hi all, i would like to learn how to tune and program a generic pcm/ecm. now i am new in this area and fine tuning is a quirk of mine that i would like to be able to do. im not in too much of a hole that i cant spend any money on equipment but i would like to spend less than a fortune.
edit: i do plan on some engine modifications such as: porting heads, exhaust, intake, possible turbo in future, valvetrain work, raising rpm limiter, cam (must with turbo)... so yes this is possibly my best option for having programming / tuning done. i have a preference to most 80s fuel injected cars and trucks so usually the standard easy gm prom stuff is my deal.

i have no problem building an interface cable, and have done so with "winaldl" but that was easy.
all help is greatly appreciated and i thank all of you for your time!

[This message has been edited by BlackGT Codde (edited 09-27-2011).]

ECM/PCM tuning requires an understanding of how all of the tables and parameters in the onboard computer program affect the operation of the engine. An editing program is easy to purchase load and access but the real skill comes in knowing what parameters to change and how this will affect engine performance. In basic terms programming comes down to tweaking fuel and timing requirements (spark) to their optimum levles. You first do a scan of the ECM/PCM to determine what is going on, then you make adjustments of spark and fuel to bring them to the optimum levels where the most horsepower is created while assuring safe engine operation. For performance tuning most often a wideband oxygen sensor is used as the OEM sensor was designed for engine operation primarily under cruise conditions. Post 96 computers running the OBDII protocol called PCM's also allow programming of transmisson operation.
Joining an online tuning forum would prove to be a good learning tool.

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" THE BLACK PARALYZER" -87GT 3800SC Series III engine, ZZP Intercooler, 3.4" Pulley, N* TB, LS1 MAF, Flotech Exhaust Autolite 104's Custom CAI 4T65eHD w. custom axles, HP Tuners VCM Suite.
"THE COLUSSUS"
87GT - ALL OUT 3.4L Turbocharged engine, Garrett Hybrid Turbo, MSD ign., modified TH125H
" ON THE LOOSE WITHOUT THE JUICE "

I've been tuning my Fiero for a while now and I'm such a noob it's scary. First I swapped over to the 7730 ecm. Then I bought a Moates APU1 ($329), G1 memory adapter ($35), S2 Aries 28-pin ZIF Socket ($10), 27SF512 EEPROM Chip ($5).

Of course you will need a laptop (and power converter unless you trust your laptop batteries) plus tuning software. I went with TunerPro RT and paid the license fee ($39). It's the lowest cost software for the earlier ECMs.

Highly recommended is a wideband O2 sensor. You will know instantly how your fuel table changes affect your car. I bought the Innovate LC-1 with the Bosch O2 sensor ($199). I also bought an analog gauge ($89).

I'm not totally sure if the newer EEPROM can work on the older Fiero ECM. I've always assumed you needed the old chips and a UV eraser.

It depends on what engine and ECM you are using. You can't program the stock Fiero ECM, or the 7730 by connection via the ALDL. You would need to remove the MEMCAL, burn it with an EEPROM device, and then re-insert the MEMCAL back into the ECM.

The OBD-II ECMs though, can be flashed over the ALDL connection.

Also be wary of the PCM/ECM notation. In the GM world, PCM specifically means a computer which controls both the engine and transmission, while an ECM only controls the engine, while a TCM may control the transmission.

If you're doing this on a stock 2.8, you probably want to look at swapping to the 7730 ECM with DIS before doing anything else, and learning everything you can about that ECM. The knowledge about it is very widely available, as are details about burning a MEMCAL.

If you're doing this on a 3800 Series II or III, or other modern engine, there is a LOT more to learn about the OBD-II systems, and it's not all as widely available.

thanks for all the info, looks like i will be finding a tuning forum to plug along with then, the moates was one piece of hardware i was looking at, im guessing you seem to like it. as i saw the reviews all seemed to be positive for that. moates has the $5 27sf512 chips, pretty cheap for a prom chip, does this fit the 7730
wideband o2 sensor... now would the 7730 ecm support this or is this on its own gauge.
with all the different engine swaps, you would think pennocks would have its own programming section, maybe this is more for the RFT trolls

that moates apu1 seems to be a viable choice in hardware, i do like the support behind it, i may save up and buy that to go along with a nice laptop.
also how much is a decent price on a 7730 ecm

[This message has been edited by BlackGT Codde (edited 09-27-2011).]

http://www.gmtuners.com/eprom/DIY.htm

quote Originally posted by Hudini: I've been tuning my Fiero for a while now and I'm such a noob it's scary. First I swapped over to the 7730 ecm. Then I bought a Moates APU1 ($329), G1 memory adapter ($35), S2 Aries 28-pin ZIF Socket ($10), 27SF512 EEPROM Chip ($5). Of course you will need a laptop (and power converter unless you trust your laptop batteries) plus tuning software. I went with TunerPro RT and paid the license fee ($39). It's the lowest cost software for the earlier ECMs. Highly recommended is a wideband O2 sensor. You will know instantly how your fuel table changes affect your car. I bought the Innovate LC-1 with the Bosch O2 sensor ($199). I also bought an analog gauge ($89). I'm not totally sure if the newer EEPROM can work on the older Fiero ECM. I've always assumed you needed the old chips and a UV eraser.

This is where you need to start. you also need to start reading at 60*V6 forums, they know a LOT more about ecm tuning of our engines than most anyone here. http://60degreev6.com/conte...bb9b8442bf76e61fa495 to start.

I also started by buying some generic books on the subject. "how to tune and modify engine management systems" ISBN 0-7603-1582-5 you will not find anything at all that is "how to tune a fiero" you will have to learn from honda and subaru tuner books mostly. The good part is that an engine is an engine, so what you learn about a 4 banger translates to a V6 and everything else easily.

This is also something that you will not learn overnight. it's easier to learn to be a Certified master mechanic than to learn to tune an ECM well.

quote Originally posted by BlackGT Codde: i may save up and buy that to go along with a nice laptop.

you dont need a nice laptop. In fact I tune my car and my bike with a $50.00 ebay used laptop. Tuning does not require any laptop horsepower. You could get away with a $350.00 HP or Dell entry level laptop just fine. it tunes a car as good as a $4500.00 alienware laptop will.

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Get your copy of the Fiero 25th Anniv book at http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/349809

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[This message has been edited by timgray (edited 09-28-2011).]

quote Originally posted by dobey: It depends on what engine and ECM you are using. You can't program the stock Fiero ECM, or the 7730 by connection via the ALDL. You would need to remove the MEMCAL, burn it with an EEPROM device, and then re-insert the MEMCAL back into the ECM.

If you get an emulator (like the Moates Ostrich), then you can make tuning adjustments on the OBD1 ecms (like the 7730) in car at any time w/o needing to burn chips... you can even do it with the engine running and cruising down the road. It is quite handy.

quote Originally posted by fieroguru: If you get an emulator (like the Moates Ostrich), then you can make tuning adjustments on the OBD1 ecms (like the 7730) in car at any time w/o needing to burn chips... you can even do it with the engine running and cruising down the road. It is quite handy.

Right, or you could get an aftermarket ECM like the MegaSquirt and do the same thing, though may not be viable depending on where you live and if you have to do emissions testing.

quote Originally posted by BlackGT Codde: thanks for all the info, looks like i will be finding a tuning forum to plug along with then, the moates was one piece of hardware i was looking at, im guessing you seem to like it.

The APU1 does everything including emulation for on-the-fly programming.

quote as i saw the reviews all seemed to be positive for that. moates has the $5 27sf512 chips, pretty cheap for a prom chip, does this fit the 7730

It fits the ZIF socket which fits the G1 memory adapter. The G1 is a clever way to bypass the stock chip on the mem-cal. If you had to remove the stock chip you could possibly destroy the mem-cal

quote wideband o2 sensor... now would the 7730 ecm support this or is this on its own gauge.

The LC-1 has 2 outputs. Either of which can be programmed to narrow band or wide band. When running $8F code the ECM only accepted a narrow band input. The other output I sent to the AFR gauge as a wide band analog input. When I switched to code59 I programmed the LC-1 to send a wide band analog output to the proper pin on the ECM because code59 uses it.

quote that moates apu1 seems to be a viable choice in hardware, i do like the support behind it, i may save up and buy that to go along with a nice laptop.

I'm using an ancient laptop to run my car with the APU1's emulation and data logging capability. It's an old Pentium 2 with a 4 gig hard drive and it runs the car just fine. Number crunching for the Autotune takes forever but it works. No need for a new laptop. Any old thing will do.

quote also how much is a decent price on a 7730 ecm

My local Pull-A-Part lists them for $26.26 (Any ECM)