PCM Diagnostics & Tuning - Hypertech Problems!

You guys might have discussed this before but I have never seen a thread on it.

When I first bought my 98 z28 I was given a power programmer III also. The problem is whenever I plug the PPIII I get an error message that states i have the wrong vin number. I have sent emais to Hypertech, but they do not respond.

What should I do next?

It sounds like the programmer has programmed another vehicle and they nevre uninsalled the program off the other vehicle. They are junk anyways, I wish i had my dyno run to show you how much detonation occured because the hypertech threw so much timing into the engine when installed. Only thing its good for is doing tires gears and deleting codes imo.

I believe that they might have to be sent back to Hypertech to be reprogrammed for the correct VIN #.

Unless you can get it connected to the car with the VIN it's married to, you can pretty much just throw it out. That's Hypertech's method of "copy protection". Once you program a car, it holds that car's factory program, and you can't use it again on another car until you return the first car to factory.

I used one on my old '97 LT1 Trans Am and was mildly happy with the results. Ever-so-slight SOTP improvement...the modified shifting was more noticeable. Other than this, it's also nice because you can change when the fans come on, to take advantage of a lower t-stat. I don't think this is a big deal with LS1s, I think they run better a little hotter than LT1s.

Thanks guys

I just will have to figure out what to do with it.

What should I do next?

Throw the thing against the wall and shatter it into as many pieces as possible. :judge:
I was in the same boat as you when the hypertech first came out for our cars. I bought a used one for "cheap" off ebay that was supposedly taken back to stock....it wasn't. Hypertech absolutely will not unlock it for you or reprogram it....believe me, I tried. Throw it away and buy yourself HP Tuners or EFI Live.

That is soooo :gay:

Anyone want to sell or rent out/ tune my ls1 in the Rochester Mi area?

Well guys hypertech just contacted me by email for the serial number and vin number of my car. Wonder whats gonna hapen. :thinker:

I heard that you can pay to have it reset to your car. I'm looking to get one myself. I have a few friends with f-body's and I would love to use it with there cars also. I guess the question is,,,, can I?????

hmmmmmmmmm................ :headbang:

You have dyno test and tune listed in your sig...don't know exactly how much that runs, but it's definitely in a different league than the Hypertech. The Hypertech is just a very generic tune with a few extra convenience things. The guys who are doing mass quantities of dyno tunes have something like EFI Live, for which bulk licenses are available.

You said you got the Hypertech for free, I agree with jmm98LS1, cut your losses and smash it. :judge:

I heard that you can pay to have it reset to your car. I'm looking to get one myself. I have a few friends with f-body's and I would love to use it with there cars also. I guess the question is,,,, can I?????



Ls1 edit or Efi live maybe..but not hypertech

Ls1 edit or Efi live maybe..but not hypertech


LS1Edit FTW!!

Yea hypertech sux

You could try a mail order tune pcm for less and let them know exactly what you have in the car and send them your comp or they send you a program im not sure but you could give them a try, ive never delt with them my friend in his lt1 did and he loved it.

I heard that you can pay to have it reset to your car. I'm looking to get one myself. I have a few friends with f-body's and I would love to use it with there cars also. I guess the question is,,,, can I?????

No you cant. Its Vin locked per vehichle. You would have to pay to have the Vin changed for every car. The way they work, it would take a few months just for one car.

Like others have said, look into Hp tuners or Efi live. Dont even look at ls1 edit, unless you can get it dirt cheap or free. Browse around in the pcm section. Both Hp tuners and Efi live stomp the dog piss out of Ls1edit when it comes to upgrades and customer service, as well as ease of tuning. Hp tuners is year locked, not vin locked and its doesnt cost much to upgrade for different years. Basically you can tune all 1998 model years Camaro/Firebird and for a little extra you can buy the 2002 model year, and it doesnt have to be F-body. So if you have a truck and they support it, you can get that software as well. I dont know to much about the licensing of Efi live, but it's probably what I'm going to go with. They both are hard to chose from.

hp tuners looks bada$$ Im probably going to get dyno tuned instead

What is the best place in the mid west to get tuned? Or if anyone has a 98 with any one of these peices of software?

What is the best place in the mid west to get tuned? Or if anyone has a 98 with any one of these peices of software?

Speed Inc. or Wheel 2 Wheel comes to mind.

Check out the midwest forum for some more answers, you can also do a sponser search by area code and distance. Click the alpha sponser listing at the top right of our main page and you'll see it.

So If I was gonna mine to someone, what would I have to do to get it so it could work on thier car?? Just put all options back to stock?

thats correct

So If I was gonna mine to someone, what would I have to do to get it so it could work on thier car?? Just put all options back to stock?

I believe it needs to be from the same year model car as well, but I'm not positive.

I believe it needs to be from the same year model car as well, but I'm not positive.

that is some what correct I beleive 98 has its own as well as 99 and 02 but 00 and 01 are the same.

HyperTech is way overpriced for what it does. That may not been true 5 years ago, but these days a handheld box that is "LOCKED" as HyperTech is seems obsolete. Look at Flashscan. It's a tuner and scan tool in one. You'll need a laptop, but most people who are considering reflashing their own PCM already have a laptop at home.

true but if you already have one why not use it

:judge: true but if you already have one why not use it

1994

Hypertech has changed my LT 1 into a Vette with transmission problems that can't seem to be fixed.

I no longer have any engine braking and can no longer down shift to use engine braking. I have installed and reinstalled Hypertech repeatedly with many different results. Once I no longer had a cooling fan. Sometimes I have a two speed transmission (2nd gear if you start in 1 and third gear in drive - or just third gear if you start in drive). Something like an old Buick slush-o-matic in the 50s.

Presently, I have it programed back to stock - but . . . it still has no engine braking and just coasts in any gear when you lift off the gas. You dare not downshift because it will makes a terrible grinding noise.

The local Atlas transmission shop says that the transmission itself has absolutely nothing wrong physically but the computer is saying the transmission is in gear while the engine says it isn't (whatever exactly that means). They said they couldn't fix it and something about not touching it with a ten foot pole! The local electrical expert repair shop can get no reading at all off the diagnostioc connection. Basically I am stuck with either hearing back from Hypertech for a fix (hasn't happened yet - I will keep you posted if they ever respond) or going to the dreaded dealership for costly repairs (attempts).

IF anyone in here has any words of wisdom other than to smash the Hypertech unit please respond.

By the way - don't toss the unit. Put it on ebay and let someone pay you a hundred bucks to inherit it.

Gary - Palm Beaches
My email - help if u can! (ggeiser@gmail.com)