So - I think I need a new (remanufactured) ECU. Do they come with the PROM?
I don't know which is bad... the ECU or the PROM.

Pep Boys sells a reman ECU for about $60.

 

NO
You always remove your prom before doing any ECM exchange and fit it too the new unit

 

How about a local Upull?

 

Good call. I'll check around.

 

So now - I can go to start the car... and it will run like total crap. Missing, spitting/sputtering. I can turn it off... pull the key out... put key in... re-start it, and it will fire right up and run like a champ.

Other times it's the complete opposite. It will fire right up and purr... but if I shut it off and start it again, it will spit/sputter and misfire.

ECU? Prom?

 

IS this with a different ecm ? It sounds like a bad connection on the pcb for SAM .

 

No. Same ECU.
What's pcb? SAM?

 

Pcb=printed circuit board
Sam= stay alive memory

 

Since I've popped the PROM out and re-seated it a few times... should I go ahead and try a different ECU then?

 

Installed a reman ECU, with my same PROM. Car fired right up - sounds great. SES light immediately lit up.
Drove it about 10 miles, and checked the trouble codes at O'Reilly's Auto Parts. This is what it's throwing now:
46 -
45 -
44 -
42 -
41 -
63 -
61 -
54 -
52 -
51 -

So - it's the same codes as before, with the addition of 45 and 46 now.

Note: The guy I bought the car from said he was driving the car once when the battery tipped back, and the positive battery terminal contacted the inner fender. The car immediately died. After he told me that I thought: It probably screwed up the ECU... so I went ahead and replaced it. Nope. Didn't help.

What next? Try a new PROM?

 

I think I got a reman prom from advance auto parts online. It was a cardone for like 60 bucks.