Hello I have an issue that I am in desperate need of help with. I'm trying to find some information on the ecu for a 2001 stratus for a friend. His wifes ecu died in her car and he's wanting to know if it can be replaced by a junkyard ecu or does he have to go buy one from a dealership? A guy he knows told him that the ecu's are programed to work with that vin number only. So my other question is if this is the case then what would he need from a donor car to be able to use the ecu? What tells the ecu that this is the specific vehicle that it's programed for? Is it the odometer, a module or what? Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.

 

I think the immobilizer (if equipped) would be your only concern, as you'll need keys to match the ECU's code. The mileage is stored in the odometer from what I understand. Depending on the actual stratus, you can flash the immobilizer to whatever your current key is (again assuming it has one of course..)

 

What does the immobilizer look like and how does it work on these cars? I'm familiar with the GM VATS systems but this mopar is new to me.

 

Before getting as far as gpg mentioned, you people REALLY need to specify if your car is a coupe or a sedan.

If its a sedan, its a MOPAR/diamler chrysler product, and you can use 01/02 Stratus or Sebring SEDAN ECU.

If its a coupe, you can use a 2001-2002 Stratus/Sebring COUPE, or 2001-2005 Mitsubishi Eclipse ECU. The coupe is the only one who uses the immobilizer, which is found in the key, and is used in conjunction with the ignition.

You don't need specific keys, but you will need to reprogram the current one.

 

For some reason, I seem to assume that everyone here drives a coupe. I need to break that habit..

I guess I took the long way around, since it's probably cheaper to get a key made by the dealer than to reflash the ECU haha (again assuming this car has an immobilizer and is a Mitsu breed) I'm just so used to being able to flash my ECU ^^'

If you're going to be posting a little, it might be helpful to put your make & model in your profile or signature so it's a quick reference to people replying to you :]

 

...or have a picture of your car in your signature, right Pearl01?

 

Sorry it's a sedan with the 2.7L engine. If we can get another ecu from a junkyard can we use it without having it reprogramed by a dealership?

 

Or atleast specify in your sig.

 

Word. Makes life simple.
You should be able to do a simple swap out with ECU's, no special programming needed to my knowledge.