Ok I have a question that I have not seen straight up asked yet. I have seen clues of it should work and hoping someone has done it. As I would hate to try it and find out I need a @!#$ load of other part to change. But....

Ok say I have a 96 2.4 cavalier. All I have to do is swap out the computer to make it a 97 ? Right? Ok now I can use tlhpt to flash the 97 2.4 computer with the supercharger flash? Ok if this is all possible now here is where it is tricky. Now I have seen people say the eco will run off the 2.4 computer and harness. Right? So can I just drop the eco and trans in and go?

The reflash is because the engine will be supercharged.




Edited 1 time(s). Last edited Thursday, December 29, 2011 3:06 PM

I thnk that there are more differences in those 2 years.... Look in the sticky for the differences in the years..

Ok seen the part on repining the harness. Cake walk since I have done this on my silverado. I also have a 97 z24 ecu sitting on the shelf at home also. So looks like that part is checked off.

Now the next part on running an eco on a 2.4 harness/computer was this only 00+ or has it been done pre-00?

You'll need a 00-02 LD9 harness, pcm, and reflash to run the ecotec off of it.

EVILution (KGM Godfather) wrote:You'll need a 00-02 LD9 harness, pcm, and reflash to run the ecotec off of it.

Ok. Bummer. Just wondering why not pre-00? Because you can run a pre00 2.4 in a 00-02 and vice versa. Is it the plugs, wiring, or no one has tried it?

Just trying to figure out if we been over looking things over the years by the thought 2.4 only works a 2.4. Because til Phil made the crank trigger wheels we never used different bottom ends. Now the bottom end/motor possibility have increased.

I guess you could run the motor off the older harness, but if you want the reflash you'll need the 00+ PCM, which you can't use on the pre 00 harness since they changed PCMs and the connectors are obviously different (you cant just plug a 00+ PCM into a pre 00 harness).
I'm not positive (since im not a ld9 guru) if the actual reflash is 00-02 only, or if it's just 00-02 that is unlocked and editable.

EVILution (KGM Godfather) wrote:I guess you could run the motor off the older harness, but if you want the reflash you'll need the 00+ PCM, which you can't use on the pre 00 harness since they changed PCMs and the connectors are obviously different (you cant just plug a 00+ PCM into a pre 00 harness).
I'm not positive (since im not a ld9 guru) if the actual reflash is 00-02 only, or if it's just 00-02 that is unlocked and editable.

Actually if I remember the physical parts of the ecu are the same or are similar. They all 2200,2.4 97-02 have the same connection. Only thing I know different is that gm uses different OS on them from the little reading I have done on hptuners.com. that's why on my truck I had to use the same os for the segment swap when I swapped the trans. Or else the ecu would not operate the segment swapped on to the computer.

I hope someone can answer if the supercharger flash is available and editable for the 97 ecu?? Anyone?

I will also have to open the hands and see what the wiring difference is in the 97 and 00+ ecu. I'm understanding that the pre00 are not effected by the bcm compared to the 00+. Just thinking out loud in hopes that someone else might know.

ok after looking a little i do see that the pre00 is not available for the flash. the thing i might look into now is to see what it would take to tun the 97 ecu or swap to the 00 ecu. tuning the 97 would probably be my better luck. i did see ruin(sp?) had threw in the 00 ecu with his 99 and seem to operate fine short of guages and lights being on. still searching tho.

the reason i am doing this is because i have never had luck with the 2.4. and ended up getting another car that has the 2.4. so i am trying to get a plan ahead of time before the motor decides to go out on me. also with swapping in a eco i would have to swap out the entire car's harness to make it work and with it being a convertable i have no clue if i have to use a vert harness or if i can use a 2 door harness. so if i can just swap in a eco, relocate one trans mount. and shifter linkages. that would be alot less headache than swapping the entire car. plus it would give the pre00 guys an option also.

I may wrong, but I thought the pre 00 and 00-02 computers/connectors were physically different. I know the 00-02 has the two long connectors that come off the harness...and I could have sworn when I looked at a pre-00 in the junkyard the other week that the computer had 3 connectors...Motor was missing so I couldn't verify exactly what it was, but it was a sunfire GT which I thought were all Ld9s.
Anyway, physical differences aside, the pre-00 is a different OS which is why you can't run the reflash.

The reflash will run on a 99 PCM. I re-flashed a charger tune on my 99. Just to see what happens. Ran fine, lots of warning lights, and missing gauges. 99s have two plugs. A black and a Blue to the computer.

MOST 97's are Alpha-N OS......
You could use a 97 speed density file, but you lose some resolution for tuning. I have an auto and manual 97 speed density file uploaded to HPTuners repository. I do not recall if either have a rear O2 sensor in the tune. The 97 speed density tune is missing a few tables that the "re-flash" has, though. I also have a 00 auto "re-flash" saved that I should upload.




PRND321 Till I DIE
Old Motor: 160whp & 152ft/lbs, 1/4 Mile 15.4 @88.2
M45 + LD9 + 4T40-E, GO GO GO

EVILution (KGM Godfather) wrote:I may wrong, but I thought the pre 00 and 00-02 computers/connectors were physically different. I know the 00-02 has the two long connectors that come off the harness...and I could have sworn when I looked at a pre-00 in the junkyard the other week that the computer had 3 connectors...Motor was missing so I couldn't verify exactly what it was, but it was a sunfire GT which I thought were all Ld9s.
Anyway, physical differences aside, the pre-00 is a different OS which is why you can't run the reflash.

96 had 3 plugs 97+2 plugs. thats why you have to swap the harness and computer to use hpt on a 96. plus i pulled down the computers for a 97 and 01 both look identical. also ben verified when he swapped it to a 97 ecu/harness the 96 was a 3 plug. also pretty sure they were both label black and blue.

-MD- Enforcer wrote:The reflash will run on a 99 PCM. I re-flashed a charger tune on my 99. Just to see what happens. Ran fine, lots of warning lights, and missing gauges. 99s have two plugs. A black and a Blue to the computer.

MOST 97's are Alpha-N OS......
You could use a 97 speed density file, but you lose some resolution for tuning. I have an auto and manual 97 speed density file uploaded to HPTuners repository. I do not recall if either have a rear O2 sensor in the tune. The 97 speed density tune is missing a few tables that the "re-flash" has, though. I also have a 00 auto "re-flash" saved that I should upload.

half temped to see if you can get me that ecu so i can see if it does the same on this car and if it will run. because if thats the case then i might dig into the possibility of finding out what wiring has changed between 99 and 00 that throws all the lights on.

97-02 LD9 and LN2 ECU's are the same, and connect the same.

The reason you can flash the GM reflash onto a 99, and it get lights on is because of no BCM. The GM reflash is based on a 00+ ECU which has BCM support. 99 J does not have a BCM. The BCM controls most gauge functions. So with the GM reflash on a 99 you loose most of your gauge functions and it throws some idoit lights on.

Some people have wired in a BCM, but you are talking about adding wires. It is either best to do a complete harness swap (BCM connects to the dash harness, and body harness), or deal with the lack of gauge functions, or run a stock ECU.


As far as doing a eco swap into a pre-00 I fully believe you can run a Eco off the LD9/LN2 wiring and ECU.

I still like the idea of doing it the "RIGHT" way and doing a complete swap of everything, more so if the car has the chances of being sold to a normal person. On a project car not a big deal so much.



FU Tuning

Ok that's what I was figuring on hearing. Atleast I have more info it can be ran that way. Which was the major thing I was hoping to hear. The reason, at least for me, is that this is just to open a option of being able to get a eco under the hood if the ld9 fails. I have had great luck with the eco along with they are cheap. that I could pick up the trans/ engine for what a 100k ld9 is running.

I also agree on the right way to do it but run into the issue that a eco never came in a vert and they only made the vert in 00. Leaving me one year to find a body harness. Which I am not saying it can not be done but would definitely be more complicated than just putting the engine trans in and driving it.