animuL

iTrader: (3)

EDIT: Before you read this, just now Keith at HPTuners has stepped up to make things right, I will soon be your typical happy HPTuners customer again



Does anyone else on here have a 98 Corvette and HPTuners? I am running into some serious problems with mine and HPTuners is not willing to admit liability. After talking with some other tuners it seems like there are MANY people out there with 98 Vettes that are frying their PCMs with HPTuners just like I did. If there really are a lot of people out there having similar problems with the 98 PCM then I think HPTuners has to see it as a software / hardware problem on their part and not as an isolated case or something else.

Here's what happened (the short version):

About 2 weeks ago I got my new HPTuners 2.1.12 in. I used 4 credits for 97 Grand Prixs and tuned my 97 GTP, worked great. I used 2 credits and tuned my brothers truck, worked great. For the last 2 credits I used them on my Dad's 98 Corvette, did not work great. The PCM already had some old tune in it from who knows where. Initially I did a read on the PCM and after it was complete it told me that it couldn't validate the PCM, and that there was a checksum error. I emailed HPTuners about it and they said sometimes if there is an old tune it won't work, and I just need to flash back to stock. I had no problem with that except that I did not do the license for all 98 Vettes, I did a vehicle specific, so I needed a .hpt file that was setup for my license, I couldn't just use any ol' stock file. It took them over a week of sending files back and forth to finally get one that was actually setup to work properly with my license. This does not instill much confidence in their ability to do things right. Anyway, once I finally got a file that I could work with, I went to the car and did a "write entire". It seemed to work fine, completed 100% said it was done, so I turned the key off, waited a while and then turned the key back on - just like I had done 100 times before tuning the other vehicles. When I turned the key back on the cars display read off numerous DTCs so before I went to start the car I decided to run the scanner software and clear the DTCs. Upon trying to connect with the scanner software it told me it was unable to locate the PCM. I triple checked all my connections, they were good, I tried again and still says it cannotlocate the PCM. I then went back to the editor software to try and do another write entire. It said the same thing, "cannot locate VCM". So I emailed HPTuners again and they said the people that the PCM was probably messed up by the old tuners and now trying to re-write it fried the PCM. Their advice was to go buy a new PCM and start over. So what I spend $200 on a new PCM and $100 on more credits to license it and then end up having a problem with it too?

So now I have a fried PCM because of trying to reprogram it with HPTuners and a car that is not mine, that won't budge. If it really is the old tuners fault then so be it, I'll buy a new PCM, but now I am hearing that this is not an isolated case. I have heard that tons of 98 Corvette guys are having this problem and HPTuners refuses to admit liability. I have also heard that this problem is new to HPTuners, i.e. it never used to happen with the older versions, why? I am also hearing that other tuning packages do not have the problems with the 98 Vettes that HPTuners has, why not? I think HPTuners ruined this PCM and I think they owe me a new PCM and the credits to get it right. For two weeks I have kept my mouth shut and not posted on forums, but things just keep getting worse and I think its time they step up to the plate and make things right. I know it costs them nothing to give me credits but when I asked they acted like I was trying to pull oneover on them and get something for free... what do I get out of it? One PCM that I can program, because the first two credits went to a PCM thats fried!!!! They also tell me things like "it sounds like you did a partial write" after I specifically told them I did a "write entire". My guess is that they didn't set the file up for the correct calibration code and I ended up trying to write the wrong calibration to the PCM and fried it.

Sorry for the rant but I'm just really frustrated.

Anyone with a 98 Vette Tunign with HPTuners, please lmk what results you have had, good or bad. If its really not their fault, then fine, but if lots of people are having this problem then, like I said, they need to step up to the plate and own up to it.

Billiumss

iTrader: (11)

I tuned a bunch of 98 F-Body and 1 C5 cars, never had a problem.

Did you make an offer to send your cable and the "fried" PCM to HP Tuners so they can "fix" it for you?

molson

iTrader: (1)

I have a 1998 corvette and HP tuners.....No problems so far.

As a side note corvettes are VERY sensitive to voltage fluctuations.

A weak battery or bad ground can cause a multitude of problems.

Keep us posted

horist

I've done 1 98 vette and 5 98 F-Bodies... no problems... dunno what you did w/your PCM (was voltage steady during the write? did you do a calibration only write or a full write?) but this isn't a common issue

Xtnct00WS6

iTrader: (8)

Notice what version animuL mentioned. Have you been using the same version to tune those 98's? Just curious...

Billiumss

iTrader: (11)

Last week, 1 F-Body

Magnus

iTrader: (4)

Ok, I spent the last few hours looking into this.

I sent a file to him so he wouldn't have to relicense his PCM. This is something we do occasionally to help out ls1tech members to save credits. Well the file I sent was indeed corrupt. Not sure how it got that way, but thats not the issue.

This is definately the last time I'll be sending out files though to help save credits. IMHO its not worth the risk.

I'm sending you another PM now.

- Keith

eb02z06

iTrader: (18)

I had a problem with a 98 C5 too-it was some calibration issue. The file was sent to HP and it was resolved the next day. GM makes alot of calibration changes-not good if you take your vehicle back to GM for service for every little thing. The techicians there will just see if the car had any updates and reflash the computer. Then you go home only to see you can't put your tune back int the car. I'm sure HP will work with you to get the issue resolved-it's impossible to keep up with all the calibration updates that GM sends out-just think about how many LS1 vehicles there are.

foff667

iTrader: (2)

another reason to hate 98's in all honesty the only issues I've heard of people having is applying the 98 2 bar incorrectly(ie against the way the help file says to apply it) other then that I havent heard of anything...I flashed my 98 probably 100 times without issue though never did a full rewrite.

If the previous tune in it was already fubar'd it sounds to me like they tried to help you rectify the situation & when it didnt work the way you wanted you want them to bend over backwards to fix the situation.

Hopefully it all works out for you in the end but if you have issues with a 98 computer its usually best to have a dealer reflash it back to stock for you & start fresh.

Alvin

iTrader: (2)

I may be able to save the 98 PCM as I have access to a GM reprogramming bench. It can save a PCM 50% of the time of a write failure.

I have Hptuners and EFIlive and 98 vette. Never used HPTuners on the vette but never had any issues with either.

bmfcamaro

iTrader: (1)

i have never had any problems. i have flashed my 98 many times. it even had a edit tune on it before i started. this is a risk you take when you modify cars.

http://www.hptuners.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2928

this thread explains problems with the 98's.

they are touchy pcm's.
i hope it works out for you.

200MPH

iTrader: (3)

I'm running OLSD in my 98 vette. I've never had a single problem. I love HPT.

bmfcamaro

iTrader: (1)

any news?

animuL

iTrader: (3)

Thanks for all the replies, it helps to know what other peoples experiences are.

Keith has stepped up now and offered to basically refund me the credits I lost and enough to recoup the cost of a new PCM hopefully. With the extra credits I'm going to do a year / make license for the 98 just because knowing that it can be a finnicky PCM, if another one ever gets fried I can save Ken and Keith the emails.

I apologize for getting so frustrated and ranting on here, but sometimes it just seems like thats the only way to get things done, it obviously helped Keith find a problem that would have otherwise been overlooked.

Thanks Keith

Go HPTuners!!!!

tomulrich

iTrader: (2)

I had same exact problem

Needed to purchase new pcm and flash

two weeks ago

Tom

98Z28CobraKiller

iTrader: (17)

I was one of the ones that fried the 98 PCM while changing to the 98 2 bar. The guys at HPT were pretty cool and refunded the credits to me. The weird thing is that I sent the PCM to wait4me to see if he could save it. He said that he fixed it and sent it back. I hooked it up and got the same problem again. I sent it back to him and he said that he could read it just fine yet it doesn't work for me with HPTuners. It also doesn't work when I put it in the car. I turn the key and everyhting happens except for the fuel pump priming. No fuel = no start.

slow

iTrader: (7)

If you throw a P0605 (i think?) checksum code on a 98 pcm, it appears to work fine, but won't start a car, even after you reflash the flash chip manually. (solder and programmer)

I had a couple of PCMs do this on my car a year or more ago doing product development.

Ryan

gameover

yeah they always work fine on the bench, the 98 is "special" in this regard. There is another evil eeprom in there.

Chris...

Super Sport X2

How did you have the exact same problem? Keith only sent one person a file to help fix the one in his VCM that came with a bad checksum (handheld tuner most likely).

People are not following instructions on how to apply the 2bar OS upgrade, are flashing in calibrations from another operating system or doing a write entire when they should be doing a write calibration.

There is another issue of the 98 computer failing to write the flash chip if the vehicle voltage drops during the write process. Again this is not a catastrophe if you use the write calibration only.

These are well publicized end user risks in our help files.


-Ken

phildo

iTrader: (7)

That is the same thing I am dealing with now. No fuel pump prime.