From: Chris Haslam (haslam@alcor.concordia.ca) Subject: A drowned computer (ECU) in a Range Rover [Reply to:] ) btw. a club RR died after drowning the computer in a river. ) They were near a camp-site so they prized some circuit board out ) and hung it up to dry, and next morning it started straight away. ) I don't know if this is normal. It seems to me that good clean water ) swiftly removed shouldn't do much harm ?The ECU should survive AOK, but I recommend that, now that the RR is back home, the ECU be opened up and a check be made to make sure that everything is absolutely dry. Also, take a look at the contacts on the printed circuit board(s): if they are dull looking, try gently rubbing them with a pencil eraser: along the length of the contacts (not cross-wise.)
I tell you a story about an SD1 and a torrential rainstorm, with flooding (a rare occurrence here [Canada].) The car inhaled water through the air intake. Back on dry land, the starter motor was used to pump the water out of the engine. No damage occurred to the engine; however, a year later, the air flow meter malfunctioned. When I opened it up, I found enough corrosion to give significant trouble.
- chris