Paul T

I had a chip made for me to improve performance and turn fans on earlier (195), when installed the fans kicked on soon as ignition was turned on and when started it would idle but stall as soon as I tried to rev.. Put my old chip back and it was just fine again... well the person who made me modified chip asked me to send the stock chip along with the modified one for comparison.. He did find the info on his chip he sent me changed from when he sent it to me, but now the bad news, I got the reprogrammed and stock chip back and now neither one works!!! Soon as I turn the key the fan comes on and it starts and idle but soon as I give it some gas it stalls(oh yea the service light stays lit with both chips while idleing)... Anyone have any clues as what is going on here and also I am thinking of just going to a local Chevy dealership and getting a stock memcal but wondered if Chevy changed the high temp problems and improved the performance with a chip now available for 89 vettes?

HighHopes85

I have a few chips of my own that I have had bad burns on. What you are experiencing is called limp home mode, and any performance deviations aside from what came on your car from the factory will make it run terribly in that mode.

You have a few things: a) Either the Header Socket on your computer is bad and you have been losing connection from putting the new chip in and wiggling it out...b) The chips are being erased in the main due to insufficient packaging (they should be sent in static-free wrapping or container) or c) the chips are just getting a bad burn from the EPROM programmer (the unit itself, not the person).

The ARAP chip seems to be a VERY popular combination for the 86-89 cars and it was an '89 calibration. -Matt-

Rich B.

My experience has been that GM issues updated BINs for the MemCal through the service life of the car, and for an '89, if you order the correct MemCal for your car, you'll get the latest BIN.

On my '86, GM did change some of the fan temps. They also changed spark advances and injector pulse timing. Probably some other stuff, too; I just glanced at most of it. (I imaged the BIN and made my changes to that, and then burned it the OEM MemCal and stashed the new one).

Can't hurt to get an updated MemCal.

Paul T

Well problem solved, seems one of the spring loaded sockets in the Digikey ZIF was not closing. My friend the Electronic Tech fixed it and unfortunately the modified chip still will not work but my stock chip works just fine... Sending the programmed chip back for a refund and going to wait till the spring before screwing around with it again, with the cold weather upon us here in the northeast the high engine temps will not be a problem again for 6 months.... Man I hate the winter :(