well I'm seriously thinking about trying to burn my own chips.
have been looking at the links in the sticky post and third gen.
I really don't have a clue about most of the hardware needed.
for example tunercat, would you just need the editor on their site? or the tunercat itself?
any info, opinions on what you guys like to use and why? like one brand over another?
seems like the EEprom would be the easiest (so I don't need a eraser) but do they make them for a 86?
I know some would suggest using a later ECM and probably going to speed density but I'd like to keep it MAF if possible.
hopefully you guys can bear with me, I'm not knowledgeable about this stuff.
and I'll bet it takes a good long time to understand..

 

1. You would need 2 things from TunerCat. One is the TunerCat "Tuner" that was just uner $70.00 when I purchased it. You will also need the correct calibration file, which for your '86, would be "$32 Definition File". Cost of this will be $20.00. See the bottom of my post for more about this.

2. I like TunerCat. There is good support (meaning when he updates his definition files, you can email him and get the newer version). He of course probably wouldn't answer tuning questions however. That is what we are for ;) Since you have a '165 ECM, your free option is WinBin. I will let someone who has used this program touch upon it.

3. People use the 29C256 which does not require an eraser for your model of ECM. You simply double up the BIN when you program it. THerefore, no need for an eraser.

4. Get your feet wet with the MAF first. If you like tuning, then decide if you really need to make the change to speed density. You will only have to spend $20 more for the new definition file from TunerCat. Before you swapped to SD though, you might want to delete your cold start injector and run code from the 89 model year. The is definition file "$6E" I believe. This will put you with tables 3 years newer than the ones you would start with if you just used the ones for the '86 model year.

Good luck, -Matt-

 

thanks for the info HighHopes85,
I'm not the most computer minded guy around (but its not too hard to learn, I understood Diacom pretty quickly) but I think I can learn this stuff given time.
I've just replaced the ink in the printer and will be printing out all the info and FAQ pages that might be good for future reference.

I'm sure I'll need the cold start delete with the miniram so thats great info....
thanks, keep em coming.
RJ

 

Ummm, allow me to make a suggestion. I didn't know there was a MiniRam in the works ;) Just a brief overview of what I think about things.

I am going to assume that you have a running, non-MiniRam'd engine right now. Your MiniRam will likely max out the MAF sensor. So to be miles ahead of the game when you actually start tuning for the MiniRam, practice up with what you have now.

IOW, delete the cold start injector and go with the '89 code. Use it to mess around with the idle areas. You will be spending a lot of time in this area with the MiniRam. As far as idle settings go, *most* of what you learn with the 89 code will transfer over to the SD code. Then explore what advance changes you can make. Practice up with whatever you have now to save headaches with the MiniRam.

In my situation, I practiced with the worst code-the 85. Then I ended up going to SD. It helped me become familiar with the entire chip burning, change making, Diacom reading and more chip changing routine. It also helped me decide good (and bad) ways to set up my tuning logs.

Another reason--I had a few minor glitches when I did my sway that I probably would have spent 3 times as long trying to narrow down if I had never burned chips before. It let me get a feel of what errors were chip-related and which ones weren't.

:cheers:

 

oop's,
sorry if I mislead you.
its too late. right now the motor is mod'd big time (and I just got bigger heads today, thanks UPS man!).
let me give some background:
forged 406ci, miniram, solid roller cam, AFR195 heads (soon to be 210's).
its built to scream (well to 6500rpm+or- anyway), and yes it max's out the MAF at around 4500rpm.
currently I have a chip from Formato's, while they have done an admirable job so far. it is a reality that in order to get it near perfect I would have to take it to them in Florida for hands on tuning (I could handle that, but the wallet dosn't like the idea). so I figure the trip money would be better spent on prom burning hardware.
That way if I change anything later I can make corrections myself.
(note: I realize that I can not copy their prom for changes).
plus if I change to SD later I'll be better prepared.
or at least thats what I'm thinking.
RJ