For us Suncoast owners, is there a way to un-F37 the TCM?

fastRob · **Posted:** Wed Mar 11, 2009 11:33 pm

What about all those J8's and the CRD Cherokee's in the rest of the world?
They are pumping those baby's out with the same tranny and an updated VM diesel motor.
Where are the snoops, the Lothario's, the dig deeper investigators when we really need them?

gmctd · **Posted:** Thu Mar 12, 2009 1:00 am

With a little effort, F37 will be no more than a bad memory - I'm wanting positive 5sp shifting with selectable firm tow mode incl intelligent TCC lockup, manually selectable and shifted 1-2-3-4 gear ranges, manual\auto lockup control, etc - all the stuff the Aisin 6sp has available at driver's finger tips, necessary to take advantage of the turbocharged Diesel's torque range - should allow use of an added exhaust brake for service in mountainous terrain - this also ties in with my 68RFE project for the Dodge, and possibility of using the almost stand-alone Jeep EATX TCM - the 545RFE is a 6sp box using two second-gear ranges, one up-shifted, t'other down-shifted - 1-2l-2h-3-4-5, using binary-similar coding on the shift-solenoids in the TRS assembly - 6sp 68RFE is 1-2-3-4-5-6 using same binary-similar coding on the same shift solenoids in the same TRS assembly - the 2l-2h ranges are too close to make a 6sp for the Jeep

As mentioned, I'm not willing to pull the TCM outta my Jeep while formulating procedures and test sets and stuff - yeah, I know, I'm a wuss, but a functional fall-back for comparative reference is fully necessary during R&D - nobody who's anybody destroys the only working copy - and vice versa, eh......

geordi · **Posted:** Thu Mar 12, 2009 1:10 am

So... Do you care if it has been F37'd, or does that not matter for your plans for world domination?

Reason being... If this one in the boneyard isn't neutered, and it doesn't matter to you... I'd be PLENTY happy to send you my neutered TCM if I can get my hands on an unmolested one. (Provided the Jeep still moves with it installed)

I'll call them tomorrow and see about getting the vin. I'm going to be cooling my heels for a LONG time waiting on the truck with my engine. I'll sit there all day if I have to, but I WILL meet this truck.

MTB_TDI · **Posted:** Thu Mar 12, 2009 11:17 am

gmctd,

What are the chances of killing the TCM? I may have a willing "patient" for tinkering. I don't really want it to be a "sacrifice." I also have a non F37d TCM that NEVER goes to the dealer. If my jeep ever has to go to the dealer, I will need to have my spare to put in it.

gmctd · **Posted:** Thu Mar 12, 2009 11:42 am

Thanks - iirc, you offered once before, but I would be twice as skittish about slice'n'suture on a loaner - that's what I meant by victim - sometimes R&D sacrifices the DUT (device under test) for the test - don't want that to be my primary unit, or a loaner - once the procedures are written in stone, then a simple retro-f37 reflash could be accomplished, then onward and upward - remember, there are absolutely no hints at all out there, anywhere, nearly all reprogrammers having shied away from the task, early on - these accumulated bits'n'pieces of info are being osmosed thru the sheer volume of non-selective reading I'm laboring thru - there are no selected tomes or white papers to peruse, tho sometimes a TSB will give an unintentional hint - so, every litter bit helps

Anyway, thanks again for your offer again, but I'm doesn't have a warm and fuzzy feeling for it, at this time

geordi · **Posted:** Thu Mar 12, 2009 4:36 pm

Option number 3... The package I just got with the engine DOES HAVE the TCM in it. I'm going to run the vin and get a double-check, but here's hoping. One way or another, there should be a TCM in my hands that you can use as a donor for this project.

gmctd · **Posted:** Thu Mar 12, 2009 7:24 pm

Apologies, Geordi - I missed your previous post - doesn't matter if F37'ed or not, I just need to buy a spare TCM that may wind up dead, if only because it suffered 'deflashment' - when reliable procedures have been developed, then pre-F37 versions could be cloned, prolly for the price of return shipping

Currently, there is no info on how to unflash - the loader software won't allow down-grading, only upgrading - it may come to me in a flash, but I usually have to work for it

MTB_TDI · **Posted:** Thu Mar 12, 2009 7:38 pm

maybe change to naming convention of the older flash AF to AK so that it will replace the AJ flash?

gmctd · **Posted:** Thu Mar 12, 2009 8:02 pm

I've done that previously to get back, get back, get back to where we was before - could work here, just won't know till I get some hands-on with some hardware

Geordi, that TCM should have a p\n 56044737AF\'05 without ESP or AH\'06 with ESP

geordi · **Posted:** Thu Mar 12, 2009 8:59 pm

Yea, I understand that *you* don't need the unmolested version for development... But if I can get my hands on one, even to offer it as a clone source for other people... It would set me up with undoing this F37 nightmare.

I'll let you know what I find on the version info. I suspect that it has been 37'd, which means that it would be the same firmware as mine. I think.

Is there any way of checking the version in the AutoEnginuity program once everything is booted up again?

gmctd · **Posted:** Thu Mar 12, 2009 9:18 pm

Not that I recall - IIRC VagCom does read that, but you would need to have the known pre-F37 checksum for comparison - if it's not raining tomorrow, I'll pop out and see - hell, I'm sitting here getting enthused, again, just thinking about it - maybe I'll pop out even if it is raining

geordi · **Posted:** Thu Mar 12, 2009 9:28 pm

Yea, I know Vag had lots of features like that, but I don't have vag-com anymore.

I'm interested to know if the AE can read anything then.

gmctd · **Posted:** Thu Mar 12, 2009 10:04 pm

I'll check AE while pulling the F37'ed AF checksum - that's the beauty of having AE-type pcware scanners: they can all co-reside in the same laptop without contention - I've got the hard-drive backed up on a large flash-disk, so it's not scary anymore, having all my cookies in one basket...............

For us Suncoast owners, is there a way to un-F37 the TCM?

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