[Mandy3206]

I need to weld the sliders on the frame plates/bases and a friend of mine told me that I cannot weld on these trucks since the ECUs will fry due to the current, he said that the ECUs must be disconnected before any welding can be done.

I know about disconnecting the battery for welding on vehicles, but disconnecting the ECUs seems like an overkill.

So the question is:

Do I need to disconnect the ECUs before welding on my Taco?

If I need to do it, how I disconnect the ECUs of my Taco?

Any advise from people that have welded on their Taco would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Mandy

 

[the.phantom]

i had a muffler welded on my last 4x4 and the first thing they did was put this huge filter across the battery terminals to protect the electronics

 

[TurDonor]

The main ECU is up behind the glove box, take that out and you'll see it with its 5 connectors.

Problem is there are several other sub-ECU's all over the truck. 4WD, skid control, body, key transponder, tire pressure, shift lock, passenger airbag, did I miss any?

 

[briangp]

As a Electronics Tech, I'd say disconnecting your battery would be all you need. As long as you're not welding near an ECU, and your grounding cable is solid, you shouldn't have any issues. By nature, electricity takes the path of least resistance to ground. It's not going to be looking for your ECU's, its going to be looking for that grounding cable. Don't put an ECU between the path of current, and I would think you'd be fine. Thats my opinion though, I'd still like to hear from someone who's welded on newer cars though.

 

[muisejt]

Disconnect the battery and you should be fine, that's all the welders do on heavy equipment at work.

 

[WCTacoTech]

^ Is correct. Disconnect the battery and you are good.