Did you have to give the chip seller your PCM code before you bought the chip?

 

Cody,
Maybe you can clear something up for all of us since you know a thing or two about tuning these trucks. Is the chip burned to a specific PCM code or is it just for the injector size, transmission, etc? Obviously someone who knows what they are doing can determine this information from the PCM code, but will identical trucks with different PCM codes run on the same chip without having it re-burned for their specific PCM code? No one seems to be able to answer this question, but I was hoping that since you do this for a living you could shed some light on the subject.

 

Cody, this is from my own personal experience with my 96 F350. I bought a chip from a friend, and had Cale burn me some tunes for a dyno day. I got the chip back the evening before the dyno day. So, in the parking lot at the dyno I pulled the PCM, opened it up, cleaned the contacts taking care not to over clean them (not my first chip install). Plug the chip in... no start. In any setting. Pull the chip... bam, fires right up.
Call Cale, he looks at the files and says ah ****, I messed up on your tunes, I'll re-write them and email them to you so you can have it burned (one of the guys at the dyno had a burner). Get the email, haul **** to the guys house, re-burn the chip, plug it in... no start in any setting. Unplug the chip... bam, fires right up.
So no, I'm not jumping to conclusions, I'm speaking from experience.

 

Nate, I looked at a couple of sites that sell TS chips and found that they don't require PCM codes to place the order.
Here is a link for Advanced TS Performance 6 Position Chip
I think the other one I looked at was Thoroughbred Diesel. Maybe the TS chips are so generic they don't require the PCM code.

 

See I have heard both sides of the issue before as well. Some say it is PCM code specific, others say they are not. That is why I was hoping that Cody can straighten me out on this. Since he tunes these things as a profession, I figured he would know.

 

IDK, I have been tempted to order the 6 pos TS chip many times because it is less $$$$$. It maybe one of those cases where you get what you pay for.
IIRC all of the real chip burners require the PCM code, all of your performance mods/and maybe future mods if desired, so they are really burned to your specs. That is why their burns/chips cost more. Cody should be able to clear this up though.

 

Yes, that is exactly what I got. TS performance. Yes, it was cheaper. But here's a little story FYI

I ordered is the first week of November. No PCM code was required. I just told them its a stock truck, (for all intensive purposes) End of Dec, it finally arrived but it was the WRONG one!!! Some guy messaged me on facebook saying that he got my chip and i got his. I called and called the company leaving messages, and early January, they finally got back to me and emailed me a shipping label. End of Jan. i finally received this one, which was labeled as the correct one for my truck...

So I would not recommend getting it from them if you can afford something else...


In response to some people's comments on the chip connector, I can post a few pics later but they use brass-plated contacts that are spring-loaded and they fit real tight on the PCM board.

I am hesitant to rule out the idea that i have a contact issue, I can take some pics when i get around to taking it apart again for the 10th time...

I am at the point where I want to just throw it on the road and do a burnout on top of it...
But i will probably just take it back and save my money for a real one that is burned specifically to my truck.

Thanks for your help guys!

Trev

 

You can keep that chip[ and send it to a custom tuner to have custom tunes loaded onto the chip too. If, that is, you can get it to work on your truck.

 

Yes they will. The chip over rides everything in the pcm. I have ran a TDE1 chip in an NAW4, TDE0, NAW6 and ALF4 pcm. it worked great in all but the ALF4 because the chip is an auto chip and the ALF4 was in a 5-speed truck so it loped at start-up.

 

I've never played with tuners or chips...so take this with a grain of salt...we used to build computers by the part...no built in modems video cards etc...they were all add on to the motherboard...and they all had coated connectors...we used rubber pencil erasers to clean the contacts...is gentle on metal but took the coating off really well...hth

 

I'm going to see if I can get this typed out before I go to work......

Here's the deal:

The TS-Performance style chips, being 4-bank chips (just like the DP-Tuner offerings), are, AND ARE NOT, PCM specific. By that, I mean the chips do not have to exactly match the PCM code but they almost always have to match the PCM HARDWARE code.

For example, most tuning companies will use one specific base strategy (PCM code) for an individual family of trucks. A short run down would be:

• 1995-1997 Manual
• 1995-1997 Auto
• 1997 Manual CA
• 1997 Auto CA
• E1999 Manual
• E1999 Auto
• 1999.5-2001 Manual
• 1999.5-2001 Auto
• 2001 Manual (APX0 or APX1)
• 2002-2003 Manual
• 2002-2003 Auto

What it boils down to is PCM HARDWARE family. There are also vans and Excursions to think about as well because they also use their own specific strategies (HEX codes).

Now, if from personal experience, every time a new chip install wouldn't work it turned out to be an incorrect burn on the chip, EVERY internet forum and EVERY tech support phone call a chip vendor would get would be a no-start after install. Thankfully, rarely is an incorrect burn the case and it boils down to improper installation 99% of the time (which is also frustrating as all heck because it's ALWAYS the tuning company's fault initially). "Did you follow the instructions that came with the chip?" Usually, the answer is "No, as soon as I got it, I just took out my parking brake and put it in."

I have cleaned HUNDREDS of PCMs and I have also received DOZENS of them from customers who thought they had a chip problem and sent their PCMs in to be checked. I'd hate to see some of these folks' houses if they think that their J3 contacts were clean...... "I found your problem. You didn't take the PCM out/apart, did you?" "No, I thought I scrubbed good enough even though I couldn't see very well." Heck, I've had PCMs come in with near ground-off contacts on one side that hadn't been touched on the other.

I have NEVER had a chip install not work the first time after cleaning. Granted, most chips come with Scotch-Brite which by itself will NEVER, EVER do a good job of cleaning the contacts. It can be done, but there are much better ways to do it. Six minutes at the most for me anymore (yes, I was bored and timed it). That includes retinning as well........

So to answer your question:

Yes, chips ARE PCM specific but not so much for the PCM box code or base strategy....usually just the PCM hardware family.

Time to go to work.

 

Excellent post. That is the most comprehensive explanation that I have heard from anyone on this subject.

Let me summarize what I think you are saying so I can make sure I am understanding this subject correctly (I like knowing how and why things work).

It sounds to me like different tuners select their own base strategies, but generally there is a consensus on one widely accepted base strategy for each hardware family (I would guess that this is typically the latest code for each respective hardware family). Most tuners use that common base strategy as their foundation on which to build their custom tunes for a given hardware family and then tweak things from there.

So in theory, if one were to try to swap a custom tuned chip from one truck to another that was the same hardware family (ie, OBS 7.3 with an automatic) things should work just fine even if the original PCM code wasn't the same between the two trucks. I know that doesnt account for differences in the modifications that have been accounted for in teh custom programming, but the base programming is essentially the same.

Am I getting that right?

Also, As I understand it, to take a custom burned chip from a different hardware family (e.g. an OBS PSD Cali model) and to plug that chip into a truck from a different hardware family (OBS PSD Fed model) it may or may not work. Correct?

Once again, thanks for setting us straight on this subject. Reps sent.

 

My only point in sharing my experience was that yes, you can get a chip that wasn't burned correctly. Chit happens, mistakes are made.

 

OK, so after all the great info about chips, what is the proper way to clean the pcm contacts, what is the proper tool to use?
What is the most popular company that everyone is using?

 

The real trick is to not over clean the contacts. On an unmolested PCM I like to scrape what I can off with my finger nail, then use a small piece of Scotch Brite to remove whats left until I just start to notice the Scotch Brite scratching the tin plating on the pins.