ICM's keep burning out

beamer · Post by **beamer** » Sun Mar 08, 2015 3:04 am

I have an 02 Bonneville sle non supecharged. Tommorrow will be the third time I replace it with in a year. The first time I replaced it, it lasted almost a full year and I just replaced it again about 3 weeks ago, now it's out again. What could cause this to happen?

crash93ssei · Post by **crash93ssei** » Sun Mar 08, 2015 8:48 am

I would pull the ICM bracket off the engine and make sure there is no corrosion between it and the engine when reassembled / make sure it has good continuity to ground. Clean the mounting surface on the bracket really good then give it a good coating of dielectric grease, the ICM gets hot and if there is no dielectric grease there they tend to burn up.

beamer · Post by **beamer** » Sun Mar 08, 2015 9:05 am

I'll defiantly take the bracket off and see what that looks like. I have been putting a generous amount of dielectric on as well and the heat sync is shiny, pretty much new looking

Post by **Archon** » Sun Mar 08, 2015 8:54 pm

Too much dielectric grease can be as bad as not enough. A thin coating is all that should be applied.

beamer · Post by **beamer** » Sun Mar 08, 2015 9:04 pm

Okay. I'll clean some of it off and just smear some on there. It's got to be getting back feed from somewhere though if it's burning out, not?

crash93ssei · Post by **crash93ssei** » Sun Mar 08, 2015 11:04 pm

Could also just be bad luck with crappy aftermarket parts, certainly not unheard of. This is one of those parts that I would actually prefer a used known good OEM part then an aftermarket part of unknown quality.

beamer · Post by **beamer** » Sun Mar 08, 2015 11:09 pm

Yeah I suppose, a friend of mine has a grand prize with. Smoked out tranny that I'm going to try to get his factory icm from just as a back up in case. Hopefully it doesn't happen again, luckily I haven't been stranded to far from home yet

crash93ssei · Post by **crash93ssei** » Sun Mar 08, 2015 11:19 pm

Luckily they are easy enough to swap out so if you carried a spare for a while yoccan do a quick fix on the side of the road if it died again. My thought is more towards the grease or bad parts though rather then something else burning them up.

beamer · Post by **beamer** » Sun Mar 08, 2015 11:27 pm

How about the alternator? Would having to much juice cause it? I have an upgraded alternator with 200 peak output to handle my system.

crash93ssei · Post by **crash93ssei** » Mon Mar 09, 2015 8:27 am

Not really, excess voltage or under voltage would cause a problem, not so much amperage. The ICM will only draw the amperage that it needs to function so the high amp alternator wouldn't cause an issue. The ICM should have no problem functioning just fine between 12 and ~15 volts.

nos4blood70 · Post by **nos4blood70** » Mon Mar 09, 2015 9:37 am

See if Andrew (harofreak00) has a good OEM ICM for you.

Post by **harofreak00** » Mon Mar 09, 2015 11:38 am

I just went through a weird deal where a customers car was killing ICM's and coils left and right. I went through 3 good sets until I figured out the cat was 90% plugged. I have no idea how or even if they were related, but as soon as I put a new cat in, the car worked perfectly and stopped killing the ignition parts.

beamer · Post by **beamer** » Mon Mar 09, 2015 1:12 pm

Huh, worth a shot to check I guess

Post by **harofreak00** » Mon Mar 09, 2015 2:00 pm

Did you have a loss of power at higher RPM's? This car would idle just fine, but would rev over 2500rpm and wouldn't go more than 20mph.

beamer · Post by **beamer** » Mon Mar 09, 2015 2:15 pm

No it runs absolutely fine, no signs of anything. Pulled up to the stoplight, sat there for about 20 seconds and as soon as it turned green, the car hesitated than died

beamer · Post by **beamer** » Mon Mar 09, 2015 2:17 pm

When it went out before this last time, I lost spark two one or two cylinders. Replaced icm working like new until now again

ThisGuy · Post by **ThisGuy** » Mon Mar 09, 2015 4:57 pm

I believe there is another ignition issue causing a misfire and killing your ICM I.E. plugs, wires, camshaft position sensor...ETC

Warning this video is extremely corny!!! lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8Z4iv7-Ke8

beamer · Post by **beamer** » Mon Mar 09, 2015 9:19 pm

That video actually explained alot. The first time my icm went out, 2 winters ago, one of the coil packs cracked open. I think I'm gunna replace all of them now. See if that helps

ThisGuy · Post by **ThisGuy** » Tue Mar 10, 2015 11:04 am

i dont want to tell you to replace the coils..because i dont wanna feel responsible if that doesnt help. i would start by looking at the plugs and wires looking for corrosion, burnt spots, or just anything out of the ordinary. then check your cam and crank sensor (they wont always throw a code) they are easy to check if u know someone with a scanner or an O-scope

beamer · Post by **beamer** » Tue Mar 10, 2015 11:06 am

Plugs and wires all brand new last time I replaced icm 2 weeks ago. I am going to check ground and clean things up this weekend and see what I get after that

PontiacBonnevilleClub.com

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ICM's keep burning out

ICM's keep burning out

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