Bricked!

[sadil]

Well, it seems like I have a few good days and then one really bad day. After installing my exhuast and tune I kept getting the check engine light for cat efficiency. Not having cats might do that I guess! Regardless, it wasnt an issue and I would just clear the codes from the time to time. Then, I decided to call up Bama and told them to send me another tune that would turn this specific problem off. They re-did their voodoo and sent me another tune a few days later. I tried uploading to the tune today and bammmm, error!

General Error 19.1 to be exact. No idea what this means, but my car was bricked. Engine would not start and it seemed like the ECU was not responding. Worst thing was, the device suggested I go back to stock, so I tried and that failed too. Called up SCT and told them and after going through some menu's and not actually changing anything, the "return to stock" tune successfully worked and my car was back on the stock tune. When I tried to go back to the previous tune I had, it gives me the same error and bricks again. I then re-did what the tech did and got it back to stock.

At the time this happened, I was at work by not my office and instead another construction site I was visiting, Me being a genius, I decided to upload the tune once I got to site because they werent ready for me and I had some time. Once I got the stock tune in for the second time, I decided to drive back to work (about 20 km) So now I am back at work and the car is on the stock tune. I have emailed SCT so we'll see where that goes. In the mean time, how much damage am I doing running like this with an airaid intake and off-road exhaust on the stock tune? The car's AF ratio seems to be hovering around 13.5-14.5 during driving. Trip back home is about 40 km.

Let me know what you guys think and if anyone else has had this issue. Thanks!

Sarosh

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

If you have the "insert" for the Airaid with you, put it in while you're on the stock tune. Without it, the MAF tables in the PCM are going to be all wrong for the actual amount of air entering the engine. That could cause you some damage...if you're going to drive it home as it is now, keep the RPMs as low as possible and just limp it home.

I don't think the exhaust will make any difference although the computer may dump in extra fuel to cool the "cats" depending on what the rear O2s are seeing.

 

[sadil]

Well I kept it under 4K to the office. Good news is I just got my new tune uploaded. Called SCT again and had their tech guided me through it. Funny thing is, I didn't do anything different, it just worked. They said the key fails to recognize sometimes during locking and unlocking of ECU. All is good now, another crisis evaded!

 

[gremlinsteve]

lol, it really sucks your having the issues.
you shoulda seen the damage that bama did to the numerous cars they tuned for a shop in the houston area....there is a reason i wont ever use them.
i used jon lund and had no issues, and shaun from aed is another good choice.

 

[fun4me]

AED/

 

[sadil]

Yeah, I will be contacting Shawn shortly. AED and Jon Lund are no doubt the best.

 

[Justin]

I dont care for BAMA tunes everyone I know that has tried them has had issues with them. And once I get them to switch to say AED they cant believe the difference.

Bama claims in there posts on other forums they will do remote tuning like AED does but good luck getting someone to actually do it.