Used Auto Parts Dealers

Q.Last summer I made an effort to replace the PCM on my Chrysler Cirrus. I sent my PCM to a shop that presumably would repair it. They turned out to be a sham and I thought I'd lost my PCM. So I did my best to determine the proper part number and started hunting in parts yards. I came up with what I thought was the same unit -- it had identical connectors, came from a 95 Cirrus like mine and so on. I installed it and things were great. The car's AC worked again (hadn't worked in a year), the car didn't die at a stop, and idled great. I wrapped it up and went inside. Shortly afterwards (maybe 15 mins) my wife ran in to say the car was honking and wouldn't stop. I had to remove battery connections to get it to stop. Odd thing on this was, I didn't think I had a car alarm. I managed to find the jerk who had snatched my computer and his stash and got it all back. I found out that I had a PCM with a part number that differed in one digit. I placed the old but semi-functional PCM back into the car and reconnected the battery to hear the sound of honking. What have I done? Have I managed to cook something else? the BCM perhaps? Or is there something that I need to reset? Any advice and pointers to repair/replace resources for the still bad PCM would be very appreciated.

A.Generally wreckers do not take back auto parts. Once it's out it's never coming back in. I do use used auto parts but there is a right way and a wrong way to use used auto parts. For starters, you don't buy anything from a wrecking yard that is a wearable item. For example we have yards here that give away "free" antifreeze. Well of course, it's a haz-mat for them that they have to pay to dispose of. You would have to be a total idiot to put that in your car. I've been in a number of U-pull-it yards and I've seen people buy brake pads, batteries, and other consumables. For seconds, you have to be very leery of anything that isn't exactly visible. For example, alternators and starters - these have parts inside (brushes) that you don't know the condition of, they are a big risk. Or sensors, coils, or rack & pinion. Fuel pumps are another one. Most likely your money's going down the rathole. I have taken such a risk before, and it came out OK - I put a wrecking yard complete engine and a wrecking yard complete transmission in my Datsun 210, but this was a non-computer controlled vehicle that was worthless, I had little money and nothing to lose at the time. Obviously, the best used parts are hard parts, ie: body parts, brackets, etc. Or cores, such as a complete engine that your going to send off to the rebuilder. Computers and such I would only take after -throughly- researching them. The anti-theft problem with the PCM/BCM has already been documented on this newsgroup in the past, and the OP should have reviewed Google Groups archives before experimenting.

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