I have the 68RFE, and CP did warn me to go easy because the transmission had to relearn. I noticed that the shifts were a little rougher right after I flashed, but they settled and smoothed out after 50-100 miles, during which I drove easy and did not go WOT so it would not shift hard.
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Calibrated Power tune 2020 2500 cummins
- Thread starter woodrow
- Start date
AFAIK, the Aisin TCM is separate from the ECM. Also the reason it's not yet able to tune.
Jdogbroland
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100% Agree John. Considering the pre run delivery they do on these trucks, you are absolutely correct. But, cuz I'm crazy I ran it by my Uncle that was a chief mechanic for Indy for 20 years, and worked for Emerson Fitapaldi, Scott Braten, and Arie Lyuendyke, he said, and I quote, "They pre run these tannys at least 3-500 miles hard before they release them, and they are way conservative on what the engine and tranny can actually do, a 80 to a 100hp increase will be just fine." I don't think there's a serious issue here.
Jdogbroland
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It's probably in here, but should you go back to stock prior to getting it serviced at the dealership? Thanks guys. 
John Jensen
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Yes, you never know what the dealer might do. I've read of several cases where the owner told the dealer not to flash, and they did anyway. Returning tunes back to stock is so easy, and it's insurance that your tunes will not be removed. Hopefully you know that if that happens, and you try to reinstall your tunes it will brick the tuner. That's a 150-200.00 fix.It's probably in here, but should you go back to stock prior to getting it serviced at the dealership? Thanks guys.
I do. They always plug into the OBD port and I dont want to raise any eyebrows if they look at everything.It's probably in here, but should you go back to stock prior to getting it serviced at the dealership? Thanks guys.
Jdogbroland
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I'll totally do it then, but I thought that no matter us putting it back to stock they can still detect it's been tuned? So, I'm curious how it makes the difference I guess. So, to Johns point above, can we get it flashed if the tune was returned to stock, or no? Thx all.
My understanding is that all they will see is the stock tune loaded. If they research deeper, they can see that the ECM has been flashed. Typically they wont do that unless there is a serious engine or tranny issue that warrany would cover. If you go in with a tune loaded, they may see it right off and make note. After Johns advice, thats another reson to go to stock before going in. Would hate to brick either my tuner or worse, the trucks ECM.
OK, I finally found the darkside of EzLynk and Calibrated Power.
Here are the events I experienced, followed by my assessment of pros and cons at this point
I took my truck to the dealer for basic maintenance. Oil, fuel filters, lube the front end, and rotate tires. Pretty innocuous stuff. I flashed my ECM back to stock before doing so.
Before this, I had some conversation with a CP rep using the app about getting the Exhaust brake to remember its previous setting, so it stays on after I shut the truck down and restart it. He said it should do that now, and I said it does not. He checked and said I was correct and he manually edited the light tow tune that I was using and I downloaded it.
Flash back to the dealer..... got my truck done and I am in the parking lot getting ready to leave for work and I decided to try out the new tune with the EB save. It started off rocky and the phone was trying to transfer the data to the tuner and it took an abnormal amount of time, then the flash started and then hung at 22%. When that happened, the trucks electronics came on and the Shifter indicator letter "P" started flashing and I have to wait about 5 minutes for the tuner to time out, and it ended with a message that the flash failed, retry or cancel. I canceled and then realized I have a dead truck. No successful flash, no workey.
So, I figured that the manual edit the guy sent me must not have been debugged correctly, so I started over and thought, well, let’s try the street tune. It got to 50% and failed in the same manner. Now I was started to sweat. Tried to load the stock tune and it failed at around 85%. Now my ass is puckered up and the suction has me stuck to the seat. I tried again to load the street tune and this time it was successful and I have been driving with it for about a week....... until yesterday.
Thinking it must have just been a glitch and knowing I needed to tow my trailer soon, I deciding to reload the light tow tune, and not the one that had the EB save edited. This was the first tune I loaded and drove with for over a week before I had my truck serviced. I am at work in the parking garage, 30 miles from home, and though I would go ahead and flash before going home so the Tranny could go through the relearn process through all the stop and go traffic. It failed at 40%, tried to load the stock file, failed at 95%. Now I hit the WTF point and was starting to panic a bit, so I called CP and the conversation was less than stellar. His first question was stated in a manner that suggested I used poor judgement, and he asked, what made you flash the truck? In my mind, I thought, "because I wanted to and why does it matter". He then asked if I was connected to a battery tender. I said no, why would I need to be? He then proceeded to inform me that I should only be flashing in a safe place, such as my home, and have a tender attached. I told him that’s the first I have heard of it, considering I have had several conversations with CP and never was this advised. he stated that a common reason for flash failure is a drop in voltage and 13.5 is the limit. If voltage drops below that, the flash will fail. I explained the truck is only a few months old and my batteries are essentially new. He dismissed that and then said I can try disconnecting and reconnecting the tuner to re-establish the connection to the truck. And....... that’s all he had to say, along with the suggestion I can always call EzLynk directly to see if they can help. He also stated the obvious that whenever you flash your ECM, there is always a risk. I thought in my head, no ****, cpt obvious. He was less than empathetic and generally did not seem to be bothered that I was bricked in a parking garage somewhere in 100 degree heat. The last we left it was him stating "you will just have to keep trying until it takes". I ended the call at that point, realizing that I will have to have my wife drive 30 miles to connect to me with jumpers to ensure no voltage drop or I would have to get it towed to a dealer.
So, I reconnected the tuner, and tried again to load the light tow tune, and this time it took. On the way home, I noted that my electrical output was 13.8 when accelerating and it drops to 13.7 when decel or idling. I am not convinced the cause for the failures was due to a drop in voltage.
I will be leaving this tune in place since I do tow my trailer often and this is the most appropriate tune for my everyday driving. I am extremely apprehensive at this point and do not have a high degree of confidence in playing with my ECM, especially given the level of support I received yesterday.
My general impressions to date are:
Pros - 1.The EzLynk tuner is very simple to use and has a great interface, easy to manage the tunes, and allows a chat function but it’s not a realtime chat. You have to wait for a reply.
2.The tunes themselves are great and make a significant improvement of the trucks performance and allow setting changes that we would not normally be able to do.
Cons - 1. There is no manual, paperwork, or explanations provided as to why the tunes are different from each other or any FAQs or troubleshooting steps. This also includes the remark that was given about using a battery tender when flashing.
2. The naming conventions of the tunes are not consistent and have no in-depth description as to what the tune is explicitly doing. You have to guess or pick up the inference from the name.
3. The flash process is very inconsistent, at least for me. I have many more flash failures than successes. I am no longer comfortable or have confidence changing a tune away from my house.
4. Do not expect any significant level of support. You are absolutely on your own with this. The staff is generally friendly and helpful to a degree, with the exception of the guy I dealt with yesterday.
Here are the events I experienced, followed by my assessment of pros and cons at this point
I took my truck to the dealer for basic maintenance. Oil, fuel filters, lube the front end, and rotate tires. Pretty innocuous stuff. I flashed my ECM back to stock before doing so.
Before this, I had some conversation with a CP rep using the app about getting the Exhaust brake to remember its previous setting, so it stays on after I shut the truck down and restart it. He said it should do that now, and I said it does not. He checked and said I was correct and he manually edited the light tow tune that I was using and I downloaded it.
Flash back to the dealer..... got my truck done and I am in the parking lot getting ready to leave for work and I decided to try out the new tune with the EB save. It started off rocky and the phone was trying to transfer the data to the tuner and it took an abnormal amount of time, then the flash started and then hung at 22%. When that happened, the trucks electronics came on and the Shifter indicator letter "P" started flashing and I have to wait about 5 minutes for the tuner to time out, and it ended with a message that the flash failed, retry or cancel. I canceled and then realized I have a dead truck. No successful flash, no workey.
So, I figured that the manual edit the guy sent me must not have been debugged correctly, so I started over and thought, well, let’s try the street tune. It got to 50% and failed in the same manner. Now I was started to sweat. Tried to load the stock tune and it failed at around 85%. Now my ass is puckered up and the suction has me stuck to the seat. I tried again to load the street tune and this time it was successful and I have been driving with it for about a week....... until yesterday.
Thinking it must have just been a glitch and knowing I needed to tow my trailer soon, I deciding to reload the light tow tune, and not the one that had the EB save edited. This was the first tune I loaded and drove with for over a week before I had my truck serviced. I am at work in the parking garage, 30 miles from home, and though I would go ahead and flash before going home so the Tranny could go through the relearn process through all the stop and go traffic. It failed at 40%, tried to load the stock file, failed at 95%. Now I hit the WTF point and was starting to panic a bit, so I called CP and the conversation was less than stellar. His first question was stated in a manner that suggested I used poor judgement, and he asked, what made you flash the truck? In my mind, I thought, "because I wanted to and why does it matter". He then asked if I was connected to a battery tender. I said no, why would I need to be? He then proceeded to inform me that I should only be flashing in a safe place, such as my home, and have a tender attached. I told him that’s the first I have heard of it, considering I have had several conversations with CP and never was this advised. he stated that a common reason for flash failure is a drop in voltage and 13.5 is the limit. If voltage drops below that, the flash will fail. I explained the truck is only a few months old and my batteries are essentially new. He dismissed that and then said I can try disconnecting and reconnecting the tuner to re-establish the connection to the truck. And....... that’s all he had to say, along with the suggestion I can always call EzLynk directly to see if they can help. He also stated the obvious that whenever you flash your ECM, there is always a risk. I thought in my head, no ****, cpt obvious. He was less than empathetic and generally did not seem to be bothered that I was bricked in a parking garage somewhere in 100 degree heat. The last we left it was him stating "you will just have to keep trying until it takes". I ended the call at that point, realizing that I will have to have my wife drive 30 miles to connect to me with jumpers to ensure no voltage drop or I would have to get it towed to a dealer.
So, I reconnected the tuner, and tried again to load the light tow tune, and this time it took. On the way home, I noted that my electrical output was 13.8 when accelerating and it drops to 13.7 when decel or idling. I am not convinced the cause for the failures was due to a drop in voltage.
I will be leaving this tune in place since I do tow my trailer often and this is the most appropriate tune for my everyday driving. I am extremely apprehensive at this point and do not have a high degree of confidence in playing with my ECM, especially given the level of support I received yesterday.
My general impressions to date are:
Pros - 1.The EzLynk tuner is very simple to use and has a great interface, easy to manage the tunes, and allows a chat function but it’s not a realtime chat. You have to wait for a reply.
2.The tunes themselves are great and make a significant improvement of the trucks performance and allow setting changes that we would not normally be able to do.
Cons - 1. There is no manual, paperwork, or explanations provided as to why the tunes are different from each other or any FAQs or troubleshooting steps. This also includes the remark that was given about using a battery tender when flashing.
2. The naming conventions of the tunes are not consistent and have no in-depth description as to what the tune is explicitly doing. You have to guess or pick up the inference from the name.
3. The flash process is very inconsistent, at least for me. I have many more flash failures than successes. I am no longer comfortable or have confidence changing a tune away from my house.
4. Do not expect any significant level of support. You are absolutely on your own with this. The staff is generally friendly and helpful to a degree, with the exception of the guy I dealt with yesterday.
These cons are pretty consistent across the industry for tuners, it's not just calibrated.
It is always a good idea to flash at home "just in case". I have flashed my truck probably 20 times and never had an issue but it's not uncommon, I've seen glitches like this reported many times. Most say it is due to battery voltage but who really knows?
.
I can understand that, and my write up is really for education, not a complaint. Afterall, I am still using the tune and the EzLynk. I love it when it works, not so much when it goes in the ditch.
John Jensen
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Ziggy,
When new to Ezlynk I have sweat those same bullets but was sitting in my driveway so the puckering was minimal. After many attempts and lots of frustration I called CP. That's when I found out about the battery level; requirement. My truck had been sitting for 3 or 4 weeks and the battery was below 13.5v. Unlike your contact, the fellow I talked to was excellent and stayed on the line with me until I got it working.
Because of that experience, I would only change tunes when at home. That said, I have since changed tunes when camping in the Imperial desert and hunting the Oregon Cascades, my confidence is back.
I agree, definite instructions would be beneficial, Over the years I have used at least 6 different tuners. None have instructions beyond how to install and change their tunes. And all have or had flash processes that are or were not consistent and demanded specific conditions & process to work properly
When new to Ezlynk I have sweat those same bullets but was sitting in my driveway so the puckering was minimal. After many attempts and lots of frustration I called CP. That's when I found out about the battery level; requirement. My truck had been sitting for 3 or 4 weeks and the battery was below 13.5v. Unlike your contact, the fellow I talked to was excellent and stayed on the line with me until I got it working.
Because of that experience, I would only change tunes when at home. That said, I have since changed tunes when camping in the Imperial desert and hunting the Oregon Cascades, my confidence is back.
I agree, definite instructions would be beneficial, Over the years I have used at least 6 different tuners. None have instructions beyond how to install and change their tunes. And all have or had flash processes that are or were not consistent and demanded specific conditions & process to work properly
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John Jensen
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Well said
Thanks John, and I completely agree. This was a lessons learned, and the intent was to share for folks who have not traveled the dark road of tuning before. Not sure I would drop a tune in the wilderness like you, though. I do have a lithium generator that I can hook my tender to, but I think I will still stick to home.
Riddick
Well-Known Member
I can understand that, and my write up is really for education, not a complaint. Afterall, I am still using the tune and the EzLynk. I love it when it works, not so much when it goes in the ditch.
Hmmm, a few things are off and I don't think your tuner was giving you accurate information. With your truck off you should see roughly 12.6V on a good battery, with the engine on and alternator going you will see 13.6-14.6 depending on vehicle. You will never be at 13.5 volts with the engine off...... maybe he meant 12.5 volts.
I have been into modifying vehicles for years and performed several reflashes. I have been stranded on the side of the road while attempting to reflash on a weak battery. Luckily with jumper cables we were able to finish loading the tune and drive the car. Since then I have always performed all of my reflashes at home in the garage on a charger. On a newer truck you have plenty of battery to perform a reflash but don't risk it, I am very familiar with your puckering feeling and I did not enjoy it.
Thanks and I do tend to agree. I had the impression he really did not want to be bothered with it and pushed me to hook up a tender. I am not arguing he was wrong, I think I was more rubbed by the IDGAF tone.
Pro tip (I'm not really a pro Lol)
I always try and flash mine after returning from a drive of some sort (or at least running for a few minutes) so I know the battery is topped off. I don't ever try after it has been sitting over night etc.
.
I always try and flash mine after returning from a drive of some sort (or at least running for a few minutes) so I know the battery is topped off. I don't ever try after it has been sitting over night etc.
.
John Jensen
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Not me, no reason to, not even curious. I accept CP's data.
I havent, but the seat of the pants test says its much better than stock. Also noted higher boost pressure on the guage, higher RPM before shift, and quicker downshift and response instead of the lag you get when hitting the pedal hard.
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