I just bought a f350 a week ago and I do have some other post questions going already but I have a question regarding programming(please read lol)

I loaded SCT canned trans only tune so I could turn off the egr. BUT the truck had less power then what I thought was stock. So this got me thinking
If the truck I bought had an existing tune would the SCT store that file as stock and load SCT's version of the stock file with the trans only option? I returned it to what I thought was stock and it has more punch. So would a programmer think a truck is stock or would it not work because the file in the truck would not be the factory one? I hope that makes sense.

 

If it was tuned and you put another tuner on it , it would say the PCM is VIN locked.

 

Wouldn't the tuner say its vin locked only if the tuner was already mated to another truck? The programmer captures parameters of whatever was loaded as the "stock" tune and reloads it back in when returning to stock or unmarrying the tuner?

 

If you put your tuner on my truck, when accessing the PCM, it will say it's VIN locked. If it didn't lock it, you could stack tune on tune on tune... That won't work.

 

530ktmpilot explained what I was trying to ask much better then I did.
That is exactly my concern.

I did put in the canned 50hp tow and it seems stronger then what was in it. Felt really good and I wish I could keep it that way but I need to keep head gaskets in tact while towing.

 

Thanks WatsonR. I definitely get what your saying it just seems odd that it makes more power then with the SCT trans only tune.

 

He's not asking if using his tuner from another truck will work. We all know once its married to a truck vin, you cant use it on other trucks until it is unmarried. He's asking if the truck had a previous tune left on it (from a previous tuner that didnt return it to stock OR unmarry it) and he bought and installed a brand new tuner, would it say it's locked or just consider that the existing file is the stock one (whether it is or isn't). Im guessing it will read whatever was installed as considered the stock file (since there are a number of strategies that could be installed based on year, options, etc).

There was a post from someone else that mentioned a similar situation and they were able to get a stock file from SCT to reload IIRC. You can also take it to ford and have them flash a stock tune then start over from there (but unmarry the tuner first).

 

Once the truck is tuned by any tuner it's locked. Only the tuner that tuned it can unlock it and put the stock tune back on. That's why it's important to sell the truck with the tuner or pay Ford to flash back to stock.

IDS can flash them and SCT might but I'd be careful of that. Normally they just unlock the tuner by removing the stock tune. Keeps you from tuning trucks over and over for free.

I've been running tuned trucks more than 20 years, once that tune is in, I've never seen another tuner able to unlock the tune except the one that locked it.... except FORD and then they refresh back to stock.

 

The stock tune is just that.
Trans only is stock with improved shifts, holds the shift higher in the RPM to get up to speed. Tow/haul does something similar.
50hp tow is trans plus 50hp combined.. way above stock.

You can switch between tunes without going back to stock once she married to the truck. If you sold the truck and left the 50hp in place another tuner will not think it's the stock tune, even if it's just the trans only tune because it's identified by the VIN. Why is shows that it's VIN locked if you plug any other tuner into the truck... It wants the married tuner back.

Ford or an IDS software can put the stock tune back on the PCM.

SCT normally won't because they really don't know what it had for ECM/PMC/FICM tuning, they normally just remove the stock tune from the tuner you send in and then reload whatever tune was left on the truck. Say you left the 50hp tune on the truck, they replace that tune and delete the stock tune your old truck needed back.

To often hear of good deals on tuners, plug in and it's locked. Last i heard it was $150 to reload the tuner.

 

Did you happen to check to see what strategy is installed in the PCM?

I think I may see where he is going with this.

If you have a new SCT and apply a tune to a truck that has already been tuned
it will not load a "stock" tune over what is already there. This is because it
takes what you have and makes the adjustments to that file and saves a backup
copy of the original file to do the return to stock from.

So you could have a tune not playing well with what ever you happen to have in
the PCM now.

 

Actually, I've tried this before. If the truck was tuned by an SCT tuner and the stock tune is not on the PCM, unless something has changed, it shows it's VIN locked.

It keeps you from stacking the tuner. There is always the chance when going back to stock of corrupts the file, why SCT says they won't be responsible. Had this happen on my F150, cost me a dealer flash, SCT couldn't recover the file.

If two of us bought tuners, we could swap back and forth and max the truck tunes by stacking them... That won't work, tried that! Once an SCT is married to that truck, that tuner is the only one to unlock it.

Now you may be able to mix brands, like a BullyDog, that goes in line or the Juice. Unless they want the VIN program and most do.

All the custom tuners I've ever had wanted the exact VIN and PCM codes. I've been doing these since they came out, early 90s. Diablo, SuperChips, diodes in the MAF, colder T-stat, SCT 9100, and on and on.

I want the program like they run on Street Outlaws. Plug in, change everything and kick some butt!

 

Thanks everyone. Maybe it's the transmission strategy causing it to feel less peppy.

 

When the new tune goes on, it kills the KAM.. Keep Alive Memory. That's all the learned adaptive driving it has stored. It keeps track of how you drive and makes small adjustments based on that information.

 

Rather than create a new thread to clutter things up, figured i'd slide in here and see if any of you SCT/tune smart people know the answer to this question: Can I buy a new SCT tuner, load my old tunes onto it, and have it work?

Truck got stolen by some jackass a few weeks ago, then recovered next day by the sheriff with some damage but not too bad. Guy is going to jail, as he did some other naughty stuff (evaded police, endangered public with some wild escape driving, etc), but his idiocy is my headache: he removed my floor mats (why?), ripped stereo out (now reinstalled, cut wires and all), and other stupid stuff, but he took my SCT tuner and it's nowhere to be found.
I'm stuck in my "street" tune, which is great, but of course am worried about towing. I have the tune files from the SCT tuner I got 10-12 years ago saved on my computer. I need to figure out who wrote those tunes for me... was a source popular on this forum many years ago. (i'll dig in forum archive and see what i can figure out).

But can I just buy a new SCT tuner, load my tunes i have saved onto it, and have it work?

 

Contact SCT, they have always been very helpful for me....might be on hold for awhile but worth it.