Doing an engine swap. Putting a 95 camaro LT1 into a 86 trans am. Was trying to narrow down why the car wasn't starting. I thought maybe something had to be switched off for my setup (no vats, no smog, no A/C at the moment, hooked up to a 700r4). So about the 4th time on programming, tunercat freezes up. It wont let me program/read anymore. What do i do now with the ecm to get it to work? What reasons wouldn't cause the LT1 to start?

 

You need to send the computer to somebody like www.madz28.com to have it fixed. Prices and options are listed on the webpage.

I imagine youve gone over every basic starting component so if I had to guess Id say at this point the VATS systems is holding you back. Do a search and youll find some info on how to shut it off.

 

oh oh ... sounds like your PCM is fried. Try unhooking the battery (or taking PCM fuse out) for about half hour (just to make sure it resets, some just say 10 mins.) and try again. If that don't work, nothing will. Dealer may be able to save it depending on when in the programming sequence the failure occured, but be prepared to drop some cash into a new PCM.

 

go to a junk yard and get another computer

tunecats did the same thing. it shut off and ****ed up the computer

 

THe whole computer is not F'ed up I had my Flash Eprom chip socketed, so if it ever happens, all you have to do is put another chip in there or take your chip out and have it reprogrammed with the base program. The computer isn't fried.

 

I did not think that you could change out the chip?!?!

 

i imagine, since the "chip" can be burned (programmed) while in the PCM, it would be soldered in place.

I assume that "socketed" means that he unsoldered the chip, and soldered a socket in the place of the chip, then you chip will just plug into the socket like the older cars, before we all became tuners.

 

FYI
I tried reprogramming the pcm after 48 hrs of the battery being disconnected. So, way more than enough time.

I ordered the kit from madz28.com and am going to solder the sockets in myself. I have a background in electronics so this shouldn't be too bad to do for me. Also, i'm going to get the updated versions of tunercat tuner and definition files which should help a little bit. I had tuner 2.08 instead of 2.10 and def file BJ instead of BK. Got my fingers crossed and hope this works, gotta get the LT1 running in the thirdgen.

 

This link shows one way to socket your pcm.

http://www.mindspring.com/~amattei/flashfix.htm

 

Socketed the pcm and connected it back up to my car. Tunercat wasn't able to read or write to my pcm.

Borrowed a friend's 95 TA. Tunercat read his pcm just fine. Swapped in my pcm into his car, tunercat still did not read or write to my pcm.

So, looks like i might have to buy a new pcm

The pcm is still somewhat functioning. Turns on the fuel pump relay and radiator fans. I'm going to take the pcm apart, check things over, remove and re-insert the chips. If it doesn't work then, looks like i need a replacement.

edit: reflowed solder connections, twice. Didn't get the pcm to work til i cleaned the soldered connections with iso-alcohol and re-inserted the chips. Tracked down my other problem, had a cut wire going to the ignition control module. Fixed that and the LT1 ran. Thank you camaroz28.com, shbox.com, thirdgen.org, and madz28.com.

 

Depressing. I have 3 fried PCM sitting in my garage at this time myself.