Ok. I put Craig's adapter in the ECM, I copied a bin of my original eprom, and I put that copy of a new chip into the adapter. I'm using 29C256's, I filled it with FF's first, etc..

With just the key on, the fans run and I get a steady SES light. I can't communicate with the ECM via Datamaster or "paper clip". The car will run, with high idle and terrible throttle response.

When I first put the burned chip in, I accidentally put it in the adapter backwards, it's dark down there. I even tried putting the original chip in the adapter.

I checked the adapter for connections. The two limp home chips and the odd circuit board that floats above it connect all the way down to the traces on the adapater.

Do I have a bad ECM, a bad Memcal, or a short? It'd be nice to know if I can just buy a Memcal instead of buying the whole ECM.

 

Dis is why I harp on establishing a known base line, and then leaving that alone. Maybe I don't harp enough.

Anyway, can you put the stock prom in and see what happens?.
At this stage, it can be anyone of the 3, and you can't knowingly replace one atta time to figure out which.

There's a whole sea of cars carring ecms like ya'll use and many pick u parts have em for like $25.

While you also want to start with the right memcal, having a spare is not going to hurt. Even if it's a used maxisnot with a stock bin on it.

I a junk yarder. Anything new is open to suspesion to me. I have 7 ecms and 3 calpaks, and a bunch of chip holders, you just have to plane AHEAD and take advantage of price shopping and TRADING. Speaking of trading, I'll bet I've given away 200 proms, lots of misc stuff, and a couple WB sensors. And it's been nothing compared to what's come my way. You have to be at least a little giving to *get it*. And the more willing you are to give it away, the more that comes your way. And it ain't about just chipping.
HTH

 

"I even tried putting the original chip in the adapter."

I did put the original eprom back in, and I got the same result. I even put the eprom back into the memcal and put it all back the way it was before I started, same result.

I've ordered the revised memcal from Ac-Direct, so I'm hoping that's the problem. If it's not, I go junkyard hopping on Monday.

 

I have read quite a few posts on this board since joining, and post like this one have one thing in common. The chip was put in backwards, now it runs bad. Does putting in the chip backwards do any damage to the ECM or any thing else???/

 

Exactly what I'm trying to find out.

 

I doubt you'll do any damage by putting the chip in backwards. I went through the same thing about a month ago and it turned out to be a bad prom. You problem sounds exactly like mine so I would lean towards having a bad chip. All it takes is a bad connection somewhere and it will give you the symptoms you've got.

 

Yeah, I thought that too. So I programmed 4 more chips with the bin I pulled off the stock chip (and a bin I got from dyi-efi) with the same result.

I accidentally put one in backwards (again) and when it's in backwards the fans don't go on but the car still runs like crap. When I put it in correctly, the fans go on with the ignition. Either way I idle around 1000 rpm.

I tried unplugging the memcal and starting it just to see what'd happen, and it just cranks. So by elimination I'd figure it'd either be the prom (which I've tried 6 different chips) or some sensor shorted somewhere. But if a sensor is shorted, wouldn't I still be able to communicate over ALDL and get SES codes?

Now I know why I keep the VW for alternate transportation. It always runs, and it has no electronics whatsoever.

 

Update:

I'm sure the neighbours are sick of hearing my Flowmaster 40 system at 2:30 AM... but that's life.

I managed to get it running. I found a ANJF4307.bin on a different part of diy-efi and it works on the EPROM. So I guess I successfully burned my first EPROM.

The image I took off my stock EPROM has 10,305 bytes different from the one I downloaded off of diy-efi. Unless I changed the code while I unsoldered it, I can't explain any other difference.

Thanks for the help. Being a newbie really frustrates me at times. =)