Power Commander V damage ECM?
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Road Master
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 787
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From: Charlotte NC
Power Commander V damage ECM?
I am sure this has been brought up before and I am not looking to start a thread of which tuner is better than others. However, my ECM went bad and 2 HD dealer service mgrs have told me it was probably my PC V that damaged it. I spoke with acouple of techs, one being at Fuel Motto and they say it is not possible since the PC V is downstream and send nothing to the ECM. My question is has anyone any information which to corroborate this claim? Also if mine was bad and damaged the ECM why does it run fine now with just replacing the ECM and keeping the same PC V?
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 3,846
Likes: 173
From: Simi Valley, CA
It runs fine with the new ECM and the same PCV because the problem was with the ECM and not the PCV.
I just went through the same scenario on my bike. My ECM failed while I was 2,500 miles from home, in Cleveland, Ohio, this past summer.
I don't recall if anyone at the Harley dealership there (Southeast Harley in Bedford,Ohio) suggested my failure could have been caused by the PVC. If they did I just let it go in one ear and out the other. Honestly, I don't think they blamed the PCV because I was actually impressed with the dealership and I think I would have remembered that.
Nonetheless, I think if a dealership suggested that the PCV could POSSIBLY be the cause of the ECM failure, I'd have no problem with that. But if they simply stated it WAS the cause, their credibility in my eyes would instantly go down a notch and I'd want to know how they determined that.
Could it happen? I don't know. It's an electrical component in the same circuit (whether it's downstream or not is irrelevant, I think?) so I guess it's possible, but there are thousands and thousands of PCVs out there and I don't hear of many ECM failures so the likelihood isn't that great.
When my failure occurred (it was an intermittent performance issue) I did my own diagnostics and ECM replacement. I only used the dealership to purchase the ECM ($349.00 + tax) and to marry the ECM to my bike ($40.00). I then reconnected the PCV, rode my 2,500 miles back home, and it's been fine ever since.
I just went through the same scenario on my bike. My ECM failed while I was 2,500 miles from home, in Cleveland, Ohio, this past summer.
I don't recall if anyone at the Harley dealership there (Southeast Harley in Bedford,Ohio) suggested my failure could have been caused by the PVC. If they did I just let it go in one ear and out the other. Honestly, I don't think they blamed the PCV because I was actually impressed with the dealership and I think I would have remembered that.
Nonetheless, I think if a dealership suggested that the PCV could POSSIBLY be the cause of the ECM failure, I'd have no problem with that. But if they simply stated it WAS the cause, their credibility in my eyes would instantly go down a notch and I'd want to know how they determined that.
Could it happen? I don't know. It's an electrical component in the same circuit (whether it's downstream or not is irrelevant, I think?) so I guess it's possible, but there are thousands and thousands of PCVs out there and I don't hear of many ECM failures so the likelihood isn't that great.
When my failure occurred (it was an intermittent performance issue) I did my own diagnostics and ECM replacement. I only used the dealership to purchase the ECM ($349.00 + tax) and to marry the ECM to my bike ($40.00). I then reconnected the PCV, rode my 2,500 miles back home, and it's been fine ever since.
Last edited by 2black1s; Nov 9, 2015 at 06:06 PM.
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 4,928
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From: Near Myrtle Beach, SC
Exactly. There are tons of HD shops that push the sale of Power Commander products. Of course if you buy it from them and pay them to install it, then of course there is no way that they would say that it ever hurt the ECM. If you buy it elsewhere, install it yourself and tell them about it, then you just gave them an easy, albeit shitty, excuse to dishonor any warranty replacement (if the bike was under warranty).
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