2000 k2500 old body style.

[Sledneck48]

Hey everybody... I am having a problem with my 3/4 ton. It came through originally with a 454 i just bought this truck and found this out after hooking up my soulus pro. Well it has a vortec 350 mated to a 4l80e. It ran perfect when I test drove it before buying it, however it shifted firm up through third gear. It came with a superchips programmer 2815. I pluged it in to see what program it was running and it said it was in tow mode. Ok fine but I tried recovering the stock file and it loaded up to 19% then lost communication. Battery voltage was 12.8 volts during recovery. I unplugged the programmer and tried starting the truck and it just cranked and no start. So I believed at this point what happened is I glitched the PCM. I got one today from a salvage yard it said it was out of a 1996 tahoe 5.7 L. I had my doubts but plugged it in and it started... However when I put it in drive it takes off in fourth gear. So my doubts were correct that it wasn't the correct PCM. My question is.... Can I get the correct PCM for this truck that used to have a 454 under the hood but now has a 350 vortec mated to the original 4L80e. Can I give the dealer the numbers off the PCM that I glitched out to get that same PCM new? Does anybody know about this???

 

[badazzbulldog]

you can get your old pcm reflashed at the dealer with the vin off the truck

 

[Sledneck48]

But the vin on the truck is for a 454 and it has a 350 in it now. Wont the calibrations be completely different.

 

[great white]

You might have "bricked" your original PCM.

Your dealer is not going to be able to help you with a new cal for your truck. They're limited to reflashing calibrations tied to vins although the Tech II they use will change the VIN if they want to. The wrong vin is a problem if you have to have your vehicle scanned/smogged where you live. As a minimum, they usually interrogate for trouble codes and correct vin. You're stuck if you go with the dealer unless you slip in the back door with a case of beer and know someone who will flash your PCM the way you want....

You need to find a programmer like Westers Garage (http://westersgarage.eidnet.org/) or Painless Wiring (http://www.painlesswiring.com/webcatalog/largeview.php?SearchField=60700) and have a cal built for your vehicle and flash it into your "bricked" PCM or your new salvage one.

As long as it has the same part number, it will accept the new cal file.

If you're running the "black box" PCM (it literally is painted black), you may have to switch over to a 12200411 PCM which is much more receptive to custom programming. It's quite easy and your reprogrammer should include instructions if you need to go this way. westers garage has broken the code on most black box PCMs.

Your salvage PCM won't run your 4L80E transmission properly as it probably is programmed for a 4L60E. Completely different wiring pin outs and control program.


Better to just phone up a programmer and tell them what you need.

They can flash a bone stock cal with your vin, but they can also do other jammy things like remap the shift points, TCC lockup, turn off the security system, wick up the fuel and timing, etc for pretty much the same price.

Your vin is irrelevant if you go with a reprogrammer. They just flash your vin in with the new cal file. The actual calibration file is not affected by the vin number stored in the PCM, it's in a different hex address.

I could put a 1996 L56 vin in my 1998 L65 when I tune my PCM with Tunercat II and it would work just fine as long as I have the proper calibration file uploaded. The PCM would just report the 1996 vin when interrogated.

As long as you have the correct hardware (IE: pcm part number), you're golden for a custom reflash....

 

[badazzbulldog]

i would tell them it has the 350 they should flash it for that motor or get one used from a 2500 or 3500 with a 350 with a 4l80

 

[Sledneck48]

Wow great information just a couple questions though....the computer that I bricked with my superchips programmer came out of a k2500 and it did work fine other than the fact that it shifted quite firm up to third. Can this PCM be recalibrated or rebuilt? Flashed. I you were me what would you do? I am an inspection mechanic and have many years experience as a technician so inspection stickers are not a problem I just havent done much with programming. So basically my question is can my bricked PCM be useable. The PCM is the black box with the fins on it. It has the four plugs plus the small square plug in the center. What would you do ???

 

[great white]

Not really familiar with superchips programmers.

Do you have a calibration file to upload?

If so, give it a go.

If the PCM is already bricked, what can it hurt?

Sometimes a bricked PCM can be saved, sometimes not. It all depends on where the programmer was when the power was turned off.

My tunercat II program has a PCM recovery option. Basically, if it can talk to the PCM at all, it tries to reload the full program.

Again, no idea on superchips programmer. I think it's just a simple file uploader and that's it, yes?

 

[kn1ght]

Why not just reflash it into tow mode...

 

[Sledneck48]

Where do I find the calibrations file for this set up?? And do I need to buy westers garage tuner to do this? And I'm wondering if I could even communicate to the PCM cause my soulus pro cannot communicate. The check engine lite does not turn on when I switch the key to the on position. However I checked for my powers and grounds at the DLC and all is goods there. So I can't understand why I can't talk with the PCM. Will this hold me up on reflash or reprogramming my PCM, cause I think that's why my superchips " bricked " the PCM in the first place cause it couldn't talk.... And yes it's just a file uploader. Great White help?!

 

[great white]

Westers is gonna cost you around 2 grand for the software/hardware.

I don't think you want to go spend that much do you?

He will sell you the vdf and cal file for your truck for $100. But you need tunercat II to use it.

Even if you get tunercat and the correct vdf it's going to cost you around a grand all said and done.

You could probably buy EFI live and flash a stock calibration in, if you can find a stock cal for free online. Normally, you'd just use EFIlive to read out your stock cal and save it, but you're past that point already with a bricked pcm. Even then, that's still going to come out around a grand.

Sending your salvage PCM out to a reprogrammeris going to cost around 4-500 bucks.

If your superchips uploader wont work, you're hooped for a home fix without some serious cash outlay.

Does your superchips programmer hold a copy of your stock calibration in it? If so, you can try uploading again. Or, you can try uploading into your salvage PCM. Taking your chances on bricking that one too though......

You can try contacting superchips and see if they have any advice to offer. They've probably run across this before...

Try your local dealer and see if they will flash your stock calibration into your new PCM.

At least your truck will run like it used to if nothing else.

That will probably cost you a couple hundred bucks.

They will need the truck there too unless they have the capability to bench flash the PCM. Be prepared for a tow bill, very few have bench flash capability. It's extra cost that few service depts put out when they can just plug into the vehicle.

You can't "talk" to your PCM because the program has probably been corrupted. The computer has "crashed" if that makes more sense.

This probably happened when you unplugged the programmer at 19%.

When a programmer "hangs" the worst thing you can do is turn off power. That stops the PCM right where it is in the reprogramming. Turn it back on and it's like you body trying to run with only 19% of your brain. It just doesn't work.

The one chance would have been to have left the key on and tried to re-initiate an upload.

Too late for that now....

Usually a bricked PCM requires that the flash chip be removed from the board (not for faint of heart, it's surface mount stuff not to mention its all coated in a resin) and either reprogrammed in a chip programmer or a new chip installed. A new chip can't be totally blank either. It at least needs a "bootloader" style program on it to talk to a programmer/obdII uploader.

Sounds like your superchips programmer hooped you. It's gonna cost you at least a couple hundred more to get out of it.

Sorry, that's not the best news......

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