hyndai excel computer system and ignition

Hi

As a young female single driver my knowledge of the mechanics of cars is
limited. Could someone out there help me with some information.My 1991
hyndai excel hatchback cut out and refused to resart. I got it towed to my
mechanic who initially said it was the ignition coil that had blown. I was
initially relieved as that didn't sound too bad., He then when to say that
the whole computer system has failed which was what caused the igition coil
to blow.Is it probable that the whole computer system of my car would
fail????.I didnt even know that my car HAD a computer in it!! He has
quoted me $763 to repair this. Is this amount reasonable. Am I being taken
for a ride here.?? Help!! Im about to spend a lot of money and Im sure with
a bit more information I can avoid this!

 

I think he's guessing. After he stings you $800 for a new computer and
then finds it was the Crankshaft Position Sensor do you think he's
going to admit his mistake? no way.
I don't think computers on any car have a habit of failing but
Hyundai's do have a history of troubles with the crankshaft position
sensor. Hopefully cured now.

One of my friends years ago had a carburetor rebuilt at a cost of $300
to him. If the mechanic had his head screwed on he would have fixed
the wire to the idle cutoff solenoid which had become intermittent and
was the real villain.
Horror story's like these are why i do all my own servicing.

For a very plain website try
http://ii.net/~farmerjim/

 

I saw an article wherein it stated that well over 60% of failed computers
returned to maker were good, simply a very common misdiagnosis. Not easy to
avoid!
Seamus J.. Wilson

 

I'm with Jim on this one. While, technically it is possible for the
computer to damage the coil, it's so rare as to be disbelievable. I think
the guy said: "Oh look, no spark. Needs a coil." And then when that
didn't fix it, he moved on to another guess.

Computer failures are very rare on Hyundai, especially on this model, so I
expect once he hangs the computer it still won't start. If this car is
fuel injected (I don't know what's available in Australia), I'd suspect
the sensors in the distributor which read camshaft rotation and tell the
computer when to fire the injectors and plugs.

Of course, if your timing belt broke or stripped, your camshaft wouldn't
turn. I'd hope the tech would know the sound of an engine cranking with a
broken timing belt, but so far your story causes me doubt.

 

Just to add to what others have already said, about 4 years ago my brother's
91 Excel *did* need a new computer (ECU) after his alternator shorted out
and took out a fusible link, the computer and the mass airflow sensor in
the process. It was pretty easy to identify that the computer was dead:
there was no code output whatsoever. After buying a rebuilt ECU online
(about US$350) and installing it, I found out about the bad MAF sensor,
got a replacement from a junkyard, and was on my way.

The coil can go bad, but not all at once unless you disconnect a spark
plug wire and try to run the car with it loose (been there, done that too).
I'd bring your car to a Hyundai dealer, let them diagnose the problem by
plugging in your car to their test equipment, and then decide if it's worth
fixing. The diagnosis charge would be worth the expense in this case.

Bob

 

Computer failure would not cause the coil to blow.