Has anyone tried any of the cheaper alternatives for reading and writing our ECM maps for example this:
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/eobd-1260- ... lack-48446
or this
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/usb-diagno ... koda-45139

Both are supposed to be compatible with the Bosch EDC16.

_________________
Share your ideas freely at https://www.facebook.com/groups/libertydiesels/

Those products really won't do anything for you other than read codes...

GDE has put extensive time and talent into making the CRD more reliable, more powerful, and more fun to drive. I don't want to sound like a fanboy here, but if you go to his site and read through the information there (including the forum), you will find that a lot of thought, time, and testing has gone into the development. I don't think many of us could plug in a USB and reprogram our ECU to the refined level that you get with this product. The tune will pay for itself rather quickly in fuel and repair savings.

I have spent many, many hours tuning my own ECU on a few motorcycles. They are much simpler and yet very hard to get right. In the end I purchased a tune from someone who had invested the time on a dyno getting everything right.

_________________
2006 CRD GDE ECO/HOT Tunes and TCM swap and HD Mopar Torque Converter, EHM
2003 Jetta TDI 155K all stock
1957 International V8 Diesel

I know money can be short and its hard to figure out what something is worth. GDE has IMHO good but maybe not flawless products. But they continue to put a lot of attention to our CRDs, develop update and refine their products and they provide a lot of support and advice to CRD owners, some not even current customers. I ordered the Eco tune and recently had to update the tune for the new glow plugs. Keith had to talk me through installing the software on my computer.
I wish I lived near them to have them do regular service work, the biggest issue with our CRDs IMHO , is finding a good mechanic if you cannot do the service work yourself.

Do you feel qualified to write your own calibration even if you could reflash the ECU with it?

_________________
http://www.Colorado4Wheel.com
"Its not about what you can DO with your Jeep, its about where you can GO with your Jeep."
Knowledgeable - But Caustic

I would not make assumptions about GDE ongoing development on the KJ. They have a reasonable product set and seem to be focused on other models now. They are putting time into the JK CRD and the WH Grand CRDs here in Australia. I was told mid last year that their priorities were the JK CRDs. There are a fair number of JKs running around with GDE tunes now down here. CRDSTU (their Australian agent) is running his WH Grand CRD with GDE tune in the drag races. I have been trying to get them to deliver TCM flash capability here is Australia (we can't easily remove the TCM because it is blocked in by the AC canister on right hand drive models (thus to be a reasonable mod it has to be flashed in place). Would be interesting to here Keith's views on where their development time is going, but don't be upset if the focus is elsewhere as they are trying to develop a business and the KJ is a discontinued model. I'd be willing to bet they are already thinking about the new Grand Cherokee CRD with the VM V6.

The KJ is a "mature" product now and all that's needed from now on are updates to accomidate changes like the glow plugs You would expect an ongoing business to stay at the forefront of new products

As for programming your your own KJ good luck, it's not as simple as changing a couple of memory locations and I'm not willing to risk my engine

_________________
Atlantic Blue 06 CRD Limited (his)
Joined by a 2000 XJ Classic (hers)

The comments in this thread make some good points. From those of us who understand how diesel engines work beyond the books and have done diesel engine tuning beyond the books, before the era of electronic engines and had to fix what was screwed up from going too far, been there done that. Based upon what I learned that is beyond the books, I have disagreed with some of the fine points various tunes. But, their choices made are based upon trial and error hard data, some of it from destructive testing. Of the three main tuners who offer tunes for the CRD, they all have some type of relationship with either the manufactures or the vendors that supply the manufactures.

In my opinion, our CRD engines are to expensive to Lone Wolf a tune that may look to be cheaper at the initial beginning. If there was a way to make a programmer with a $5 USB flash drive and a OBDII adapter, GDE, InMotion, and Rocket Chip all would have already done it or have it soon scheduled for release.

But if you have access to vast amounts of processor type control equipment used for Rocket/Missile Control or Oil Exploration, knock your self out and let us all know what you come up with. Just don't get fired from you day job or get sent to prison for doing anything illegal.

_________________
2006 Pearl Green CRD
Magnaflow 2 1/2" Cat Back
KJ Extra Leg Room Brackets, Carter Lift Pump, V6 Airbox, ORM
Fuel cooler, Oil Separator, Progard 7
Gauges EGT Boost Trans Temp Oil Pres, Michelin LXT AT2 245 70 R16
7,000# Draw Tight hitch, PML EX Deep Trans Pan
Centrifuge, SunCoast, Transgo, RAM TCM, InMotion Stage 2
Wife's 99 TDI VW Beetle

No I don't but then I never suggested that this is what I wanted to do either. I don't see how merely mentioning a tool that may be able to read/write the flash in our ECM get's interpreted by everyone as me wanting to write my own tune.

I'm just wondering if there are cheaper alternatives to the $300 GDE programmer out there - note programmer only, I'm not trying to develop my own tune. I'd be more than happy to pay for the work that GDE have done but living outside the US I'm not to keen on any of the alternatives for getting it into my vehicle. A $30 programmer that could get the GDE tune into my ECM would be just the ticket.

Oh, and did I mention, I've no desire to develop my own tune.

_________________
Share your ideas freely at https://www.facebook.com/groups/libertydiesels/

So with this product can things be turned off/on like oh, I don't know, an EGR maybe? How about programing injector codes and such? This might make for a really cool new forum area, "Programing"

_________________
Manure green 2005 CRD sport4x4, GDE Hot tune, Cat Gut, OE skids, Draw tight hitch, Duramax lift pump, 160K on multiple varieties of fuel, XM radio, Escort live with Redline, fog light mod, GPS, Icom IC7000 all band radio call sign KC9QPF, Grabber AT2s on Soft 8s, FIA grill blanket.

Yes, the more I think about it, the more I like the idea of open source ECU programming. I will take the plunge on one, if others would collaborate.

_________________
Manure green 2005 CRD sport4x4, GDE Hot tune, Cat Gut, OE skids, Draw tight hitch, Duramax lift pump, 160K on multiple varieties of fuel, XM radio, Escort live with Redline, fog light mod, GPS, Icom IC7000 all band radio call sign KC9QPF, Grabber AT2s on Soft 8s, FIA grill blanket.

I think I understand your desire. You just want the ability to write or update your own "tune". It is not difficult to do the actual programming. You just need the software from the proper manufacturer. That is the problem here. It is the control of the knowledge. Chysler is not going to give it away for a number of reasons. The most important is liability. I just don't want to spend 4 to 7 grand for a DBRIII or having to go through someone else all the time for updates. I had the ability with the DDEC system. But that was over 15 years ago. I'm in the gathering stage on this aplication right now. I am an EE who retired from the Mass Transit Industry both Electric and Bus a couple of years ago. You would need to gather all the information that was available on the PCM and how it is applied to this vehicle. Then go through that application and completely understand how and why it was configured and programmed. After your understanding of the system is complete you will have to learn the software applications that apply. After all that research you can put together your logic in suedo code, then start breaking the existing program "tune" down into it's parts. Make your changes one step at a time, test that change then make your next change and retest. You most likely will find undesired results and have to start all over again from the beginning. This takes a lot of time and that is why most will pay vendor like GDE. I do not like depending on others and I think neither do you. Go for it, you will learn and gain much from this even if you do not succeed.

If it was possible to get in why nobody already offert a cheaper solution to get access to all sensor without using a DBR III Scanner Tool? Dont expect GDE, IMmotion or any tuning "gooroo" to give you any clue or reveal there sources. Without the key you can't unlock that door...

_________________
2005 CRD Ltd/Tru-Cool 4454 LPD
/Filter bleeder CRDBV/Fumoto F102/ProVent 200/Euro TC
/Hayden HY2905 Viscous clutch with OEM 52079654AE fan mod
Samco/OME/Bilstein/JBA4.5/Mattech BTA Machined trans valve body
/BF rugged terrain 245/75/16 on MOAB