E38 Flashing tips.....

[swingtan]

Hi All,

here are 2 major tricks I've found when flashing the E38 PCM. Please note that these are for the Holden based cars and may not work on others......



For VZ based vehicles, you can access the PCM with the ignition set to "accessory" rather than run ( reds on ). Both reads and writes to the PCM are available. Flashing the PCM in this mode gives a clean write with no dash warnings or errors during or after the flash.
In some ( if not all ) VE based vehicles, you can write to the PCM with the ignition "OFF", but to read it you need to have the ignition set to at least accessories. Flashing the PCM with the ignition off was a surprise to me. I didn't realise I'd done it till I went to turn the ignition off and it already was. To confirm the write, I read the same tune back out and compared it to the tune I was trying to write, both matched. When I did the flash with the ignition off, I got no warnings or errors during or after the flash process.

[hymey]

Mine will only flash when switched to accessories.

[GMPX]

It's because these days, off is not really off, the systems stay alive for a while after the key is off. I would not recommend programming with the key off :shock:
hymey, there should be no issue programming with the key all the way to on, what problems do you have?

Cheers,
Ross

[swingtan]

Yes, I did think of the "delayed off" setting. And this is probably why it works on the VE. The VZ one though is certainly not the "delayed off" setting as it works when the car has not been "on" for a very long time ( say over night ). The problems I have seen when flashing with the ignition on are...


ABS failure / warning alarms
TCS failure / warning alarms
After turning off, the first restart brings up a VATS failure alarm.


These only occur if the PCM is flashed with the ignition "on". Flashing with the ignition in accessories sees no alarms on the VZ.

The VE's show similar alerts and usually include an ESP failure / warning as well. And may occur even with the ignition set to accessories. When I did get the flash done with the ignition off, I got no errors at all. that being said though, I think I'll check twice from now on ;) The last ting I want is for the PCM to time out half way through a flash and power down it's self down.....

[hymey]

No problems Ross, I was just saying that my car wont flash with the ignition off. I just go to the first click.

[GMPX]

ABS failure / warning alarms
TCS failure / warning alarms
After turning off, the first restart brings up a VATS failure alarm.I would expect these as all the modules are taken off line.
But at the end of the reflash ALL DTC's are automatically cleared which should reset all those modules.

Cheers,
Ross

[ringram]

Just flashed mine in accessory rather than ignition mode by mistake as well.
Seems fine, even nicer because I dont get all the dials going haywire, warning bells, abs errors etc.
However I dont think Ill be doing too often just in case..
Mine is an 07 VE E38 HSV

[hymey]

my car has been flashed more than 20 times and i always flash on accessories.

[OLS108]

I flashed an E38 VZ with an L98 on reds and it cracked the shits.. would throw codes for ABS and immobilizer etc. and when flashing in the auto tune it was worse.. the dash would flash between PWR and normal mode non stop etc. after speaking with Jezzab and Swingtan it was decided not to flash with Reds on again. after doing it with accessories on, Ive never had a drama.

[ringram]

Sounds tempting to keep doing it that way then :)

[swingtan]

Well Ill take a guess that I've performed over 100 flashes on the E38 ECM with the vast majority on Accessory. With most of my logging now, I start the log with the ignition on accessory as well so I can read all the changes as the ECM comes to life on the reds. The fact that flashing on accessory does not bring up all the alarms is great, though the look on peoples faces as you start the flash on their car, only to have alarms go off is pretty funny.....

[Boost]

though the look on peoples faces as you start the flash on their car, only to have alarms go off is pretty funny.....

+1 :)