The Cat ECM failures we see most

These show up across every Cat ECM, week in and week out. If your symptom is on this list, that's good news — it means we've seen it before and it's fixable.

Injector driver failure

What you see: a dead hole or misfire, a cylinder that drops out, or a power/derate complaint that follows the ECM, not the injector.

What's happening: the driver circuit inside the ECM that fires the injector has failed, so the module stops driving one or more injectors.

What we do: we repair the driver circuitry and bench-test every injector channel before it ships back, so you're not chasing the same dead hole again.

Lost customer parameters

What you see: the ECM won't run right, asks to be reprogrammed, or comes back with its settings blank after a fault.

What's happening: the module dropped the customer parameters that were programmed to your engine.

What we do: we recover and reload your parameters so the ECM goes back in programmed to your engine and ready to run.

Runs, but no communication

What you see: the engine starts and runs fine, but Cat ET (or your diagnostic tool) won't connect to the ECM. You can't read it, can't program it.

What's happening: the communication side of the module has failed while the engine-control side still works.

What we do: we get communication back on the bench so the ECM can be read and programmed again.

Don't see your exact symptom? Send it in anyway. These are the common ones, but Cat ECMs fail in other ways too, and we test every unit before we tell you what's going on.

How a Cat ECM repair goes

  1. 1

    Ship it in

    Self-ship free, or add a prepaid UPS label. Drop-offs in Princeton, MN by appointment.

  2. 2

    We test it

    $350 bench fee, credited toward the repair. We test it and tell you exactly what failed, usually in 1-2 business days.

  3. 3

    We fix it

    Driver repair, parameter recovery, communication — whatever it needs. Standard turnaround 3-5 days on the bench.

  4. 4

    Back to you

    Programmed to your engine, bench-tested, and backed by our repair warranty. Plus 1-3 days return shipping.

Verified Google reviews

What truck owners & shops say

★★★★★
"Mike does great work and sent my repaired ECM back to me right away. Saved me thousands of dollars vs. using the dealer. Would recommend to anyone that needs prompt repair."
Michael B. via Google
★★★★★
"From ECMs and harnesses to straight-out cutting counter bores in-frame for us. Great shop — and a great person to have in your pocket."
Mega24v via Google
★★★★★
"Highly recommend these guys! Fast turnaround — I had my ECM back and repaired by the next day. Will definitely do more business in the near future."
Javon Z. via Google
★★★★★
"Michael is a diesel guru. He made my rig scream and had it done when he said, for the price we agreed to. I'd highly recommend him."
Glenn S. via Google
★★★★★
"Mike is highly knowledgeable in all areas of diesel repair — from mechanical work to advanced electrical diagnostics. You can count on him to get the job done right."
David F. via Google
★★★★★
"Mike is a very professional and skilled mechanic. I highly recommend him for any of your needs."
Justin N. via Google

Read more reviews & leave your own →

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It comes straight to our inbox. A diesel tech reads it and answers, usually the same business day. Tell us the engine and what it's doing, and we'll let you know whether we can help.

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