I just bought a used programmer off board member..Jeff Allen..
great guy its been restored to stock and works fine on my car.
Now the powerscan had no manual and noticed their is battery holder in the hypertech programmer but no mention of it in hypertech manual.Didn't get the powerscan manual.
Do I need to get a battery to use the powerscan.I hope I don't need a battery to program the car it just did and seemed to work fine.

And are the powerscans universal or not.I am hearing they only work in one car but others say they work in all cars.I guess can just put in battery and plug it in and see what happens..

 

first I take it the programmer you bought is for your 96Z vert yes?

ok, when you use the programmer to program your car you don't need to install a battery in it. The programmer will get its power from the OBD2 plug when you plug it in. I believe the programmer for the earlier cars (94-95) need the battery for them to work in those cars.

Now as far as the powerscan, that's the cartridge that hypertech sells to turn the programmer for 96-97 LT1-LT4 cars into a scanner. That plugs into the port at the bottom of the programmer and again you do not need a battery for the scan cartridge to work.

The only time you need a battery in there is if you have recorded some sensor readings for a certain time period and you want to d/load that info onto your PC for viewing you would install a 9volt battery into the programmer so it can be powered in your home to d/load recorded info for viewing.

The powerscan cartridge comes with a phone line type cable, a RS-232 plug that installs into the correct port on your PC. One end of the cable plugs into the scan cartridge and the other end plugs into the RS-232 plug. By turning the programmer on once the battery is installed and the scan cartridge plugged in with the cable connected to the PC you can d/load sensor info for viewing in your computer.

To install the battery you will notice that you have to disassemble the programmer slightly to get the battery in, however once the battery is installed you will notice that you will not be able to assemble the programmer back together. It's designed that way for a reason so you don't leave the battery in there after you are done d/loading info to your PC. For the programmer to function properly you must remove the battery before plugging it back into your car's OBD2 port to do programming duties.

Tony

 

Ok thanks alot that is much clearer and also cleared up how the hook up works basically plug in the programmer and don't use the phone cord hook up to scan the car.And will take the battery out.
And yes its a 96 programmer and already programmed the car no problem.Owner put stock programming back in..so happy camper just hoping the powerscan works on my car..find out tommorrow..
thanks again..

 

Sell them both and get a tune. JMHO

 

If 80TA's car is fairly stock there is no need for a tune, he will get some benefit from using the programmer on his vehicle. A tune will usually be needed when you get into cams and better heads and stuff, usually mods more involved than the usual "bolt-on's".

The programmer will be rendered sort of "useless" after you do some mods like rockers, headers, catback but can still be useful for gearing changes and cooling temp settings. With the scan cartridge it makes it even more useful for looking at sensor readings and seeing what goes on under the hood.

I use my programmer now only for gearing and cooling temp use but it has proven to be more than a programmer since I use it frequently as a scanner to check readings while driving. I still use the "factory" tune and I feel my car still has more potential there without me needing to get a tuning program.

Getting the programmer for less than retail in my case helps in this regard and since 80TA bought his "used" he didn't sink a ton of money into his hypertech so he's not losing too much. I do have plans in the near future to get myself a laptop and perhaps also LT1 edit for my car so I can "play" with the ECU parameters a bit more than what the hypertech can do for me right now.

 

Very well put.This is my wifes car but I bought it and I drive it so had to mod it up some.So far its got tb bypass,160 stat,airfoil,1le bellows,gms maf,cold air and holley filter and now hpp.Got it to tune the fans,get rid of 120 mph speed limiter and to adjust car for some 3.42 gears that I have in my 99 ta and will put into the 96 z.Those factory 2.73 are pathetic..they have to go.That and probably a vigilante stall and borla will likely be the last mods to the z.Got to quit somewhere and I have to spread the mod love to my other cars..I also have autotap for serious scanning if necessary ,and a maft translator on my ls1 that will put on the 96 for a bit of tweaking.It can control fuel and spark,it a maft plus.

And for cheap the hpp does ok for the above stuff.