Is my PCM dead?

[kenkaru]

Laptop decided to hibernate when it was at 100 of 128kb.
It was only off of the mains for a minute and a half!?

In the EFI-L help, it says it should only be a problem if it happens during the first 10 seconds but I keep getting the error that says the cable is disconnected and can't connect to pcm etc. :Throwup:

Anything else I can try? :help2:

Can I upgrade to a '99 pcm?

[Redline Motorsports]

What happens when you hit the test button?

You cannot switch to a 99+ PCM as the 98's are wired differently. You would need to change the gas tank, dash cluster and rewire a bunch of PCM pins.

Howard

[kenkaru]

How to "Test"?
Thanks
Ken

[Biggsy]

When you bring up the screen to flash the PCM it gives you a button on that screen to do a test flash.

[kenkaru]

I was using 7.3.1... I'm DLing 7.3.3 so I'll give it a shot in a few.
Thanks again!

[kenkaru]

Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you!

1. I updated to the lates ver.
2. Still go the error "can not connect to pcm"
3. Got sad
4. clicked "Show PCM info" for kicks
5. got the message about damaged tune
6. went back and ran test
7. got message about damaged tune (it didn't do this before step 4)
8. test failed checksum
9. tried to write cal anyway and it worked!!!
10. car runs again!!

Thanks so very much!!! If not for the suggestion to try the "test" I wouldn't have realized I didn't have the newest version and probably would not have tried the "show info" so it all worked out. Thank you!!!!

Of note: for some reason, when I clicked "Get PCM info", it woke up the PCM enough to make it respond. It was not responding at all when I tried to write before that.

Ken

[ScarabEpic22]

Glad its working!

I have gotten a few errors while flashing my LL8 before, and all of them have left me with a no start condition. Well, to fix this, I just wait until the 15sec conuter hits 0, shut down EFILive, reload my tune, and then flash it again. Always works the 2nd time around, and Ive never been stuck.

[Biggsy]

:cheers:

[jfpilla]

I've had a few dropped connections, but only during logging and before tuning(not during tuning). Each time I had to turn off the key, unplug from the OBD port and the USB port, for it to see the connection again.

[Blacky]

Of note: for some reason, when I clicked "Get PCM info", it woke up the PCM enough to make it respond. It was not responding at all when I tried to write before that.
Ken

The software (bootloader) that EFILive loads into the PCM takes over the PCM and does not allow it to do anything other than communicate with FlashScan for the purposes of reflashing. When flashing a calibration only and the process is aborted early, the bootloader will eventually timeout and terminate after certain conditions are met. By attempting to read the PCM-info, you sped up the timeout process and allowed the PCM to return to "dead-poll" mode sooner.

Dead-poll mode is when the PCM is "brain-dead", i.e. it has no calibration and has extremely limited functionality. Just enough to allow recovery.

Once the PCM is in dead-poll mode, you will see the orange LED on FlashScan (V1 and V2) flash at around 4 times per second - continuously. Attempts to read or flash the PCM when in dead-poll mode will cause the "This PCM does not have a valid calibration" message to be displayed.

Regards
Paul

[kenkaru]

Lots of good info.
Thanks for posting :)