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HP Tuners won't pull VIN

7K views 6 replies 4 participants last post by  Chevokeeman 
#1 ·
I bought HP Tuners from firepunk for my 03 and when I sent in my stock file Lavon messaged me and said that there was no complete Vin or serial number in the controllers. When I do the gather info before I do the read it pulls the full VIN but keeps giving me a different jumble of it in the controllers every time with a different serial number almost every time. Anyone ever seen anything like this before? I already left the battery disconnected for about a half hour to try to clean the computer of any smarty residual that may have been left behind.
 
#2 ·
All that I have ever needed to do with my HPTuners is just hook it to the truck and press the upload file button to get it to retrieve a good stock file from the truck, but this must be done when the truck is set to stock. My truck is an 04.5 and within the last year it got smarty revo software, then upgraded to UDC, then to HPTUNERS with no vin or serial number issues. I ever switched back and forth between hp and smartyUDC a few times when I first got it. Only thing is that I do my own tuning instead of having to send it to someone else. Here is what I would do if I were you, I would program the truck with a smarty that has been updated recently and then reset it back to stock with the smarty because smarty replaces your stock file with a new stock file rather than extracting it and reinstalling the original file later on, which means you SHOULD in theory end up with a fresh, new stock file on your truck. I would then make sure that you have the most recent version of HPTUNERS downloaded onto your computer and try to retrieve a file again. Hopefully this will solve your problems for you.
 
#3 ·
On my truck, an 04.5, the Smarty return to stock download corrupted the V.I.N. in the PCM, which is incorporated inside the ECM. Tried contacting HP Tuners, they couldn't help, my tuner said that it happens all the time with Smarty Programmer's, after a trip to the dealer and a bricked ECM, I had to send it in and have the PCM Chip replaced, so I strongly advise against reloading Smarty again. Go to the dealer and get it re-flashed back to stock, if that doesn't work, may have to pull the ECM and send it to autocomputerexchange.com and have it repaired. Cost me 297.00 for my ECM to be repaired and re-flashed with the latest stock flash. Good luck, hope you don't have to go through all that too.
 
#4 ·
Hey i thought you said your vin problem was a user error and not the smarty... I recall that thread where you were discussing it... Didnt you pass on a wrong vin # or something like that?
 
#5 ·
No, after going to a friend at the local dealer, he couldn't get the V.I.N. to hold inside the PCM with the DRB III Scanner. My tuner, Silver Bullet Tuning and my friend at the local dealership, decided that the Back to Stock flash corrupted the PCM Skim code for VIN, so I pulled the ECM off and sent it to Auto Computer Exchange, they verified that the chip in the PCM was bad and replaced it, re-flashed the latest update and sent it back to me. That fixed all my problems. There was a little confusion from the blurry picture of the V.I.N., but my Tuner verified the correct V.I.N was used for the Tune. I am a very happy camper now, LOL. Got my H/P Tune logged and verified that every aspect of the custom tune was doing as commanded and everything was great. I have changed from a 63/68/.90 T-4 Turbo to a S-464 and WOW!!!! What a difference on the top end.
 
#6 ·
Ah, got it... A chip failed in the ecm. Hardware failure. Gonna look up auto computer exchange and see whats up with them. I have never had a bad ecm (knock on wood), hope i never do. Thanks for clarifying what happened.
 
#7 ·
Well, I have never had a bad ECM before either, up until I hit the button on the Smarty SO-6 Pod to return to stock, my ECM was functioning properly, that's why I warned against using the Smarty to try and return to stock, a re-flash from the dealer or a reputable Diesel Shop would be much safer than the Smarty Soft-ware, call Les at Silver Bullet Tuning and ask him how many ECM's he has seen damaged by the Smarty "Return to Stock" download, since he started writing Custom Tuning for Dodge Cummins trucks. I am sure it would be an eye opener, LOL.
 
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