Crazy Classic Camry: Intermittent LIMP-HOME? (Part 3: COMEBACK?)

I had a feeling that we weren't quite done with this '94 Crazy Classic Camry V6...
4 DAYS after the customer picked up the car, it started misfiring and went into LIMP-HOME MODE Again!
This time the owner said that he noticed a BURNING ELECTRICAL SMELL near the Engine Computer.
He opened the cover and found that some of the vintage Electrolytic CAPACITORS left the chat!
He sourced a replacement ECM from Toyota, and sent me the original one to attempt to repair.
Let's channel our inner "Northridge Fix" and solder 6 new capacitors onto this circuit board!
Will the PHAD REFURBISHED ECM actually perform well in the Classic '94 Camry V6?
Hakko FX888D-23BY Digital Soldering Station:
www.amazon.com/dp/B00ANZRT4M?...
HGMZZQ 60/40 Tin Lead Solder Wire with Rosin:
www.amazon.com/dp/B07BGY99SN?...
AMTECH NC-559-V2-TF no-clean mid-range MT solder tacky flux:
www.amazon.com/dp/B09NXCPNN3?...
Xcelite 170M General Purpose Shearcutter:
www.amazon.com/dp/B0002BBZIS?...
Enjoy!
Ivan

[@natepamperin2530]

Blows my mind that Ivan only has 200k subscribers. Easily one of the best diagnosticians on KZbin and a first rate channel!

[@johnclamshellsp1969]

Ivan should have a million-plus subs with no doubt. Ivan rocks.

[@williamthompson2222]

Apparently, only really High I.Q. Types follow him. Betting, a lot of Monty Python'ers among them.

[@dans_Learning_Curve]

He's doing well. He's never asked anyone to subscribe. He's getting views and likes. I'd like to know his percentage of returning viewers. I have a feeling it's fairly high.

[@John-cn8jv]

Might be because he took the calendar down.

[@calholli]

Automotive Diagnostics and Programming channel only has like 10k subs and he's even better at this stuff; opening boards and programming ECU's and EEproms, etc.

[@johnkirk5202]

When you have leaky electrolytic capacitors that have left residue on a PC board, after removing the leaky capacitor you should use a cotton swab moistened with white vinegar. Then moisten another cotton swab with water. Then use another cotton swab dipped in high percent isopropyl alcohol, 91% is usually available from your local pharmacy. The electrolyte is alkaline, the vinegar is slightly acidic and neutralizes the electrolyte. The water helps neutralize any remaining vinegar. The isopropyl alcohol, because it evaporates quickly, acts to dry the PC board.

[@additudeobx]

And, when working with electronics, in this case soldering, it's important to follow safe ESD practices. Especially in this era of electronics.

[@rosselnator]

lol and add some conformal coating

[@johnlarkin549]

You beat me to it! I wasn’t going to say that but I would have thought of something 😂😂

[@big0bad0brad]

@@additudeobx And of course "ESD safe" doesn't mean putting the wrist strap on like it's some magic piece of armor, it means avoiding static discharge THROUGH the device or component(s). You need to be conscious of not having the electronics between you and something conductive when there could be a static charge built up.

[@additudeobx]

@@big0bad0brad Brad, NO-thank you for the lecture on what is and what is not ESD. You have no idea who I am and what my history is with ESD. I made a basic standard run of the mill statement about ESD procedures and you went off on me tacking my name to your rant. Leave me alone. I worked for Bell Labs back at the end of the 1970's and we were just discovering what ESD was and its effects. We created the first industry standard for ESD procedures. Later when I worked for IBM I was the engineer in charge of the ESD Compliance on the Card Manufacturing floor. I don't need a lecture from you, son.

[@10100rsn]

For anyone learning to solder... When desoldering I set my iron to about 350C to 380C as that works best with most smaller components. Bigger components might need more heat. But the secret to clearing the holes of solder is to use about 480C on the iron, apply flux and drag desoldering braid across the holes while heating it with the iron. Using a pin to poke through the hot solder could end up damaging traces, try not to do that if you can avoid it. But a hot iron, some flux and desoldering braid is the secret to clearing out those holes quickly. Works for me every time. Then bump the iron back down to about 350-380C, place new component, apply some fresh flux and solder it in. Easy! Just clean up with isopropyl alcohol when done.

[@10100rsn]

Oh, and don't forget to mark the +- component orientation if it isn't screen printed or obvious in some other way.

[@GraditelMacedonia]

And vacuum pump...

[@ovalteen4404]

And then have a tiny flat blade ready to straighten the pins if they've been bent before soldering. The chisel tip isn't small enough, and trying to force it could rip the pad.

[@canadiantrucker9574]

I was just about to comment saying the same thing. But I like the soldering braid from SRA. It is softer and more pliable. The other crap I've found from Princess Auto (the equivalent of Harbor Freight) is too stiff and doesn't absorb solder fast enough

[@10100rsn]

@@canadiantrucker9574 Yeah, its all just braided copper, it should all absorb solder with enough flux and heat in it. I use 480C when using desoldering braid but without flux it won't flow... and don't leave the iron on 480C for too long or you'll destroy the tip, move it back down to 350C and add solder to the tip when you put the iron down. Also, should probably mention adding a tiny bit of flux to the opposite side of a hole you are trying to clear can help as well but really any braid should work as long you have flux and enough heat.

[@2packs4sure]

In 2024 you've got to suspect ALL those 80's through late 90's computers cause those capacitors are really aging out at this point... Just a few months ago I helped my buddy with his minty low mileage 96' F150 do those capacitors,, they were all bad and the truck wasn't happy.. Five capacitors and one easy trace repair and the 5.0 is burbling happily now.

[@MattExzy]

I wonder if we're going to have an epidemic of this. I've been thinking about this for a while now, there's a heck of a lot of that era of car around.

[@2packs4sure]

It's already an epidemic but you don't hear about that much I think mainly because the owners of these vehicles are either lower income folks or older like my buddy with the 96' F150.. My buddy who's 60 like me has NEVER sent an email,,, he's one of those,, a half ass luddite.. lol My guess is the lower income owners shoot the chinese parts cannon then junk em'.. @@MattExzy

[@dharley189]

Hi Ivan. I get called out of retirement every so often to work on these pre OBD2 cars. This summer was a 94 Celica 4 cyl. It had fits of limp in mode. I could see limited data. It would lose communication and that was the giveaway. Just verified + - and 5 volts to condemn computer. Talked to owner this week. He said it was fine. Now he wants me to get his 62 olds going 😳 Keep them coming. I love old Toyotas. Del in Ky.

[@lvsqcsl]

A '94 Celica? Scotty would be proud!

[@billkaczynski7709]

62 Olds, if it was a Star fire then in my mind it was the most beautiful Olds ever built!

[@major__kong]

If traces ever go bad, you can solder in a jumper wire to act as the new trace. I've had to do that several times on boards in my appliances that have had thermal events and left nothing but charcoal around the offending component.

[@oldbiker9739]

hey that's good o know , thanks .

[@Joe_Not_A_Fed]

I have had to do that with a bunch of old vehicle electronics. Just go to the next connection on the trace and solder in a jumper wire.

[@big0bad0brad]

On the note of board charcoal, also watch out if the board is too scorched because those areas can become conductive (essentially the carbon residue can be conductive). More of a concern as the voltages involved become larger or if there are sensitive circuits. If in doubt, check ohms in the suspected problem area with a meter.

[@mattmaxon7783]

pretty common kluge in vintage industrial equipment where spares are nonexistent. My only concern in a vehicle would be vibration, RTV the wire to the board?

[@fredmalito9869]

I can confirm that Northridge Fix’ solder wicking braid is excellent for through hole components. He has also started marketing a solder sucker that works pretty damn well also. Most of them suck, figuratively, but not literally. He actually does suck. Lay down some of that flux, put the solder braid on the hole, give it some heat, and watch the magic happen. It’s rather amazing! Cheap, too. One roll of it would probably last guys like us a lifetime.

[@RK-kn1ud]

I don't even mess around with a soldering iron even when I only have one through-hole component to remove. I'd rather spend 10 minutes digging out my Hakko FR301 over spending 5 minutes trying to clean the holes. It's just so satisfying hearing that vacuum pump run. lol.

[@shanesgettinghandy]

Jealous of your FR301, I don't have one so I usually just use solder wick. Most of the time it works pretty easy.

[@RK-kn1ud]

​@@shanesgettinghandy IMO, It's worth buying one if you have to remove through-hole parts more than a couple times a year.

[@80SWoods]

Part of the reason this is my favorite automotive repair video is because he works out of his garage and doesn’t have a toolbox full of $100k worth of tools. Everything he has is obtainable for the average Joe if you are serious about working on vehicles, but don’t want care to have the fanciest most expensive set of tools.

[@geoffmolyneux9173]

Your better off using a vacuum desolder station. Less heat on board less damage to the board. You can also use nail polish to insulate the trace.

[@jameslastname9171]

Super glue works too

[@gerardjones7881]

what color ?

[@hamiltontvservice7441]

I used to repair those ECMs for a local auto shop nearby. Almost all of them were 91-96 Toyota/Lexus models. Mostly LS400, ES250, RX250 and Camry. Some of them were so bad that I had to use jumper wires all over them. Lots of eye and neck strain from looking at a magnifier for long periods of time. When I watched the first two videos, I had the ECM in my mind. But who am I to second guess you! The ECMs I worked on had a variety of symptoms ranging from misfires, no start after hot soak, injectors not closing or opening, etc...I used to clean the pcb with acetone and a toothbrush. Thanks for the video. Great stuff as always.

[@billsimpson604]

Capacitors - the bane of electronic circuits. Imagine the billions of dollars worth of electronic equipment which gets discarded due to failure of a cheap capacitor. Down here in Louisiana, about 90% of 'no cooling' service calls for home air conditioners are due to failed capacitors. Imagine the people who get scammed by being told they need a new condenser unit, when the only problem is a failed $15 capacitor, or burned out contactor.

[@major__kong]

Just the excuse to get 3-phase power run to my house :-)

[@leonardodavinci303]

A couple years ago I got quoted $400 to replace a single capacitor on an AC unit. I purchased the correct replacement for $23 and replaced it myself in about 15 minutes.

[@80SWoods]

@@leonardodavinci303 Good for you! There’s a lot of satisfaction repairing something yourself like that.

[@andrewsweet43]

Pro tip: Hold your soldering iron at an angle (maybe 45 degrees) on the solder joint while heating the pad to remove the component instead of only touching the tip (which has a pretty low thermal mass/contact area) on the joint. It will melt faster and keep the solder joint liquid for longer that allows you to move the part/leg. Remember, the more contact area your iron has with the solder joint, the better. And also try not to move the iron too much while trying to heat the pad up, because you lose the contact area, the thermal transfer becomes smaller, an d in conjunction with the big thermal mass of the board, solder gets cold and solidifies again. Also a wedge/chissle tip on the iron whould really help instead of the pointy one for through hole jobs like that! :) Also you shouldn't max out the temperature of the station in normal conditions. If the iron gets too hot (maybe above 380-400C, metric guy here) the flux instantly evaporates without doing its job, and your iron tip oxidizes, leading to the solder refusing to stick (flow) into it. Finally, if the solder area is clean and free of oxidation, your solder is of good quality and the iron's temperature is not too high, you should see the solder wicking in the pad and the leg of the part and not leaving "whiskers" of solder while removing the iron. Pointy whiskers that you have to reheat and reshape or scrape away with the iron probably mean that the iron was too hot or there was not enough flux applied while soldering. If the solder area is free of oxidation, solder prefers to flow in the pad and onto the leg rather than make pointy whiskers. Sorry for the long post, I hope that it helps somewhat!

[@major__kong]

And keep solder on the tip. It improves heat flow.

[@eddiesouther]

I cut the wires on the component side and then pull the wire tips from the solder side

[@andrewsweet43]

@@eddiesouther That is good practice, unless you don't have room around the component for your pliers or suspect top side board damage (like here due to a leaky cap). You risk scraping a trace out with your pliers if you are not careful enough or ever worse mechanical damage to the via/pad! Situations that involve board corrosion are really finicky!!

[@davidlehner6094]

You also mentioned that you probably didn’t need a microscope, but I once repaired an intermittent radio problem from a Pontiac 6000 STE by first determining that there was a circuit board break in a trace by just pushing on different areas of the circuit board with a plastic rod and resoldering every joint in that area. It improved the intermittent but didn’t eliminate it. So, under a microscope I found a cold solder joint on a surface mount transistor leg! I desoldered that leg, cleaned with a dental pick, fluxed and resoldered. Never had a problem with it afterward.

[@davidgilpin5200]

Ivan, I'm an amateur radio operator - and many hams are quite accustomed to "recapping" older gear. Electrolytic capacitors don't last forever! An automotive ECU gets exposed to heat, cold, and humidity extremes, it's no wonder they failed. Recapping thru hole construction is a cinch; recapping surface mount stuff is NO FUN as your eyes get older! No worry about having to use low melt solder in 1994 stuff, we didn't deal with RoHS until the early 2000s. And - yes - flux is your buddy. Does that mean you worked on a Flux Capacitor? 🤣 Nice job!

[@GregoryGlessnerViolin]

With a new flux capacitor, that Camry should have no problem hitting 86mph. I know first hand that Ivan's '98 Camry has no problem getting there 😂

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

​@@GregoryGlessnerViolinin the 98 Camry 100mph feels like 60mph 🙃

[@richardcardwell6266]

Solder wick works very well to clean out component holes

[@steveb6371]

Digi-key has bailed me out many times! Great company

[@major__kong]

I had a relay on a board for my clothes dryer have a thermal event. Couldn't find a replacement board, but I found the relay on digikey. $5 + $3 for shipping and 3 days later my dryer was working again ... for a few years until the same relay had an even bigger thermal event and took out a bunch of stuff around it. No hope after that.

[@porky7753]

Ivan, this is a great customer. They trusted your process 👍

[@litz13]

DigiKey is great. I get all kinds of parts for pinball machine circuit boards from them.

[@WW-bt3tx]

I am so happy you have improved the quality of your solder joints by using flux. Your work is too good to have crappy connections bring customers back.

[@boogerhead0]

A good plan is to cut the component off the board, leaving the pins sticking into the board, then remove the pins, by themselves, one by one, as you will then not have to straighten the bent over pin on the solder side... just heat to molten, and use tweezer to pick off the, now straight, pin. Attempting to straighten the bent pin using the solder iron tip is a good way to either pry the trace pad off the board, or have the tip skid and jab some nearby, unintended, joint. A cap, for instance, when removing as you are, requires you to lean the component, thereby pulling on the non-involved pin. Use a solder pullit to vacuum solder off the board, clearing the hole. A needle can become trapped in molten solder. Also, always add some new solder to add to old joint solder before pulling the pin. Then clean the excess solder off the pad. For a tall component like this cap, apply some silicone RTV to board/cap junction, to dampen any vibratory moment onto the leads. When clipping off new part leads, always hold the loose end of the lead before clipping, to keep if from firing off to some unknown place.

[@BigEightiesNewWave]

Toyota, that board(s) and case look NASA Quality, my God.😇

[@thecode3fc]

Snip leads under cap. Using solder wick draw the solder out. Remove legs. May need to heat while pulling bent tip. Lay board horizontal. Gravity. 🤠🇺🇸

[@harryayness133]

Very surprising that so many of those capacitors were leaking out the bottom. The more common failure is they swell up on top and burst open. Good job on this Ivan.

[@ovalteen4404]

There was a "capacitor plague" in the 90's where a lot of caps were manufactured with substandard methodology. During that period they could fail in any number of ways :(

[@petem85793]

Years ago, around 2004, I had a randomly failing ECU in my 1984 Jaguar XJ12. After much diagnosis, I replaced the presumably dried out electrolytic capacitors. That was about 20 years ago, and I've had no problems since. The leaking capacitor thing is very common in 1990s Japanese ECUs. I've got a 2008 XJR too, and most of your diagnostics is much more applicable to it. I really appreciate your work!

[@wallace3953]

Are U kidding me??? If u soldered it back, it is now BETTER THAN FACTORY!!!!! u r da boss of 'Lectricals !! Great work.

[@TNT-projects]

A few tricks I learnt , adding a bit of fresh solder helps but to take it away I use a bit of stranded copper speaker wire, the solder flows up the strands leaving a clean terminal, I have a small pair if cranked long nose pliers I find much better than my fat fingers … I did a discontinued sofa control board and the track was damaged, I just used a short length of 0.5mm copper wire to jump from the component to the good part of the track . …and lighting ! I have some rechargeable video lights by Andoer 2” squares, and some 20mm magnet mounts with the camera thread.. they stick to the car, the garage beams or wd40 tins 😂… I was thinking of getting one of those selfie ring lights , I’m at least 20 years older and lighting up the work piece gets more important I’m learning lots , I have 2 Triumph TR4s, 2001 yaris and recent Skoda in my fleet .

[@ToyodaMaster-tq6ht]

The ‘91-‘94 Ford F-150’s had a similar issue. Leaking/failed Capacitors inside the ECU. Poor running, until the Power Steer Pressure Switch is unplugged (Self Test bypass). 3 New Capacitors & the ECU’s are fine again.

[@richb419]

Hi Ivan, many manufacturers install electrolytic capacitors at or very close to the working value of the circuit over time these components will fail by design (engineered obsolescence). because of this I always increase the voltage of the capacitor when I replace them. Koodos to the owner for finding this. Rich

[@100SteveB]

A little bottle of clear nail varnish works wonders at covering up any damaged solder mask, plus it moisture proofs the area also. Much cheaper than buying a whole can of conformal coating for little jobs like this.

[@canadiantrucker9574]

Ivans a great KZbinr. His video's are geared around normal people who want to learn that don't have $50000 worth of tools. He knows that most of his viewers aren't millionaires, but are DIY backyard mechanics.

[@tsxownz]

should use vinegar to remove the electrolityc fluid. then clean up with IPA. lots of flux to solder back. i have repaired tons of honda ecms that way. as a general rule, all the ecms prior to 2005 should be inspected first, the amount of secondary symptoms is absurd, so better start there. tcms are no better.

[@user-fr2yk6ty7c]

You should wear a ground strap when working with CCAs. Especially in cold dry environments. Clean flux with IPA only. Your channel is awesome! Thank you!

[@ThriftyToolShed]

Awesome repair! The electrolytic caps strike again...I never would have guessed that with these symptoms! 🤯

[@Michael-yi4mc]

Ivan should say thank you to the sender who gave him the flux.

[@franklincormorant8312]

DigiKey rocks! I was able to repair the original Ford MLP sensor (neutral switch) on a family member's 97 Taurus by replacing the bad surface mount microresistors with perfect matches from their catalog. Their selection is incredible.

[@nickolaswilliams935]

Sure hope you scrubbed with IPA under all those caps, or you’ll be doing this again. The stuff that leaks out of caps can make the board conductive, and it eats any metal it comes in contact with.

[@hikerJohn]

If you lose a trace you can jump it . . . I watched Louis Rossmann do it a bunch of times

[@HeyBirt]

The electrolyte in the capacitor is acidic. It will seep through the whole joint creating oxides on the surface that have a much higher melting point than the base solder. I like to take a small flat blade screwdriver and scrape of the surface of the joint to clean the oxide layer. For really badly corroded joins you can use a fiberglass pen. When a trace is corroded you really need to clean the crusty stuff off. Again, carefully with a small flat blade to get the worst of it. You don't want to damage the PCB, so be gentle. Then the fiberglass pen. This will uncover traces that look intact but are all corrosion. The really bad parts can be neutralized with a weak base like baking soda, household ammonia, etc. Just leave it on until the bubbling stops. Mop it up, clean with water and then 99% alcohol. Small breaks can be fixed with a jumper wire. Have some videos of cleaning up badly corroded boards on my channel.

[@1954307]

great video one of the best diagnostic channels on youtube

[@brianw8963]

Couldn’t agree more. 👍👍🇺🇸

[@norcal715]

I clean capacitor damaged boards in the dishwasher. I know i will get some hate, but I have been doing it for over 30 years. The capacitor electrolyte is water soluble. I blow it out with compressed air then dry it in the oven at 180 degrees F for a couple of hours. Works like a charm.

[@markanderson2904]

I do that with computer keyboards that have had sugary liquids spilled on them, although at a lower temperature ~100° F.

[@michaelshore2300]

Working with Communication boards in an air traffic control system 80% of our problems were proving to be degrading electrolytic capacitors. We began by replacing them with Identical 'original' components then it occurred to us that we were just making for a fault in another 5 years so we identified an identical specification capacitor from a different supplier and had no further trouble in my remaining 10 years. We also had a similar joint / trak issue on a GMC minivan wiper controller , luckily we did have track repair kits. A vacuum desolder units makes life MUCH easier

[@Brian-cr6rb]

I had a funny feeling that it may have been a computer issue, but your initial findings were spot on as usual. I'm only a few hours away from your shop. If I've ever experiencing weird problems, I'm hitting you up, and my vehicle will be part of your content.

[@nhzxboi]

Hehe. My guess from the 1st episode was correct. Lucky, but correct. Things get old. semiconductors survive but chemical electronics(electrolytes) are the 1st to die. Capacitors...sometimes they can be removed and things will work fine. If they become a short circuit, things don't work. Fun stuff. Valuable service for legacy automotive electronics.

[@davyarthurs]

I suspect a lot of older cars and electronics will fail due to ageing capacitors. Well done for saving another legend 🎉

[@canadiantrucker9574]

I have a Hakko Fx888 soldering iron unit. Absolutely love it. I've bought Weller as well as some of those Chinese knockoff crap from Amazon. They never last. Even Weller has gone downhill over the last decade. Can't go wrong with Hakko

[@fluffyblue4006]

It is advised to peek into the ECU and other modules. The caps in there are of the same era and might be slowly eating up the board as well.

[@fredmalito9869]

If I were the customer, I think I would install the new ECM to confirm that it works correctly. That way if something is wrong with the brand new part (remember, “new” means “never, ever works”) he can get it warranted before it has sat on his shelf for five years.

[@WatchWesWork]

Very nice! These issues are only going to get worse as ECMs get older.

[@a_w_bukhari7579]

I do watch you work

[@tedjohnson64]

Brilliant video, and fascinating discussion in the comments section! I love these 1990’s era circuit boards because everything is so simple to identify.

[@YOUZTUBE2000]

Nice video content Ivan! Keep it going and Thank You for adding links for tools, parts & supplies!!!!

[@kevincampbell8298]

In my experience when I was an electronics tech…. When those traces burnt up to the point of losing the coating they almost always needed a jumper because they would fail sooner or later.

[@jerryking2418]

Beyond the call. Kudos for Ivan.

[@qemuandroid_8.144]

For replacing electrolytic capacitors, always use Low ESR caps, 105 degrees Centigrade. For opening holes, I use a wooden toothpick as it opens the hole and does not try to get soldered in. Vacuum pump driven desoldering gun is obviously better, but overkill for sporadic use.

[@sspnugen]

Excellent,keep that beautiful Camry running for many years

[@johnnybartlett-ke9wg]

I love my cordless butane solder gun ,when Stripping circuit boards and a solder sucker works real good plus I use a small neon light behind the board to light up the place I want to un solder transistors, cords are so clumsy 😊😊

[@neilmurphy845]

That's excellent news for you and the owner glad his car is back on the road again.

[@rodneymiddleton9624]

Nice job!! I did the same thing to early Honda Accord transmission computers where the capacitors would leak. Thanks Ivan!

[@Paramount531]

Thanks for a quick flashback to my teenage years playing with electronic stuff. I still have some of my Xcelite tools and my Ungar soldering iron over 50 years later.

[@cullenmiller8170]

Great video and fix on the board. That will be the future in keeping those new cars on the road after the OEM abandons the owners with discontinued parts.

[@phillully4472]

Great fix Ivan, you aced that one again. That's a far better solution than dumping big bucks into a new computer from the dealer! Good job.

[@brianw8963]

Happy Camry,happy customer I’m sure. Nice work Ivan. 👍👍🇺🇸

[@MultiBuilder123]

another brilliant series!

[@jimburgess9205]

Great job, Ivan.

[@stevee4621]

Solder wick is great for double sided PCBs, it will clear the old solder on both sides, and with a bit of practice you can clear the through hole out also, more heat (to a point) is also beneficial as pulling on components when the solder is not fully liquid can put the tracks off the PCB especially on the double sided boards.

[@mariosaccoccio1688]

Intermittent problems are the most difficult to repair and the most frustrating to deal with, by the mechanic & the owner! I went thru one on my vehicle that took about 3 years to find, by dumb luck!

[@pauljennings4248]

Great Job. Paul

[@Runco990]

Ivan, I think you'll see more of this soon. Capacitors are a problem. I change loads of them. sometimes over 200 at a time. Everyone is making constructive criticism to help you up your soldering game. SO I'll add mine. If you HAVE a vacuum de-soldering station, USE it! Much like your diagnostic tools, you are adding speed and efficiency over trying to do things the old ways. Flux is a must on corroded solder, it really helps you remove it. You want to spend as little time cooking the traces as possible or they WILL lift. Fresh solder, lot's of flux and a hot vacuum gun makes the job "SAFER". Less likely to damage the board. That's what you are REALLY after, regardless of the fact that you COULD do it with a hot nail and pliers. Capacitor corrosion is no joke.... you ain't seen nothing yet! 😉

[@duanebuck193]

Your level of commitment to keeping older vehicles on the road is amazing, Ivan. I think too many are scared to replace components (capacitors, etc) like you do - for that, huge kudos to you!

[@richardnilsen8950]

Going above and beyond for the customers is always a good idea 👍 💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲 Makes you rich. Great series

[@BigEightiesNewWave]

I'd have to send it to Northridge Fix! Just northwest of me.

[@asul996]

Just a tip Ivan. To remove Retro electronic components, first cut the leads on the component then take out the lead or pin if it's an IC from the board. To clean the hole of solder use a Solder Sucker or Solder Wick ( they are both inexpensive and work better than expensive de-soldering stations on retro electronics) . This tips will reduce the chances of damaging the PC Board. Love your videos

[@cclngthr]

A tedious process. I did this once, where the ECM on a 88 Plymouth/Dodge caravelle owned by my mom had a couple leaky capacitors. I could have replaced the ECM, but chose to do the electronic repairs on the original. I don't know what could have caused it, but the parts I used were the same values as the original, but a different brand. I had heard the original branded capacitors of that era tended to go bad unexpectedly.

[@mrjsv4935]

Nice component level repair 👍

[@JohnnieBravo1]

Holy Cow, Ivan !!! I am going through that exact same process to replace leaking caps on boards in my old 89 Toronado Trofeo. Got a few caps and a diode or two in the VIC (touch screen Visual Information Center), and at least one in the Digital Cluster (responsible for power to the wakeup process). The car has been parked for 4 years due to loss of communications, and cap degradation on the CRT screen and cluster. I'm hopeful this will bring that car back to life, as I ordered it new, special equipped, back in the Fall of 1988. Wish me luck!

[@fredautos]

Excellent job ivan. Great Series.. I'm sure the 98' camry can hit Another 250k miles.. And still good to Go!

[@steve83803]

The good thing about the early cars is that the replacement ECU doesn’t need recoding to the car, so just plug and play. You’ll never find the circuit diagram for any of these ECUs so damaged tracks/traces are almost impossible to repair if you can’t see both ends where it should connect the only help is that the capacitor negative side generally goes to ground if it’s a decoupler. As usual nice video 😀

[@frankbose544]

heck yea ivan more electronics repair as a electronics guy and a car guy i love the board repair videos keep up these repair videos .wen you take through hole stuff out flow some fresh solder into the solder joints like alot then they will just come out pulling from the other side

[@g0fvt]

Well done, electrolytic capacitors globally had a big problem about the time that unit was made due to a bad electrolyte formulation. I have changed a lot of them in devices of that era. I tend to use a spring loaded desoldering pump and spray the board on completion of the job. Great to have proper closure on the fault, the car was worth the trouble.

[@kentporter2991]

Another Outstanding Diagnostic!!! 👍

[@ronaldderooij1774]

Uh well, he suspected the igniter, but it was the engine computer. I don't blame him, but to say that that is outstanding diagnostic stretches it a bit.

[@markanderson2904]

​@@ronaldderooij1774Since the advent of "perticipation awards", and "everyone is a winner" concept, people have learned to praise everything and have not learned to descriminate between different levels of perfofmance or quality.

[@rogercray2484]

Great job Ivan..taking on circuit board component level repair requires special skills and equipment …in my experience the number one item after a good quality solder station was a large high powered magnifying glass 😂

[@ToyodaMaster-tq6ht]

Excellent video Ivan! This goes to show, that fancy code scanners can’t always find the problem with vehicles. Yes they’re very helpful, but wouldn’t have found that failure of Capacitors. “The Brick” is still a good scanner, I still use mine occasionally.

[@jamesanderson2176]

For fine work like that, I would strongly recommend some desoldering braid. Worst case, use a little extra flux with it. The old solder will come right up.

[@Sandmansa]

I didn't see that coming. But hey, a win is a win, right? Nice work in the repair. Let's hope that pcb holds up.

[@baxrok2.]

Thanks Ivan!

[@johnnybartlett-ke9wg]

Also when I work on 10 and 11 meter radios at truck stops up in the cab the cordless solder gun is very handy, for our in the field repairs

[@kentporter2991]

Outstanding. Again. 👍

[@hrdworkin7633]

Thanks for this series. I would have tried fingernail polish or liquid tape to cover that exposed section of board. Congrats on job well done.

[@johnmoloney5296]

You should just add a big blob of solder across both pins heat it well and pull out the cap then desolder the pads with the gun, i do reckon you need a more powerful iron with a bigger tip like a weller, best wishes,john, Ireland

[@renejensen5656]

Ohh, it hurt my electronic engineer heart a bit. You realy should use the desoldering station, when you pull the cap, you can pull the trace with the cap on the component side. And when you solder in the new component, you cut the leg before soldering. When you cut the legs soldred in, you can cause stress in the throughole, the board can be multilayered, and the connection could breake. I normally use isopropanol alcohol and a cotton stick to clean the crusty after the faulty component has been removed. Anyway, nice work. 👍👍👍

[@louoldschool7047]

great work

[@alvaroreyes4707]

I had the same problem in a 94 Camry, open the computer and all the same capacitors were leaking causing the car not to accelerate. I just didn't know we're to find the capacitors.

[@jameshampton3969]

Solder wick with a little added flux works great for removing the solder when desoldering components from a board. It also removes the solder from the through hole at the same time. It's inexpensive and a roll will last a long time.

[@roadwolf11]

I suggest to use higher voltage capacitors, 35v should be more than enough. 15v ones working way on its limit and are prone to fail. Anyway good job Ivan!

[@Eromatic]

With the older boards such as this, it helps to add fresh solder to the solder joint. It makes it easier to desolder later. Then use a desoldering braid to wick away the solder, which should also pull through any solder that is trapped in the through hole.

[@flatdaddio]

Very cool! I worked with a guy that would repair boards. I can do wires, tubing and pipes, ect.. But I never tried boards. My eyes are not good enough for that stuff. lol

[@johnt.848]

I like that old capacitors can keep going for 20 years or more and aren't to hard to exchange in most cases. Perhaps upgrading to solid caps of the same ratings would make it bullet proof.

[@roadshowerun1770]

Yep. They cost a little more but they have a much greater lifetime and greater temperature range. When I do these type of repairs I also up the voltage rating. Moving from 15/16 volt capacitors to 25/30 volt is the smart play with a 14.7 Volt electrical system. Sometimes they will be a little bigger but with these type of computer boards that is not usually a problem. Still, another great Ivan repair story.

[@jrehtil1494]

Great job

[@davidhollfelder9940]

Flux is not overrated .. If the trace is intact, you can use fingernail polish to cover/protect the trace where the solder mask is gone.

[@larrymeyer2917]

I find using a watch makers head gear gives great magnification on such detailed work.