Hey guys

My 98 Elantra Station Wagon needs a new ECU. The mechanic said that requires removing the entire dashboard assembly. Is this true? I read here somewhere it's located just above the brake pedal. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

you don't have to remove the dash, I doubt that would really help with access anyway. it's in the drivers side foot well. silver box on the left that is bolted to the firewall.

 

To see the computer, you need to be upside-down with your butt on the driver's seat or out the door, looking straight up into the area above where the driver's feet sit. You can get at it without removing anything but the big connector attached to it.



Computers rarely fail, and removing the dash would only help if you removed almost everything between the steering wheel and the firewall. I recommend a second opinion, especially if your mechanic wants more than a couple hundred bucks for this job.

 

In UK, Europe, and Aussieland; Elantras were called Lantra; until the 2001 model, when the Elantra name became universal (except in Korea?).

And here they are RHD, as we drive on the natural side of the road: approaching strangers with a favoured right hand ready for sword or pistol!



Our UK Lantra's fittings seem to be a mirror image of the NewWorld version: so the ECU is bolted onto the right-door-hinge post, above the accelerator(gas) pedal.

Once located, it doesn't seem too difficult to remove it with a 10mm nut-spinner or small ratchet; whilst kneeling outside the open door.



My reason to replace it is that the driver door lock was extremely worn; and the ignition lock is almost as bad. We also only got one black transponder key with this 2000 estate car (wagon). I've saved the lockset, ignition switch, ECU and immobiliser from a 1998 scrapper.



I'm hoping the ECU will work OK in our 1.6 GSi; as we have one blue (master) and two black keys from the 2.0 CDX donor vehicle.

Does anyone know of any real reason why it wouldn't be compatable?