Lost Dyno Tune , Back To Factory Setting

[The real NISMO1]

just had turbo and cam work on the car that required a new Dyno tune, after 300kls on the way home it went to sh@t, lost idle , had to keep it around 2k to stop it from stalling and I tried to see if it would boost, not good

Had a hand held Apexi FC commander sent to me by the Tuner, ran some tests and it turns out the tune has gone back to the Factory tune. Said maybe the back up battery had died and something went wrong? This is a long distance assessment, so not easy..

They said my computer needs to be changed and the car re-tuned and I have to take it back to Sydney.

MY QUESTION IS, do Dyno Tunning mechanics keep the new tunes in their computer system, if so , can they load it into the new unit and send it to me to have it installed?? Probably not as easy as that?

[djvoodoo]

Yes, a good tuner will keep your tune on file, and yes, it can be re-uploaded to the Apexi.

[Badgaz]

they don't normally just 'lose' there tune information which is written to a EEPROM or similar chip inside the ECU...are you sure there isn't something else causing the problem? like a hose clamp not tightened properly or a hose split?

[Ben C34]

Isn't there something somewhere about power fcs having an issue with losing tunes due to wiring/missing relay?

[Ben C34]

http://www.paulr33.com/powerfc-faq/powerfc-faq.htm#56

[Badgaz]

its not outside the possibility i suppose but given the OP it seems unlikely.

[GTScotT]

This is one of the things I have always feared with the PFC and hand controller, it leaves the opportunity for the tuner to not back up the tune as he does the whole thing using the hand controller.

I would be hoping that they actually backed up your tune on a PC. Contact the tuner and ask. If they only tuned it via the hand controller that is honestly quite irresponsible and I would raise it with them.

GL

[djvoodoo]

If it's "gone back" to the factory tune, I.E starts, drives and "works" so to speak, is it possible OP has accidentially "restored" to default using the data init menu??

The tune itself is kinda burned in ROM so to speak, and will load it's running config based on what's saved to it's memory on the chip, just like a PC would when booting up into Windows.

I don't believe there is a 'backup' battery E.G a cache battery like a PC motherboard either.

Edited May 1, 2014 by djvoodoo

[Blackkers]

That would have to be a serious problem to have re-written the EEPROM with a factory tune.. doesn't make any sense. Check under the bonnet? plenty of things can cause it to run like shit

btw
RAM - volatile = loses data when power lost (requires a battery backup)

ROM - non volatile = no battery required. That's why an old factory ECU will plug in and run after sitting on a shelf for 2 decades

[Badgaz]

Paul's Faq point states that it is NVRAM (non volatile ram) old ECU's use EPROM which is Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory, they are wiped by removal of the sticker over the IC and put under an ultraviolet light which resets all the gates...effectively wiping the chip.

[djvoodoo]

Paul's Faq point states that it is NVRAM (non volatile ram) old ECU's use EPROM which is Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory, they are wiped by removal of the sticker over the IC and put under an ultraviolet light which resets all the gates...effectively wiping the chip.

Damn, I did say Ram in my original post then edited it... to Rom :-(

[jiffo]

I agree.

Perhaps there was a fault in the Fc that was initiated when the commander was fitted?

Seems there's a couple of questions to answer here.

Why did it start running like a heap after 300k's? Boost pipework all intact?

We can be confident the tuner would have started the engine quite a few times prior to handing over the vehicle thus ruling out the "non storage of data" fault. (where changes aren't saved due to incorrect wiring)

Tuning via the hand commander alone is from way back in the olden days.

Datalogit is not expensive and apart from its speed, its vital to access the many functions simply not available via the commander.

If it's "gone back" to the factory tune, I.E starts, drives and "works" so to speak, is it possible OP has accidentially "restored" to default using the data init menu??

The tune itself is kinda burned in ROM so to speak, and will load it's running config based on what's saved to it's memory on the chip, just like a PC would when booting up into Windows.

I don't believe there is a 'backup' battery E.G a cache battery like a PC motherboard either.

[Bick033]

I had the same problem happen to me over a year ago that killed my 26. Every thing was reset back to base tune I don't know how it happened but I know for sure i didn't play around with anything on the commander. Spoke to the tuner but didn't have it saved. A good thing to have is the datalogit even if you can't tune you can save the tune from the pfc and keep it on your computer or even a usb still turns out cheeper than another dyno tune if anything where to happen.

[The real NISMO1]

The tune was saved, so that is all good.

Just before the car started playing up, it cut out for a second and off it went again,I was pushing it a bit and boost went all over the place, I was on some real twisty road in the bush and not a place to have your car stop in the middle of the road, luckily found a bit of dirt, pulled over and it conked out.

The hand commander unit was sent up to me from Sydney we used Face Time to let the tuner see what was going on and we changed the fuel setting as it was running rich, I also took the filters off the turbo so we could have a better look to see if anything had come loose/off or split and it all seemed OK.

He seems to think the backup battery shxt itself, or something similar.I guess it could be anything as the car is 15 years old and nothing lasts forever.

I am not going to take any chances and will change it to a Haltec Platinum Pro or similar once I do my homework on them as I know shxt all about them.

Having a mechanic up here have a look at it today to make sure the motor is OK as it was making a lot of noise under 1500 revs, new plugs, keep it under 3.5k and baby it back to Sydney if it OK to do so, guess I keep my fingers X

[The real NISMO1]

Tuner said he might be able send up a loaner unit with my tune in it to get me back to Sydney , that would make things a lot easier

[Bick033]

Sounds like a good tuner to be dealing with that's some good service he is providing. I was thinking when I had problems with mine it may have been a voltage spike or something around that area that wiped it as I was having problems with the battery at the time but since then no problems. Just need to rule out everything els before you fork out 2k then find the issue to be something els

[paulr33]

Not sure what you mean by backup battery? There isn't one. The PFC will hold it's tune forever in NVRAM without power. Ie; you could sit the PFC on your desk for a few months with no power and the tune would still be saved.

If you honestly believe and it appears the Pfc has reset itself,while driving then I wouldn't be using the ecu again.

It sounds very unlikely and I've never seempn that before but I guess anything is possible.

The most common "lost my tune" causes are people fiddling on the hand controller or bad relay wiring and the Pfc doesn't save at key-off. Never seen it whilst driving

[The real NISMO1]

Sounds like a good tuner to be dealing with that's some good service he is providing. I was thinking when I had problems with mine it may have been a voltage spike or something around that area that wiped it as I was having problems with the battery at the time but since then no problems. Just need to rule out everything els before you fork out 2k then find the issue to be something els

thanks ,I am just a little apprehensive about using the same ECU after this, I have to go 700 Klms to get the tune reloaded and could have the same thing happen again.

I know this could also happen with the new one, but hopefully not.

[The real NISMO1]

Not sure what you mean by backup battery? There isn't one. The PFC will hold it's tune forever in NVRAM without power. Ie; you could sit the PFC on your desk for a few months with no power and the tune would still be saved.

If you honestly believe and it appears the Pfc has reset itself,while driving then I wouldn't be using the ecu again.

It sounds very unlikely and I've never seempn that before but I guess anything is possible.

The most common "lost my tune" causes are people fiddling on the hand controller or bad relay wiring and the Pfc doesn't save at key-off. Never seen it whilst driving

Hi Paul, Maybe I misunderstood what he said, I thought he said there was a back up battery and it could have been stuffed or there was some sort of electrical problem with it.

The car went dead for a second or 2 as I was driving with boost and that was when it went tits up.

We changed a few of the settings using the hand commander he sent up to me as it was running rich and he suggested I take the car to my mechanic to change the plugs (black as) and to make sure nothing happened to the motor , it made some strange noises at idle, it was like shaking a can of bolts, but over 13-1500 Revs it sounded fine until boost ,all good

The tuner CRD did the previous tune and after he changed the Turbo and Cams it was running exactly the way I asked him to do it,well for 300Klms,haha I doubt it is anything he did and just one of those things.FN cars,haha

I have been looking at 2 ECUs Haltech and MoTec , do you know anything about them or suggest something else to look at ??

[Ben C34]

Have you checked for boost leaks/popped cooler hoses?

You really should...

And I am 10000000percent sure you don't need a motec!

There are plenty of ecu options. Look for one that is plug, eg link or vipec yo name a couple,