A50/T14 confusion

[GMC-2002-Dmax]

Just say the word, it will be on its way to you............LOL

I hate to see paperweights and its too light for a door stop

HAHAHAHAHA

[GMPX]

Let me just check what I have lying around here, TCM's tend to get thrown as deep in a pile of mess as possible
If I don't Tony maybe send it to Guy to make things easier, he often is our middle man for getting controllers out of the US.

EDIT: I found an A41 (whatever that is!) but no T14.

Thing is the way I am reading all this it appears that all we will end up doing is bricking them when trying to flash them like TIS does. Is there a fundamental flaw with this TCM?

[GMC-2002-Dmax]

Let me just check what I have lying around here, TCM's tend to get thrown as deep in a pile of mess as possible
If I don't Tony maybe send it to Guy to make things easier, he often is our middle man for getting controllers out of the US.

EDIT: I found an A41 (whatever that is!) but no T14.

Thing is the way I am reading all this it appears that all we will end up doing is bricking them when trying to flash them like TIS does. Is there a fundamental flaw with this TCM?

Not sure, it will be on its way back to GUY, he had it for a while an had no luck, I am trying to find someone with ALLISON Tools to see if they can revive it.

And yes, I recommend getting a junkyard A40 to everyone with a tcm failure, these are junk controllers

[GMPX]

I am trying to find someone with ALLISON Tools to see if they can revive it.

If it is dead I don't want it thanks, probably not much I can do.

[vectorbundle]

Let me just check what I have lying around here, TCM's tend to get thrown as deep in a pile of mess as possible
If I don't Tony maybe send it to Guy to make things easier, he often is our middle man for getting controllers out of the US.

EDIT: I found an A41 (whatever that is!) but no T14.

Thing is the way I am reading all this it appears that all we will end up doing is bricking them when trying to flash them like TIS does. Is there a fundamental flaw with this TCM?

A41 is not for GM pickups or MD trucks, forget it.

T14A (GM serv #24256864 on sticker, part #24256671 and T14A on the case) is Delco branded version of Allison A46 (part # 29546675 and ATA4601 on case). they are the same hardware.

T14 (GM serv #24256861 on sticker, part #24256670 and T14 on case) is Delco version of Allison A50 (serv #25978353, part #29545535).

T14 is to A50 what T14A is to A40 -- sort of. there are some differences that are part of the boot level. SPS does not write to that, it only writes the OS and trans cal segments.

when you flash an 06-08 GM pickup with SPS you must select the TCM type (list of part/service #s that just determine if it's T14A/A46 HW or A40). the cal segment for 08 will be the same 24257976. the OS will be different 29541751 (A40), 24256580 (A46). cross flashing will brick. you will find similar pattern when selecting A50 vs T14 for 09-10 pickup -- same trans cal, different OS.

you cannot SPS an A50 selection into a T14, it will brick. generally you cannot flash a file you read out of an A50 with EFIlive into a T14, it will brick. just as flashing A40 OS and cal into an A46 will brick. in some cases i can recover them.

for some strange reason for 2011+ GM pickups the same GM flash works in A50 and T14 (at least that used to be case, they may have made some "improvements"). i haven't figured out yet why that is, i don't have any A50s left to test stuff on and generally have no reason to use them.

there are a couple of problems specific to SPS and MD trucks. GM never updated their MD Allison A40 and A50 software for T14A and T14. there IS no MD calibration in SPS for the new controllers. and there is no TCM hardware selection screen. so people install a new T14A in their 08 MD trucks figuring GM says it's a replacement for an A40 and flash it for an 08 MD VIN... brick. SPS a T14 in 09 MD truck... brick.

what's worse, SPS also bricks an A50 when flashing for an 09 MD truck (that's an error with SPS, it's not a problem with the controller). A40s flash OK for 06-08 MD VINs. but as far as EFIlive is concerned, as long as one flashes only what was read out of a TCM with the same HW, there is no problem. there is no fundamental flaw in the T14 or T14A TCMs. the fundamental flaw is GM's support and documentation.

[GMPX]

Thanks, what an amazing write up and what a mess GM created!
I might copy / paste what you wrote as a sticky thread.

[Chuck CoW]

Thanks, what an amazing write up and what a mess GM created!
I might copy / paste what you wrote as a sticky thread.

I appreciate it as well..... I already copied the text to my little "cheat sheet", my grand GM controller cross reference.

Great info! The night I posted in this thread I thought I was going to die..... I think it was Ross that bailed me out of my disaster at like 4:30am.

Thank god for Ross!
Chuck CoW

[GMPX]

Great info! The night I posted in this thread I thought I was going to die..... I think it was Ross that bailed me out of my disaster at like 4:30am.

Oh yeah I remember that...what can I say, I felt sorry for you with your head about to explode at 4:30am your time trying to fix that SPS mess. You know how it works Chuck, just don't mention T43 and you'll get a response from me

[Chuck CoW]

While I don't want to give it up, TIS is a fucking mess.... Tried to flash a 2009 suburban HVAC the other day and it wiped out and I got *-=%7 for a part # the second time I tried to flash it....

screen went totally blank and no responsive.....

TECH 2 - remote / passthru / MDI / MONGOOSE / openport / J Box etc.... NOTHING would talk to it.

Tried to do a TECH II flash but the tool would not work on a 2009 vehicle. 2007 was the latest....

SO, after 4 hours of VERY filthy language..... I told the tech 2 is was a 2007 - requested info... and TIS loaded a cal into

the TECH 2 (remote) and went back to the car and it worked..... Fuck YEAH! After 4 hours with freshly updated MDI and TIS

and that shit system falls on it's face.... had to power down the unit (the whole truck) for each retry and HOW STUPID. it reminds

me of the night I spent doing a "quickie" Duramax tune and the TCM failed on a routine TIS update.....

What a mess it is..... :(

Chuck CoW

[vectorbundle]

Thanks, what an amazing write up and what a mess GM created!
I might copy / paste what you wrote as a sticky thread.

no problem. the whole thing is totally moronic. GM could (and should) just release MD cals for the new controllers with a TCM selection screen. then all that remains will be the occasional SPS "anomalies"...

btw, it would be nice to have an A50 stream available (it is now a "legacy" controller after all). any plans for this?