Switching ECM's

[Norwegiandiesel]

Hi.
A while back I purchased a tune for my 1997 K2500 pick-up. Engine blew and I've purchased a 1999 Suburban K2500. Is it possible for me to put the tuned ECM from the pick-up into the Suburba?. Issues? In fact I do not understand if not? As far as I know the tune only effect the engine and possibly the trans performances?
Any experiences out there?
Thanks

 

[JayTheCPA]

Hi.
A while back I purchased a tune for my 1997 K2500 pick-up. Is it possible for me to put the tuned [1997] ECM from the pick-up into the [1999] Suburba?.

While both vehicles are OBDII, IIRC, the 96 & 97 ECM's are different than the 98 - 02 6.5 diesel ECM's.

Another factor is whether the 97 has the EGR as the 99 likely does not. If the 97 does have the EGR, the ECM might not like going into the 99 if the Suburban does not have the EGR.

 

[Norwegiandiesel]

Hi.
Thanks for the reply.
Neither of them has EGR.

 

[THEFERMANATOR]

It should work. The 96 was unique as it didn't have passlock in it, but the 96 ECM will work in a later truck with the theft light on. Worst case scenario is your theft light will come on. Try it and see. I'm pretty sure you will have to do a VATS relearn when you do it though.

 

[Norwegiandiesel]

Hi.
Thanks. IIRR the VATS relearn is a PITA? If a relearn is done, no theft light?
Thanks

 

[Norwegiandiesel]

Emailed Joe at Heath. Says it wont work??????? But not why not.

 

[great white]

Same ecm (16216588) different calibration files.

OBDII trucks need the right calibration file even though the hardware is the same.

To make it even more complicated, some OBDII years have several different calibration files in the same year.

I've tried using different year calibrations in different year trucks. Never works.

The damned thing is you can program, say, a 1998 16216588 PCM with a 96 calibration and it will run a 96. But it won't run a 98.

Without the proper def file, you're hooped.

This is why you can't swap them around between years. Its not the hardware, its the firmware/software.

Just another one of those GM 6.5-isms that makes everyone who makes perf parts run from them screaming.

I chalk it up to GM using the 6.5 as an unofficial "test bed" for the duramax that was soon to come. Dig deep enough and you can even find pilot injection programming in the 6.5 pcms.

This is why I believe GM was using them to play around with the programming to develop the duramax stuff before it arrived. Messing around to gain some experience and it made it into the production vehicles either by oversight or design. Probably why the OBDII 6.5 pcms are so weird and complicated.

No real proof, just my hair brained theory....