unlocking ecms

[v30crewcab]

is there a go to person to unlock an ecm? the last guy I had do one hasn't been on here in a year looks like.

[mongocanfly]

get ahold of Chris at lightning rod speed shop...http://lightninrods.com/
hes in Cleveland Tn ,and works for the fire dept..
he has a guy that does his..he did the one for my C30

[MalibuSSwagon]

lt1swap.com guy did mine. Excellent job I have a 5.3 with manual trans and he got the reprogramming spot on, runs great.

[v30crewcab]

ok thanks guys

[aknovaman]

If the tuner locked the pcm, another tuner can't unlock it without the code or use Tunercat for obd2. So another tuner could totally overwrite your file and start all over from square one. I have Tunercat and can unlock it for you if you want to save your original tune. PM me for details.

[rodstored-72]

Originally Posted by MalibuSSwagon

lt1swap.com guy did mine. Excellent job I have a 5.3 with manual trans and he got the reprogramming spot on, runs great.

+1 for me.. he did mine back to factory stock minus the VATS... recommend him...

[Custom 68]

Yes I am wondering if there is some confusion on "unlocking" it. If the tuner locked it to save their tune from prying eyes then it does become more difficult. The original "GM" computer is not locked but id does require HP tuners or EFI live (and maybe others) to get in and make the changes. That requires the user to purchase credits to do. Once they have it done you can continue to use the same cable to modify the tune. It costs the same from a credit standpoint to turn off Vats as it does to do a full custom tune, the difference is how much the tuner wants to charge for their time and service. The big shops will have some master type unlock so for them it is cheaper just because they purchased a group of vehicles at the time to tune. For me its about 100 bucks just to mess with one.
Hope this helps
Dave

[aknovaman]

I dont see any confusion but here is my thoughts. If it was locked by a tuner, its impossible to unlock/read the PCM file if you dont have the unlock code. Its got nothing to do with credits to license the file for editing purposes. Most of the time, Tunercat for OBD2 can read any PCM and allow editing of the file, including the VIN and security, etc. It does not care if the file is locked, it reads the raw coding. I have been tuning for over 17 years, unless there has been major change recently, thats how it works. Also EFI live and HPT allow custom OS which are not always compatable for editing. i.e. if its tuned with custom OS using EFI live, then sometimes, it cant be read and edited via HPT, but works fine with Tunercat. I believe the master lock you are rerferring to is when a tunershop purchases unlimited tuning for a particular OS i.e. 99-02 camaro and silverado use the same OS. They pay a higher price for licensing but can tune unlimited vehicles without purchasing licenses for a individual VIN.

I am in no way telling anyone what to do or purchase. These are just my opinion and experiences.

[v30crewcab]

I'm simply needing it to have the antitheft removed so it will start and run in a different vehicle. stock computers.

[prodjay10]

You want vats deleted. I had mine done through eBay.
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[plumber452]

If your only needing the basics James Shor of Shor Tuning in Kentucky did mine last fall for $50.00 while I waited. He deleted/turned off the VATS, back Cat, etc. His website is: ShorTuning.com Very knowledge young man and very helpful

[MalibuSSwagon]

From what I hear the LT1swap.com guy locks the tune file, i assume to protect his business. It is a great option if you want to do a stock swap. If you decide to mod your swap down the road, like change cam or add boost, just buy another PCM, they are very cheap, and have that tuned by a local tuner for your new setup. Then you have an unlocked PCM for another swap. That's my plan, but for now I have a well running stock 5.3L in my truck.