C36 AMG, C43 AMG (W202) 1995 - 2000

ecu tied to vin?

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Old 08-21-2016, 11:46 AM
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05 c55 silver, 98 Imperial Red C43
ecu tied to vin?

Can you swap ecus between two c43s?
Old 08-21-2016, 12:00 PM
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1996 Mercedes C36 AMG
I swapped my ecu with another from eBay germany on my C36, I just made sure to get the same year and part number to be safe!
Old 08-21-2016, 02:05 PM
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w202
For C43, the ECU + EIS + key + steering lock release are all paired. You'd have to swap all these into your car in order to work.

Keep in mind that down the line if you ever need to order a new key from the dealer, it won't work.
Old 08-21-2016, 02:10 PM
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00 C200 & 00 C55 & 06 SLK55
^^+1^^

,,ZAYED,,
Old 08-21-2016, 04:09 PM
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1999 C43 AMG, 2005 E55 Wagon
Starting in 97 they tied ecu to vin, yes. Won't work
Old 08-21-2016, 06:02 PM
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12' W204 C63 AMG coupe "T-Rex", 12' W451 Smart Fortwo Pulse (99' W202 C43 AMG sold)
Can it not be modified/coded with Star?
Old 08-22-2016, 04:26 AM
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w202
You can code with Star only an Ecu that's in "virgin state". I understand that an ECU is electronically paired with the car (and automatically locked with it) after 40 car starts after its been programmed with the Star tool.
Once ECU is locked, that's it, there's nothing to do with Star anymore.

All the reading i've done on the subject, it looks like to unlock an ECU (to put it back in virgin state) can be done by de-soldering the actual chip off the board.
The erasing, cloning, programming of the chip must be done with a separate device.

What is the issue with your current ECU?
In the C43 case, the swapping ECUs problem actually lies in the immobilizer chip which is a separate EEPROM on the ECU board.
So, let's say your ECU has issues making the engine not running right, misfires, bad signals, etc... theoretically you could de-solder the immob. eeprom from your old board (the original) and solder it on the new used board. The only thing that both ECUs must be exactly the same (to have same part numbers - all digits must be same)
Old 08-23-2016, 01:33 PM
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05 c55 silver, 98 Imperial Red C43
Nothing is wrong with mine. I do have an extra one that my friend wanted to borrow because he is having issues with his.

The car missfires above 6k rpm and he says he narrowed it down to the ecu.
Old 08-23-2016, 02:00 PM
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w202
well... if he's interested, i do have a complete C43 setup from a donor car: ecu, eis, key, steering lock: $300
Old 08-23-2016, 02:05 PM
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00 C200 & 00 C55 & 06 SLK55
^^+1^^

Even if his ECU went away, your ECU alone is not enough, he will need a combination of "ECU/EIS-EZS/infrared key"..!

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