B190 Enthusiasts

I am ready to do the PCM/ECM upgrade as I don't know what else to do with the hesitation/hiccup/stutter issue, it got noticeably better with the tune up but is still prevalent. From what I have read on here and a couple of Ford specific forums the PCM rebuild/upgrade has seemed to rectify the problem for a lot of folks. My question is this, is the PCM the one that is in the front DS top of the engine compartment? Also I want to make sure that that is the one I need to take out and send, is there another computer or are PCM-ECM-ECU the same thing? Thanks in advance, Jason

I am interested in your diagnosis of hiccups and stutters. I have an 89 and have encountered similar problems. One response I got was to investigate the fuel pump which is in the tank and occasionally over heats and that creates problems. This fits with my experience that when I switch to the back tank the problem stops and after a while I can switch back to the front tank and it works well. I have not yet fixed it yet to confirm the diagnosis. It is expensive to have done and I do not have the specific id for the pump.

Have a look on this forum at the old thread I started called, The 94 460 Fuel Pump Problem. One common theme is that we all had the problem when it was hot; the problem resolved when things cooled off. The new fuel pump solved the problem for me and many others. But you will maybe need two fuel pumps?
Also, I don't recall having heard of an 89 with the ECM issue. My 94 already had this fixed by previous owner.
Or yours could be a third thing. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.


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Keystone wrote:Have a look on this forum at the old thread I started called, The 94 460 Fuel Pump Problem. One common theme is that we all had the problem when it was hot; the problem resolved when things cooled off. The new fuel pump solved the problem for me and many others. But you will maybe need two fuel pumps?
Also, I don't recall having heard of an 89 with the ECM issue. My 94 already had this fixed by previous owner.
Or yours could be a third thing. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

Yeah, I'm not sure the '89 even has an ECM; if it does, I think it's very rudimentary.

On the original question: I've always heard the PCM, ECM, and ECU are essentially the same thing, but different terms used by different manufacturers.