Any way to tell if a tune is installed?

[TurboX2]

I just bought an '07 GT500, it has a JLT intake, smaller pulley, and hopefully is tuned.... It has one of those stupid chrome "SCT" emblems on the trunk, but there was no handheld tuner with the car. Is there any way to tell if a tune is installed? The traction control light on the button is not lit, don't know if it normally would be. When I push it once "off" lights up. I'm concerned that the previous owner may have decided to keep the tuner and put the stock tune back in, don't want to hammer it until I figure it out....

If there is a tune installed now and I buy another handheld will it talk to the pcm, or would I have to have a dealer flash it back to a factory tune first?

I have an XCal2 on anothe vehicle, can I datalog this one with it? The datalog file might help determine if its been tuned or not...

Thanks for any help. :beer:

 

[Catmonkey]

No, I don't think there is anyway to tell short of doing a stock read with your Xcal2 and dumping the file and sending to SCT to decode. You'd also have to know what to look for on the data log, because unless you what what values it needs to report from the stock tunes to compare with your logs. On the other hand, I'm not sure the car would run well with the stock tune and the CAI. Others may have to chime in on that prospect. If it were me, I'd just leave it and load a new tune over it. If you did have the dealer flash it back to stock, I think I'd have the new tune ready to load before I left the dealership's parking lot.

 

[GT500RedStripe]

Dan,

You don't want to run the factory tune with the modifications you have. If you got it from a dealer, they may have flashed it back to stock. You will need to know if you have the 2.8 or 2.6 pulley because they will have different tunes. Most likely it is 2.6. Confirm it does not have a smaller lower pulley. You can call JLT and buy a SCT tuner with the tune installed. You can also buy it used. I am selling the complete kit with tuner (look at my signature). Good luck!
Ben

 

[TurboX2]

Dan,

You don't want to run the factory tune with the modifications you have. If you got it from a dealer, they may have flashed it back to stock. You will need to know if you have the 2.8 or 2.6 pulley because they will have different tunes. Most likely it is 2.6. Confirm it does not have a smaller lower pulley. You can call JLT and buy a SCT tuner with the tune installed. You can also buy it used. I am selling the complete kit with tuner (look at my signature). Good luck!
Ben

Ben,
The cai/pulley package on the car is the same as you have for sale, though I don't know the pulley size. If I measure is it to the peaks or valleys of the ribs? From the little WOT I've done it looks like its putting out around 11psi on the stock gauge, so likely a 2.80? It doesn't really feel faster than stock to me, but then again I've only driven a stocker for about 10 minutes on a test drive a week ago. If you have interest in the cai/pulley from anyone without the tuner let me know what you'd want for it. I'm pretty certain the dealer didn't flash it back to stock, but I'm worried that the guy who traded it in may have to keep the tuner, otherwise there wouldn't be any sense in not leaving it with the car (unless he didn't know they get locked). Its also quite possible thats the tune is in it and I wouldn't have to spend any money, but I certainly don't feel comfortable not knowing....

 

[UnleashedBeast]

Pay for a two or three pull dyno session. It will cost you less than $100.00, and you will know immediately if the tune will harm the engine.

 

[GT500RedStripe]

Ben,
From the little WOT I've done it looks like its putting out around 11psi on the stock gauge, so likely a 2.80? It doesn't really feel faster than stock to me, but then again I've only driven a stocker for about 10 minutes on a test drive a week ago.

Stock pulley is 8 PSI. The gauge is not super accurate. Mine read just over 11 with the 2.6 pulley. My car had a significant increase in power and much more supercharger whine after changing to the JLT 2.6/CAI/TUNE. Should be around 100 added HP.

 

[TexasShelby]

The Traction Control defaults to ON (with no lights) and when you select the button, it turns it off. And unless you specify it when your tuner sets up your tunes, that will not change. I would venture to say that 95% of the aftermarket tunes don't touch traction control. So I wouldn't use that as an indicator.
I would invest some coin with JLT, VMP, Lund or Evolution and buy a new tuner with tunes installed and flash it to be safe. You will need them anyway if you ever have any work done. And if it ever goes in a dealership you stand the chance of them reflashing it with a stock tune.
Any of the three I mentioned are probably the best in the business and have thousands of satisfied customers.

 

[TurboX2]

I think to be safe I'm going to do just that, order a tuner. Here's the issue.... there may or may not be a tune installed now, I think there more likely is since it runs smoothly with the big JLT air meter. If I buy another tuner I think it would either a) not work if the pcm is already "married" to the first handheld, or b) the "stock" tune that it would upload would be the one installed now, correct?

A couple questions that would help...

Anybody know if it would run smoothly with the JLT cai and no tune?

Pulley sizes are measured at the tops of the ribs, correct?

 

[TexasShelby]

Do you know where the pulley came from? I'd call JLT and see if he knows the car, he might have a list of everything on it and have a tune for it.

 

[09Troublemaker]

Pay for a two or three pull dyno session. It will cost you less than $100.00, and you will know immediately if the tune will harm the engine.

+1

Peace of mind man

 

[94CobraPace]

I had the same issue. Purchased the car with no hand held. I took the car to my mechanic and he had a Ford tech put it back to stock, then installed the SCT tune I purchased. Now I have the stock tune and a tuner. Peace of mind here.

 

[TurboX2]

+1

Peace of mind man

A couple dyno runs still won't tell me who tuned it, how aggressively, for what octane, etc... I pretty much only have 91 around, so if its a 93 tune I want it fixed....don't like not knowing....

 

[Catmonkey]

With a new programmer, it will treat whatever tune is currently in the PCM as the stock tune. Unless you intend to some day return the engine to stock, there is no need to get the dealer to reflash. I'm sure the transfer function is different between the stock calibration and what's needed for that intake.

It's the flash tool that gets locked to the PCM, not the other way around.

 

[TurboX2]

With a new programmer, it will treat whatever tune is currently in the PCM as the stock tune. Unless you intend to some day return the engine to stock, there is no need to get the dealer to reflash. I'm sure the transfer function is different between the stock calibration and what's needed for that intake.

I have some warranty left, so might pick up a stock pulley/idler/air intake in case I need to take it in, and would then of course need a stock tune to flash in.

It's the flash tool that gets locked to the PCM, not the other way around.

Thanks for reminding me of that, I wasn't thinking of it correctly.

 

[TurboX2]

I ordered a tuner from Jon Lund today, supposed to ship tomorrow so hopefully I'll have it before the weekend. :rockon: