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ECU crack

12K views 32 replies 13 participants last post by  bking1441 
#1 ·
spoke to my local tuner yesterday. he said there will be a ECU crack releasing in few weeks. I asked do I still need pcv? he said this crack will be better than pcv.
cost $720 for full tune. (Brisbane QLD, AUSTRALIA)
 
#7 ·
Yep, the 'crack' is referring to cracking the code to allow the new map to be used. Pleased with my re-flash... I still don't fully understand the wizardry that went on, but it works so that's all that really matters!
 
#9 ·
Ha ha, well ain't that the million dollar question!

The bike before me in the queue for the dyno was an S1000R which was in having it's PCV removed and the EUC remapped. The owner seemed very pleased with it's performance post remap.

PCV alters the fueling by taking control of the injectors while reading the engine speed and throttle position. It is simple enough to install and only needs specialist help if you want a custom map. It's also easy to remove and sell when you change bikes, so it will retain some value. Remapping is permanent, and requires specialist help, once you've paid for it you're not getting anything back! It also (so I'm lead to believe) gives a lot more tuning possibilities because it has access to the full EFI system and sensors (MAF sensor for example). As I've said before, I really don't have any expert knowledge in this area, so I can only go on what I've been told from various sources... all of which are likely to be highly biased towards one way or the other!

I had a PCV on my CB1000R and actually made money.... I bought it at six months old and sold it 3 years later for more than I paid for it! It worked well, but for me my GSX-S deserved a more permanent solution to it's horrible throttle response which is when I started to research the remap route. The rest of the story is here >> http://www.gsxs1000.org/forum/suzuki-gsxs-1000-maintenance/19954-remap.html
 
#10 ·
Ha ha, well ain't that the million dollar question!

The bike before me in the queue for the dyno was an S1000R which was in having it's PCV removed and the EUC remapped. The owner seemed very pleased with it's performance post remap.

PCV alters the fueling by taking control of the injectors while reading the engine speed and throttle position. It is simple enough to install and only needs specialist help if you want a custom map. It's also easy to remove and sell when you change bikes, so it will retain some value. Remapping is permanent, and requires specialist help, once you've paid for it you're not getting anything back! It also (so I'm lead to believe) gives a lot more tuning possibilities because it has access to the full EFI system and sensors (MAF sensor for example). As I've said before, I really don't have any expert knowledge in this area, so I can only go on what I've been told from various sources... all of which are likely to be highly biased towards one way or the other!

I had a PCV on my CB1000R and actually made money.... I bought it at six months old and sold it 3 years later for more than I paid for it! It worked well, but for me my GSX-S deserved a more permanent solution to it's horrible throttle response which is when I started to research the remap route. The rest of the story is here >> http://www.gsxs1000.org/forum/suzuki-gsxs-1000-maintenance/19954-remap.html
Thanks for the info Martin... I did infact keep tabs on your Remap escapades.. I've got a PC-V winging it's way from the USA that I managed to get for £200, just hoping that's going to be as good as your remap.. :)
 
#11 ·
PCV is super easy to work with. People like you and I can use them. If you knew my computer skill level, you would realize how amazing this is.

Ecu's dont just use one map. Especially once you start factoring in traction control. There will be hundreds, if not thousands of different parameters a tuner can deal with if they can crack that ecu and be able to make changes. If a person can get into the ecu, it allows timing changes, rev limit changes. Anything the ecu controls is fair game.

Better? For sure...IF you know what you are doing. If the tuner knows what he is doing, the ecu reflash offers more options.

Warranty? Of course it will void your warranty. Thats not to say if a brake caliper goes bad, they wont honor it, but if you had piston or valve damage, that ecu reflash will be blamed for it.
 
#12 ·
The problem with an ECU flash, is that it's a one-time deal (and in this case, it's very expensive). The whole beauty of the PCV is that once you understand fuelling, you can tweak it. The benefit, however, of an ECU reflash is that it opens up possibility of playing with other things, such as ignition timing, which you can't do with the PCV unless you pay extra for the ignition module.

What happens if you decide to change your exhaust or run an aftermarket air filter? Take the bike on a holiday high into the chilly mountains, or down to sea-level and ride across a desert in extreme heat? All these things will alter the required tune of an engine.

I personally prefer the re-tunability of a PCV, but each to their own.
 
#13 ·
Or you can have the best of both once woolich racing release their ecu box for the GSX-S which they are working on but had estimated wouldn't be out or a at least a month or so.

Its a box you buy that lets you flash the ECU. Think of the possibilities and the damage you could cause with careless tinkering! Fueling maps and ignition maps are what most people will play with. Good thing is like a PC V or a bazzaz you can remove it when you are finished and you are in control of settings with the woolich software. You can flash the original map's back in and put it all back to stock. Also takes up less space and doesn't introduce an host of extra connectors into your wiring. Can also do the same as a TRE just by copying the ignition maps from 6th gear into the first five gears ignition maps, change the red line (if you are that way inclined) and can also do exhaust valve delete without having to plug in an extra box to trick the ECU.
 
#16 ·
truth or nonsense....

One of our electronics team guys at work is incredibly talented. Genius level to the point where I really am not allowed to say what specific weapons he works with. He's also a car/motorcycle dude.

He said that the ecu reflash kits are fine, but you do want to avoid flashing it over and over. He said if you did this, you will eventually have problems. He would not give a specific number, but I wonder if this could be true?
 
#24 ·
Martin, thnaks you. That was the kind of answer, your second one, that I was looking for. The guy who mentioned it does get trusted to make decisions that impact a lot of people, so when he said that, it made me curious. When I've ran across people who know more specifics than I do about electronics and such, I ask the question.
 
#26 ·
I'm an Electrical engineer too but I won't tell you what I work on cause i don't want to;)
So far BKing hasn't posted anything other than good solid information.
I don't see what the issue is. Personally the wisest bit of info has been missed.

It is more likely that a mistake(bad connection) or (more likely) a bad battery/voltage drop could "brick" the ECU during (re)flash, but the risk should be considered before going this route.
I've done enough firmware flashes to know this is true and when it does happen you are pretty much banjaxed unless you have manufacturer support.
Eproms are highly susceptible to electrostatic and they can easily get corrupted or damaged.....hmm! you might even find some in your PC V too. Think about that the next time you stuff a usb into its port to access its map;)
:D
 
#27 ·
Guys, yes. It was just an interesting thing I heard and wondered about. True, I dont know if YOU know anything about something, and are just a random guy.

So, its not the "flashing" is the real issue, its the what can go wrong, possibly could.

With this in mind, lets say I buy a home reflash kit for the ecu. Not the power commander.

Would you guys "in the know" limit the times you flashed this. I mean, lets say I want to try a slightly different (5%) map, but nothing substantial. Lets not even put a number on it...lets just say a mild change.

Does the risk outweigh the POSSIBLE reward? I say possible since many of my power commander changes have been less than spectacular when they've been just my nutty idea .

Although, one time I did load 5% of fuel into a zero cell and it was nice!
 
#28 ·
Joking aside,
The best way to limit any "accidents" would be to simply make sure you are powered down (both the bike and the laptop) when you are connecting the two together.
Also,if you have a way of removing any electrostatics to prevent discharge do so. As this is probably not practical with a bike in a home garage, connect the grounds together of any two appliances first.
You are already doing this when you connect the usb lead outer shield to the PC V outer connector socket.
You'll be fine, just switch everything off before connecting and then switch it off again before disconnecting:)
 
#29 ·
Flashes etc

OK guys for the majority on this forum I think this thread is a tad too technical or maybe it's just little ol me.
As I have stated on various threads on this forum I seem to have fewer problems than many others but having listened to the technical guys at dynojet and my old friends in bike racing scene I am considering buying the power commander but would like to do a comparison against my bike.
Chatting to the wife yesterday I think I covered over 250,000 miles on a bike and hope to cover many more on this bike.
Ride safe all!
 
#30 ·
We did dive in way too deep, but thats probably because we're all stuck inside, dreaming of how riding will feel in a few months from now.

For sure, get the powercommander. Its a great product and will do just what you tell it to do. Be sure and ground it properly. I feel like 99.9% of the people who complain about them, or had issues, did not do that. They tried to run its ground wire to a plastic overflow jug.

Its pretty easy to install and use. Its a lot of fun when you can start e mailing maps between each other. Then you get their map switch, or build your own for 3.00 and carry two maps at the same time.

I think the Bazzaz fuel controller might be better, but everyone and their dog uses the dynojet model, so its probably a better choice if you want support from o0thers.
 
#33 ·
Got the service manual today and started studying the ECU pinout/documentation.
Besides being a "simpler" ECU regarding fueling (only primary injectors) and no CPS the pinout looks very familiar to my (ex)B-King.
The ECU looks exactly the same (physically) also.
Will try to see if I am able to "dump" the bin (verify read)
 
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