How can I unlock a PCM

[imtduncan]

I have a custom race engine that uses a Gen III PCM (1999 & up). As it is a racing engine it runs in open loop all of the time. The engine builder wants us to pay him every time we want to make a change of any kind so, the investment in EFI live will quickly pay for itself if we can use it.

When I try to download the tune program EFI live says that the PCM is locked. I can't just "blank" the PCM and start over with a stock problem because this is a very specific tune and I really need the baseline. Does anyone know of a way (or someone who has a service) to "unlock" this PCM without losing any of the information that is in it right now?

[eboggs_jkvl]

You need to unlock the tune with the same system that locked it. If it can't be read by EFILive, he has you by the short hairs.

Elmer

[Biggsy]

Send "DELCO" a pm (Daniel from Chipmaster Performance), I think he has a way, but you would have to send the PCM to him.

[mr.prick]

where do people get off locking a pcm that they don`t own?

[Biggsy]

where do people get off locking a pcm that they don`t own?

My .02c

Look, I kind of agree with you, but, some people spend many hours developing their tunes and want some sort of protection from people copying their ideas.

I know no two cars/engines are the same, so no 2 tunes will be the same, but it would give you a great head start if you had one already done.

I beleive people should have the right to lock tunes out, BUT, they should tell the owner of the PCM that this is what they are going to to AND give them the option of having it returned to stock UNLOCKED for little or no cost (obviously if people want it changed back to and from stock several times, they shouldn't expect this done for free)

I have NEVER locked a tune and NEVER will.

[mr.prick]

My .02c

Look, I kind of agree with you, but, some people spend many hours developing their tunes and want some sort of protection from people copying their ideas.

I know no two cars/engines are the same, so no 2 tunes will be the same, but it would give you a great head start if you had one already done.

I beleive people should have the right to lock tunes out, BUT, they should tell the owner of the PCM that this is what they are going to to AND give them the option of having it returned to stock UNLOCKED for little or no cost (obviously if people want it changed back to and from stock several times, they shouldn't expect this done for free)

I have NEVER locked a tune and NEVER will.

bullshit!
if you don`t own it you should not lock it!
i understand your point of view but if you pay me to work on your house
can i lock you out when i am done?
i think allot of tuners lock to hide they`re screwed up work,
and if i pay out my hard earned cash i want to know exactly
what i am getting,
and how a tuner gets his/her results is not easily replicated j
ust by looking at the finished tune.
i `m not going off on you, (just going off)
but i have had more than one bad tune and
thankfully have not been locked out.
there is NO justification for locking this guys or anyones PCM.
what if someone with a locked PCM has some kind of problem that needs to be fixed on the road or far the "MR. i own your car now tuner"?
or what if you want to change something you feel should be changed
i guess you are SOL.

just my opinion.

[Delco]

bullshit!
if you don`t own it you should not lock it!
i understand your point of view but if you pay me to work on your house
can i lock you out when i am done?
i think allot of tuners lock to hide they`re screwed up work,
and if i pay out my hard earned cash i want to know exactly
what i am getting,
and how a tuner gets his/her results is not easily replicated j
ust by looking at the finished tune.
i `m not going off on you, (just going off)
but i have had more than one bad tune and
thankfully have not been locked out.
there is NO justification for locking this guys or anyones PCM.
what if someone with a locked PCM has some kind of problem that needs to be fixed on the road or far the "MR. i own your car now tuner"?
or what if you want to change something you feel should be changed
i guess you are SOL.

just my opinion.

What you forget is the tune is locked from GM , it is only through teh goods work of EFILIVE that you are able to unlock any PCM to look at it.


Any tune or PCM can be unlocked , it just takes time and experience to unlock , shoot me a PM and we can sort your issue out

[Biggsy]

i `m not going off on you, (just going off)

Thats cool, I want to hear all sides/opinions, thats what forums are all about.

I'm not here to say I'm RIGHT and you are WRONG, just like to hear what people have to say .

Please don't take the following as an attack against you either.

i understand your point of view but if you pay me to work on your house
can i lock you out when i am done?

Technically, it would be you doing work on the house and me not being able to get that work you did changed (unless I go through you). I still can use (drive) the house (car).

Well, using my house in some examples (love using examples ) :

1:- You are the electricity supplier, you connect power through a sealed power meter (locked PCM), I can have you remove this meter (unlock and restore tune to stock), and I can generate my own electricity (use my own tune)

2:- You are the bank I used to purchased the house. The bank has the house "locked" (they have the deed to the house), so in principle, I can't change/sell it (without using them). I could pay them out, and get the deed (go back to the tuner and get PCM unlocked), and change anything on the house.

3:- Foxtel Cable TV, I can buy the decoder box (PCM), use their unscrambler EEPROM card (their tune). I cannot get the card (tune) changed without using them.

Yes, I know there are holes in my examples that can be picked, they were the best I could come up with after a few on a Saturday night!

All I'm saying is that the house (car) isn't locked, only a part of it.

but i have had more than one bad tune and
thankfully have not been locked out.

If I payed good money to have my car tuned and it was bad, I would take it straight back to the tuner and get it fixed. If they were unable to, I would persue it further until they restored it back to the original tune and I got refunded my hard earned cash.
Same goes for any sort of service I pay for, not just cars.

what if someone with a locked PCM has some kind of problem that needs to be fixed on the road or far the "MR. i own your car now tuner"? or what if you want to change something you feel should be changed i guess you are SOL.

If you were made aware of the fact that the tune will be locked before hand (like I mentioned before), and, you were likely to be taking the car far from the tuner that locked it, or, you wanted (or wanted someone else in the future) to make changes, DON'T USE THAT TUNER!

If they are upfront and honest about what they are going to do, you can use this information to make a desision to refuse their service. I TOTALLY DISSAGREE with tuners who lock tunes without telling the customer first.


I tell everyone I know, that are looking to get their car tuned, to ask if the tune will be locked. I explain to them the consiquenses of having a locked tune (noone will have access to it, not even the manufacturer). I find that it doesn't deter that many people. The biggest question I usually get is :-
Will having the car tuned void the new car warranty? The answer to that question will deter a lot more people!

There are a couple of problems I COULD forsee (something add to your side of this discussion ).

1:- If the owner of the vehicle sells it and doesn't disclose to the new owner that the PCM is locked.

2:- The tuner who locked it, dissapears / loses their hardware and/or software / dies / sells up, making it impossible to unlock.

But, the WORST case scenario is a new (or S/H) PCM and getting it flashed.

Anyways, if locking a tune is such a bad thing, none of the tuning software packages available would have it as an option to change.

Like I said before, I WILL NEVER lock a tune. I don't personally have a problem with people reading/modifying my tunes.

just my opinion.

Just my opinion too.

[Biggsy]

What you forget is the tune is locked from GM , it is only through teh goods work of EFILIVE that you are able to unlock any PCM to look at it

Good point!

[ringram]

...Unless you purchase the car knowing that the OEM tune is able to be easily accessed and edited.
Then you would be pissed. Anyone who takes his car to be tuned, knows that the tuner or anyone else for that matter can access the tune and change it. If they approve the tuner to lock the car and not tell them then cool. If not then its a no no in my book.
If you are talking about Mr Doe who doesnt even want a tune, then Id agree. But with an aftermarket tune I dont. I never think that locking is acceptable.

I think you an exhaustively try all keys with a PCM reset between each attempt. I also think there may be a program that can automate this process..... at least a little mouse told me that anyway