HP tuners cooked my 1998 VCM
05-26-2009, 10:34 PM
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HP tuners cooked my 1998 VCM This is a warning to all of you who have a 1998 and want to use HP Tuners COS 2bar... DO NOT DO IT!!
This is some bullshit, but **** happens so I cant complain too much, I am not bashing HP Tuners in anyway, the 1998 computer SUCKS in many ways, but now it just sucks this much more!!! WTF?
Its throwing a P0601, which means replace the computer...
This is just a warning to all of you who have 1998s and want to do the 2bar SD OS. There are many threads on this, and how not to do it, I felt like maybe it wouldnt happen to me, but it did..
This is some bullshit, but **** happens so I cant complain too much, I am not bashing HP Tuners in anyway, the 1998 computer SUCKS in many ways, but now it just sucks this much more!!! WTF?
Its throwing a P0601, which means replace the computer...
This is just a warning to all of you who have 1998s and want to do the 2bar SD OS. There are many threads on this, and how not to do it, I felt like maybe it wouldnt happen to me, but it did..
05-27-2009, 07:32 AM
#2
Yeah 98's don't report the vcm os id number so if you do a write calibration only with a 2 bar file, but this is the same with any file or software package for that matter, if you take your friends file & try to do a write calibration only to your 98 pcm you will fry it.
-Bill
-Bill
05-27-2009, 08:08 AM
#3
I have used that OS on probably 50 cars in the last 2 years and have NEVER bricked a PCM.
You ONLY EVER flash back with exactly what you pulled out. 98 files are not interchangeable (some may be, but if you use that as a rule it keeps you out of trouble) so you only work with the PCM's actual image and you use write entire and write cal at times that are appropriate.
You ONLY EVER flash back with exactly what you pulled out. 98 files are not interchangeable (some may be, but if you use that as a rule it keeps you out of trouble) so you only work with the PCM's actual image and you use write entire and write cal at times that are appropriate.
05-27-2009, 11:49 AM
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I have used that OS on probably 50 cars in the last 2 years and have NEVER bricked a PCM.
You ONLY EVER flash back with exactly what you pulled out. 98 files are not interchangeable (some may be, but if you use that as a rule it keeps you out of trouble) so you only work with the PCM's actual image and you use write entire and write cal at times that are appropriate.
You ONLY EVER flash back with exactly what you pulled out. 98 files are not interchangeable (some may be, but if you use that as a rule it keeps you out of trouble) so you only work with the PCM's actual image and you use write entire and write cal at times that are appropriate.
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05-27-2009, 01:46 PM
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I hope, Brian, that you can get your issues sorted out with as few headaches and heartaches as possible. I'm not taking sides on this issue (who's/what fault resulted in the dead PCM), but for the sake of information on this forum, and for those who are new to tuning and/or flashing PCMs...
Most common reasons ECM/PCM goes dead when flashing/reprogramming...
1. Interupted communication between flash tool and ECM (eg; knocked the interface cable accidentally, or perhaps a bad or intermittent connection between OBD II port and cable...it happens!)
2. Low battery power. Vehicle battery power must be AT LEAST 12.4 Volts before attempting to program.
3. Charging battery while programming ECM. (ECM communication DOES NOT hold up well when a switching-power-supply-type charger is hooked up to the car...this includes most battery tenders. DO NOT charge the battery during programming!)
4. Excessive parasitic current draw in the vehicle during programming (daytime running lights, fog lights, stereo equipment, GPS, accessories, etc...disconnect the fuses of above components to ensure proper communication with the ECM)
5. Bad ground connection. ALWAYS check the ground connection on OBD II connectors and the vehicle battery before programming. If the battery ground is in good condition, verify that Pins 4 & 5 of the OBD II connector have a good ground as well. Perform a voltage-drop test directly to the battery negative terminal. Voltage drop should be LESS THAN 50 millivolts.
I worked for an automotive remanufacturing company for a loooong time remanufacturing PCMs (over 7000 units per week at our busiest) and can confidently tell you that the Delphi PCMs GM installed in their vehicles from 1993 onward are among the best in ANY car. The only company that can come close to this reliability record on such scale is Denso. It's sad commentary to say that "this PCM or that PCM" is known to be bad when the minor errors that occur causing a PCM to go bad are, 99.9% of the time, HUMAN errors. I'm not judging Brian, just making sure that anyone reading this thread understands the potential issues when programming and hopefully takes appropriate preventative measures. Tuning software (of any brand) is easy to blame, as is the PCM. And short cuts are what most of us take most of the time. Take the above precautions instead and drive happy.
Most common reasons ECM/PCM goes dead when flashing/reprogramming...
1. Interupted communication between flash tool and ECM (eg; knocked the interface cable accidentally, or perhaps a bad or intermittent connection between OBD II port and cable...it happens!)
2. Low battery power. Vehicle battery power must be AT LEAST 12.4 Volts before attempting to program.
3. Charging battery while programming ECM. (ECM communication DOES NOT hold up well when a switching-power-supply-type charger is hooked up to the car...this includes most battery tenders. DO NOT charge the battery during programming!)
4. Excessive parasitic current draw in the vehicle during programming (daytime running lights, fog lights, stereo equipment, GPS, accessories, etc...disconnect the fuses of above components to ensure proper communication with the ECM)
5. Bad ground connection. ALWAYS check the ground connection on OBD II connectors and the vehicle battery before programming. If the battery ground is in good condition, verify that Pins 4 & 5 of the OBD II connector have a good ground as well. Perform a voltage-drop test directly to the battery negative terminal. Voltage drop should be LESS THAN 50 millivolts.
I worked for an automotive remanufacturing company for a loooong time remanufacturing PCMs (over 7000 units per week at our busiest) and can confidently tell you that the Delphi PCMs GM installed in their vehicles from 1993 onward are among the best in ANY car. The only company that can come close to this reliability record on such scale is Denso. It's sad commentary to say that "this PCM or that PCM" is known to be bad when the minor errors that occur causing a PCM to go bad are, 99.9% of the time, HUMAN errors. I'm not judging Brian, just making sure that anyone reading this thread understands the potential issues when programming and hopefully takes appropriate preventative measures. Tuning software (of any brand) is easy to blame, as is the PCM. And short cuts are what most of us take most of the time. Take the above precautions instead and drive happy.
05-27-2009, 01:56 PM
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I hope, Brian, that you can get your issues sorted out with as few headaches and heartaches as possible. I'm not taking sides on this issue (who's/what fault resulted in the dead PCM), but for the sake of information on this forum, and for those who are new to tuning and/or flashing PCMs...
Most common reasons ECM/PCM goes dead when flashing/reprogramming...
1. Interupted communication between flash tool and ECM (eg; knocked the interface cable accidentally, or perhaps a bad or intermittent connection between OBD II port and cable...it happens!) Made sure to not move anything at all, I set the laptop in the passenger seat and NO cords touch me... Im a electronics engineer so I know the potential problems.
2. Low battery power. Vehicle battery power must be AT LEAST 12.4 Volts before attempting to program.EC_Tune told me about this, so I always make sure I have proper voltage, which I did.
3. Charging battery while programming ECM. (ECM communication DOES NOT hold up well when a switching-power-supply-type charger is hooked up to the car...this includes most battery tenders. DO NOT charge the battery during programming!) No battery charger.
4. Excessive parasitic current draw in the vehicle during programming (daytime running lights, fog lights, stereo equipment, GPS, accessories, etc...disconnect the fuses of above components to ensure proper communication with the ECM) No lights on as door was shut.
5. Bad ground connection. ALWAYS check the ground connection on OBD II connectors and the vehicle battery before programming. If the battery ground is in good condition, verify that Pins 4 & 5 of the OBD II connector have a good ground as well. Perform a voltage-drop test directly to the battery negative terminal. Voltage drop should be LESS THAN 50 millivolts.
Didnt check this, but never had a problem with the hundred or so writes before i did the 2 bar.
I worked for an automotive remanufacturing company for a loooong time remanufacturing PCMs (over 7000 units per week at our busiest) and can confidently tell you that the Delphi PCMs GM installed in their vehicles from 1993 onward are among the best in ANY car. The only company that can come close to this reliability record on such scale is Denso. It's sad commentary to say that "this PCM or that PCM" is known to be bad when the minor errors that occur causing a PCM to go bad are, 99.9% of the time, HUMAN errors. I'm not judging Brian, just making sure that anyone reading this thread understands the potential issues when programming and hopefully takes appropriate preventative measures. Tuning software (of any brand) is easy to blame, as is the PCM. And short cuts are what most of us take most of the time. Take the above precautions instead and drive happy.
Most common reasons ECM/PCM goes dead when flashing/reprogramming...
1. Interupted communication between flash tool and ECM (eg; knocked the interface cable accidentally, or perhaps a bad or intermittent connection between OBD II port and cable...it happens!) Made sure to not move anything at all, I set the laptop in the passenger seat and NO cords touch me... Im a electronics engineer so I know the potential problems.
2. Low battery power. Vehicle battery power must be AT LEAST 12.4 Volts before attempting to program.EC_Tune told me about this, so I always make sure I have proper voltage, which I did.
3. Charging battery while programming ECM. (ECM communication DOES NOT hold up well when a switching-power-supply-type charger is hooked up to the car...this includes most battery tenders. DO NOT charge the battery during programming!) No battery charger.
4. Excessive parasitic current draw in the vehicle during programming (daytime running lights, fog lights, stereo equipment, GPS, accessories, etc...disconnect the fuses of above components to ensure proper communication with the ECM) No lights on as door was shut.
5. Bad ground connection. ALWAYS check the ground connection on OBD II connectors and the vehicle battery before programming. If the battery ground is in good condition, verify that Pins 4 & 5 of the OBD II connector have a good ground as well. Perform a voltage-drop test directly to the battery negative terminal. Voltage drop should be LESS THAN 50 millivolts.
Didnt check this, but never had a problem with the hundred or so writes before i did the 2 bar.
I worked for an automotive remanufacturing company for a loooong time remanufacturing PCMs (over 7000 units per week at our busiest) and can confidently tell you that the Delphi PCMs GM installed in their vehicles from 1993 onward are among the best in ANY car. The only company that can come close to this reliability record on such scale is Denso. It's sad commentary to say that "this PCM or that PCM" is known to be bad when the minor errors that occur causing a PCM to go bad are, 99.9% of the time, HUMAN errors. I'm not judging Brian, just making sure that anyone reading this thread understands the potential issues when programming and hopefully takes appropriate preventative measures. Tuning software (of any brand) is easy to blame, as is the PCM. And short cuts are what most of us take most of the time. Take the above precautions instead and drive happy.
I know its not their fault, I am just hoping they can help me out as I am really not trying to tune ANOTHER car. 
05-27-2009, 02:04 PM
#12
To add to Dan...
This can happen also if you pulled your file, made a 2-bar file up, and then failed to do a write-entire on the first flash and chose update calibration which just writes data tables... Also if you get a failure during a write-entire the PCM could be bricked.
I have never had one fail that was not recoverable with my own HPT setup.
Best of luck and let us know what you find out.
This can happen also if you pulled your file, made a 2-bar file up, and then failed to do a write-entire on the first flash and chose update calibration which just writes data tables... Also if you get a failure during a write-entire the PCM could be bricked.
I have never had one fail that was not recoverable with my own HPT setup.
Best of luck and let us know what you find out.
05-27-2009, 02:31 PM
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To add to Dan...
This can happen also if you pulled your file, made a 2-bar file up, and then failed to do a write-entire on the first flash and chose update calibration which just writes data tables... Also if you get a failure during a write-entire the PCM could be bricked.
I have never had one fail that was not recoverable with my own HPT setup.
Best of luck and let us know what you find out.
This can happen also if you pulled your file, made a 2-bar file up, and then failed to do a write-entire on the first flash and chose update calibration which just writes data tables... Also if you get a failure during a write-entire the PCM could be bricked.
I have never had one fail that was not recoverable with my own HPT setup.
Best of luck and let us know what you find out.
05-27-2009, 07:33 PM
#16
Sounds like a write calibration, with the 2 bar applied, causing the checksum to be toast, and the pcm dead.
Caleditor, do you know how to recover a 98 pcm from this error? I have an eeprom programmer, and can recover the 44pin flash chip from a failed flash without issues, however on a 98 pcm, if you throw a P0601 code, there is an eeprom or other memory chip that throws a permanant fault preventing the injectors from firing. Even if a known good flash chip is installed, or you flash a new file, and no DTC's are thrown, the pcm still won't provide fuel.
I have 2 98 pcms that have been toasted with file issues in the past that I would like to recover.
Thanks,
Ryan
Caleditor, do you know how to recover a 98 pcm from this error? I have an eeprom programmer, and can recover the 44pin flash chip from a failed flash without issues, however on a 98 pcm, if you throw a P0601 code, there is an eeprom or other memory chip that throws a permanant fault preventing the injectors from firing. Even if a known good flash chip is installed, or you flash a new file, and no DTC's are thrown, the pcm still won't provide fuel.
I have 2 98 pcms that have been toasted with file issues in the past that I would like to recover.
Thanks,
Ryan
05-28-2009, 02:03 AM
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ok... thanks a lot man... I mean I am willing to provide a corpse haha.... Id really appreciate you guys working with me in this unfortunate situation
Last edited by brianfromhawaii; 05-28-2009 at 02:27 AM.
05-28-2009, 12:23 PM
#20
Sounds like a write calibration, with the 2 bar applied, causing the checksum to be toast, and the pcm dead.
Caleditor, do you know how to recover a 98 pcm from this error? I have an eeprom programmer, and can recover the 44pin flash chip from a failed flash without issues, however on a 98 pcm, if you throw a P0601 code, there is an eeprom or other memory chip that throws a permanant fault preventing the injectors from firing. Even if a known good flash chip is installed, or you flash a new file, and no DTC's are thrown, the pcm still won't provide fuel.
I have 2 98 pcms that have been toasted with file issues in the past that I would like to recover.
Thanks,
Ryan
Caleditor, do you know how to recover a 98 pcm from this error? I have an eeprom programmer, and can recover the 44pin flash chip from a failed flash without issues, however on a 98 pcm, if you throw a P0601 code, there is an eeprom or other memory chip that throws a permanant fault preventing the injectors from firing. Even if a known good flash chip is installed, or you flash a new file, and no DTC's are thrown, the pcm still won't provide fuel.
I have 2 98 pcms that have been toasted with file issues in the past that I would like to recover.
Thanks,
Ryan
Now I own Some TunerCat, JET DST & JET DDST, Wester's DDT, EFILive, HPT, and TIS. I can tell you that I have flashed all sorts of files into a PCM just to learn how to recover the PCM. I have used several methods.
I think Wester's offer this as a service.
