I suspect I may have a bad ECU in my 240. I was told that when it comes to the ECU, Volvo has bought the rights from Bosch and is keeping the information about the ECU's proprietary, i.e., monopolized, and that schematics and other info cannot be gotten, and that parts are not available either. Well, then, how are these ECM testing, repair, and remanufacturing companies doing it, where are they getting their info and parts? Hogwash! BS!

My understanding is that this is illegal. In fact, there are many court cases that have ordered the vehicle mfrs. and dealerships to divulge information or to do the repair for free - they usually give up the info. AT&T was broken up because of their monopolizing the tele systems. IBM was sued by Compaq et al (then known as "the gang of nine") for making everything proprietary and as a result many competing computer companies were born. And on and on case after case.

Knowing that testing and repair is possible, can someone recommend a book? I did an Amazon.com search under "automotive computers" and there are several 400, 500, up to 700 page texts on the subject. But what I cannot decipher is whether they are at the level of what the Bentley and Bosch FI manuals tell you, or if they get right into the ECM board testing and repair. Btw, I'm just a financially poor Volvo owner, who enjoys fixing his car (and God knows Volvos need it more than most), tries not to mislead anyone doing their own repairs, and is not trying to upset anyone's apple cart, give anyone or any business any competition. This is just something I want to and need to learn enough to fix an ECM when my vehicles (any make or model) may need it. I'm not trying to become an automotive electronics engineer. I get resistance often with questions like this. Why? I have no clue.

Thanks much
diyer