Where's the ECU?

[NotFast]

Okay, I read the FAQ and it says:

Removing the ECU
1. Remove the top interior trim piece
2. Remove the trim panel behind the passenger seat
3.The EC is the silver box near the top. It's the only box on the passenger side. It has 4 connection plugs on the left and a small single black and white plug on the right side of the box looking at it from the passenger seat.

I'm currently NSX-less but am looking at a car with an aftermarket ECU and want to know whose ECU it is, so WHERE is the "top interior trim piece"? Is this behind the seats, and then I remove the panel behind the passenger seats & find the ECU therein?

Thanks. Maybe this would be obvious once I'm in the car, but it would be nice to know before I show up with my screwdriver!

 

[NSX Prime]

Yes it is behind the seats. There are three trim pieces that cover the firewall back there (which has all kinds of electronics and wiring mounted on it).

One rectangular panel behind each seat and one long narrow piece that runs the width of the car right below the window and above the two rectangular pieces.

 

[NotFast]

Wow - thanks for the quick reply!

Is this fairly easy to remove? Something I can do to the car while I'm inspecting it?

Or maybe I shouldn't even worry about the aftermarket ECU.... but the dealer selling it doesn't have the stock one, which vaguely bothers me.

 

[Lud]

It is not very difficult to remove. It is on the passenger side. If it is a complete aftermarket ECU with a label on it, you won't have to remove it since the label will identify it. However this is not terribly likely on a US car.

More likely for a US car is just an aftermarket chip as opposed to an entire aftermarket ECU. That can be much more difficult to identify. You will need to remove the ECU cover and examine the EPROM chip itself. If it is on a ZIF socket or it appears the original chip was unsoldered and a new one was soldered in, it is an aftermarket chip. However not all the aftermarket chips are very good about labeling so you may still not be able to tell which one it is.

If they really want to move the car I guess they'll let you do this, I have to be honest I don't think most dealers would let someone disassemble the ECU on a car they were selling.