Gear change ecu/pcm reflash

PSKSAM2 · Jan 6, 2004

My good friend bought me a gear set for Christmas. I've been looking around at programmer's and speedcals so that when I get them installed I can change the speedo input accordingly.

I am kind of shying away from a custom chip for warranty reasons, and the speedcal is a little too inelegant for me. Hypertech's Power Programmer III looks nice for reflashing the ECU, but $300 is a little steep just to change the gear ratio (I'd rather not do their tuning and have to start running 93 octane, driving in Jersey is expensive enough).

Does anyone make a small, similar programmer that retains the stock program except for changing the gearing? ie, one where I wouldn't be paying for their time spent developing the performance program. Is there any information on how to build one myself?

-Jim

DeadLurker · Jan 6, 2004

you could always send your computer out to have the gear ratio reflashed into it.

00VERT GT · Jan 6, 2004

Can't you just pull the chip out if you have to take the car in for warrenty work? if not then i think i just screwed myself BIG time with the warrenty.....that could really suck

millatime · Jan 6, 2004

You can pull out the chip but the dealer will still know that it was in there

PSKSAM2 · Jan 6, 2004

DeadLurker said:
you could always send your computer out to have the gear ratio reflashed into it.

Who does that? Or should a decent shop be able to do that?

Milenko · Jan 6, 2004

http://www.dallasmustang.com/index.mvc?Session_ID=1d81dd5166f4fe358c34cbccd9778e78&PROD=9910

NasaGT · Jan 6, 2004

Milenko said:
http://www.dallasmustang.com/index.mvc?Session_ID=1d81dd5166f4fe358c34cbccd9778e78&PROD=9910

No flame intended, but he said he doesn't like the speedcal. I don't think its a very elegant solution either.

I think Cobra Killer does the reflash for $99. Fedex your computer to him, he reflashes, and then sends it back. This is probably the way I'll go when I do gears.

The other problem with the Hypertech PP III is that it only works up to 01' cars I think. They don't have a version for 02 and up.

PSKSAM2 · Jan 6, 2004

Milenko said:
http://www.dallasmustang.com/index.mvc?Session_ID=1d81dd5166f4fe358c34cbccd9778e78&PROD=9910

Thank you for the post, but as I mentioned it's not the answer I was looking for.

PSKSAM2 · Jan 6, 2004

NasaGT said:
No flame intended, but he said he doesn't like the speedcal. I don't think its a very elegant solution either.

I think Cobra Killer does the reflash for $99. Fedex your computer to him, he reflashes, and then sends it back. This is probably the way I'll go when I do gears.

The other problem with the Hypertech PP III is that it only works up to 01' cars I think. They don't have a version for 02 and up.

That's pretty cool, I'll have to check with Tim. I'm thinking of investigating it a little further on my own first. I noticed that OBD-II seems not to define reflashing, which makes sense, as that wasn't the driving force for it. So Ford (and other makers) have put the reflash capability in there. Anyone have any information on Ford's system? Obviously, Ford and Hypertech aren't going to let this one out. Hypertech does have one out for '02's btw. Number 41027. Doesn't seem like all the dealers have it. Some even have the 41005 listed for the 2002 which apparently doesn't work.

It seems like there is a group that did it for the LS1 and made a program called LS1edit (http://www.carputing.com/). Seems expensive ($550, but very powerful), and comparable to Superchips stuff. Anyone seen a beast for Modular Fords at maybe a more reasonable price or at least the info on the standard. I'm an embedded software engineer so I may just take a hack at this.

-Jim

00VERT GT · Jan 6, 2004

millatime said:
You can pull out the chip but the dealer will still know that it was in there

is this true? doesn't the ecu reset itself ?

NasaGT · Jan 6, 2004

PSKSAM2 said:
Hypertech does have one out for '02's btw. Number 41027. Doesn't seem like all the dealers have it. Some even have the 41005 listed for the 2002 which apparently doesn't work.

Sweet. They didn't have that the last time I was on their site. Thanks - thats at least another option.

PSKSAM2 · Jan 6, 2004

00VERT GT said:
is this true? doesn't the ecu reset itself ?

From what I've read here, a Ford Tech can see scratch marks on the stock pins from unplugging it and replugging it back in. I don't know for sure, so I'm trying not to mess with it. I didn't want to mess with the A/F anyway so I really just wanted to find out if there was a way to reprogram only the gear ratio with the rest of the stock program.

NasaGT said:
Sweet. They didn't have that the last time I was on their site. Thanks - thats at least another option.

They're site isn't consistent. In some places they mention it, in others they don't. Here are the two I noticed it in:

http://www.hypertech.com/fordfeaturechart.html

http://www.hypertech.com/pdf/newpntab.pdf

-Jim

trublustallion · Jan 6, 2004

whats so bad about the SpeedCal? you seem to want to have all the problems we people that Autos got. You have it easy, id say just buy it, i wish i could, i didnt wanna have to put up with sending my computer anywhere, or chipping, etc... i simply dont really get what you are trying to do by making it harder on yourself, or whats wrong with the SpeedCal first of all?

PSKSAM2 · Jan 6, 2004

trublustallion said:
whats so bad about the SpeedCal? you seem to want to have all the problems we people that Autos got. You have it easy, id say just buy it, i wish i could, i didnt wanna have to put up with sending my computer anywhere, or chipping, etc... i simply dont really get what you are trying to do by making it harder on yourself, or whats wrong with the SpeedCal first of all?

It's the principle of the thing. I can tell that NasaGT knows what I mean. The Speedcal is good, and I'm sure it will work, but I hate to put an extra box on a car that is equipped with a computer that can handle a gear change. It's like wearing an extra pair of underwear. Sure it'll keep your boys in the right spot, but isn't it going to be a little warm? Ok, maybe that's not the best analogy, but it's the best I can do on 2 beers.

If a Ford dealer would reflash that option for $50 I'd do it in a heartbeat. If learning how to do it myself takes me a couple of months and a few hundred bucks, I'm cool with that too. Especially because I could sell the answer.

-Jim

NasaGT · Jan 6, 2004

That's a pretty good analogy if you ask me.

The speedcal works and all but its a kludge if you ask me. The ECU has settings for the gears and tire sizes, why not use them?

Seems like someone should be able to figure this out and do it for cheaper than $100. I hope you can figure this out PSKSAM2. I'm sure we could if we could find an EEC-V manual/ICD.

trublustallion · Jan 6, 2004

PSKSAM2 said:
It's the principle of the thing. I can tell that NasaGT knows what I mean. The Speedcal is good, and I'm sure it will work, but I hate to put an extra box on a car that is equipped with a computer that can handle a gear change. It's like wearing an extra pair of underwear. Sure it'll keep your boys in the right spot, but isn't it going to be a little warm? Ok, maybe that's not the best analogy, but it's the best I can do on 2 beers.

If a Ford dealer would reflash that option for $50 I'd do it in a heartbeat. If learning how to do it myself takes me a couple of months and a few hundred bucks, I'm cool with that too. Especially because I could sell the answer.

-Jim

well. i guess, good luck though

PSKSAM2 · Jan 6, 2004

NasaGT said:
That's a pretty good analogy if you ask me.

The speedcal works and all but its a kludge if you ask me. The ECU has settings for the gears and tire sizes, why not use them?

Seems like someone should be able to figure this out and do it for cheaper than $100. I hope you can figure this out PSKSAM2. I'm sure we could if we could find an EEC-V manual/ICD.

Thanks. Yeah, an ICD would be awesome. Maybe I can pay off a Ford Engineer somewhere.

-Jim

NewEngPatsFan · Jan 7, 2004

Ford could not reflash the ECU for 3.73s

Having installed my 3.73s just a few weeks ago, I also tried to have my ECU reflashed to correct the speedometer. I thought it would be a much cleaner installation that way. Only the local SVT Ford dealers even knew what I was talking about, and I did hook up with the tech shop foreman at one of them. When I brought my car in, he tried to (according to him) download the instructions for reflashing the ECU for the 3.73 gears, only to find out that the programming instructions wouldn't let him input anything higher than a 3.29 ratio. If he could have programmed the ECU, the cost would have been 1 hrs. labor, or $85.

I ended up getting a SpeedCal from Dallas Mustang, on his recommendation nonetheless! It worked flawlessly, and while checking it against the mile markers on the highway, I found out that the factory calibration was under by about 2%, so I ended up correcting that as well.

BTW, I *love* the gears...they really give the car a totally different personality...Now I get to look at the car in the garage for umteen weeks since it turned colder and snowed today

Spazilton · Jan 7, 2004

Superchips makes a Programmer for 2003 GT's

http://www.superchips.com/html/products/ford/cars.htm

cobra killer · Jan 7, 2004

You can flash up to a 519 gear in the EEC.......There are two switches..One for gear ratio and one for gear ratio change.

Tim

Gear change ecu/pcm reflash

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