VN Commodore ECU update

[mag]

Have series 1 v6 engine and believe changes made to later versions of engine software improved idel and running smoothness. If true would like to update current ECU sotware. Your assistanc/recommendations would be appreciated. Is there a beginners area or links to same that has how-to guide for ECU software changes.

[delcowizzid]

do you know what tune you are running now for a start.its printed on the ecu but its allways best to check on the memcal inside the ecu in case the memcal has been changed at some stage.remove the ecu from the passenger kick panel and undo the screw on either side of the cover on the end of the ecu and slide it off you will now see a blue memcal look through the the hole in the blue cover and there should be a silver sticker with a code on it will be four letters followed by for numbers.get back to us with the number.

[mag]

number 4410

[Holden202T]

we need to know the letters infront of the 4410

ATFY 4410 is one i can see ....

ATFY4410 $5D 89, 3.8L V6 Auto & Man 1227808 Production Run Change for 1990 Eng

if thats what you got then we are in business!

[delcowizzid]

Will be ATFY 4410 production release series 2 vn engine tune.there is a sevice fix for idle that was released later on ide go for the hsv tune for that engine that is newer that would go ok in it or go for a custom tune for that little extra poke.

[mag]

Suprised to hear it is series 2, the engine is series 1. As to changing the software I will need some assistance with proceddur. I assume that I can reprogram the memcal, where would I find the circuit for a burner & software to drive it. Have had experience developing assembler code and using DIY burning with microchip micros.

[antus]

You probably wont need any assembler knowledge, but if you can handle motorola HC11 assembler you might be able to hack something up if you need a custom feature that hasnt been developed yet.

For a burner, I use a willem eprom burner, they are pretty cheap on ebay. The chip is just a standard 27c128 eprom, so any burner or kit that advertises it can write on of those will be enough. You'll also need a uv eraser (there are also cheap ones on ebay). Beware of the common cheap ones. They have a timer that says minutes, but its more like hours! The eprom will be erased if you leave it under the uv too long, but it'll decrease its life. Your better of timing 5 mins yourself then flicking it off.

For software you can either grab the tune delcowizzid mentioned from the stock holden bins thead, or if you want to try tuning yourself get the xdf file for the $5D program as that is what you have on your chip. It defines all the locations and equations to convert real world numbers to whats in the chip with program tunerpro - see http://www.tunerpro.net. There will also be some realtime hardware and software available here soon that you can plug in if you want real time tuning.

[delcowizzid]

yeah willem burners are going for under $45 on ebay same with uv erasers too.as for spare eproms if you need them they have been going for $3.40 with sockets included.if its a series one engine it wont go the best on that tune ide go straight for the sv3800 ARBP4435 tune to begin with while you do any further tuning.few of us on here have some sporty tunes we would probably share at some stage

[mag]

Thanks for your assistance, will follow-up your suggestions. May eventually need to modify injector times etc. as considering fitting supercharger and although boost unlikely to ever exceed 8psi, might benefit from fine tune of memcal.

[delcowizzid]

if you are going to add boost at any level you really need to tune the memcal anyway or it will ping itself to death real quick and you will need bigger injectors which need the tune changed to suit too so it would be a good idea to get the burner or if you are real serious and want to tune faster the new realtime boards are the go as you can tune to suit while driving down the road.check out the members rides clints vn wagon is loving 16psi every day