HPTuner MPVI2 & VCM Suite Review: 100% Full PCM Access For 2005-2006 Jeep Wrangler TJs

Chris

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NOTE: At the time of writing this, HPTuners only offered access to 05-06 PCMs. However, that has changed and they now provide access to all 97-06 PCMs.

So let me preface this by saying that the reason I bought an HPTuner for my Jeep is because with my Magnum Powers supercharger, I needed a sure fire way to tune my PCM to optimize the air, fuel, and spark for the increased performance of the supercharger. Up until now, many of us have been led to believe that there is no way to tune the PCMs on our TJs. The Superchips don't work, nor do the Diablo Tuners. The Split Second unit works, but that is a piggyback system (which doesn't refresh the PCM itself), and while I had success with it on my last supercharged TJ, I don't think it's ultimately a replacement for tuning and flashing the PCM directly.

Enter the HPTuner MPVI2 and VCM Suite (which consists of the VCM Editor and VCM Scanner). With this hardware / software combo, you'll be able to access the PCM on your 2005-2006 Jeep Wrangler 100%. With it you can enable or disable functions of the PCM (i.e., turn of the O2 sensors). You can also use it to tune your engine, such as setting the amount of air, fuel, and spark your engine gets at any RPM. This understandably comes in handle when you add forced induction, as you'll need to have more fuel at any given RPM.

The kicker here as mentioned above is that this only works on the 05-06 models. I'm not 100% sure why this is, but according to their website, it won't work on anything prior to 2005.

One of the things I am using this setup for (aside from tuning it for my supercharger) is to disable all the emissions. With it I have successfully turned of my post cat O2 sensors (you need to keep the pre-cat O2 sensors), which will in turn allow me to remove the pre-cats entirely, at which point I intend to have a custom header made for my 4.0.

I've also used it to disable the evap system entirely, so that I can remove that junk and throw it in the garbage. Now before any of you guys warn me about emissions or inspections, I'm only doing this because we do not have either where I live. Yes, I am aware of the environmental impact, but you should also be aware that I probably put 2000 miles a year on my TJ at most. I'm also aware of the federal fine for removing catalytic convertors, and I am not condoning this in any way. I am simply putting this information out there to let people know what this HPTuner package can do.

In the process of disabling my evap system and the post-cat O2 sensors today, I took some screenshots to share with you guys how this software works.

First off, you need the MPVI2, which will set you back $299. In addition, you need two "universal credits", which will run you $100. This allows you to purchase one license, which locks the serial number on the MPVI2 to your VIN number, and insures that you can't use it on any other PCM, unless you spend another $100 and purchase more credits.

Here's the MPVI2 unit that plugs into your OBDII port and connects to your computer via USB:

IMG_2389.JPG


After connecting it and opening the VCM Editor program, you'll need to connect to your PCM. You do this with the key turned to the on position, but the vehicle NOT running.

You can see that once connected, it recognizes the vehicle, VIN, and both the ECM and TCM (which combined we refer to as the PCM):

IMG_2378.JPG


Once you're in, have a look around. Under Transmission > General, you can see the option to enable or disable the automatic transmission. So how would this be beneficial? Well, let's say you bought a PCM from a TJ that had a manual transmission, but you needed it to work with your automatic transmission equipped TJ. Easy peasy! Just select "Enable" from the drop down, and flash the PCM, and you're good to go.

IMG_2379.JPG


Here's a shot of some of the options under the "Engine" tab:

IMG_2380.JPG


If you navigate to Engine > Oxygen Sensors, you'll see the screen where I was able to disable the post-cat O2 sensors:

IMG_2381.JPG


Head over to the "Fuel System" tab, and you'll see where I was able to disable the evap system:

IMG_2382.JPG


Here's an example of the "Speedometer" settings:

IMG_2383.JPG


If you go under the System > General tab, you'll see the option to enable or disable SKIM (read this thread if you don't know what SKIM is: Sentry Key Immobilizer Module (SKIM) Install / Retrofit):

IMG_2384.JPG


Check out all the options under Engine > Spark:

IMG_2385.JPG


And here's the Engine > Airflow options:

IMG_2386.JPG


Here's the Transmission > Shift Scheduling options (haven't explored these yet as I'm not 100% sure what they do):

IMG_2387.JPG



What you're seeing above is only a very, very small portion of what this tool can do. In addition to giving you full access to the PCM, it also serves as an OBDII scanner, has Bluetooth connectivity (so you can go wireless with it), and it also will provide 100% real-time data logging.

For instance, once of the things I plan to do once I install my supercharger is hook the laptop up and take it on a bunch of drives. I'll log the data in real-time (using a wideband O2 sensor), save the files, and Josh Pearl (the guy who is doing my supercharger tune) is going to fine-tune everything until we get the tune perfect. We'll do this probably a dozen times or more, and each time I'll provide him with a new data log for him to tweak. Eventually we'll finally get it perfect!

If you own a 2005-2006, I highly recommend this tool. Hell, you could even tune your stock engine to probably get a few more horsepower out of it.


Conclusion
I will continue to update this review as time goes on and I use it more-and-more (especially once I get into the actual engine tuning portion). So far, I'm really, really impressed with this thing, and I'm absolutely over the moon that I finally have full access to the PCM!
 
Wow. That's really awesome. I never knew about this software till now!

I’ve talked to everyone who seems to know anything on this matter, and they’ve all told me that HPTuners and B&G Performance are the only options out there for fully accessing and flashing the PCM. Anything else is just a piggyback controller.
 
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Great to know that I have an 05 if I ever want to s/c or turbo. Thanks for the info!
 
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Did you pay full retail? Even more importantly, why did you take pictures of your screen instead of screenshots?
 
Did you pay full retail? Even more importantly, why did you take pictures of your screen instead of screenshots?

Yes, I paid full retail. It's $299 for the MPVI2 and $100 for the 2 universal credits.

I did this on my Windows laptop (a very old laptop). I haven't touched a Windows computer in probably 15 years honest to goodness. I don't even know how you take a screenshot on a Windows computer.

On my Mac (I'm a Mac guy), it's as simple as Command + Shift + 5.

It should be worth noting that this only runs on Windows.
 
On windows it's the print screen button (top right generally). Ctrl + v to paste into Paint and save it.

Got it. Next time I'll do that.

On my Mac it just saves the image directly to the desktop in PNG format.

The screenshots would have been much better had I known that!
 
On a normal day I'm between Windows and Linux with MacOS thrown in at least once a week. It all becomes second nature switching between them.
 
On a normal day I'm between Windows and Linux with MacOS thrown in at least once a week. It all becomes second nature switching between them.

If I spent enough time with Windows, I could figure it out pretty quick. I do use Linux very often, as this server runs on Linux, and I'm always doing stuff on it.

The Mac is something I got into for design. Since that's my primary job, the Mac really excels in that category. Still, I'm glad I held onto this Windows laptop from so long ago, because it makes this sort of thing a lot easier! Of course it's an old laptop. I could probably replace it with something much smaller and solid state as well. That would probably be easier to lug around than this heavy thing!
 
If I spent enough time with Windows, I could figure it out pretty quick. I do use Linux very often, as this server runs on Linux, and I'm always doing stuff on it.

The Mac is something I got into for design. Since that's my primary job, the Mac really excels in that category. Still, I'm glad I held onto this Windows laptop from so long ago, because it makes this sort of thing a lot easier! Of course it's an old laptop. I could probably replace it with something much smaller and solid state as well. That would probably be easier to lug around than this heavy thing!

Or just run parallels
 
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Or just run parallels

Of course, but I don't have a Mac laptop, just my iMac and my iPhone.

To be in the garage, you can understand why I need a laptop. If I buy another laptop, I'll probably just get a MacBook Air and then run Parallels, or partition part of the hard drive so I can dual boot into Windows.
 
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Of course, but I don't have a Mac laptop, just my iMac and my iPhone.

To be in the garage, you can understand why I need a laptop. If I buy another laptop, I'll probably just get a MacBook Air and then run Parallels, or partition part of the hard drive so I can dual boot into Windows.

Ah, didn’t realize your Mac was a desktop.
 
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So can you buy a new PCM and program it to your vehicle and update the VIN?

Yes, this is correct!

Maybe. There may also be USB communication issues with this kit when run through Parallels.

They have drivers you can download on their website, but I'm not sure if they would place nicely with Parallels or not. No idea...
 
Wow, this sounds pretty fantastic. Here in Illinois, the only thing they do for emissions testing is plug into the OBD. if there are no active error codes or codes recently cleared, you pass. I wonder what messages they would get with a PCM modded in this way. For example, if I just disable the evap system, would it show up on their scan, or simply show that there are no error codes? I don't really have any need to circumvent the system, but it would just be interesting to know. But I would really like to see what you can modify regarding the shift points in the auto. I'd love to be able to adjust the points, especially when OD is activated. Please keep us in the loop as you continue to work with this!
 
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Wow, this sounds pretty fantastic. Here in Illinois, the only thing they do for emissions testing is plug into the OBD. if there are no active error codes or codes recently cleared, you pass. I wonder what messages they would get with a PCM modded in this way. For example, if I just disable the evap system, would it show up on their scan, or simply show that there are no error codes? I don't really have any need to circumvent the system, but it would just be interesting to know. But I would really like to see what you can modify regarding the shift points in the auto. I'd love to be able to adjust the points, especially when OD is activated. Please keep us in the loop as you continue to work with this!

Will do for sure! I can't tell you for certain what they would find, but I can tell you that with my post-cat O2 sensors unplugged and the evap system out, I get no check engine lights at all.

It would be interesting to see whether or not their scanners could pick up on that. They may say something like "evap disabled" even though there is no error codes. Not entirely sure.
 
The price for that kind of control is really pretty reasonable. And if I can just switch things back on (provided that nothing was removed from the Jeep)? I'd be willing to try running it through a test, just to find out. :) I think you've just added something to the shopping list...