ECU Re-flash gone wrong :-(

[Kidshorsesme]

Organised to have my ECU re-flashed last Friday with a reputable shop that advised they can do this thru the OBD2 connector & don't require removal & opening of the actual ECU to perform the flash tune installation.

Dropped the vehicle off in the early afternoon & returned a few hours later to find the guy still working on it. He advised he could not download my original file as the ECU was 'locked'. He advised he did attempt to flash a generic 2014 tune but was unsuccessful in writing to the ECU as he demonstrated on the screen with his AlienTech software. So he advised I would need to visit their main shop in Myaree for an ECU out & bench tune as he had tried everything but could NOT get into my vehicles ECU doing it this way through the OBD2 connector.

So we agreed I would make appointment for shop visit next week. I headed off home down the freeway into real heavy traffic which was pretty much bumper to bumper until right down the Kwinana Freeway. When I got to the 110Kmh zone I went to change into the right lane past other slower vehicles, I accelerated and found the car to be VERY responsive to the throttle unlike previously when it took a lot of throttle to either unlock the torque convertor clutch or kick back a gear.

I tried a few slow down & accelerate manouvres & found the vehicle had HEAPS more torque & got to 130Km/hr VERY quickly ! So it appears the 'tune' that he could not get to load, must have overwritten the original cos this is like a different car to drive now. Much more power & torque + better throttle response as well. I did notice though that the torque convertor lock up clutch did NOT seem to be locking up in fifth gear at all. When cruising @ 110Km/hr it was sitting on @ 2200RPM which I think was about 400RPM MORE than what it was pre tune. When I let my foot off the accelerator at that speed then back on, the revs would drop @ 400RPM then back to 2200RPM which leads me to believe the Torque Convertor clutch is NOT locking up at all ?

I ran a scan of the engine / ECU parameters on Sunday & seem to have NO data generated for EGR or DPF sensors which would concur that the tune they attempted to load on Friday, has been successfully written to the ECU.

I spoke with the Tuning company yesterday & relayed this info to them & they are confused as to how this has happened as their AlienTech software showed they could NOT read or write to my ECU. They advised that the tune they have used does NOT affect the torque convertor lock up as that is controlled by the TCU & NOT the ECU ?

They said they will have to get in touch with their Tuner supplier to ascertain where to go from here. I don't think I'm going to get much help from this company as they just ignored my text on Friday about the issue & I had to chase them up yesterday & still have not heard back from them about a solution !

So now I have my vehicle performing exactly as I wanted with what appears to be the DPF & the EGR electronically 'swiched off' but have this issue with the Torque Convertor Clutch NOT locking up.

The 'Tune' for a 2014 model is definately different for a 2011 model ? Is this because of the different transmissions ?

Anyone care to share their knowledge about what controls the Torque Convertor Clutch .. whether it is the ECU or the TCU ?

[Troutman]

Sounds like you got screwed over by a backyard operator with no idea mate. It is well known in the trade that Jeep ECU needs to be opened for this sort of work. And if the DPF and EGR are in fact switched off/not monitored (but still physically there), then this will not end well. Your options are to go to a really reputable company or authorized dealer and see if the OEM software can be reloaded onto your ECU. Won't be cheap.

[08crd]

As troutman says, if the DPF is switched off and can't do a regen burn, then that will eventually cause a serious issue.

[Meggso]

The TCM would control the torque converter. It doesn’t sound like this is what you wanted them playing with.
Now it’s been hacked, locked Bosch EDC17 ECMs can be tuned through the OBD11 port. I don’t think GDE is doing a flash tool yet, but there are others.
In any case, good luck!
Meggso

[Kidshorsesme]

Bit of an update ....

Tried disconnecting the battery for half an hour as directed by the company who 'Didn't' tune my car ! This made no difference at all ... still powerful but no torque convertor clutch lockup !

Last week when I was heading off to work, the car didn't want to start ... at 3.00am as I was leaving to drive to the airport So it appears the battery is failing but after a few tries it cranks enough to start. I immediately ordered a new battery to get delivered so when I got home, I could fit it. I purchased an Exide 'Evolution' Stop / Start 950 CCA battery. Cost $385 delivered to my door.

When I arrived back on Monday, I fitted the battery & headed off home ... but NOW the car is back to how it was before, quite lazy & takes a lot of throttle to kick down. So I'm assuming, the 'Flash Tune' is no more ? Heading to Jeep Dealer in the morning to have some recall splash shield fitted to the brake booster or something. Asked them to flash the latest ECU updates whilst they have the vehicle so we will see tomorrow after I pick it up, if it is any different ?

[Kidshorsesme]

Update 2 ...

Picked up the car yesterday afternoon ... brake booster splash shield fitted under Re-call, so no charge. Was charged $154 to 'Update' all the electronics software which I was happy to pay. Vehicle drives okay, gearshifts hang out a bit longer than before but now appears to get torque convertor clutch lockup again.

I was advised though that during the software update, they found a fault code that the Oxygen sensor had thrown. Quoted $732 to replace it !!! WTF ??? for a part that I can buy on eBay for $150 DELIVERED (genuine Bosch) ???

That WILL be the LAST time the 'STEALERSHIP' ever gets ANY of my hard earned money !!!

I have noticed that my vehicle takes ages to warm up & when checking the temp via the dash readout, it NEVER goes above 78 degrees. After searching on this forum last night, I found other people have had same problem with error codes for Oxygen sensor & in one guys case, it turned out to be the thermostat was stuck open & not allowing the engine to get above 72 degrees. Apparently the ECU does NOT initiate a DPF regeneration until the engine temp is ABOVE 80 degrees hence maybe why, I have NEVER seen this vehicle carry out a regeneration burn ???

So now I will source a replacement thermostat / housing but I'm NOT going to get RAPED at ANY STEALERSHIP and pay AUD$500 for a piece of plastic with a thermostat in it ! I have found many different Genuine part numbers listed on the Net for the exact same part ... I'm assuming they are different operating temperature rating ? All the ones I can see on Rock Auto are rated at 208 degree Fahrenheit which is 98 degrees Celsius ... seems WAY too hot for my liking ! Virtually EVERY thermostat / housing I can find in the USA are if listed, 208 degrees F.

Any suggestions as to how I find out what the genuine part number parts relate to operating temperature ? Surely there are different operating temperature thermostats just like after market ones ? I can't image its just 'one size fits all' for the WHOLE world market ?

[08crd]

Just looked on Rockauto's $168U.S for thermostat and housing, so it isn't going to be cheap.
I've used Mandurah Jeep before, they don't miss you at the check out.