[Elricdelyon]

I think it's time to reveal the infos and results i've got with chiptuning on the Tiburon GT.

Your whole oem tune is located in a chip called "eprom", located in your ECU. It's a rectangular chip, PSOP44 type, AM29F200 (for 2002 to march 2003 tib) or AM29F400 (for 2003 to 2004. I never checked 2005 and later ECUs).

Desoldering the eprom :
The ECU is soldered on the board of the ECU. But it can be desoldered without damaging the board or the eprom. You have to use a hot air soldering station. It can be bought on ebay for less than 100 dollars. Personally, i'm using a Yihua 852D+, it's working great. I put some masking tape on and under the ECU board, and all around the eprom, to protect the immediate surroundings of the eprom from heat. Then i attach the ECU board firmly to my desktop with the masking tape, so it won't move. I will then slide a PSOP44 fork (included with the hot air station) under the pins of the eprom, it will help to pull the eprom up once the pins are desoldered. Then i set the hot air station to 380°C, with air pressure at max. And i start applying the heat gun very close to the pins of the eproms, by moving the tip of the heat gun rapidly all around the eprom, while applying some pressure on the eprom fork. It will finally lift up. Congrats, you have desoldered your eprom. Beware, applying too much heat on the eprom can damage the file inside. Breaking a pin on the eprom can be fixed by grinding the surface border of the eprom with a dremel until you get to the metal of the pin, then solder some tiny wire on it ; the other side of the wire will be soldered on the board, where the pin was previsouslt soldered.

Reading the file from the eprom :
Now you've got to read the content of the eprom. To do so, you need an eprom programmer. I'm using the GQ-4X. It's cheap (less than 100 dollars), small, very easy of use (USB). You'll need an eprom adapter to put your PSOP44 eprom in this programmer. The good adapter is the ADP 019 (around 35 dollars). Just connect the GQ-4X to your PC, install the driver, modify the settings to suit your eprom (PSOP44 AM29F200BB for a 2002 tib), and put your eprom in the adapter. Click read, and in a few seconds, the content of the eprom will appear. Click on save, and now you have your stock file stored securly in your PC.

Then, you have to understand the file. That's, by far, the hardest part of the job. The available softwares will always offer you three type of display to look at the content of the eprom : hexadecimal, 2D and 3D. Whatever the display mode, it's impossible to understand anything in all this mess, and the file is simply HUGE with millions of weird curves. In fact, even the professionals can't really understand those files. They have two ways to proceed : either they have a help file that will help them to locate, identify and rescale the maps (this kind of help file is called a 'damos' ; for example, SFR and NGM have the damos for our tibs. It's even more than that, it's a whole factory software that includes the damos), or they will use their experience and memory to try to recognize some patterns that they have already seen in other vehicles and that they know to be a certain type of map. Most chiptuners use this last solution. Sometimes they will have luck, find the good maps, do the good modifications on them. Sometimes not...

The softwares to use :
- WinOLS has a good rep, but just like other begginers, i find it hard to use. You can find it for free, but it's a test version. It can't calculte the checksum automatically, except if you buy expensive plugins (and i'm not even sure there is one available for our tibs).
- TunerPro is free. But i simply hate it, it's a whole mess.
- ECM2001. It's my favorite one. It's not free, but just search on the web... This software is considered as a beginner's tool by professional. It's really easy to understand and use. It will calculate and apply the good checksum everytime for your tib (i never had a checksum problem with it). You'll easily find it on the web in a package including thousands of 'drivers'. A 'Driver' is a help file, written by chiptuners to use them as a memo, but much simpler than a damos ; it will point you to some of the maps, and sometimes it will rescale them for you. But sometimes the driver can be bad and point you in the wrong direction... ECM2001 has some drivers for the tib. Some are crap, some have a few directions to some maps, most of those directions are wrong. You must be sure to have a driver suited to your file version before trusting it.

Identifying the file version :
I've had 8 files in hands. I found three different file versions in them. It doesn't depend of the ref number written on the ECU. It depends of the date on the ECU, and of the car's location (euro, us, canada, etc).
In every US 2002 tib GT, in a Finland 2002 tib GT and in a german 2002 tib GT, i found the same file version (652048).
In my french 2002 tib GT, the version was different (652040).
In the only 2004 tib GT i have (US), the version was different (654012).

Version can be checked when opening the file with ECM2001. After selecting your file, the software will display some infos about the file, in particular the brand and ref number of the ECU it came from, and the file version.

Identifyng the maps :
That's a very difficult task. The professionals have mathematical methods. The softwares can help to locate some of them. The drivers, when there are good, can help too. Or you can simply read the whole file attentively and try to locate some regular pattern in 2D display mode, or some interesting numbers in hexadecimal mode (200, 400, 600, 800, up to 6800... Could be the rpms for a map, right ?). Or you can put your hand on an ECU reflashed by a professional tuner, who had a damos and knew what he did ; then you just have to compare your file with his, and if they are of the same version, you will see exactly the differences bewteween the two files, so you know where to mod and how to mod the file.

Modifying the maps and writing in the eprom :
ECM2001 is a quite easy to use software so you'll figure easily how to use it to modify the file and save it. If not, you can find a lot of tutorials on the web. Once your modifications are finished, just save the file ; ECM2001 will automatically calculate and apply the good checksum, so your ECU will not be surprised by the different lenght of his file and will let the car starts even with the modifications.
Beware : Modifying the eprom file can bring serious trouble and even destroy your engine or cause an accident. Most of the time, if you did something wrong, the car will simply not start. If you put extreme settings in a sensible map (timing, injection, knock threshold...), the results can be dramatic, there are no foolproof limits ! It's better to apply modifications after having studied the same files reflashed by professionals, and to limit your modifications to the maps they used and to the max values they used.

Putting the eprom back in the ECU :
Of course you can drop the eprom gently on the ECU board and solder it back, pin by pin, with a good soldering iron. But the great thing with chiptuning is to be able to do a lot of modifications to your file, then to drive the car, datalog, dyno, and modify the file again until you get the best results. So i chosed to solder an eprom socket in my ECU. That way, i can put the eprom in and out of the ECU in seconds.
I bought an extra ADP 019 adapter (same as the one i bought for the GQ-4X), i desoldered the eprom socket from the ADP 019 board, then i soldered tiny wires (got them from an old IDE PC cable) on every 44 pins of the eprom socket. I soldered the other side of the 44 wires to the ECU board, where the eprom is supposed to be soldered. I tested this by putting an eprom with a good file in the eprom socket, and turned the key of the tib on "ON". if the "check engine" light doesn't appear, you have something wrong, either with your eprom socket installation, or with the file itself. Or sometimes, the contact between the eprom and the eprom socket will not be good, so push gently on the eprom and see if the CEL appears.
After many months of use, i realized than an eprom socket wasn't totally reliable. A few times, after leaving the car for a few days, the CEL didn't appeared (and car didin't start) when the key was ON. In fact, some oxydation will appear between the pins of the eprom and the eprom socket. Using some electric cleaner will bring the ECU to working condition easily. I recommend to use an ECU with eprom socket for testing modifications only. Once you have achieved a good file and are satisfied, it's better to drive with an ECU with soldered eprom.

 

[Elricdelyon]

My own experience with ciptuning :
After buying some extra ECUs and a NGM reflash which didn't work in my car (wrong version), i contacted a professional chiptuner who helped me a lot, and who desoldered the eproms in all of my ECUs and gave me the files on a USB key. I bought a Willem programmer, and after that a GQ-4X, and first started with ECM2001 and one of the included driver. It was meant for 652048 file version, so it was useless with my own 652040 file. So i used this driver with one of my 652048 files, and it pointed me to the timing map, located at adress 09D4C, and to 5 injection maps located elsewhere.
Then i compared each of my 652048 files with the NGM reflashed 652048 file. I immediatly saw where NGM had done modifications and what he had done. It pointed me to the useful maps. The 09D4C was one of them. But the 5 injection maps pointed by the driver had not been modified by NGM. So i concluded that the driver was wrong about those 5 injection maps, which were not interessant to modify.
I tried to find in my 652040 file the useful maps i had located in the 652048. Quite hard as both files are very different. I found some of them and applied the same modifications as seen in the NGM file. Then i soldered back the eprom in the ECU and went to drive the car. It started fine, idled fine, but at WOT it was very lean. I thought the problem was due to the different file versions. But much later, when i ordered another ECU reflash form NGM, i discovered that it was the reflash itself which brought those bad results with my car, not the chiptuning method.
A few months later, a guy sent me a reflashed file, from an european chiptuning company. He claimed it had 7300 rpm rev limiter and better overall performance. Again, it was a 652048 file. But this time, it was easy to apply the same modifications in my 652040 file, as those modifications were on parts of the file easy to find in both versions. I immediatly felt the improvment, car pulled harder. Ok, that's just butt dyno. And the rev limiter was unchanged, at 6800, so i was disapointed. I contacted the guy again, and he sent me another file, with more modifications. This time, the rev limiter was at 7300, and it pulled just as hard as with the previous reflash ! I took a lot of time to check what he did, by comparing his file with a stock 652048 one. The 09D4C (timing) map was modified. Some maps that NGM didn't touch too, so i concluded it was a mistake and didn't used them. I applied those modifications bit by bit in my file, then went driving the car to test, many times, until at last, after a modification, the rev limiter was at last at 7300. Here you go ! I found the rev limiter map, and how to modify it to get a 7300 rev limiter ! And the timing map, and how it gives my butt good feelings !
Later on, i ordered a J&S safeguard to have a security in case my tests with the timing map would bring knock. I finished installing it last week. But i just had a good opportunity to buy a brand new Hydra from a UK great guy at good price, so i will stop those dangerous tests and go standalone next month, i'm tired of playing the sorcerer's apprentice, tired of the OBD2 system and want full control of the beast before installing the assassin.

So i didn't find much, and i'm stopping here, but here's all my knowledge. I will post a 652048 modified file and many 652048 stock files on a ftp and post the link here, so you can compare them. I'll not post or send the NGM file (1- it's TC's work ; 2- i had bad results with it). If you want to use the modified 652048 file directly, do it at your own risk. That file was meant for hardcore NA with a lot of timing, but i used those same modifications for 6 months, with low quality fuel (can't get good fuel in Reunion), Alpine stage 1 (4 psi), I/H/E, 70mm TB, 1step colder plugs, 290cc injectors and stock fpr, no piggyback. I had an AFR going from 13 in the low rpms to 11.8 at 7300 rpm. Fuel trims were in the 0.5% max after weeks of daily driving. But my car seems to react differently than yours and always requires more fuel, so you may be very rich with it. In all case, use it with extreme caution (Wideband is absolutely necessary, and J&S Safeguard would be good) and i take no responsibility. The main goal of this file is to enable you to locate easily the useful maps to mod, and see how to modify them in order to get good results.
In the 652048 version , the rev limiter is located bewteen 0080BE and 008228 (with ECM2001 you can simply copy & paste the modified zone in your original file) and the timing map starts at 09D4C. With the proper included driver, ECM2001 can display it in table mode, with X=rpms and Y=load). For fuel injection, i never found which map(s) to use, you'll have to figure it yourself, but i believe you have to modify more than one map to get particular results.
In the 654012 version (2003 to 2004 tib GT), the file is two times bigger and maps are not in the same place, but they have exactly the same pattern and values as the 652048, so you'll find the useful maps and their good adress easily by comparing both versions. For example, timing map starts at 00A13C.

Good luck, i hope there will not be too much haters. I've spent a lot of money to find these infos (ECUs, reflashes, tools...), i hope it will benefit to some of you, and i would really appreciate to see you find and share more useful maps and useful tunes here in the future. Achieving a dedicated Tiburon chiptuning software just like Crome for the Honda would be fantastic.

I'm available to solder some eprom sockets in your ECU, but of course the shipping costs to Reunion may force you to find another solution.

EDIT :

Here's a link to download my eprom files on megaupload.
It's password protected, the password is "Elricdelyon".

In the compressed folder, you'll find :

- 4 original files coming from 2002 to early 2003 (2 MBits) US Tiburon GT.
- 1 original file coming from late 2003 (4 MBits) US Tiburon GT.
- 1 modified file for a 2002 to early 2003 (2 MBits) US Tiburon GT. If you want to compare, the original file before modification was the "US Tiburon GT 2002 - ori 4". Modifications are 7300 rpm rev limiter & agressive timing map. Other parts of the file have been modified but are useless in my opinion and give no good or bad effect. I will gladly discuss this more if you want.
- 1 original file coming from 2002 to early 2003 (2 MBits) french Tiburon GT, with immobilizer.
- 1 modified original file coming from 2002 to early 2003 (2 MBits) french Tiburon GT, with immobilizer. The same above, with 7300 rev limiter, agressive timing etc.

EDIT !

And here's a video to show you how i proceed ;

 

[Detroit.Tibby]

Elric, you simply are a god. Fantastic work.

MORE smelly french cheese is in order! You've earned it, my friend!

 

[ShamanKJM]

very good work, my friend! one step closer to opensource tuning!

 

[breeechan]

superb work~!

 

[Elricdelyon]

As promised, i have edited my second post with a link to download my eprom files.

I'm surprised of the lack of interest about this.........

 

[Jaret]

I feel like this is amazing work and that I need to read it at a computer!

 

[bmxer]

Nice work, and there are no haters here. My only issue is that your working with raw data. Very few individual are going to be able to work on these, and the damage that could be done ... scary.

Its a fantastic start, but like I said before ... not yet, close, just not yet. And please continue to find those maps. What your doing is of a great benefit to all of us, so please don't take my words in a negative view ...

 

[Lessaj]

Working with raw data is difficult, but you would need to code a program to list out the maps and change values for you, but it would take more work to make the program than it would be to change the values by hand.

 

[Elricdelyon]

ECM2001 can convert the raw data to tables.

Basically, by just copy/pasting a part of the code listed above, you change your rev limiter to 7300. Yes, it's raw data. But it works. Just like modifying your number of lives in a video game with a hexadecimal editor ; once you know which chain contains the desired datas and which new values must be entered to replace the old ones, you're golden. And here, you've the exact adress of the chain, and you know the exact value to get 7300 instead of 6800. So the rev limiter is not close to be cracked, it IS cracked.

For the timing, most of the existing ECM2001 drivers are already offering the conversion of the timing map to a nice RPM vs load table. You can then manipulate the values in the table just like you would do with Crome for a Honda. So the timing IS cracked too.

For the rest, it's your turn, i'm done with this. Don't think it's hard. Just try, don't wait to be spoon fed. Donwload the files, donwload ECM2001, give it a try, search for tutorials. I was a total noob with this one year ago, now i'm quite used to it , so you can do it too.

Working with raw data is difficult, but you would need to code a program to list out the maps and change values for you, but it would take more work to make the program than it would be to change the values by hand.

It's called creating a driver, and ECM2001 has all the tools to help you to do it.

 

[Tibanator]

damn great job man! got my interest for sure

 

[Elricdelyon]

Second post edited to include a video of how i proceed.

 

[crockersblutib]

wow i get the concept but i dont understand a word lol great work though

 

[Elricdelyon]

wow i get the concept but i dont understand a word lol great work though

Sorry, my english is not as good as i would like. But i didn't thought it was so bad :3_sadley:. Please tell me when i'm doing big mistakes, i want to improve.

 

[crockersblutib]

oh no its not your english lol its the computer talk it confuses the hell out of me lol

 

[Chuckie]

Good stuff. I had a good learning experience in the 90's desoldering eproms for my mazda klze. My grandmother and I used to do them in the summer. The mazda has intake manifold butterflies that open/close at specific rpms. I played with those settings. You've provided enough for others to get a good head start on what parameters they can address. I hope they are cautious and remember what this simple code is controlling though.