turbo_bu
March 14th, 2012, 04:05 AM
I am investigating setting up a Gen IV engine / transmission for a project and was hoping to minimize my number of gotcha's along the way. The gotchas that I have read about so far include VATs (starter wiring, adding resistors), ETC (matching pedal, TB, etc..) TCM (which year OS), etc... After much reading of the issues that others have run into, it got me thinking that maybe a "Preferred Combo(s) List" might be helpful to others on this forum.
Obviously, you use what you can find, or afford, but, maybe there is a specific setup that you "should" be looking for in the first place. With this background, I figured that the options I was trying to make work would be similar to what most other guys trying to do too.
The basics for a system would be: stand alone (no BCM required), and could work for a stick shift, 4 speed auto or a 6 speed auto. The stick shift would be simple enough (no TCM to worry about) other than it might require finding an OS where you could get a stick shift from the factory. With the 6 speed auto, I think keeping the tap shift capability would also be a requirement. At this point I would like to stay away from trying to add the DOD stuff to the equation. VVT would be nice to keep, but this might also make the matrix of what your looking for get too complex.
With those 3 basic systems in mind (stick shift, A4 and A6), is there any one, or maybe a few combo's that guys should look for? My guess is that the transmission will dictate which combo you are really looking for.
The main thing that should be stressed for which ever combo is suggested is that you must keep everything (or make everything) match up. e.g. ECM, ETC system (from pedal to TB), and that it needs to match the ECM / OS you have choosen. This also implies that if you do not have access to a Tech II that you might need it to full flash the ECM to get it to the exact OS you need to start with. From there, we obviously would be using EFILive to take care of the rest :).
One last request would be to find an OS's which has produced the least issues with VATs patch capability. It would be nice if whatever system(s) were highlighted that it didn't require keeping all the original donor vehicles wiring harness to keep the VATs system happy.
Here's my stab in the dark. Please add any of your suggestions or which combination has worked best for you.
Stick shift:
Either E38 or E67 would work. Maybe the Silverado setups would work, but the newer Camaro and Corvette systems would also work since they had a manual tranny from the factory.
Auto - A4: This is probably be very dependant on whether or not it's a 4L60, 4L70 or 4L80. Again, maybe the Silverado is a good choice depending on which year you choose.
Initial Guess: 2008 Silverado 5.3, 6.2 (E38) + 4L70E (T42)
Auto - A6: Same initial guesses as the A4. I did read that if you use a Corvette TCM OS, you can have tap shifting without a BCM. This could affect which one you start with based on that alone. Also, apparently, the 07-09TCM's are less sensative to throwing codes than the newer ones. This might dictate that a preferred chioce is from an 07-09 setup vs. say a newer 2010+ OS.
Obviously, you use what you can find, or afford, but, maybe there is a specific setup that you "should" be looking for in the first place. With this background, I figured that the options I was trying to make work would be similar to what most other guys trying to do too.
The basics for a system would be: stand alone (no BCM required), and could work for a stick shift, 4 speed auto or a 6 speed auto. The stick shift would be simple enough (no TCM to worry about) other than it might require finding an OS where you could get a stick shift from the factory. With the 6 speed auto, I think keeping the tap shift capability would also be a requirement. At this point I would like to stay away from trying to add the DOD stuff to the equation. VVT would be nice to keep, but this might also make the matrix of what your looking for get too complex.
With those 3 basic systems in mind (stick shift, A4 and A6), is there any one, or maybe a few combo's that guys should look for? My guess is that the transmission will dictate which combo you are really looking for.
The main thing that should be stressed for which ever combo is suggested is that you must keep everything (or make everything) match up. e.g. ECM, ETC system (from pedal to TB), and that it needs to match the ECM / OS you have choosen. This also implies that if you do not have access to a Tech II that you might need it to full flash the ECM to get it to the exact OS you need to start with. From there, we obviously would be using EFILive to take care of the rest :).
One last request would be to find an OS's which has produced the least issues with VATs patch capability. It would be nice if whatever system(s) were highlighted that it didn't require keeping all the original donor vehicles wiring harness to keep the VATs system happy.
Here's my stab in the dark. Please add any of your suggestions or which combination has worked best for you.
Stick shift:
Either E38 or E67 would work. Maybe the Silverado setups would work, but the newer Camaro and Corvette systems would also work since they had a manual tranny from the factory.
Auto - A4: This is probably be very dependant on whether or not it's a 4L60, 4L70 or 4L80. Again, maybe the Silverado is a good choice depending on which year you choose.
Initial Guess: 2008 Silverado 5.3, 6.2 (E38) + 4L70E (T42)
Auto - A6: Same initial guesses as the A4. I did read that if you use a Corvette TCM OS, you can have tap shifting without a BCM. This could affect which one you start with based on that alone. Also, apparently, the 07-09TCM's are less sensative to throwing codes than the newer ones. This might dictate that a preferred chioce is from an 07-09 setup vs. say a newer 2010+ OS.