chryslers pcm "death" flash

Mattx15 · Nov 19, 2016

so ive heard a bit about this death flash and the plenum gasket im just wondering what all did they do with this reprogram and is there a way i can revert it or retune it??

dudeman2009 · Nov 19, 2016

SCT tuners are common, you can get tunes from places like HemiFever, Flyin Ryan or a few others.

As for what it did, it ******** ignition timing in the PCM to stop spark knock when warm or under light load. With the ******** timing comes a slight loss in power as ignition is occurring at a slightly later point than optimal.

Some of the recommendations when getting a tune to remove the death flash is quality copper spark plugs, cap/rotor and plug wire replacement, possibly changing to a 180* thermostat to reduce heat in the cylinder.

HemiFever has 'canned' tunes that are designed to work with engines that fall under a category of performance upgrades, from stock engines to completly rebuilt powerhouses. Flyin Ryan has custom tunes as well, but will also custom tune for your specific engine and mods.

One of the base requirements for most tunes is Air/Fuel sensors, not O2 sensors and the Plenum gasket repair.

Mattx15 · Nov 19, 2016

dudeman2009 said:
SCT tuners are common, you can get tunes from places like HemiFever, Flyin Ryan or a few others.

As for what it did, it ******** ignition timing in the PCM to stop spark knock when warm or under light load. With the ******** timing comes a slight loss in power as ignition is occurring at a slightly later point than optimal.

Some of the recommendations when getting a tune to remove the death flash is quality copper spark plugs, cap/rotor and plug wire replacement, possibly changing to a 180* thermostat to reduce heat in the cylinder.

HemiFever has 'canned' tunes that are designed to work with engines that fall under a category of performance upgrades, from stock engines to completly rebuilt powerhouses. Flyin Ryan has custom tunes as well, but will also custom tune for your specific engine and mods.

One of the base requirements for most tunes is Air/Fuel sensors, not O2 sensors and the Plenum gasket repair.

sounds like the tuning is not for me im too cheap for that stuff i think im gonna just fix my plenum and call it good, i want more horsepower but i also like my fuel mileage as well.

Yeret · Nov 19, 2016

Bear in mind that the effects of any modifications that you make will be diluted from the "death flash." No matter what you throw at the engine, the death flash will do it's damnest to hold you back.

I opened up my exhaust, swapped on a modified throttle body and they helped a little but it wasn't until I got my tune that my truck actually behaves like a V8 under heavy throttle. I paid $400 for my tune + tuner from Flyin' Ryan and have no regrets.

Personally unless you shell out the money to eliminate the death flash, I wouldn't even bother throwing mods at these engines (with the exception of a thick plenum plate + Fel Pro gasket). I bought a few things before my tune because I was also looking for some cheap power. Of everything that I've done however, the tune made by far the biggest difference and I have no problem suggesting that as the first significant mod that one can do.

Don't kid yourself, however. Even with a tune, you're still only gonna run circa 250 HP in a 5,000 pound truck. It'll be noticeably quicker, but it's still not gonna be like a muscle car which is what you should look to getting if you REALLY want to go fast, LOL.

dudeman2009 · Nov 20, 2016

Yeret said:
It'll be noticeably quicker, but it's still not gonna be like a muscle car which is what you should look to getting if you REALLY want to go fast, LOL.

Tell that to a turbo diesel.

Mattx15 · Nov 20, 2016

Yeret said:
Bear in mind that the effects of any modifications that you make will be diluted from the "death flash." No matter what you throw at the engine, the death flash will do it's damnest to hold you back.

I opened up my exhaust, swapped on a modified throttle body and they helped a little but it wasn't until I got my tune that my truck actually behaves like a V8 under heavy throttle. I paid $400 for my tune + tuner from Flyin' Ryan and have no regrets.

Personally unless you shell out the money to eliminate the death flash, I wouldn't even bother throwing mods at these engines (with the exception of a thick plenum plate + Fel Pro gasket). I bought a few things before my tune because I was also looking for some cheap power. Of everything that I've done however, the tune made by far the biggest difference and I have no problem suggesting that as the first significant mod that one can do.

Don't kid yourself, however. Even with a tune, you're still only gonna run circa 250 HP in a 5,000 pound truck. It'll be noticeably quicker, but it's still not gonna be like a muscle car which is what you should look to getting if you REALLY want to go fast, LOL.

haha yeah not looking to go fast just want a reliable truck that can pull my welding rig ideally id like a 3/4 ton but gotta start somewhere i guess, and im a little weary of buying a cummins cause sure they may last longer but the parts are ridiculously expensive and i know nothing about diesel engines as were i can do almost anything i need to on a gas, i was just curious about this flash, say i did retune to optimal performance how would that effect my mpg? if i stayed away from performance parts and just did the plenum and a retune? i dont know much about the whole tuning thing.

Yeret · Nov 20, 2016

dudeman2009 said:
Tell that to a turbo diesel.

Yeah, but OP doesn't have a turbo diesel.

Yeret · Nov 20, 2016

Ryan claims a 1-2 MPG increase with his tune. I've yet to verify this due to something up front dragging from time to time, however I have no reason to doubt him. Last time I had a dragging caliper (before my tune), my fuel economy dropped from 12 to 10 MPG and I know my fuel economy isn't that bad right now even with something pulling.

Now me, I didn't tune my truck for fuel economy. I wanted to dump the death flash and not feel like I'm dragging a boat anchor under heavy throttle. Point is, unless you start driving more aggressive, a good tune is unlikely to reduce your fuel economy.

dapepper9 · Nov 20, 2016

I myself run a Ryan tune.

Part of keeping good mpg is high tq in the 1500-2000rpm range. I swapped in a 2bbl m1 intake manifold and lost all of it, then slapped in a larger throttle body, headers, higher ratio rocker arms and upped tire size to 32s that weigh 66lbs each vs the 39lbs it had before. Oh then added smother 500lbs in bumpers. Still average 10 driving with a heavy foot.

My own experience for higher mileage with these, good plenum and Flowmaster 50 catback system i could hit 18-19 on long highway trips at 65mph in good conditions. A tune probably would have helped too

Mattx15 · Nov 20, 2016

dapepper9 said:
I myself run a Ryan tune.

Part of keeping good mpg is high tq in the 1500-2000rpm range. I swapped in a 2bbl m1 intake manifold and lost all of it, then slapped in a larger throttle body, headers, higher ratio rocker arms and upped tire size to 32s that weigh 66lbs each vs the 39lbs it had before. Oh then added smother 500lbs in bumpers. Still average 10 driving with a heavy foot.

My own experience for higher mileage with these, good plenum and Flowmaster 50 catback system i could hit 18-19 on long highway trips at 65mph in good conditions. A tune probably would have helped too

yeah ill have to look into this tuning some, in the past i just dismissed the thought cause of the money and lack of knowledge i have an buddy that is big into tuning only he tunes chevys for the duramax and his drag car

chryslers pcm "death" flash

Mattx15

Member

dudeman2009

Senior Member

Mattx15

Member

Yeret

The Village Drunk

dudeman2009

Senior Member

Mattx15

Member

Yeret

The Village Drunk

Yeret

The Village Drunk

dapepper9

Senior Member

Mattx15

Member

Similar threads

Latest posts

Members online

Forum statistics

Share this page