do any of you guys really know how the ecm is programmed? i was talking with a tech that does programming for a tuner company, and was talking about mustangs having "active RAM". which he was saying that over time , the computer will re-learn itself back to stock form. it almost makes sense, because i have to reprogram my car every month or so it seems like. was wondering if you guys heard of this or if it was a load of sh*t. also i know some newer cars will read your driving style and then adjust the fuel curves and such, to extract as much or as little power,as needed for your driving style. do the 99 up mustangs have this? any comments?
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2000 GT VERT-- Far from stock, far from where I want it...
What im about to say may be one of those urban myths:
esp since the relayer of this information was a ricer.
he guarenteed on his life that the computer does some type of re learning. He said thats why you disconnect the battery when you put something new into you car. And that the computer will relearn based on the new values, however they will only last for like 25 or 30 start ups and then the computer will go to its original factory defined parameters or whatever.
Thats all i have ever heard on that subject. Personally I thought you disconnect the power not to have a live electrial connection at a electrical sensor or whatnot.
do any of you guys really know how the ecm is programmed? i was talking with a tech that does programming for a tuner company, and was talking about mustangs having "active RAM". which he was saying that over time , the computer will re-learn itself back to stock form. it almost makes sense, because i have to reprogram my car every month or so it seems like. was wondering if you guys heard of this or if it was a load of sh*t. also i know some newer cars will read your driving style and then adjust the fuel curves and such, to extract as much or as little power,as needed for your driving style. do the 99 up mustangs have this? any comments?
I'm no expert, but it sounds like BS to me. If that was true, my car would turn it's traction control back on and change my gear ratio back to 3.27s. I haven't reloaded my tune since March.
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-Jim- 2003 Black 10th Anniversary Cobra #353 of 10th Anniversary Editions. Born June 9, 2003
BBK CAI, Magnaflow Catback, MGW Shifter, M/T Drag Radials
What the ECU 're-learns' is a set of parameters that dictate and determine drivability. It will not completely re-learn WOT fuel maps and timing tables, which is what we're mainly concerned about. It cannot turn TCS on and off, nor can it do anything like recalibrate the ECU for a new gear ratio. The ricer boy had it somewhat right. It does in fact relearn stuff, but nothing like what he was describing.
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Sometimes I think that government fits that old-fashioned definition of a baby: An alimentary canal with an appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.
- Ronald Reagan
ok here is another question then, if it relearn based on driveability...could I basically disconnect my battery to reset the comp, and drive around for a while conservativity thus relearning it to give me better fuel economy since there wouldnt be much aggressive driving requiring more fuel, different parameters. not the wot kind but just general holding gear and giving at least 1/2 throttle through a few gears compared to grandma'n it?
MM&FF just started a 3 part series of articles all about tuning. The November issue has part 1 which discusses everything your asking, it's actually very interesting.
No, while the computer is re-learning, it actually puts more fuel in to be safe until the ECU finishes all the deatils on the fuel maps.
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Sometimes I think that government fits that old-fashioned definition of a baby: An alimentary canal with an appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.
- Ronald Reagan
Yes, it will relearn an "adaptive strategy" all based upon some basic factory parameters.
The EEC, is a complex animal, and newer vesions will get more and more complex.
One thing you all need to know is that the EEC is the brains, the sensors are it's ears and eyes, and actuators (EGR, Pump, Injectors, etc) are its arms.
All tables, scalars and parameters inside the EEC can be modified by chips or tuner devices. Some are capable of accesing almost all the EEC data, others are simpler like some "fast tuners" from Superchips.
When you program an EEC you basically start with basic stuff like timing and fuel, as more modifications are performed you need to take special considerations, like how that modification affects airflow inside the engine. This has to be the most important part of tuning.
Air entering the engine is "weighted" by the MAF, from there the EEC calculates volumetric efficiency, and VE is used all across the EEC to calculate timing and fuel delivery.
That is why the more modern S197 EECs are so sensitive even to a CAI installation.
Now, as bluestreak said, the adaptive strategy is temporary, so it is erasable memory, in no way it affects the program of the EEC.
chips are ok too, just don't get one off a shelf, find a tuner and have it custom done. It'll only be about 40 bucks more in the long run and you'll have a tune that you know works as good as possible for your car.
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Sometimes I think that government fits that old-fashioned definition of a baby: An alimentary canal with an appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.
- Ronald Reagan
Dude, we don't even know what mods you've got now. How can we tell if a chip is right for you at this point?
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Sometimes I think that government fits that old-fashioned definition of a baby: An alimentary canal with an appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.
- Ronald Reagan
Programmer secrets?Comments needed 
