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Followup To
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I have a 1992 gmc jimmy and the computer is bad. I have already purchased a new one from a local parts center. I am just wondering how to put it in. I know that is kind of general, but I don't want to do something wrong, considering it runs all the electrical of the vehicle. Thank you for your time. Shawna
Answer -
I believe the computer is located behind, or near, the glove box.
You should disconnect the negative lead from the battery before removing the connector from the old computer and leave the battery disconnected until after you have installed the new computer.
Note that your vehicle may not seem to drive as it did before as some computers "learn" how their drivers drive the vehicle. After 25 or 50 start and stop cycles (about two weeks to a month of driving), the computer will have done all the "learning" that it is going to do.
Okay, I already took the bracket off and lowered the computer. I had to do this in order to get numbers from it to get the right part, being there are 3 different ones for that make/model. I know about disconnecting the negative. A friend told me I need to disconnect both the negative and positive. And also about taking a chip out of it and putting it in the new one. I was reading my chilton manual earlier and it said something about disconnecting/reconnecting the wires and stuff in a certain order. I didn't know if there is a correct way, or is it just as long as you have everything reconnected the correct way before putting the negative back on and starting it. Oh, and thank you for the heads up on the computer having to "learn". That will save me a lot of worrying...lol. And thank you for answering back so quickly. -Shawna
AnswerAs long as there is no contact with the negative terminal of the battery, by any wire, after you disconnect the battery cable, there is no way for power to flow through any device on the vehicle. A vehicle's electrical system has to have contact with both of the battery's terminals for current to flow.
There may be a PROM chip, containing your vehicle's odometer reading and/or specific vehicle operating parameters that will need to be transferred. The instructions with the new computer should tell you about that. If not, look for a small metal cover, likely held on by a screw, and remove it. If you see a place with two rows of tiny sockets (28 to 40 of them), then you need the chip from your old computer.
Put the old computer on a table and remove the chip cover. Ideally, do this near the kitchen sink and touch the metal on the faucet to ground yourself and drain away any static electricity.
To remove the chip, the key is to lift it straight up. A small Allen wrench will allow you to do this by prying up on either end in small increments. Try to handle the chip by its plastic body only and trasnfer it to the new computer without letting any of the leads touch anything but the socket in the new computer. Press the chip firmly into the socket and install the cover.
Just use common sense and think about each action before you do it.
