Hello all... Well lets just say my experience with the ECU upgrade went to hell... NOT BECAUSE of the person... he did a great job... but here goes

I pull up into the garage to have the ECU changed...
1) we detach the battery
2) pull the ECU out of the box and remove it from its holder
3) take the existing chip out
4) put the new chip in place
5) reinstall the ECU unit
6) leave the door open for 15 seconds... turn the key on... the check engine light turns on showing the ECU unit is in great... turn key off... turn it back on to start the car... nothing ... we hear the fan kick on... and all the instruments light up.. and the car seems to function minus the engine...
7) we disconnect the new ECU... reinstall it... still nothing...
** Now we begin to think ... its the car security system I had installed ... it locked up because of the battery being taken off...
8) I go home quite some miles away and then call my car alarm installer in the morning... he tells me the sets to get it to unlock the locked up engine...
9) I drive out there again and do the precedure... nothing... the Upsolute guy installs the same old ECU... nothing... so now everything is back to the way it was before I pulled in and took off the battery...
10) I call up a towing service and have the car towed about 60 miles to my house...
11) it sits out of my garage... me crying on the side...

my Xfire has turned into a really expensive home theater system!!!

I'm really depressed about this and if anyone has some ideas please post them... otherwise I have to wait till monday... when the car alarm installer is gonna come out and look at it before I have it towed to the dealer...

 

Wow.... I'm really sorry to hear you have a problem. I hope the alarm guy can get you squared away!!!

Please keep us posted.

 

I'm sorry to hear about that......I've got mine chipped today and luckily, when Jason asked if we have to removed the battery connection, I remembered the Power Chip instructions on how to remove the ECU so I told him not to remove the battery terminal since it wasn't in the instructions. There's just some minor difficulties but we made it for 30 minutes and my Crossfire is now officially chipped!

Results: No objective results yet but the subjective part is that I can feel more pulling at the start and even at 70 mph!
I'll try to have a Dyno test done on my Crossfire's performance maybe next week.

DFW Upsolute: Jason - ( 817) 501-2635

 

You should have gotten a baseline dyno test. Now we won't be able to tell the difference in performance thanks to the ECU.

But if you can feel more pull then that means it was at least a 5whp increase, as that is the slightest increase that people can usually feel. I'd say you're probably feeling around 7 to 10whp increase based on your exclamation mark.

 

When I got mine done, since I was the first, my ECU was removed twice. Both times the Battery was disconnected with no problems. I can't believe that anyone would build a car that would have to be towed to a dealer and have the ECU reset if the battery dies. That makes no sense at all.

How about it??? Does any of our tech.s have any thoughts?

 

This is what all the people I've talked to could come up with...

A) The Third party car alarm system has locked up the engine and standard release precedures are not working correctly

B) The battery being disconnected lost the programming in the keys
- meaning I have to get the keys reprogrammed

C) The battery being disconnected lost the programming in the actual ignition box
- meaning I have to get the car reprogrammed

No matter what... This shouldn't have happened if you remove the battery... the car shouldn't have any problems like this... so either I have to get the internal in the car fixed... or remove the third party alarm ... If you read in posts before I put an extremely high security alarm system into the crossfire... and when it senses the battery being disconnected it would lock up the system... but all I need to do is put the key into the ignition to release it.... at the worst put the key in the car then press the remote start! that would go directly to the cars ignition bypassing the car alarm...

 

It sure sounds like it's going to be a royal pain to get everything back on line.

The only extra security thing that's been done to mine is registered etched windows. So if they rip off my car and send it to a chop shop, maybe some day I'll get the windows back. :lol:

I hope it's not as big a pain as it sounds and you're back on the road very soon.

 

Ya it is gonna be a pain in the *** ... but the good thing is it isnt that expensive... its not like it was in an accident... or the engine died... thank god its just security problems ... I try to make myself feel better by thinking that at least

I too thought of the etched windows but for the same reason you pointed out how really is that gonna get my car back LOL ... and after what they did to it... do i want that same one back

 

If it had been up to me I never would have done the window etching thing.... It was done be the dealer before I bought it. It was no charge to me or I would have told them to "Pack Sand" :lol:

 

I don't want to sound like the Old Man that I am, But why is everybody so hot to modify their cars. Leave them alone. It's a good package right from the factory. If you want something different, get what you want from the start. If you want it in a crossfire, wait til they offer it. I won't even take mine in for the radio. It's never been to a mall parking lot. Never driven in the rain or snow. I have a 95 neon for that. Even in Jersey, the insurance is only 450 extra for the second car. Thats less than the deductible on one insurance incident. I know it's tough not to take the car when you have it, but other people don't care about Your car. I know it's hard not to fiddle with it and make it your own, but resist the urge.

 

A few answers for questions asked... The keys can not be 'erased' by disconnecting the battery. The SKREEM module (this is the module that the key interfaces with) can not be erased by disconnecting the battery. The PCM (has final say in whether or not the engine starts) can not be erased by disconnecting the battery (at least not security info).

So here is my question for you:

1) You have laser cut keys
2) You have keys with electronic security built in
3) The car came with a factory alarm on top of these security features
4) now you have installed a redundant/redundant/redundant/redundant system on top of the 3 it had... WHY?????

 

If leaving the car bone stock is what you want to do with your car, that's great. And I will never try to talk you into doing anything to it... You bought and paid for it so do with it what you will.... Please don't knock those of us that use our cars in a different way than you use yours. I have done performance mods on almost every car I have ever owned... It's like a hobby for me as is autocrossing. I bought this car because I knew from the instant I saw it that this was a car that I could really have fun with.... And that's exactly what I'm doing with it.... I'm having more fun than I have a many years!

I will grant you that your car will more than likely have a better resale value than mine will.... But I'm not selling mine (for a very long time) so for me that's not an issue.

 

I live in a dorm parking lot and I need the alarm to be as loud as possible, also on top of that this shows me on a LCD screen attached to my keys if someone is touching my car.

But thank you so much for all the info its more then likely now its just the extra alarm

 

Could also be a shorted out PCM.Did they install the chip then return it to stock? They could have damaged the pcm during this process.Hopefully its just your alarm.

 

yah its back to stock now

I hope its the alarm also

 

Hey, are you my long lost twin brother? I'm 39.

Mine has been to a mall parking lot once. But a super nice mall, parked far from the nearest potential *******, and for a quick trip. And I won't even consider debadging, much less chips or anything else. Although I must come clean, I did buy the Crossfire license plate frame on ebay.

 

Are you talking about the license frame with the Crossfire stickers on? I got one and it's in the trash

 

If your set on getting the Upsolute upgrade, I'd have your alarm guy disable the whole system, get the Upsolute done and tested and double-verified the car is operating fine, THEN have the alarm guy put your system back operational.

 

I hope not. It seems to be etched into the metal but I'll check again. If they're stickers it's trash time for mine as well.

 

Exactly... I planned on this once I get it all fixed... im not going to have this alarm if i cant disattach my battery without a hassle... its kinda stupid IMO no matter if it is really secure... i dont need it that secure...