My ECU went bad (4B0906018P). I had a spare on hand (4B0906018M) that got my car running again, but not well. According to the part numbers, I put an ECU for AWM on my ATW car. Is it possible to use VCDS or any flashing program with the Ross-Tech VAG-COM to flash the 018M ECU to run an ATW engine, or do I have to find another 018P ECU?

 

You can recode to accommodate differences such as Quattro vs fwd or manual vs auto but I know of no reflash that would allow you to run an ECU from a different engine.

 

It would be like trying to install mac software on a windows. Not possible

 

you sure about that? and i mean the PC analogy

 

yeah i know its possible but not worth while. let me think about a better analogy... Converting awm to atw would be like trying to run Internet Explorer 9 on Windows 95. Good luck

edit- simpler analogy- try running 32 bit program on 64 bit. or for the computer illiterate, try putting a 2 inch pipe in a 1 inch hole.

 

32 bit programs do run on 64 bit machines. But, enough with bad analogies. Here's my follow-up question:

It looks like my ECU went bad because of some sloppy soldering when the previous owner had it chipped. While that's being taken care of, my car is running on the AWM ECU and actually idles okay. It's just throwing a couple codes and not responding well to changes in throttle. If I'm only making short essential trips, and I'm not taking my car on long drives down the turnpike, or boosting high RPMs, do I run the risk of blowing the thing up.

 

You'll need to wire in a wideband O2 sensor and remove the VVT through software and a resistor. You'd be best off finding an ATW ECU.

 

Oh, I plan getting the ATW ECU fixed under warranty or replacing it. I just wanted to know if this temporary AWM ECU could cause any irreparable damage if I need it to get places for a week.

 

regardless of the prior analogies, an awm ecu will not work for your application. they are enitrely different. your atw operates on a narrowband o2 system. the awm operates on wideband. the sensors are different. i may not know my computers that well but i do know my audis.. and yes, the awm ecu will cause damages if operated too long. you can run it as long as you want. that doesnt necessariyl mean it is running fine. im surprised it runs at all. what is most likely happening is you narrowband ecu is reverting to predetermined fueling for your ecu functions. this means it is incredibly inefficient. you need to get the proper comptuer

 

i like that answer better

i was about to buy a PES tune from someone and found out it was for an AHA engine code and mine is a ATQ