mhmayhem88

So I recently came into some extra cash and I decided I want to go ahead and purchase the Diablosport Predator Programmer. I know a professional tune would get me higher performance gains but I would like the ability to switch back to the factory tune if need be and obviously the pro tune would cost a bit more. I just wanted to know if there is any pertinent information that I should know about installation. Any tips that you guys can think of or is there anything I should be aware of beforehand?

HawaiiC6

No just be sure to double check and make sure you have the right predator for your car. Also the initial download is important as the predator will be storing your factory tune. So be sure that if you have On Star and or Siruis etc. that those are turned off by removing the fuse so that nothing can interfere with the download. Be sure that your car battery is fully charged before doing the download and be sure you lower your windows as it can get miserable in the car with no air. All accessories are turned off and you should be good to go.

mhmayhem88

Ok, cool. That makes things easy as I do not have Sirius/XM or On-Star. Dumb question, I'm assuming the car will be off since you're saying all the accessories should be turned off and the battery fully charged?

REVAK

All lights and accessories off, car on acc. or ign. run with engine OFF. The instructions should step you through it, if you are not sure about something , ask for help so you don't get into trouble. Once you use it a few times, you will become more comfortable with it. Good luck and enjoy !

mhmayhem88

Alrighty. Good to know. And yeah if I run into something I'm not sure about I'll definitely stop myself and look further into it. I'm thinking it shouldn't be too difficult though. Thanks for the input guys!

jrpedraza

Read the diablosport forums too, there a great deal of info there that will guide through most every issue and problem you could come across. I didn't read your profile but if you have an A6, don't expect to be able to tune it; there is NO TCM support....

JR

mhmayhem88

HELP. I've hooked up the Predator and I goto the Performance Tune option, I accept the disclaimer, and then I get a message saying "Unable to read p/n of first calibration file."

HawaiiC6

Is your predator nrw or used? What year vette and what model predator do you have?

mhmayhem88

It's new. I have a 2005 and the Predator model is: U7191

HawaiiC6

Okay it seems the predator did not read a file, it may be defective. I would recommend that you go back to the main screen which is performance tune, diagnostic and options. Then disconnect the predator turn the car off then start the car and run it for a little while.

What tune are you trying to download?

Now turn the car off make sure you follow the entire hook-up procedures for the predator and then try again. If the same message appears go to the diablo predator website and ask for assistance. Mike or Monte should be able to help you.

mhmayhem88

I'm just trying to install the Performance tune. The first time I tried to install, I didn't have any fuses pulled. I went back to the beginning and pulled the “OnStar” and “Radio/S-Band/VICS” fuses. However, same result.

HawaiiC6

Are you the original owner of the vette do you know if it was ever tuned?

mhmayhem88

I am not the original owner, no. However, considering that the car was completely stock and untouched when I bought it, and the fact that the previous owner was an older gentleman, I would guess that it was never tuned.

06MonteSS

do you have your key turned to the "ON" position, and/or are you in accessory mode?? you need to be...

I get that error message if my key is not turned on...

if your key IS on and/or you ARE in accessory mode and you're still getting that message, it would indicate that your ECM is locked... this could be due to a GM ECM update done by your dealer recently - the latest ecm updates from GM are locking the ECM's...

have you been in for any service work lately/recently??

mhmayhem88

Hmm well let's see...I took it into Just Brakes late last year, maybe in September. I also had the front tires replaced at Big O Tire immediately after that. And then I was in at Big O Tire again in January (last month) to get my new wheels installed. I mean other than oil changes I don't goto the dealership for anything (they have a quick lube oil change place). Would Big O Tire have messed with something with the ECM because I'm sure they had to redo the TPMS...or would that even be related? Also, the car was in Accessory mode when I made my attempts. And at this point, I'm not even sure as to what the process is for the install! I'm reading two different things between the instructions I found online and the instructions that came with the chip...

Do you turn the car to accessory mode first and THEN plug in the Predator? Or do you plug in the predator, boot it up, and then turn on the car? Something else to note is that it was snowing last night and it was obviously quite cold in the garage. Does temperature mess with this whole process???

intercooled C6

When all else fails "READ INSTRUCTIONS"

REVAK

As a precautionary measure, spray the connector on your car with some contact cleaner, crc56 or wd40 is ok also. Then plug in your predator firmly, turn on acc mode or engine run with engine off. Follow prompts for desired program, if you still get the "unable to read calid" message, contact diablo sport for additional tech support. The temperature should not be a factor, however i noticed the display on mine is slower when cold.

06MonteSS

you need to have the key on and be in accessory mode before you go into the tune menu... as soon as you select Performance Tune, it needs to read the ecm...

did you ever get this fixed/figured out???

danl72

mhmayhem88

I did get this figured out and I apologize for not posting a reply sooner! My fault. It turns out the unit was bad. I bought the original from Lethal Performance. They had the cheapest price @ $320 and come to find out that was for a reason!...the unit I recieved from them appeared to have VERY VISIBLE wear and tare. I contacted them about this and the supposed "owner/president" of the company came back at me with a rude reply (I won't get into that) saying oh no we never sell used parts. BULLS***. I sent it back and they gave me my money back. I went ahead and ordered from Maryland Speed. It was a little bit more expensive (about $360 I think) but it came with a USB connection kit at no extra charge. Took me two minutes to get the Predator tune installed after I got the appropriate fuses pulled. So I highly recommend Maryland Speed! Fast shipping and an easy transaction. Stay away from Lethal Performance.

Oh and thumbs up to the Predator! The more I drive the car the more I notice the tune! Very awesome!