Def. Interested in the results. Im looking to get the olds tuned. I had the blazer tuned at wait4me but the turn around time was awful. Looking to see if pcm4less is any better.

 

They had the first PCM to me in 4 days. Not too shabby IMO, but I've been waiting for a week and a half now for the replacement...

 

4 days is great 2 weeks is good. I think I waited about a month to get mine back from wait4me. I mean it worked great but it took way to long.

 

What kind of gains would you be looking at for a PCM tune with exhaust, and CAI? Like a big wakeup of bottom end performance? That's really what I'd like, and 300 bucks for a spare PCM doesn't seem too bad to me at all. (of course I have to deal with exchange, and S&H)

 

I am not sure what you would expect out of the 4.3L. I know that the hypertech tune on my old 2k Bravada woke it up a bit. Nothing spectacular, but still was worth it. I do not know if you'll get a lot of bottom end performance gain. Most of what I noted from the hypertech was in the upper RPM range.

From everything I have read about tuning the 4200 I6, these engines have a lot of detuning from the factory. With the variable cam timing, torque management, etc, tuners have a lot they can remove to really wake these trucks up.

 

So, those of you that know me, know that I am a very numbers oriented type of person. Well, I tried twice to data log with my stock PCM and both times, the program and my scan tool lost connectivity before I could get a full run in. Something in my cable is messed up. Needless to say, I was unable to get a data log of the before to compare...

Anyway, the replacement PCM arrived today and I installed it without a hitch. I took it for a little drive afterwords. I still haven't done any WOT runs yet just to let the PCM get acquainted with its new surroundings.

So, first impressions. I really like it! I can definitely feel the difference in part throttle performance. It does not seem like it needs as much throttle input to change speed. This is undoubtedly the tuning taking advantage of the cam phaser more than the stock tuning did. With a quick take off, the lack of torque management is quite noticeable as well. Low RPM power has definitely been increased.

I ordered transmission shift firmness level 2 which is right on the money. The shifts are noticeably quicker without being harsh. Another thing that I noticed is that the torque converter is now locking up sooner and remaining locked longer (takes more to get it to unlock). All of these things are very good as they will serve to cut down on transmission wear and heat.

I just wish I had before/after data... I am keeping my old PCM so I can go back at some point and properly run the numbers. I have been looking at the new ProLine scan tool from AutoEnginuity. Maybe it is time to just lay down the coin and upgrade. Its not like my old AutoEnginuity scanner didn't get used a lot! I've had it for 4 years now.

 

Good to hear. Yes, numbers would help but as you said earlier, they wouldn't be the same for the 4.3 anyway.

Sounds like it was somewhat worth the wait?

 

Definitely worth the wait. Like I said, the gains are quite noticeable. I made a point to take the same drive with the stock PCM just minutes before I swapped the PCM so I had a better comparison of the two.

Now time will tell if I gain any MPGs out of the whole ordeal.

 

Awesome news! Glad to hear the new came AND went in with out incident. I too am interested in the numbers, but if you say it feel like it's driving better, that carries a lot of weight in my book.
BONUS you got it just in time to leave it sitting while you shiver and wait for a deer to wander by!

 

I'll actually drive it more over the rest of this week being off of work than I normally would during a whole work week.