Late 94-95 OBD1 GM ECM reprogramming

[Witsend]

I ordered a cheap used salvage yard ECM from E-bay that came out of a 95 Pontiac Firebird,(listing shows same ECM part number) to replace a 94 Camaro one. I thought all these old OBD 1 ecms were just plug and play , but I'm hearing differently.If the PCMs have same part #, I don't know if the reprogramming required be just rudimentary basic coding of editing a VIN, and axle ratio with a old Tech 1 or 2 without going through a pass through or if it needs to go to GM be blanked out and use a pass through with a 12 pin adapter to retrieve some old Sh@t off the old one and smear it in into the slightly newer old Sh@t. Anyone know what likely would have to be done? Car can still run with the old ecm to drive to dealer if need be.

[badcoupe]

I don't believe there is any flash setup for the older pcms.

[Joe Rappa]

I don't believe there is any flash setup for the older pcms.

GM switched from replaceable proms to flash programmable pcms. If i remember correctly, and i don't always do, that one is programmable. It has a 12 pin dlc though, right? You may end up a a dealer with it if it does. I've never heard of any work-around for using a pass thru programmer on one.
Joe

[Crusty]

GM switched from replaceable proms to flash programmable pcms. If i remember correctly, and i don't always do, that one is programmable. It has a 12 pin dlc though, right? You may end up a a dealer with it if it does. I've never heard of any work-around for using a pass thru programmer on one.
Joe

A GM dealer can do "Off-Board Programming" as long as they have the cables that are part of their programming kit.

Up here the GM replacement "rebuilt" ECM's were only a couple of hundred bucks or so and came pretty much blank. Add about another 150 "beaver bucks" for the programming service and you had a decent quality component that was plug-n-play.

The Ford and Chrysler ECMs of that era were TWICE that much and more.

[Witsend]

A GM dealer can do "Off-Board Programming" as long as they have the cables that are part of their programming kit.

Up here the GM replacement "rebuilt" ECM's were only a couple of hundred bucks or so and came pretty much blank. Add about another 150 "beaver bucks" for the programming service and you had a decent quality component that was plug-n-play.

The Ford and Chrysler ECMs of that era were TWICE that much and more.
Reply With Quote

Hey, Used PCM off E-bay with shipping to my door, from a salvage yard in north carolina comes to a whopping $33.04.
Car Just taking up room I Decided to drive Camaro around town with the suspect pcm. Didn't think it would lose power ,sputter and it stalled out on me in rush hour traffic twice within a block still reading between an 1/8 and a 1/4 tank.Let it sit five minutes to cool while driver's tempers were getting hot, get it started again and pull it in a bank parking lot.I Walked to a gas station a block away that didn't have a loaner gas can I could leave a deposit on, and a 2 gallon piece of sh@t can wanted $17 and i have about 8 of them at home already. Walked to an autozone a few blocks away and grabbed myself a wonderful free 2 gallon DEF container from the trash barrel , the empty DEF diesel cleaning fluid container had a nice long handy vented filling nozzle. Put $4 of gas in the container and put in camaro , got it to started and get me home with out another incident . I don't know if it has a faulty gauge sender or something got hot in the bad pcm, but I got it back without a tow

[badcoupe]

just looked in my handheld tech2 box there is a 12 pin adapter in there haven't been in the box in so long I forgot until this thread. Should be able to that way then I suppose.

[Witsend]

just looked in my handheld tech2 box there is a 12 pin adapter in there haven't been in the box in so long I forgot until this thread. Should be able to that way then I suppose.

Should be able to which way?

[badcoupe]

through a tech2 with the 12 pin adapter

[Crusty]

Hey, Used PCM off E-bay with shipping to my door, from a salvage yard in north carolina comes to a whopping $33.04.
Car Just taking up room I Decided to drive Camaro around town with the suspect pcm. Didn't think it would lose power ,sputter and it stalled out on me in rush hour traffic twice within a block still reading between an 1/8 and a 1/4 tank.Let it sit five minutes to cool while driver's tempers were getting hot, get it started again and pull it in a bank parking lot.I Walked to a gas station a block away that didn't have a loaner gas can I could leave a deposit on, and a 2 gallon piece of sh@t can wanted $17 and i have about 8 of them at home already. Walked to an autozone a few blocks away and grabbed myself a wonderful free 2 gallon DEF container from the trash barrel , the empty DEF diesel cleaning fluid container had a nice long handy vented filling nozzle. Put $4 of gas in the container and put in camaro , got it to started and get me home with out another incident . I don't know if it has a faulty gauge sender or something got hot in the bad pcm, but I got it back without a tow

Well a whopping 33 in real dollars is almost the same as what I said in beaver bucks...lol.

Fuel pumps can get a wee bit warm if they're never immersed in fuel. Cheap a$$ gas has messed up more sending units (and injectors) than Carter has little liver pills.

If you think the ECM is getting warm and failing, try putting it in the freezer for a while, then plunking it back in and see if it takes longer to act up. Put it in the freezer about as long as it would take a beer to chill...

[Witsend]

I have High Hopes, with that $19.99 Ebay Salvage PCM, that this Chevy 3.4L Bad Boy is going to start right up each and every time and PCM think it's a Pontiac TA with Chicken wings (and an MGD) on it's hood.