Should capacitors on old ECM be replaced?

[Kurtatron]

I’ve read time and time again that capacitors don’t last forever, but I’ve never witnessed capacitors fail on vehicle ECMs. I have a 1991 Toyota ECM. The capacitors are not bulging.

But I’ve seen damage caused by a burst capacitor. Looks like it can take out an entire board.

I guess my thoughts are, maybe the capacitors on these old 90s electronics are so good, that they should not be replaced. Maybe the quality was so good that replacement capacitors are greater liabilities.

has anyone ever replaced the capacitors on an engine ECM? Or do the OEM capacitors just never seem to fail? I mean, the internet says capacitor lifespan is 10-15 years, but mine are 37 years old and show no signs of failure.

 

[JohnnyG]

I'd say that kind of preventive maintenance would be way beyond most people's capabilities. There is also the possibility that the capacitors in the ECM are "potted" with an epoxy sealant that would prevent access.
It might be a better idea to find a complete known good ECM for a spare. If you'd like to proceed with your plan, I understand that Tantalum Capacitors have the best longevity.
They also come with their own set of requirements that might be difficult to comply with. Such as they should be rated at twice the expected voltage for the best longevity, polarity must be strictly followed, etc.

 

[Nukeman7]

I've not encountered that problem on Toyotas; however, leaking capacitors were notorious on Honda ECUs and TCUs in the 1990's. Allegedly, many of the Honda ECUs/TCUs had counterfeit capacitors that were made of inferior materials in the overseas black market factories. I've repaired three Honda units when they failed several years ago.

In your situation, I would follow JohnnyG's advice and locate a spare ECM for your Toyota. If you choose to attempt a cap replacement, I suggest sourcing the proper capacitance value(s), but upgrade to a 25 voltage rating instead of a standard 10 or 16 volt rated capacitor. It will be slightly larger but have more heat dissipation ability and longer lifespan. Reputable brands include Nichicon and Panasonic.

 

[martinq]

I’ve read time and time again that capacitors don’t last forever, but I’ve never witnessed capacitors fail on vehicle ECMs. I have a 1991 Toyota ECM. The capacitors are not bulging.

But I’ve seen damage caused by a burst capacitor. Looks like it can take out an entire board.

I guess my thoughts are, maybe the capacitors on these old 90s electronics are so good, that they should not be replaced. Maybe the quality was so good that replacement capacitors are greater liabilities.

has anyone ever replaced the capacitors on an engine ECM? Or do the OEM capacitors just never seem to fail? I mean, the internet says capacitor lifespan is 10-15 years, but mine are 37 years old and show no signs of failure.

Yes, absolutely they can / should be replaced. You can wait for them to wear out or leak and cause damage or you can replace them in advance. Some electronics / ECUs have a trend of capacitor failure after a number of years and those should definitely be addressed ASAP. Others will last many decades and very slowly degrade with very few reports of damage, just performance issues.

I've replaced many capacitors that looked and tested good. If you need to remove them to test them properly you might as well replace them but you MUST replacement with a known good brand / model from a reputable supplier, hopefully not from Amazon / Ebay / Aliexpress, etc. There are plenty of "fake" and poor quality components out there.

Often you can get a good idea of their condition by testing them in the board and inspecting them closely with magnification. I've witnessed many people look at caps and say they "look good" but under close inspection a leak can be found. Not all bad caps leak but all leaky caps are bad.