Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 39

Thread: '94 LT1 F-Body/ $EE tuning change for '95 transmission (PWM)

  1. #1
    Fuel Injected!
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Posts
    84

    '94 LT1 F-Body/ $EE tuning change for '95 transmission (PWM)

    I created a thread on the TunerPro forum last fall but thought it might get more eyes here:

    Posted last fall:
    Need to know what I need to add or change for adding control of the PWM solenoid for a 95 4L60E in a 94 PCM. I already ran an extra pin from trans case connector ("U") to blue connector "C", pin 6.

    I had the PCM re-flashed by a reputable tuner in the southeast US. They said it'd be re-flashed with "95 base code" to handle the 95 trans in a 94 car (didn't know it was a 95 PWM trans, was there when I bought it 900 miles after installation of it) I want to make sure what I should see if this is so is there. Mechanically, it's all correct, but I still have no TC lockup or 4th gear.
    And an update from today (moved to a place where I can wrench almost every day!)

    07-20-16:
    I finally pulled the tune from the PCM after some troubleshooting connections to power the ALDL cable. I'm not sure what I'm looking for in TunerPro, but I sorted by parameter category to focus on transmission. I can't see anything that looks like PWM where I expected to see it under Torque Converter Lockup (TCC). I'm starting to doubt that the base tune I have is actually 1995 code. I cleared the code 84 and it came right back. I have a quick disconnect for the wire from PWM solenoid to case connector U on the trans. When I disconnected it I also got a code 83, which went away again after I reconnected the PWM/ Pin U wire.

    Maybe find a known 95 auto BIN and look at it to tell? I don't know at this point. If that's the answer I could merge the BIN I have with one that's a known 95 to transfer the mail order tune parameters to a known 95 BIN. Tedious, but one way to do it, I guess.

    .bin file and change log uploaded (I updated a couple of things that needed it while I was at it.

  2. #2
    LT1 specialist steveo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Posts
    4,007
    tunerpro has a bin compare function, perhaps compare your bin to a factory '95 cal? i maintain a large archive of bin files at http://fbodytech.com/bin-files-2/bin-files/

    there's a guy here that has gone from a '94 trans to a '95 trans and knows all the tricks. i think it might be brian. he'll probably chime in soon, i don't know much bout autos...

    i bet the 'mail order tune' is pretty minimal too, you could pull the calibration ID from that bin and maybe compare with the stock one and see what changes are made

  3. #3
    Fuel Injected!
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Posts
    84
    Quote Originally Posted by steveo View Post
    tunerpro has a bin compare function, perhaps compare your bin to a factory '95 cal? i maintain a large archive of bin files at http://fbodytech.com/bin-files-2/bin-files/

    there's a guy here that has gone from a '94 trans to a '95 trans and knows all the tricks. i think it might be brian. he'll probably chime in soon, i don't know much bout autos...

    i bet the 'mail order tune' is pretty minimal too, you could pull the calibration ID from that bin and maybe compare with the stock one and see what changes are made
    I did a compare against a common bin out there (95 A4 z28 3.23) and saw across the board differences in the TCC vs. xyz tables. Not sure what else makes the difference, don't really know what I'm looking at with auto trans parameters or where the differences are between 94 & 95 in regard to using PWM to do the TCC apply strategy.

    This car has minimal mods- Moroso CAI, Pacesetter offroad headers, 3" X-pipe to 2.5" reduction off the back of the x to 2-chamber Flowtech Afterburners dumped at the axle. The mail order tune didn't even seem to adjust the O2 relocation stuff and missed a couple things in actually disabling EGR and AIR (just turned off codes). Tune was stated to have "adjusted the line pressure and shift firmness." I didn't get into the timing tables to see if anything was improved there.

  4. #4
    Fuel Injected!
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Posts
    1,022
    The info in Tunercat says the bin is from a 94.

    Attachment 10802

  5. #5
    Fuel Injected! jthompson122183's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
    Location
    ohio
    Posts
    185
    the bin is indeed 94,calibration id 16202131. Attachment 10803 from fbodytech.comAttachment 10809
    the big difference is the addition of the tcc apply pressure(pwm) for 95
    but whoever did the tune used the 95 changes in the bin.

    in the 94 calibration these are 0 in the tables and some other parts of the bin. the tuner changed these to what the 95 has.
    yours is Attachment 10804
    factory is Attachment 10805

    the only operating system difference between the 94 and 95 is at subroutine 4db2 on tside chip Attachment 10806

    looking at ida here is the os subroutineAttachment 10807



    i've attached the factory 16202131 calibration

    hope this helps you out

    Jonathon
    97z28 A4 obd1 swap(16188051)
    Tunerpro Newbie

  6. #6
    Fuel Injected!
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Posts
    1,022
    Remember that Tunerpro and Tunercat both use definitions to map the bin. There are 2 tables for PWM control - PWM Apply Rate and PWM Release Rate. CATS or Tunerpro definitions can map these table areas and still be used for any year of bin. But, if the bin doesn't have the 95 PWM code Jonathan pointed out then the mapped areas are not legitimate tables and changing them does nothing useful. In 94 they are not really a table but rather just empty blank space on the chip.

    That compare Jonathan posted shows the tuner attempted to turn a 94 bin into a 95 bin, which doesn't work as you now know.

  7. #7
    Carb and Points!
    Join Date
    Jul 2016
    Posts
    7
    I need help and I don't know how to post but I have a 94 K1500 5 speed I am doing a v8 swap I have a 4.3 I am putting a 96 305 in my truck that Iswitch to tbi but I'm going to the junk yrd will an auto ecm work with my5 speed I heard it will just throw a check engine light
    Last edited by Vaild; 07-22-2016 at 08:38 AM.

  8. #8
    Fuel Injected!
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Posts
    84
    jthompson122183, lionelhutz

    Great information, thanks for confirming. I had wondered why you couldn't just add the PWM programming into a 94 bin. It totally makes sense since the calibration ID determines whether or not the tables even exist for PWM. Like writing data into a region of the chip that the calibration never intends to read.

    So... I think I'm done with doing anything else with this tuner in the mail order realm. I have reputable dyno tune outfits nearby if I go any further with this car. In the meantime I need to find a calibration for a 95 Formula that has the transmission performance button and 2.73 gears and simply do a few things I know how to do already in TunerPro. Maybe study the spark advance tables my tuner did and see if they are of any real benefit. If I'd known 5 years ago what I know now, I'd have done all this myself and saved 175.00 for the mail order and 75.00 for the '95 reflash.'

    I just want the transmission problem gone so I can do the one other thing I want to do with this car- change gears to 3.42. I'm putting 4.10s in my M6 and planned to put the 3.42s in the car, using a ring spacer for the 2-series carrier. Which gives rise to the next question, which I can take to a different thread perhaps: I know how to change the speedo stuff, but what about the shift points? Is that all TPS vs. VSS vs. RPM? Do I need to account for the gear change elsewhere in the tune?

  9. #9
    Fuel Injected!
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Posts
    84
    I pulled calibration ID EE_16210041 from Steve O's site (thanks, Steve). I made some edits to compensate for the O2 relocation with headers per TunerPro suggestion, desensitized the knock sensor a bit since I have a factory KM (probably unnecessary since I have headers but still have factory stamped steel rocerks at the moment), turned off and disabled AIR and EGR. I didn't do anything with timing at this point. I think this should be good enough to load into my PCM and see if the PWM stuff works like it should and the DTC 84 goes away once and for all. Modded bin and log attached. Thoughts/ opinions?

    Thanks,

    Rob B

  10. #10
    Fuel Injected!
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Posts
    84
    I tried loading the modded 95 bin using C.A.T.S. I purchased about a year ago for my M6 car. I can read vehicle info, read and save old bin. I try to program the PCM and Establishing communications part is fine, fans kick on for 2-3 seconds as normal. When it then starts the 'erasing PCM' part, it fails after about 1 second with the message "Error: Invalid response from PCM"

    So I thought maybe PCM says "I'm 94. No 95 programming for me." I changed the VIN year character from R to S and the "Current Model No." from 16202131 to the same as the one for the bin I'm trying to load, 16210041. That didn't change anything. Same error after repeated attempts with different combinations of KOEO, plug in cable, start winflash program , etc.

    Will try EEHack next?
    Last edited by Gojira94; 07-23-2016 at 04:45 PM. Reason: typo

  11. #11
    Fuel Injected!
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Posts
    84
    Using $EEHack on XP SP3 (unsupported, I know, but only laptop I have with a COM port). Stability test completes without any problems. Failed to upload new bin.

    Applying VPP (EEPROM Programming) voltage
    Failed to upload program to apply VPP HI voltage

    (?)

    This car is a stubborn little piglet. And I'm probably doing something incorrectly.

  12. #12
    Fuel Injected!
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Posts
    84
    So from reading up on VPP here and there, it looks like a clue may be in battery voltage. I read that VPP can be 21V, 25V, 12.5V, perhaps others. The battery I was using had dropped to about 11.6V from all the KOEO fuel pump priming, so I grabbed the identical battery from my recently acquired 92 TBI truck (next project). It initially read 12.32V. After having some connection problems again getting sufficient power to the 12V input for the aldl cable (getting tired of fiddling with that), I was down to about 11.92V. So is my issue that the PCM doesn't see enough voltage to safely go into programming mode and fails the VPP check subroutine? My only other thought is to try another PCM. I have a spare about 10 miles away. I feel so close to finally solving this car's problem I can hardly stand it. Like 4th and goal, inches to go...

  13. #13
    LT1 specialist steveo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Posts
    4,007
    you'll definitely need a high enough voltage at the ECM to program.

    1994 and 1995 program exactly the same, so that's not the issue.

    you need to be really careful, this is probably a warning sign. continuing might mean bricking your ecm if you have unstable power.

    what kind of aldl cable are you using that still needs 12v input? that might be a contributing factor? it's 2016, get a usb one already...

  14. #14
    Fuel Injected!
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Posts
    84
    Quote Originally Posted by steveo View Post
    you'll definitely need a high enough voltage at the ECM to program.

    1994 and 1995 program exactly the same, so that's not the issue.

    you need to be really careful, this is probably a warning sign. continuing might mean bricking your ecm if you have unstable power.

    what kind of aldl cable are you using that still needs 12v input? that might be a contributing factor? it's 2016, get a usb one already...
    Thanks for the insight. I don't have an RS-232 to USB with an FTDI chip but I'm considering another ALDL cable. Before I ran out of time yesterday I hooked up a charger to supplement the battery voltage and connected a meter to the leads on the 12V lighter outlet to monitor voltage. I was getting between 12.25-12.35V before that. After, I was getting about 12.72. The courtesy lights and door dinger and radio display (even when off) were droping it to 12.55-12.60V. The fuel pump and fans cycling dropped it below 12.4V in a hurry. So I tried pulling the fan relays and fuses for radio and courtesy. Fuel pump alone was enough to drop it to 12.45 when it cycled. Next, I'm headed back out to disconnect the fuel pump relay so I have nothing but the ALDL 12V and PCM draw on the system to see where that lands voltage-wise. If that doesn't cut it, I guess I'll be building a bench to flash my PCM. Funny thing is I have zero issues with my M6 car and its battery isn't quite as strong as the one in this car that I borrowed from the truck Tempting to flash it in that car...

  15. #15
    Fuel Injected!
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Posts
    84
    Update:

    I tried flashing the PCM in my other F-Body (M6), same result with both Winflash and $EEHack. I had hoped that without a transmission to possibly feed any voltage to, that might help. I would have assumed trans circuits are not energized until engine start, but thought it was worth a shot anyway. Next, I tried my spare PCM from a 94 Z28. Same result, still with charger adding support to 12V system on the car. I did pull the fuel pump relay so it took priming that out of the load at KOEO. Then I started pulling every other fuse except PCM IGN, PCM BATT and CIGAR/ACCY. That brought me to 13.16V at KOEO with ALDL talking. It's like that 1996 movie Apollo 13...

    So, with 13.16V read at the lighter socket, something is still lacking. As I'm writing this, I'm dope slapping myself for not doing one simple thing: Check the voltage across the fuse slots for PCM-IGN and PCM-BATT. I've read elsewhere that some believe there is "something in the dash wiring" on some of these cars that's an issue in these cases.

    So at this point I'm heading off to research how to build my own bench for flashing the PCM out of the car. Hopefully I can use my RS-232 ALDL cable for some of the parts- likely just clips to the pins on the ALDL end, feed it with a jump box that has a lighter jack (have one). Same for the data link, and feed the PCM with a AC input/ DC output multi-voltage setting wall adapter that can feed the PCM from 12 to 13.5 volts, whatever it wants. Will need a couple PCM connectors, had 2-3 from a 94 Blazer or something from a local boneyard, not sure where they are. Just need the pinouts for the ALDL side, but that's well documented. Off I go... thanks for all the help. Gotta love the EFI community, great bunch. Any other thoughts/ advice welcome.

    Thanks

Similar Threads

  1. Replies: 22
    Last Post: 10-25-2021, 05:19 AM
  2. Some LT1 4L60E transmission tuning observations (8051)
    By sherlock9c1 in forum GM EFI Systems
    Replies: 17
    Last Post: 05-30-2021, 05:54 PM
  3. Replies: 0
    Last Post: 05-23-2016, 04:04 AM
  4. $ ee automatic transmission tuning
    By steveo in forum GM EFI Systems
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 01-28-2016, 07:04 AM
  5. Transmission tuning...
    By Six_Shooter in forum GM EFI Systems
    Replies: 12
    Last Post: 10-05-2013, 11:03 AM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •