So my car has been in two different mechanics shops over a period of 2 months. They think they hare narrowed it down to a problem with the PROM chip. It started out running fine when I parked my car. 30 minutes later I get in it and it's running like ****. Like it's out of gas or running on 4 cylinders or something. We take it to a mechanic. He says it may be bad gas. Checks gas, no dice. Replaces fuel pump, no dice. New fuel injectors, new ECM. He says something is shorting out the ECMS. He replaces EGR valve and o2 sensor (something like that). He has come to the conclusion that the prom is bad? But I've been told proms don't really just go bad. What do you guys think?

 

UV rays will wipe some chips. Idk about all but the tbi self programable ones will for sure. Honestly no idea about others but being the same basic technology id put money on them wiping out too.

Have you done mods without tuning? Could be why its running bad.

Mechanic could just be trying to rip you too. Most people don't understand ECMs whatsoever and it'd be simple enough to just make something up to make $.

 

Actually I reread your post, and he can't be a very good mechanic if he's just shooting in and replacing things that aren't the problem. I hope you haven't paid him cause even tho Idk the story kinda sounds like he's playing you or an idiot who shouldn't be touching anybodys car.

 

It's not a self programmable one, it is just the factory chip i believe, and no recent mods that would have thrown anything off. I thought he might be trying to rip us off, thats when we took it to another shop and they are the ones who think it is the chip, the other guy had just been guessing at stuff. Even he didn't charge us much except the price of the fuel pump, so I don't think he was trying to rip us off.

 

Possible, yes.

Probable, no.

It's possible that the moon will come crashing down on your head tonight... but... I wouldn't lose too much sleep over that, either.

Forget a bunch of "mechanics". While I won't accuse them of "ripping you off", it doesn't sound like they're the least bit more qualified than you are, to work on it. This is the kind of problem you need to learn to deal with yourself, if you think you're going to actually use a 20-yr-old car like THE NEWEST one of these, as primary transportation. Start by checking the 2 "ECM" fuses in the fuse box, which actually supply power to each bank of the injectors.