my new "Wait4me performance" PCM...

[Crew Cab Sonoma]

i ordered a re-tuned PCM from Jesse at W4M, and i am quite pleased with it.

took only 8 days to arrive, and its working exactly as requested...

the EGR code is gone, Torque Mangement is removed by 75%, line pressure is increased slightly. i had him program it with performance/economy tuning, had my shift points raised a couple hundred rpm, top speed limiter removed.

the speed limiter is gone... i checked.
and the odometer is matching up with the interstate mile markers, so
everything seems to be working properly, and as requested.
and i get to keep my old PCM as a spare...
next time i go to the track, i may take the old PCM with me, and do a
back to back comparison with them.

the emission inspection will be Tue, or Wed... looks like it should pass now.


as far as i am concerned, for $159 shipped, it cant be beat.
i am quite pleased with it.

[MINTSICK]

Very nice, a word of caution on the emissions inspection though you may not have enough data or miles built up since you put in the new PCM, I reset my SES light and then went to get an inspection later that day and EVAP, Cat, and something else weren't "ready" to be tested.

[travy]

Did you remove the EGR code because you removed the EGR or just because?

[Crew Cab Sonoma]

Quote: Originally Posted by MINTSICK

Very nice, a word of caution on the emissions inspection though you may not have enough data or miles built up since you put in the new PCM, I reset my SES light and then went to get an inspection later that day and EVAP, Cat, and something else weren't "ready" to be tested.

right. in fact, the inspection stations here caution you about this on a flyer they send out with the registration renewals. all my readiness monitors were "complete", except for the fuel evap system, after about 20 miles of driving. i`ll check it again with my scan tool, before i go.

also, Jesse included an instuction sheet with the PCM, saying that a crankshaft sensor re-learn would have to be performed, but i,ve had no issues, and no codes thus far, despite not perfoming the re-learn...

maybe i just got lucky on that...

[Crew Cab Sonoma]

Quote: Originally Posted by travy

Did you remove the EGR code because you removed the EGR or just because?

i removed all the EGR components...

[MINTSICK]

Quote: Originally Posted by Crew Cab Sonoma

right. in fact, the inspection stations here caution you about this on a flyer they send out with the registration renewals. all my readiness monitors were "complete", except for the fuel evap system, after about 20 miles of driving. i`ll check it again with my scan tool, before i go.

also, Jesse included an instuction sheet with the PCM, saying that a crankshaft sensor re-learn would have to be performed, but i,ve had no issues, and no codes thus far, despite not perfoming the re-learn...

maybe i just got lucky on that...

I've never had to do a crank/cam correlation relearn on mine either with tuning it myself even when I had the p1345 code. I think the standard is they allow 2 "not ready" systems anyways so you should be all set.

[Crew Cab Sonoma]

i guess its because this PCM is new to my truck, not the re-programmed original.
i dunno. either way, it seems to not need it.

here, they dont allow any "not readys"... its either all ready, or no pass.
my wife`s Equinox went in for inspection, and they wouldnt even pass it because the oil change light was on... they said: "no warning lights of any kind are allowed on"...

[MINTSICK]

Ha wow that is excessive about the oil light

[Crew Cab Sonoma]

yeah. its really messed up... i just re-set the light, and she took it back the next day... passed.
and changed the oil the following week.

[MINTSICK]

Haha that's funny my g/f actually drives an equinox and I changed and reset the light just the other day.

[joakwin]

the crank rel 5.3 earn code came on in my 5.3 after about 1k miles or so

ive had my wait4me tune now for about 3 years or so

[J..D]

I got a computer from them set up for my Wynjammer and I have a 95 the mutt year and so far it works great.

[02SonomaDenali]

Quote: Originally Posted by Crew Cab Sonoma

right. in fact, the inspection stations here caution you about this on a flyer they send out with the registration renewals. all my readiness monitors were "complete", except for the fuel evap system, after about 20 miles of driving. i`ll check it again with my scan tool, before i go.

also, Jesse included an instuction sheet with the PCM, saying that a crankshaft sensor re-learn would have to be performed, but i,ve had no issues, and no codes thus far, despite not perfoming the re-learn...

maybe i just got lucky on that...

Had mine right over a year. Going back to him next week for a gear and tire size reprogram. I was extremely happy with my 93oct tune. He also did a tune for my dads truck.

[jwl41085]

does he do computers for vortec 350s??

[The Blown Blazer]

Sounds great man! I should get one of these. Does removing the torque management do anything for acceleration?

[91sonomast]

nice, the crankshaft re-learn i think is a hit or miss thing, the effects of doing it and not doing it will probably go un-noticed, i think what it does is help the fuel map out, so it might effect ur emissions slightly. 2 years in school and i have never asked what it does, ill ask tomorrow to see what the exact purpose is. letcha know my findings lol
EDIT: i google'd crankshaft relearn, and found this explanation on LS1tech
The Crankshaft Position (CKP) sensor sends pulses to the PCM as the reluctor wheel teeth rotate past the CKP sensor. The PCM uses the CKP pulses to synchronize the ignition and fuel injector operation, and to time the interval between each CKP pulse. The PCM determines when an excessive change in crankshaft speed occurs by comparing each new time interval with the previous interval. A misfire causes an unexpected change in the crankshaft speed. A certain amount of acceleration/deceleration is expected between each firing stroke, but if the crankshaft speed changes more than an expected amount, the PCM interprets this as a misfire. The interval between CKP sensor pulses is extremely small. At high engine speeds, slight variations in the following components make misfire detection difficult:

Crankshaft
Reluctor wheel
CKP sensor
The PCM learns variations during the Crankshaft Position System Variation Learning Procedure. The PCM compensates for these variations when performing detect misfire calculations. Only a scan tool can command the PCM to perform the Crankshaft Position System Variation Learning Procedure again.
Perform the learning procedure after the following actions:

A PCM replacement
Any operation or repair involving the crankshaft, the CKP sensor, or the CKP sensor to reluctor wheel gap relationship.
An engine replacement.
The ignition switch is in the ON position until the battery is drained.


FWIW, this is lifted directly from the GM service manual. I was under the impression that EFILive could do a CASE relearn as well? Hopefully someone familiar with Live can chime in and verify.

[Crew Cab Sonoma]

Quote: Originally Posted by jwl41085

does he do computers for vortec 350s??

yeah he does. he`s really well known on one of the GM fullsize forums.

his site says they can tune for almost any 85-up GM.


http://wait4meperformance.com/

[Crew Cab Sonoma]

Quote: Originally Posted by The Blown Blazer

Sounds great man! I should get one of these. Does removing the torque management do anything for acceleration?

yes it does help. you can tell its been greatly reduced, even at part throttle.
at full throttle, with the TM 75% removed, and shift firmness increased slightly,
the 1-2 upshift really feels good now. nothing harsh, but the truck has a strong lurch to it on the upshift....

[s10blaze43]

Do you guys think that a pcm tune would be better for performance than a hypertech? id consider selling my hypertech and getting one of these tunes if its worth it

[Crew Cab Sonoma]

Quote: Originally Posted by s10blaze43

Do you guys think that a pcm tune would be better for performance than a hypertech? id consider selling my hypertech and getting one of these tunes if its worth it

i think it would. the HPP has no way of dealing with Torque Management, or persistent trouble codes that might result from existing, or planned mods...

[jk0069]

What does a dealer charge to do the crankshaft relearn? If anyone in Ohio needs this done, I can do it for free. Just an option.

[Family Man]

Quote: Originally Posted by Crew Cab Sonoma

also, Jesse included an instuction sheet with the PCM, saying that a crankshaft sensor re-learn would have to be performed, but i,ve had no issues, and no codes thus far, despite not perfoming the re-learn...

maybe i just got lucky on that...

My first post! Been lurking a couple years...learned a lot....now it's time to give back a little.....

I've had my tuned PCM from Jesse at Wait4MePerformance for about three weeks now. I already think it's by far the best value in a performance tune and the best $159 I've spent on any vehicle. Jesse and Hannah's customer service is also as good as their product.

About the crankshaft relearn: Due to manufacturing tolerances, each crank position sensor and crankshaft have variations or non-uniformities. The CKP Learn procedure maps those variations and stores the data in the PCM. This allows the engine management system to distinguish between a misfire and, for instance, a variation in tooth spacing on the crankshaft. This is important for both performance and engine safety. Any time you change or mess with the crankshaft or crank position sensor, the variation should be remapped; and obviously, when you install a fresh PCM the map needs to be either transfered from the old PCM or taught to the new one with the CKP Variation Learn procedure.

For $159, Jesse is sending you a used or remanufactured PCM which he's flashed with the appropriate code for your VIN, modified to your performance requests. If he clears any previous CKP Variation map in the PCM, it should throw a code and the SES light when you install it, indicating a CKP Variation Learn needs to be done. That's what mine did. I think the code was a P0315. If you don't get an SES light, it's possible the PCM still has the CKP Variation map from the previous vehicle it was installed in. This of course would be wrong for your truck, and the system would not be detecting misfires correctly. The variations are small enough that without the map or even with a wrong map the engine will still run pretty well, but running the engine hard or at wide open throttle is a little risky without proper misfire detection. I'd suggest having the CKP Variation Learn/Relearn done before driving the truck hard or at WOT. I did commute a couple days on it though without incident.

To get it done, don't take it to the dealer. They'll likely give you grief about a non-factory tune, charge you for at least an hour of overpriced labor, and you run the risk they'll reflash the whole PCM and you'll lose the performance tune. Instead, find an independant mechanic/shop, transmission shop, performance shop, etc, that has a bi-directional scan tool, such as a Tech II or SnapOn Solus (there are others as well). These are not the kind of scan tools you can get for a couple hundred bucks to read/reset OBDII codes; these are high-end diagnostic tools costing $3.5-10k.

Tell them you've installed a new PCM that has been completely coded for your truck, but you need a CKP Variation Learn done and that it takes about three minutes with their scan tool. They'll need to hook up the scan tool, enter the vehicle specifics, navigate a couple menus to the CKP Variation Learn command, and initiate it. It will then tell them to cycle the ignition, idle for a minute or two, then WOT to a low rpm cutoff a couple times. Then it's done.

Most mechanics don't know what this process is and haven't done it before. They're also not used to customers who know anything. It took me several shops before I found someone with the right scanner, who would just take my word that I knew what I was talking about, connect the scanner to my truck and try what I was describing. When I did, it was done in a few minutes. I handed him a $20 for his time/effort, and he smiled and thanked me for teaching him something new.

After the Learn was done I did find the engine to be a little smoother and stronger, and I felt a lot more comfortable running it to high RPMs at WOT. A couple weeks later, I couldn't be happier. An otherwise stock 4.3/auto runs/shifts the way it should have from the factory and is even getting a little better MPG. If I could keep my right foot off the floor a little more, I think it would get about 3 MPG better than with the stock tune.

Finally, if someone wants to avoid this whole CKP Variation Learn issue and can afford to take their truck down for a week or so, the stock PCM could be removed and shipped to Jesse. He can then copy the baseline code, including the CKP Variation map from the original PCM to the new PCM, add the performance tune, and ship them both back. Once the CKP Variation map has been saved to a PCM, it can be switched in and out with the stock one anytime without any relearn needed.

Sorry for the long post; hope it helps.

James

[Crew Cab Sonoma]

thats great info James, thanks.
i`ll try to find someone to do this for me...

[91sonomast]

haha as james stated, it will probably be hard to find somewhere that a mechanic will listen to some "guy" that "thinks" he knows what he's talking about. and i found out today what james just told u nearly verbatim lol. im wanting to think the GensysII from SPX will do crankshaft re-learn, they do about everything else. As james stated of course the Tech 2 will considering its GM's diagnostic tool, and the Snap-On Solus will. I know there are a couple more out there that will but im not sure which they are.
I think the best thing to do would be just get out the yellow pages and call shops and ask them what kind of diagnostic tool/scanner they use, and if they have one of the above listed, ask them if they know how to do a Crankshaft Variation Position Relearn on a Chevrolet product. that will save you alot of time and gas running around, but i doubt it will stop the headaches lol

[isenegger]

hey crew cab sonoma....... i got an 04 blazer. im wanting something to firm up the shifts. pretty firm id say w/o breaking anything at all, little more power on top of k&n intake system and exhaust, and mpg thats better wont hurt. can all this be done and still run 87 gas? or do i have to run different fuel. compared to a programmer just the price has got me hooked!

[Crew Cab Sonoma]

the gas mileage and performance gains are dependent on the fuel octane the PCM is calibrated for. this is mainly from increased spark advance.
no free lunch here...

the improved shift firmness and TM reduction dont require higher fuel grade though....

[Crew Cab Sonoma]

Quote: Originally Posted by 91sonomast

haha as james stated, it will probably be hard to find somewhere that a mechanic will listen to some "guy" that "thinks" he knows what he's talking about. and i found out today what james just told u nearly verbatim lol. im wanting to think the GensysII from SPX will do crankshaft re-learn, they do about everything else. As james stated of course the Tech 2 will considering its GM's diagnostic tool, and the Snap-On Solus will. I know there are a couple more out there that will but im not sure which they are.
I think the best thing to do would be just get out the yellow pages and call shops and ask them what kind of diagnostic tool/scanner they use, and if they have one of the above listed, ask them if they know how to do a Crankshaft Variation Position Relearn on a Chevrolet product. that will save you alot of time and gas running around, but i doubt it will stop the headaches lol

yeah, thats quite true... the bad part is, i have a friend who just sold his Snap On truck route about a month ago... he had one of those really expensive (about $7000+, IIRC) Snap On scan tools on the truck...

[91sonomast]

haha man that sucks!! if u were closer i would have u come to my work one afternoon or just bring a scan tool home for the evening and i would do it for ya, it literally takes all of 3-5 minutes.

[nater006]

Quote: Originally Posted by isenegger

hey crew cab sonoma....... i got an 04 blazer. im wanting something to firm up the shifts. pretty firm id say w/o breaking anything at all, little more power on top of k&n intake system and exhaust, and mpg thats better wont hurt. can all this be done and still run 87 gas? or do i have to run different fuel. compared to a programmer just the price has got me hooked!

You can firm up the shifts without reprogramming the PCM actually. Getting the above done is definitely cool, but a $15-20 Corvette servo in the transmission will give you firmer shifts. Then there are a variety of aftermarket ways of doing it, from shift kits to the electronic "shift kits" that increase line pressure electronically.

Anyway, just a couple other options to throw out there for transmission-specific stuff. I have the vette servo - cost $15 and took under an hour with hand tools, and firmed up the shifts a bit.

[nater006]

(Sorry for turning the thread into some transmission speak... I kind of missed the point that you wanted to do a bunch of things, together)

The B&M ShiftPlus is only like, $42 at Summit though, so if you want a cheap way to boost line pressure that is a good way to go also.

Or, $159 for a spiffy-sounding PCM flash which would be a very good way to go For that price, I'm considering doing it...

[Family Man]

isenegger,

If you want the transmission to kick you in the back each time it shifts (at the cost of drivetrain longevity), make the transmission mods. If you want the truck to drive better, go faster, and get better mileage, go with the tuned PCM.

The biggest handicap on our trucks shifting is the torque management which yanks back on the ignition timing at each shift in proportion to throttle input; more throttle = more timing retard. I got tired not just of soft shifts, but of the engine falling flat on its face everytime the transmission shifted under aggressive throttle. A performance tune is the only way I found to change or remove torque management.

Jesse dialed back the torque management drastically, shortened shift times, moved shift points up slightly, and I think he increased line pressure a small amount. I now get fast, crisp shifts that are there but not jarring. At light throttle the truck is very mild mannered. At WOT it's a whole new beast.

I've also done the Corvette servo. For $17 on ebay and about an hour to install, I saw it as a no-brainer. It firmed up the 1-2 shift a little, but did nothing for 2-3 or 3-4. The extra holding power on the 1-2 bands though should reduce some friction/band-slip induced heat in the transmission. Low cost and easy to install, a little better performance, and less heat for better transmission life; it's a win, win, win.

As for fuel requirements, the PCM can be tuned for whatever octane you want. Obviously the higher the octane, the greater the power and mileage gains will be. It's likely you'd see a small gain even from an 87 octane tune due to the reduction in torque management and resulting improvement in shift efficiency. But in 25 years of driving and modifying cars/trucks, I've found in nearly every case the mileage gains from tuning to a higher octane more than paid for the increase in fuel costs; plus the vehicle is a lot more pleasant/fun to drive.

I'll repeat it for emphasis.....this Wait4MePerformance PCM is the best $159 I've spent on my truck, maybe on any vehicle I've owned. I feel the truck finally drives like it should have from the factory, and finally lives up to it's advertised horsepower and torque ratings. Don't get me wrong, this isn't like bolting on a turbocharger, but the factory tune puts a strangle-hold on these trucks; most likely due to warranty cost concerns (damn bean counters). It's like the truck is in a permanent anti-abuse "valet mode". A tune like this just gets us what we paid for in the first place.

Cheers,

James

[isenegger]

im going to get one!

[91sonomast]

idk about a shift kit damaging ur drivetrain TO A CERTAIN POINT, now yes a stage 2 shift kit will be a little rougher on it, and a stage 3 will wreak havoc on ur drivetrain, but a stage 1 would be beneficial for the reasons listed above such as less slippage, and less heat. but it sounds like a vette servo is a no-brain upgrade, more tension to hold the drum still, less heat, little firmer shift, and all that jazz only add up to longer transmission life. and with a slight tweak to the transmission line pressure you will get the firmness u want in all gears. sounds like this guy knows what he's doing, glad there are people out there like Jesse, and are such innovators, i mean really, who would have thought of a mail order PCM tuned to ur specifications?

[draginlow]

i have had for about 5 monts now and love it
the best cash i have spent
and better mpg!!!!!

[Crew Cab Sonoma]

well, my truck passed emission inspection yesterday, no problems.

just for that alone, the Wait4Me PCM was worth the money.
but for all the other benefits that come along with it, you just cant beat it for the price.


money well spent...

[Crew Cab Sonoma]

i`ll let you guys know how my fuel economy is doing, on the next fillup.

[draginlow]

i went from 18.6 to 20.8with 87
i am going to try 93 this weakend

the tune will ajust for what you run so you are not stuck useing one grade

[travy]

Nice info, i'll be looking into this.

[Crew Cab Sonoma]

ok, track results are in.....
Fri. night T&T. passes were "back to Back", with no other changes made.
8 passes total. only stopped long enough to swap out the PCM`s...

Run#...PCM.....60ft.......1/8...........MPH

1..........W4M....2.245...10.174......67.97
2..........W4M....2.250...10.169......67.54
3..........W4M....2.270...10.201......67.29

4..........stock....2.301...10.402......66.47
5..........stock....2.317...10.447......66.30
6..........stock....2.315...10.459......66.00

7..........W4M.....2.242...10.151.....67.34
8..........W4M.....2.235...10.134.....67.59


as you can see, the W4M PCM was good for about a quarter second gain in the 1/8th mile. the gain would be even greater in the 1/4 mi.

you may also notice that these times did not beat my previous best of 10.02, which is entirely due to the
hot, humid weather, whereas my 10.02 pass was made in late winter, with very cool, dry air....
if i had the Wait4 Me PCM then, i would have certainly been solidly in the 9.70`s.

[Crew Cab Sonoma]

as for gas mileage, i still havent ran out the first tankfull on the new tune yet.
i went on vacation last week, so the truck didnt get driven much...


also, i did find a local shop that was familiar with doing the crankshaft position sensor variation relearn procedeure.
they charged me $30 to do it, and it only took a few minutes to complete it.
i didnt notice any difference in the way it ran afterward.
the relearn ws performed the day before i took it to the dragstrip.

[ewf3]

thanks for the info, I just ordered my w4m pcm.

[Crew Cab Sonoma]

Quote: Originally Posted by ewf3

thanks for the info, I just ordered my w4m pcm.

i think you will really like it...

[Crew Cab Sonoma]

just filled up yesterday evening, and my gas mileage for the first tank on the new tune. i got 15.97 MPG, which doesnt sound very impressive at first, but my last 3-4 tanks have netted between 14.9, and 15.5 mpg.

like i said before, i do mainly short in-town trips, lots of stop`n go, and plenty of time parked, with the engine idling. plus, on this tank, over 2 hours spent at the dragstrip, whith the engine running probably more than 90% of that time... not to mention a much higher than average number of WOT time on the street, to evaluate the new tune....

we`ll see how the next tankful does, and i`ll report again...

[ewf3]

cool, I told jesse that I don't care about the mpg just show me the power! I'll let you know.

[556mm]

i'm kinda new at this sort of thing. how does this device work and what will i need to do to make it work? thanks.

[xxosiris9xx]

so in general this tune will give ya the power, without having to spend extra on 93, and at the same time help you overall MPG huh...could be worthwhile if i sold my HPP3 maybe....im not lookin for anything super fast but itd be nice to be comfortably quicker

[Family Man]

Quote: Originally Posted by xxosiris9xx

so in general this tune will give ya the power, without having to spend extra on 93, and at the same time help you overall MPG huh...could be worthwhile if i sold my HPP3 maybe....im not lookin for anything super fast but itd be nice to be comfortably quicker

You'll need to specify what octane you intend to run and the tune is specific to that octane. Running anything less than what it's tuned for may cause knocking and the system will retard the timing, losing power and mpg. And the overall increase in power and mileage is going to be related to the octane you chose to tune to and run. Higher octane tune = more power and to a smaller extent mpg. For me this PCM tune has been more about driveability than mpg.

I've now run through four tanks with the new PCM. On one tank, with very carefull driving, I got almost three mpg better (19.4 mpg vs. 16-17 stock typically). The other three tanks have been back the 16-17 range, but I'm having a real problem with my right foot; it's just so much more fun to drive now!

James

[xxosiris9xx]

hmm i was wondering bc the one member mentioned having a dual octane style tune? i doubt id be running that though as i would only run 89 if i felt like uppin my octane...just would be interested in getting something better than what a hypertech offers you

[Toadz]

Would this work well if say I was doing an engine swap? I'm putting a '91 4.3 into my '96 Sonoma and was wondering how I would go about ordering one of these or would it make no difference?

[NeverEnough188]

has anyone with a manual tranny gotten a pcm tune through this company? i've got an 03 with the NV3500 and i want to recalibrate for smaller ires, get rid of speed limiter, tune for the headers back exhaust, msd, intake, posi, etc.