Flashscan
New member
I suspect a bit of both is happening there. GM implemented a flash counter on the LMM, the dealer knows if you messed with the tune and returned to stock for a warranty claim.
Too right, I sit in front of a computer all day decoding hex naumbers and assembly code in to pretty 3D graphs for you guys. Just like the people that wrote the software for the Starbucks ordering system probably can't make a decent coffee, well, come to think of it, nor can Starbucks, but that's a debate not for this forum, but you all get the analogy right?.
I believe this method was suspected to be used on the Duramax years ago, as I recall someone requested we add in some way to shut off scantool data. It was never done.
It was 3am here in Aus when you guys were at it. :aiwebs_024:
Ok, all ECM's are locked in some way from the OEM, to get access to them you need to provide an unlock code. So before a read or reflash you have to 'unlock' the ECM using a specific algorithm before the ECM will continue. This is different to blocking a read, blocking a read is done by changing the normal behaviour of the read routines in the ECM, well that is how we did it. From what I am told, none of the box tuners actually read the ECM before flashing, the tunes are stored in the units, so a read block by the OEM would do nothing in that case. We prefer people read the ECM in their truck rather than use some generic base. That probably comes from the GM background we have where swapping tunes between trucks can cause problems.
If the OEM's felt so bad about people tuning vehicles they could stop it all on the 2013 models for good. The encryption and password technology around today if used could put an end to it all. As I'd said earlier, if you used some of Cummins or GM's code in your own ECM design then they probably have every right to take action against you. But where does it stop? You fit triple wiper blades to your truck, does the company who made them open themselves up for legal action because they used the OEM blade as the sample.
The EPA is a tricky situation because tuning can result in a clean powerful truck or a coal train depending on the mindset or skills of the tuner. Much like fitting a bunch of parts without re-tuning can result in a poor running truck, what is worse? I don't speak for the EPA here but I suspect in their eyes the ideal situation is you would never modify your truck from stock.
I see a change in thinking coming on stronger and stronger each year we go to SEMA. Gone are the days of people wanting to fill 3 lanes of the highway with soot for fun, instead people want to still modify their trucks but not be embarrassed to put the foot down on the street. Of course that is not achievable with proper retuning of the ECM.
I think where this has all come from is the technical tuning questions about these products have gone unanswered forever. I've read it all myself on here, guesstimate tuning methods with no technical explanation about what setting does what is a recipe for disaster.But, its ok to show oem and other box tunes you read? gotchya.
So when these box tuner screen shots get posted up, people now have some idea that when they mess with the settings it can make massive changes. If the manufacturer of said box can't provide the data then don't feel sorry for them when it's out there for all to see in a 3D map.
I would also be pretty confident in suggesting that now a year on from our 5.9L release there would be few tuning shops who would consider using a box tuner as a base if they are using EFILive, they've seen what they change and how they do it and now know why they used to drive like they do.
