Need Help Unlocking PCM
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Teching In
Joined: May 2002
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From: TEXAS
Need Help Unlocking PCM A friend of mine just bought wrecked 2001 Camaro and pulled the engine and trans out of it to install in his C4 Corvette. The problem is that the previous owner used an HP tuners custom operating system and apparently the software takes is upon itself to lock the PCM. The previous owner swears he did not have the PCM locked. Can anyone unlock the PCM or is it junk? (Original tuner moved and we haven't been able to locate him.)
If it is not locked to the cable,
someone with HPT can read it and migrate the tune over to a stock OS
or just upload a stock OS and tune.
This way it will be readable with other software/hardware.
A new PCM will probably be cheaper tho.
someone with HPT can read it and migrate the tune over to a stock OS
or just upload a stock OS and tune.
This way it will be readable with other software/hardware.
A new PCM will probably be cheaper tho.
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: May 2002
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From: TEXAS
I agree, buying a new PCM is probably cheaper, but we just hate to throw away a perfectly good PCM and would like to find a solution.
You should be able to take the PCM to a dealer and have them put the correct base tune back into it with the SPS. I know they can dump cals into dead boxes anyways. If not, I have a PCM here for $100
No, locking it to a cable means that that cable can be used to reflash it. In this case, the PCM is locked so that nobody can read it if unless they have the unlock key. Some tuners do this to protect their tunes, but in this case, it appears to be some HP tuners' nonsense that automatically locks the PCM if one of their custom operating systems is flashed in. I've checked with a few other people and this seems to be the case.
-Bill
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Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: May 2002
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From: TEXAS
We've tried LS1Edit, HP tuners and EFILive, and none of them can even read the PCM, let alone reprogram it. That bit about locking the custom operating systems so HPtuners can stay in business is nonsense. EFILive doesn't feel the necessity to lock their custom operating systems.
This deal has really gotten me steamed. All this locking nonsense does is make things more difficult for the average guy. I'm pretty sure than any serious programmer can work around the lock. I think I know just the guy to do it. We'll soon find out.
This deal has really gotten me steamed. All this locking nonsense does is make things more difficult for the average guy. I'm pretty sure than any serious programmer can work around the lock. I think I know just the guy to do it. We'll soon find out.
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Its because we don't want our work stolen, we put thousands of man hours every year into creating our custom operating systems, real time tuning for the stock pcm, etc. If people could read these out and view them in hex it would be too easy to steal our hard work. That "nonsense" is so that we stay in business.
Which renders the box 'locked' to only use HP Tuners.....
Anyone who is smart enough to read one of your files out and view it in hex is not going to be stopped by your lock. It amounts to a minor annoyance for those kinds of people.
And I am guessing the HP Tuners user would have to purchase 'credits' to return said box back to stock, if they aren't the original programmer? Essentially unless you are able to get around the lock, or pay your fee for more credits, the box is totally useless, unless the customer is using HP Tuners.
Which renders the box 'locked' to only use HP Tuners.
Last edited by foff667; Sep 3, 2009 at 06:04 PM.
We've tried LS1Edit, HP tuners and EFILive, and none of them can even read the PCM, let alone reprogram it. That bit about locking the custom operating systems so HPtuners can stay in business is nonsense. EFILive doesn't feel the necessity to lock their custom operating systems.
This deal has really gotten me steamed. All this locking nonsense does is make things more difficult for the average guy. I'm pretty sure than any serious programmer can work around the lock. I think I know just the guy to do it. We'll soon find out.
This deal has really gotten me steamed. All this locking nonsense does is make things more difficult for the average guy. I'm pretty sure than any serious programmer can work around the lock. I think I know just the guy to do it. We'll soon find out.
Like Bill said if none of the above software will read it then it has been locked by the prior tuner. Nothing software related.
Side note. If HPT is used for a COS on a vehicle, only HPT can read it. Same goes for EFILive.
Side note. If HPT is used for a COS on a vehicle, only HPT can read it. Same goes for EFILive.
Actually if you are using a Custom OS from EFI Live ANY software will still read it... It might not be able to 'understand' it or edit it, but it can still do a read. Also the dealership can still write the PCM back to stock if the end user needs to return the PCM to stock for whatever reason. Your PCM isn't basterdized to just a HPT Cable.
Sure anyone with the license for that vcm could put it back to stock, similar to any situation where someone with an efilive custom os would want to go back to stock, the new interface would need to licence the file, nothing abnormal there. Anyone with a year/model for that vehicle could do it without even using any credits, same with a tunershop license.
Protecting what??? Market share????
Don't want to argue but I'm 99% sure efilive custom OS's look like a locked controller to other software. I had a couple customers ask me why their pcm was locked after I did a custom OS on them with EFIlive.
EFI Live doesn't alter the standard GM seed/key relationship unless the tuner chooses to do so. The PCM can still be written to by a GM dealer or a full flash can be done with another piece of software. Other software packages might not know what to do with the file, but the PCM can still be restored without using EFI Live.
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 18
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From: TEXAS
Teching In
Joined: Feb 2005
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From: North America
Interesting issue- I don' buy the "getting our work stolen" deal. Anyone smart enough to work around the lock is smart enough to write his own code. EFILive doesn't put these types of constraints on its customers. Guess it's a matter of corporate policy and confidence in the product.
