Hi all, when I was leaving work the other day, I started my car and backed out of the parking spot. At that second I heard a ding and my engine light came on. It was night so I also saw the headlights dim some. I had to get home so I turned the headlights and everything internal I could off and left the parking lights on. A few minutes later the battery light also came on. Yes I made it home.

From what I've been reading it could either be the alternator or PCM. I put a new battery in it a couple years ago and it has been working great.

How can test the PCM and Alternator? What else can I do?

Thanks, for any and all help. My Sebring has been excellent otherwise. 104,000kms on it now.

 

I didn't think anything of it, but after the engine light came on the motor started running rough and I thought it was going to stall, but it came out of it after a 1/2 minute and started running fine. It has done this a few times since I got it in 2k9 but only once in a blue moon and for a less than a minute each time.

Tonight when I was tinkering with it, I turned the park lights on and I got a 11.56v from the alternator diode(red wire). Also, it was running fine although a spec slow, when I hit the gas it started running like crap again. After turning the engine off and then back on it was fine until I hit the gas 7-8 times.

I'm going to test the Battery on Monday just to be sure, but it kinda sounds like the pcm to me since it has control over all those things.

 

If you can take the alternator off and take it to an auto parts store, they can test it for you on their test stand. In the meantime, have a good look at all the wiring between the battery and the alternator to make sure nothing is loose or corroded. If the alternator and wiring check out OK, then it's probably the PCM, but because of the cost, that should be the last thing you replace, not the first.
If there's a light on on the dash, get any error codes read with a good code reader. The error codes should guide you where to go next.

If you MUST replace the PCM, there are services on the internet that will sell you a re-manufactured unit for about $200 on an exchange basis. You order the unit and tell them the mileage and VIN, they send you the replacement with a mailer to send the old one back.

A cardinal rule is when in doubt, replace the cheapest things first.

 

I borrowed a cheap obd2 tester. My car as codes P0032, P0038, P0052, P0058, which are apparently related to the o2 sensors or pcm. I didn't get any other codes, non for the charging system.

Also, I my new battery I bought 2 1/2 years ago was showing 11.8v fully charged. I found out it was 4 years old when I bought it (supposedly new). So it was 6 1/2 years old. They gave me another (supposed new) battery made last year and it wouldn't charge up and failed the load test. Finally I got one made last month and it's ok.

So that's one problem fixed. I reset the codes, ran the car and tested again and received the same codes and it continues to take rough running spells and no charging. It acts like it's getting too much fuel and then too little and it smells like it too.

I know I should get the alternator tested, but it's been cold and I don't have a garage to work in. Also, I suspect the PCM as the 02 sensors were replaced in 2k9 and I've only put 12,000kms on it since.

I'm trying to find one at a junkyard, but is that a bad idea? I haven't been able to find one with the same or close number.

 

As I said before, when in doubt, replace the cheapest things first. You seem to want to start with the most expensive things first. If the O2 sensors are generating codes, then the logical thing is to replace them, not the computer.

A junkyard computer almost certainly won't work. You need to program the VIN and mileage in properly. I explained that above as well. With very little effort (much less than haunting junkyards) you can find a PCM service on the internet or on eBay, but don't replace the PCM before you check things like the alternator and oxygen sensors first. Oxygen sensors work in pairs (before and after the catalytic converters) so if one has gone bad, you're probably better off replacing both the upstream and downstream sensors.

That cheap OBD II code reader may or may not be able to check the charging voltage.

Warm weather is arriving soon. Time to get out and under.

 

So what was the problem? Did u get it fixed?