation damage from water or battery acid, or exposure to voltage that exceeded the components maximum rated voltage. Sometimes the damage is immediately obvious and sometimes it isn\’t and requires component specific tests to be identify and locate. The demand for DDEC III and DDEC IV repairs at DCS is growing and thanks in part to advanced inspection, diagnostic and microsoldering tools make microscope aided repairs to trace packed sections of circuit board and fine pitch components feasible and all other repairs more precise and reliable. The net result is more DDEC repairs are go back on the road and less to the core pile and our core pile is shrinking. Some DDECs that were in our core pile are back on the road after completing a successful repair on a DDEC that I at one time believed wasn’t worth a repair attempt.
Estimated Cost
$500-$1050+return shipping
- When repairs the circuit board or replacement of any integrated circuits or components other than the memory or the internal ECM battery are needed then a rebuild job upgrades to a repair job.
- Average job completion time is about 1 to 2 weeks provided other scheduled jobs are not pending.
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.