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IMRC + new transistor = ?

C

CLASSVT

Veteran CEG'er
Joined
May 2, 2003
Messages
737
Location
Fort Wayne, In
I followed the how-to on replacing the transistor in the IMRC. But it still isn't working. I originally had P1518, and so I went to Radio Shack and got a TIP 120. Soldered it exactly how the old transitor was, and plugged her back in. No CEL, but still no secondaries. So I took it out and resoldered it, and now CEL and secondaries are stuck the opposite way they were before! :blackeye: I'm losing my f#*king mind here. I took the motor out of the IMRC still plugged in, and started the car to see if the motor was even getting any juice. Well both times it just spun the pinion uncontrollably, regardless of RPM. I'm ready to set this thing on fire, it's so frustrating. I have no de-solder braid so I was/am afraid that I had got too messy and shorted something. But I don't know what to think. Help would be greatly appreciated.:help:
 
Been there done that. :( My mistake was we used the soldering gun to melt the original solders, then it slipped and the tip hit the board and fudged up the cicuits somehow. Call Tousley Ford in Minnesota, great service, great prices. See my thread on how to install.
 
Why would you go through the trouble of replacing the whole actuator when you could just reinstall the circuit board? Seems like a whole lot of work for nuthin'. It is possible that I fudged up the board, but it doesn't appear to be in that bad of shape. Circuit boards aren't supposed to be that sensitive. :shrug:
 
I didn't know that you could replace just the board. The tip touched a circuit and melted it in half. Circuit boards really are sensitive.
 
Hmm... how would I be able to tell if I had actually damaged the board? Do you think it makes any difference that I'm using the TIP 120 rather than the 121, as is listed in the hot-to? Others had mentioned that either would work, but now I'm not so sure.
 
I also used the 120 based on the info that I found claiming that the 120 would work just as well. I didn't research much cuz it was an impulse buy/fix but I do remember reading that the 121 carried more voltage or something. :shrug:
 
Damn this sucks. It's like my car got kicked in the balls. No top end at all. I may end up looking around in some junkyards or something. I'm still iffy on how I could have possibly messed up the circuit board. I finally went and got some desolder braid to clean things up a bit. But this wasn't my first rodeo as far as soldering is concerned. Something fishy about the whole thing. When I replaced the transistor, I am pretty sure I put it in right. Flush side of the transistor was facing up after bending it. I'm half tempted to take it out again and just try something different.
 
Good luck finding any from the junkyards, they told me that they would have to take one off a "working" engine and that wasn't allowed.
 
Ok, well that thread really didn't go into a whole lot of detail about the TIP 121. The guy just says that he installed the new transistor and that it's fixed now. I guess I'm missing the point of linking to that thread. :shrug: Are you hinting at the fact that it could just be the transistor? Should I try a TIP 121? Throw me a bone please.
 
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:laugh: Alright, why didn't you just say so? :cool: I'm assuming that you didn't miss the part where I already replaced it with the TIP 120... twice. So you are specifically saying that the 120 won't work?...
 
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CLASSVT said:
... So you are specifically saying that the 120 won't work?...
Click to expand...

I really don't know for sure but,...TIP120 twice, no worky,......
....new IMRC (inside with TIP121) works (all the time) and TIP121 works like a charm. Hmm..., what would Sherlock Holmes say? Elementary, my dear Watson! :laugh:
 
Ok I'm absof##kinglutely fed up with this IMRC ****. After calling everywhere in town, no TIP121's. I really don't want to spend $8.50 to ship a $2.00 item, that quite possibly isn't the issue. One place had NPN261's, which he got when he cross-referenced TIP121's. But he also showed 120's in the same group. So instead I found a junkyard with a '98 SE, and got the whole circuit board out of it. Thinking I had for sure solved the problem, I installed it with great confidence. But once again, the secondaries are pinned, now the opposite way. (open) Upon start-up, the motor is off and once rpm drop to about 1500 it's on. I don't get it!!! What the hell is going on? Is there something that I'm missing? The cable is definately moving, because the secondaries have been pinned both closed and open. Is there some other connection that I am overlooking? I looked at the ECU under the glovebox, but couldn't tell what was what and nothing looked out of place. There was one small harness/connector hanging unattatched to anything, but there was nowhere to put it so I assumed it was meant to be that way. I am really at a loss here.
 
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Step 1: Buy a new IMRC
Step 2: Install new IMRC
Step 3: Smile and be glad you don't have to fugg with the old one

Mark
 
But the whole thing is that a new IMRC is like $175, and there is nothing to it other than a circuit board, some gears, and a cable. It shouldn't be this difficult. I'll be damned if I spend $175 for something that should be easily fixed. Maybe the transistor was blown on the circuit board that I took out of the junkyard tour. I don't know what to think. I do know that I don't have an extra $175 right now.
 
Sorry to bring up a semi-old thread....

Just wanted to let everyone know that using TIP120 also did NOT work for me. I threw a p1518 within 1 minute after hard acceleration- car was already at operating temp & PCM was reset, also.

I cleared the code then parked and checked under the hood- opened the throttle by hand checking for movement @ the 2ndaries- none noted.

Disassembled IMRC & saw the semi-fried TIP120 looking just like the fried transistor it had replaced only minutes before. Yes, I soldered it correctly.

Next I put in an NTE261 (crossreferenced as TIP122 & listed as the direct replacement for the *stock in IMRC* 2N6045).

Reassembled, cleared PCM. On to test drive #2.... seems to have cleared up the problem, received no CELs driving in "conditions" which would have previously set off a 1518 code nearly instantaneously- although I suppose I'll know for sure tomorrow, after the 2 drive cycle thing & driving around in the daytime etc.

In summary: TIP120 = NO
TIP122/NTE262 = YES

edit: It would also be good to lube & clean the motor. Mine sounded somewhat "rattle-ish". So I desoldered the motor from the PCB, hooked it up to a few D cells & sprayed some electronic contact cleaner in it & let it spin for a couple of minutes. Switched off, lubed w/ some electronic lube from a hobby shop & let it spin again. This resulted in a MUCH quieter & presumably more efficient (freer spinning) motor. Soldered it back on & it seems (& sounds) as good as new.

Hope this helps someone out there.
 
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