Flash ECU to stock. HELP

[Brandon Fortner]

Hello,

I'm sure you've gotten this all a million +1 times but please bare with me. So I'm going to start by saying this; Dodge dealerships near me apparently don't want to deal with/don't understand my situation. I am very frustrated with these dealerships in general and am at a loss at the moment and hopelessly looking for answers.. but anyway-

I bought SuperChip FlashPaq 5 3845 (serial#53118 00393 or 101-333-278?) brand new from JEGS for my 2006 Dodge Ram 1500 SLT 5.7l Big Horn Edition. I read SuperChips manual and proceeded to download stock tune from truck to Superchip..followed all directions and it proceeded to say something like "no stock tune". So previous owner obviously downloaded a tune and never returned to stock right? So I begun to look for ways to flash my ECU to stock tune. I've read multiple forums claiming Dodge Dealerships are able to flash back to stock tune. Ok easy enough. I called first stealership and tech said he "should" be able to flash it back to stock for $190/hr after "initial diagnosis" (whaaawhaaawhoaaaat). I asked him to explain why it "should" and not "will"; tech proceeded to not come up with any clear answers..next dealership said they absolutely cannot return ECU to stock and old tuner is the only way to do it (obviously not an option). Last dealership had no ####ing clue what I was talking about.

I simply do not have funds to replace ECU nor equipment to download stock tune and transfer.

So I've got a some questions, please bare with me..

-Are Dodge dealerships capable of flashing ECU to stock? (I'm not confident enough for a tech to piddle around and 1-either not know what they're doing or 2-don't care and give it a whirl saying "it should work"- then it not work and be out $200+)

-Does the PCM need to be re-flashed instead of ECU? I've read on forums the PCM needs to be re-flashed for a new tune (Superchip) to work.

-How should I go about talking to a Dodge stealership about my situation? They always go to the classic "we've got to find the problem first" and tac on another $150 even though I clearly stated what I need done and there is nothing to diagnose.

-The previous owner of my truck treated it like dog #### (no maintenance records, no oil read on dipstick and an oil filter dated 2 years prior; my ignorant, uneducated younger self did not check before purchase in 2015). Motor ended up throwing a rod a couple years later so I got a crate hemi 5.7 motor and swapped it out 2 years ago but ECU as well as PCM is still original-would that play into any of this?

I have no idea what tune/brand could be on my truck and it could potentially be damaging my motor & trans so this is also a concern.

Am I ####ed? All I need is a confident answer from an experienced tech or SuperChip expert. I understand you probably can't guarantee something will work..but what is my best option? No one seems to understand or answer my questions. I am already short $300 from this Superchip and cannot afford to take my truck to some tech that can't do the job correctly and #### my wallet. Boohoo for me right? Yes that too, I get it..

I am hoping for someone reliable to answer and confirm the questions above or at least guide me in the right direction..I do apologize for such a long message from some idiot ###hole you've probably dealt with 1,000,000 + 2 times.

Please get back to me.

Thanks,

 

[rule18]

Welcome to RamForum. There are a few members that are FCA techs and a bunch of members that have lots of tune experience so you'll get some info. Good luck.

 

[Brandon Fortner]

Thank you I greatly appreciate it. I just copy and pasted from email I sent to SuperChips. I should have edited a bit for this forum. I tend to get a little off topic sometimes..

 

[MADDOG]

You can get a re-manned PCM for your truck online (with a warranty), installed (plug & play) then proceed with the Superchips tuning.

I had to get a replacement PCM for my 1999 and I got it from carcomputerexchange dot com. They flashed it with my VIN and a stock tune as part of the purchase.

 

[Brandon Fortner]

So I'll be honest I don't know a whole lot about this subject..but I believe chrysler calls their module a PCM. Which is the same as an ECU/ECM etc. on different makes of vehicles. Is this correct? So I do not have both a PCM and ECU as separate units on my ram? ..they're all the same thing?

 

[HemiLonestar]

See bold below

Hello,
-Are Dodge dealerships capable of flashing ECU to stock? (I'm not confident enough for a tech to piddle around and 1-either not know what they're doing or 2-don't care and give it a whirl saying "it should work"- then it not work and be out $200+) - should be able to, however that is only if they've kept enough of their old equipment....I've heard of dealerships nowadays that won't work on anything pre-CANbus. Back in the day that was the only way to fix that problem was a dealer flash.

-Does the PCM need to be re-flashed instead of ECU? I've read on forums the PCM needs to be re-flashed for a new tune (Superchip) to work. - same thing. PCM (Powertrain Control Module) is the correct OEM term. The original factory tune needs to be in there for the Superchips to work (it looks for it). Now Diablo on the other hand, it doesn't care. If you can't resolve this, get a Diablo tuner.

-How should I go about talking to a Dodge stealership about my situation? They always go to the classic "we've got to find the problem first" and tac on another $150 even though I clearly stated what I need done and there is nothing to diagnose. - simple upfront question: "can you ass clowns flash a PCM to stock prior to 2009?"

-The previous owner of my truck treated it like dog #### (no maintenance records, no oil read on dipstick and an oil filter dated 2 years prior; my ignorant, uneducated younger self did not check before purchase in 2015). Motor ended up throwing a rod a couple years later so I got a crate hemi 5.7 motor and swapped it out 2 years ago but ECU as well as PCM is still original-would that play into any of this? - not likely, same engine and parameters from 2004 to 2008 with minor variations like EGR, MDS, etc (2003 was a weird year, no MDS or EGR but a separate TCM, lower fuel pressure)

I have no idea what tune/brand could be on my truck and it could potentially be damaging my motor & trans so this is also a concern. - again not likely, whatever it is, it is most likel;y a canned tune and while more performance oriented they are still conservative enough to not hurt anything

Am I ####ed? All I need is a confident answer from an experienced tech or SuperChip expert. I understand you probably can't guarantee something will work..but what is my best option? No one seems to understand or answer my questions. I am already short $300 from this Superchip and cannot afford to take my truck to some tech that can't do the job correctly and #### my wallet. Boohoo for me right? Yes that too, I get it.. - if you can't get a dealer tech to flash your PCM back to stock and you can't or don't want to replace your PCM, then sell the Superchips, get an equivalent Diablo tuner and go on with your life.

I am hoping for someone reliable to answer and confirm the questions above or at least guide me in the right direction..I do apologize for such a long message from some idiot ###hole you've probably dealt with 1,000,000 + 2 times. - it does happen alot (people are dumb) but unless you've had one of these before you aren't gonna know

Please get back to me.

Thanks,

So I'll be honest I don't know a whole lot about this subject..but I believe chrysler calls their module a PCM. Which is the same as an ECU/ECM etc. on different makes of vehicles. Is this correct? So I do not have both a PCM and ECU as separate units on my ram? ..they're all the same thing?

Answered above, PCM is the OEM term but yes, same thing.

 

[Brandon Fortner]

Right on that's good to hear about Diablo. I'll definitely go that route then! I just got recommended SuperChip because it's a gasser I suppose. Does Diablo have a similar version of SuperChip or are they all relatively the same when it comes to gas pickups

 

[HemiLonestar]

Right on that's good to hear about Diablo. I'll definitely go that route then! I just got recommended SuperChip because it's a gasser I suppose. Does Diablo have a similar version of SuperChip or are they all relatively the same when it comes to gas pickups

Normally for a physically unmodified engine I would recommend Superchips, but if you are unable/unwilling to reflash the PCM then that's pretty much your only option. The tunes are quite similar if not identical. Superchips had the edge back then because they cracked trans tuning on the RFE. Problem is while the Superchips tuner was capable of custom tunes they decided to stay away from it. Back in the early days when these trucks were new people would 'stack' tuners; tune the trans with SC first, then load the Diablo custom tune. That's how most of us found out that the Diablo didn't care lol. The original tuner for the 3rd gens was the U7137 (think I actually still have one around somewhere lol), but they have much better versions now.

 

[Brandon Fortner]

Ah got ya. I just have some bolt on stuff, k&n, straight pipe, and gear swap to 4.56s. not planning on doing anything major with it. I've always wanted cummins but gas is easier and cheaper to work on lol. Thanks for all the good info..will be putting it to use!