The information contained in this post was extracted elsewhere online and is included here for my easy reference as well as a follow-up instruction to some of my other posts. I do not take responsibility for any problems you may encounter running the steps below, but I have personally gone through all the steps myself with my car without a hitch.
In any case, please proceed at your own discretion. The following steps apply to cars under the Alfa Romeo make.
How to Reset ECU and Throttle
There are 2 methods to reset the ECU and throttle:
Examiner Method
The first is by using an Examiner. The Examiner is a RM20,000 (or more, depending on pre-installed features) large handheld computer running on Windows which allows you access to the car’s ECU to perform various checks and on-board diagnostics (OBD), all via the OBD connector below the driver’s dashboard. Given the cost, not all mechanics own this Examiner. My regular mechanic does. So does the marque local distributor’s workshop. Provided you can get to someone who owns an Examiner:
- Get the mechanic to connect the Examiner to your car’s OBD port and reset the ECU. This option appears as a selection on the Examiner’s touchscreen.
- Start the engine but Do NOT touch the throttle and rev the car just yet. Leave the car running idle for 15 minutes, otherwise the car will not rev freely later.
- Turn the engine off and leave the car for 10 minutes.
- Start the engine and take the car for a drive. Rev the engine a little on your way out!
DIY-Manual Method
The second method is what this article is all about – do it yourself. To manually reset the ECU:
- Pop up your bonnet and disconnect the negative lead from your car battery. Leave it disconnected for no less than 45 minutes. You may also choose to leave it disconnected overnight if you prefer, so you can start first thing in the morning. Sometimes I do that.
N.B. There’s a quicker way to reset and clear residual memory and charge, and it involves disconnecting both positive and negative leads and shorting across these leads. The effect is immediate and so there’s no 45-minute wait. A word of caution though: Shorting can be dangerous. Not sure if you could potentially fry your ECU, but if you accidentally or carelessly short the battery terminals instead, it could lead to an explosion. My advice: Stick with the 45 minutes. That’s what I do. - After 45 minutes, reconnect the negative lead to the battery terminal.
- TO PERFORM A THROTTLE RESET, PERFORM THE FOLLOWING 2 ADDITIONAL STEPS AT THIS POINT. IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO RESET THE THROTTLE, PROCEED WITH STEP 4.
- Put the car key in ignition, turn to MAR and leave it in MAR for no less than 90 seconds. This is when your dashboard would come alive. DO NOT start the engine!
- After 90 seconds, turn off the ignition, but DO NOT remove the key and leave it in the key slot for another 90 seconds.
- Now, start the engine but DO NOT touch the throttle just yet, and just let the car remain idle for another 15 minutes, otherwise the car will not rev freely later.
- Turn the engine off and leave the car for 10 minutes.
- Start the engine and take the car for a drive. Enjoy revving the engine on your way out!
Related Posts:
- Alfa Romeo 147: Replacing Stock Standard Air Filter with K&N Drop-In Air Filter
- Alfa Romeo 147: Cleaning and Oiling a K&N Air Filter
- Alfa Romeo 147: Cleaning the Mass Air Flow (MAF) Sensor
Other related sites of interest:
- Alfa Romeo main website
- Alfa Romeo USA
- Alfa Romeo Canada
- Alfa Romeo UK
- Alfa Romeo New Zealand
- Alfa Romeo at Car and Driver
- Alfa Romeo on Wikipedia
これ頂きます！！！最近燃費落ちてるのはガソリン高騰と相俟って死活問題！
血眼でECUのリセットを探してみるが、みんカラでは有力な情報得られず！
各メーカーによって全然やり方違うのよ。バッテリー外すだけでは最近の車はECUリセット出来ないとのことで〜！勉強になりました。朝ガストちうに実施したいと思います！！！