AutoCutter

In the course of getting a custom tune for my Diablo, It was suggested that I have my ECM flashed to a newer stock calibration set as mine was an older version and didn't match 100% the current diablo templates. Hey cool, no problem so I called dealer one and ask for an appointment to have the ECM flashed with the newer version-well did I get a load of crap from the dealer! Started questioning as to why I wanted a flash and that mod'ing the car/ECM will void the warranty and the only way they will flash is if a trouble light comes on and that the newer version will handle the problem. I thanked them and told them to eat dirty and called other dealer only to receive the same crap from them. Same story from the third dealer, however, they were greedy and wanted to charge me $100 to do it anyway

Now mind you, I never told them the real reason of why I wanted the newer version-I may be stupid, but I'm not that stupid This is really weird, since these guys normally have no problem servicing the car after a track weekend-heck even fixing problems under warranty that clearly was the result of track usage. Talk ECM tho and boy they just go 0 to nuts in 1 second flat! Anybody got a clue in to the zone I walked in to??????

BIGGGIE

Why do you have to flash it? i Didnt have to...? Who told you this and how do you know what version you got?

Buffy

Dealers and mechanics (many service writers were mechanics) are often very wary of messing around with the computer. This may be because it's harder to "see" what's happening in there, or just general distrust of "them-thar new-fangled computer thingies". Or, as you say, they just go 0 to nuts in 1 second flat! I might borrow that, by the way. I have some clients that describes pretty well.

It's a little unclear what's being recommended here. Of course "flashing" refers to loading something into the computer's flash memory. Flash memory is a sort of read-mostly memory - it's loaded occasionally, and read every time you boot up .. er, start .. the car.

There are two areas to the flash on these boxes. One is the program code itself, the other is the data used by that program to make decisions. The Predator changes the data, that's how it tunes. It doesn't affect the program.

There may be program code changes for your car, in which case you probably do want them. If it's just the calibration set, it may not be very important as you're going to change that stuff anyway.

But there's no reason they should freak. In fact, updating the calibrations is sort of routine PM for these computers .. er, cars .. and generally the tech should do it whenever the car's brought in for service.

What I'd do is find a TSB that calls for an update, then take it in and claim those symptoms. There's one for erratic fuel gage readings, TSB 05-08-49-027, which calls for updating the ECM. Although this TSB references some codes, it would be hard for them to argue that you hadn't seen erratic fuel gage readings, so they should just go ahead and apply the fix. I kind of hate lying, but if they're going to be so weird about it, what else is there to do?

By the way, the current calibrations are downloaded from a GM web site, so they shouldn't be able to claim they don't have them or anything.

AutoCutter

Of course it would be the compiled code and whatever new variables that were carried along that are to flashed. Whether this is a modern "Flash" storage or a modern device similar to an EEPROM, I can't answer. In my case, there were no code revisions, rather there are just revised values that changed the file's offsets. However, what the Diablo code & application interface depends upon is specific locations and makes a simple HEX swap at those locations deemed to be a variable location. So if I have a "B" code and the diablo code is written to "A" code locations, "A" value revisions and "B" stock values may be slightly off at some point. To make a long story short, rather than waiting for diablo to write additional detection routines and HEX swap locations, it would have been quicker to have the ECM brought up to date. As to why these routines weren't in place already, well I have an idea of what has happened, but my speculation serves no purpose in a public forum.

All that said, your idea about the gas gauage jiggle has merit(I wish I had thought of that!) and I'll try that gambit in a week or two-Thanks