LOST JEEPS :: View topic - Check This Out!!! ( concerns transmission )

Sorry I haven't gotten back to you sooner, homework has been a bear tonight!

At first glance, the concept of it seems very enticing. If it were going into a street-rod application I can see it being a real gem; going into a production-OEM application I can see it being a bit of a challenge - not for the weary!

My first concern would be of the wiring interface between that box and the vehicle. I'd be inclined to pursue the approach of making a connector between the OEM transmission wiring harness and this unit instead of building a new harness from scratch.

The next concern then would be that the PCS box has enough drivers for all of the control solenoids inside the 545RFE. The website claims that it is already supported; however, I'm not able to find any base calibrations which leaves me somewhat skeptical.

Looking at it from a software/calibration perspective, first issue would be calibration of the CAN bus. In the OEM environment, many of the things that the PCS box acquires through analog signals are instead transmitted over CAN. While the PCS unit is able to send/receive data on the CAN bus, you would have to find a way to calibrate the CAN bus to the DCX specifications so that it will receive the proper data from the ECU and send back the required info. Getting that info from DCX would be challenging to say the least.

Also a challenge would be setting up the calibration in the software. From the research I did on it, I'm still somewhat skeptical of its robustness. While it seems to have the needed features, I can see many months being spent on trying to get a calibration that feels remotely similar to the factory TCM so that you can then begin to improve upon it.

The one thing I don't like is lack of diagnostics. If something goes wrong, it has no way of saying "hey, this solenoid is bad" or "hey, the transmission is slipping too much" (efficiency is something that the oem TCM calculates and maintains) which could leave the user stuck with no idea what to fix without having a way to easily put the oem TCM back into the vehicle. Also, going to the dealer with that in there would stir up a world of trouble re: warranty.

All in all, I can see if having both its pros and cons for sure. If it were something that I was going to seriously consider, I'd most likely wait until the warranty is up before I tackle a project like this.

Author:	DarbyWalters [ Tue Dec 05, 2006 6:21 pm ]
Post subject:	Check This Out!!! ( concerns transmission )
Our transmission, the 545RFE, is controlled separately by a TCM ( as per MrMopar ). Here is an interesting link: http://www.powertraincontrolsolutions.c ... ent-4.html

Author:	Goglio704 [ Tue Dec 05, 2006 7:56 pm ]
Post subject:
Interesting. Assuming the thing does what it says, I'm still not sure what we'd do with it on the CRD. The engine computer is expecting to talk to the transmission computer via a communications bus which this doesn't support. I guess if you combined this with a stand alone engine computer you'd be set. Or if you combined it with the computer for a manual tranny CRD... Added later: I may be wrong about the communications bus. After rereading their add, I do see a mention of CAN. It is pretty vaque though, so who knows.

Author:	DarbyWalters [ Tue Dec 05, 2006 9:23 pm ]
Post subject:
I am waiting for MrMopr64's insight on this one.

Author:	Jeger [ Wed Dec 06, 2006 6:09 am ]
Post subject:
Check out their forums. One person asked about an 06 CRD and the reply basically said it they would not recommend the controller for this application. But I still wonder if it could be made to work, and somehow improve our tranny's weak points. Since the TCM can call for a reduction in torque, maybe we could have this thing reduce torque only at shift points? This is assuming of course that DC is planning on reducing overall torque with the F37.

Author:	OzLtd [ Wed Dec 06, 2006 6:19 am ]
Post subject:
They're not getting my Torque back I paid for it, its mine. If my tranny fails, they can replace it, but they're not reducing my engines Torque output. I havent had any issues at all so hopefully I never will.

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Author:	irunmiles [ Wed Dec 06, 2006 9:02 am ]
Post subject:
I sent DC an email asking about the torque reduction, and this is their reply: "Unfortunately, we are unable to provide technical information for the concern you described. You may contact your local DaimlerChrysler dealership for further assistance."

Author:	Goglio704 [ Wed Dec 06, 2006 7:39 pm ]
Post subject:
DarbyWalters wrote: I am waiting for MrMopr64's insight on this one. O.K. How do we call him? Does it involve shining a floodlight in the air?

Author:	Ranger1 [ Wed Dec 06, 2006 8:12 pm ]
Post subject:
Jeger wrote: Check out their forums. One person asked about an 06 CRD and the reply basically said it they would not recommend the controller for this application. But I still wonder if it could be made to work, and somehow improve our tranny's weak points. Since the TCM can call for a reduction in torque, maybe we could have this thing reduce torque only at shift points? This is assuming of course that DC is planning on reducing overall torque with the F37. Their site claims this gadget is a replacement transmission controller - not an adjunct processor - they said it would cause MIL and fault codes - when the inventors don't recommend using it for a CRD, it doesn't sound like a good possibility. I don't think pulling into the Jeep dealership with your TCM missing, and this shiny blue thing duct taped into the engine bay, with several hundred stored fault codes in the PCM is going to help.

Author:	MrMopar64 [ Wed Dec 06, 2006 8:15 pm ]
Post subject:
I had PM'd Darby back on this one with my comments, figured I'll post 'em here too in case you're curious... MrMopar64 wrote: Sorry I haven't gotten back to you sooner, homework has been a bear tonight! At first glance, the concept of it seems very enticing. If it were going into a street-rod application I can see it being a real gem; going into a production-OEM application I can see it being a bit of a challenge - not for the weary! My first concern would be of the wiring interface between that box and the vehicle. I'd be inclined to pursue the approach of making a connector between the OEM transmission wiring harness and this unit instead of building a new harness from scratch. The next concern then would be that the PCS box has enough drivers for all of the control solenoids inside the 545RFE. The website claims that it is already supported; however, I'm not able to find any base calibrations which leaves me somewhat skeptical. Looking at it from a software/calibration perspective, first issue would be calibration of the CAN bus. In the OEM environment, many of the things that the PCS box acquires through analog signals are instead transmitted over CAN. While the PCS unit is able to send/receive data on the CAN bus, you would have to find a way to calibrate the CAN bus to the DCX specifications so that it will receive the proper data from the ECU and send back the required info. Getting that info from DCX would be challenging to say the least. Also a challenge would be setting up the calibration in the software. From the research I did on it, I'm still somewhat skeptical of its robustness. While it seems to have the needed features, I can see many months being spent on trying to get a calibration that feels remotely similar to the factory TCM so that you can then begin to improve upon it. The one thing I don't like is lack of diagnostics. If something goes wrong, it has no way of saying "hey, this solenoid is bad" or "hey, the transmission is slipping too much" (efficiency is something that the oem TCM calculates and maintains) which could leave the user stuck with no idea what to fix without having a way to easily put the oem TCM back into the vehicle. Also, going to the dealer with that in there would stir up a world of trouble re: warranty. All in all, I can see if having both its pros and cons for sure. If it were something that I was going to seriously consider, I'd most likely wait until the warranty is up before I tackle a project like this.

Author:	Gator4x [ Wed Dec 06, 2006 10:33 pm ]
Post subject:
Too bad it's $700+ another $150 for a wire harness. Might as well start saving for a MTX...

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