ECM EXCHANGE PROGRAM YELLOW DEALER CORE TAG
PARTS RETENTION
To ensure that ECM units are remanufactured and returned to field inventory as soon as possible, ECM's are excluded from the normal 30 day parts retention policy as presented in the current Cadillac Service Policies and Procedures Manual. ECM's are to be returned to GMWDD Parts Distribution Centers on a weekly basis in accordance with Section IV, Item G, number 9 of the current GM Dealer Parts and Accessories Policies and Procedures Manual.
1. Speed anyalysis, repair and return to field inventory of ECM units, and
2. Result in earlier credit to the dealership for ECM coreL
DEALER CORE INFORMATION TAG
A two part ECM return tag (the yellow DEALER CORE INFORMATION TAG) is included in the remanufactured ECM carton. All areas of the tag are to be properly completed for ECM's returned for repair. After the tag is completely filled out, the extra (carbon) copy is to be attached to the scrapping copy of the repair order and held for disposition by the Cadillac Zone Service Representative.
It is extremely important that the yellow tag is completely and accurately filled out. An incomplete or inaccurate yellow tag might cause an ECM fault condition to go unobserved if an intermittent, or time and/or temperature condition exists.
Attempting to repair a vehicle with an inaccurate or incomplete repair order can be a frustrating ordeal. Likewise, an inaccurate or incomplete yellow tag can make it extremely difficult for the remanufacture center technician to discover intermittent ECM conditions.
Although all ECM's receive visual and functional checks (at various temperatures) when they are processed through a Remanufacture Center, special attention will be given to an ECM which is indicated as having an intermittent, or time and/or temperature related failure mode on the yellow tag. If such a failure mode is not documented on the yellow tag, the ECM could be returned to the field without being properly repaired.
The yellow tag fields for "Diagnostic Trouble Code(S)", Customer Complaint, and Dealer Technician Findings should be filled out by the dealership technician who is repairing a car by replacement of the ECM, and not by the dealership parts department personnel.
Figure 1 on the following page contains instructions for proper completion of yellow tags. Page 3 contains notes that will assist you in completion of the yellow tag in case of an intermittent, or time/temperature dependent problem, as well as a note an over-the-counter sales.
Please make sure all appropriate personnel review this bulletin so all replaced ECM units are promptly returned with a properly completed yellow core information tag.
Note on Time and/or Temperature Dependent Conditions:
It should be noted on the yellow tag if the vehicle condition caused by the ECM is time and/or temperature sensitive, that is, if the condition only occurs during hot weather or on cold weather startups or only occurs after extended driving. The yellow tag should indicate under "Dealer Technician's Findings" whether the condition occurs hot or cold, or the number of miles driven or time after key "on" that it takes for the condition to appear. The remanufacture center technicians will cold test an ECM and will many times perform and extended duration performance test if it is indicated by the Technician's Findings on the yellow tag.
If an ECM with a time/temperature dependent fault is missed because the yellow tag information is inaccurate or incomplete, the ECM could possibly be returned to field inventory with a time and/or temperature dependent fault present. Unless time and temperature sensitivities are noted on the yellow tag, such an ECM could result in a dealership customer comeback when the ECM is again installed in a customer car.
Note on Intermittents:
If the condition repaired by ECM replacement was intermittent, write "Intermittent" under Dealer Technician's Findings on the yellow tag. It also should be indicated whether the condition was duplicated in the dealership, along with the conditions necessary to duplicate the fault.
If the condition didn't appear while being diagnosed at the dealership, write "Can't duplicate" under Technicians Findings of the yellow tag.
Example:
An example would be "Intermittent Code E51 After 200 MI of Driving, Can't Duplicate" written into "Dealer Technician's Findings", field 11. Many times the remanufacture center technician can replace a suspect ECM component (such as a PROM socket) given that the yellow tag identifies the fact that the unit did contain a fault ("Code E51") and the fact that the fault is difficult to reproduce ("after 200 miles of driving, can't duplicate").
Notes on Over the Counter Sales:
It is just as important to make sure that the yellow tag is completed for an over-the-counter sale as for an in-house repair. The yellow tag is intended to aid the technicians at the remanufacture center in repairing returned ECM's. The yellow tag fields 4,6,7,8,9,10, and 11 must be completed by the purchaser of the ECM at the time that the core is returned. GMWDD policy says that ECM cores returned with incomplete yellow tags are to be rejected - no core credit is to be given for ECM's returned with no yellow tag or an incomplete yellow tag. It is therefore in the dealership's best interests to be certain the yellow ECM return tag is completely filled out in all cases, including over-the-counter sales. Be sure to check the "Non-Warranty" box on the tag for over the counter sales.
General Motors bulletins are intended for use by professional technicians, not a "do-it-yourselfer". They are written to inform those technicians of conditions that may occur on some vehicles, or to provide information that could assist in the proper service of a vehicle. Properly trained technicians have the equipment, tools, safety instructions and know-how to do a job properly and safely. If a condition is described, do not assume that the bulletin applies to your vehicle, or that your vehicle will have that condition. See a General Motors dealer servicing your brand of General Motors vehicle for information on whether your vehicle may benefit from the information.
