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

Chris said:
You would have to know what size you’d need, then you can get them just about anywhere online including Amazon, eBay, etc.
Click to expand...

I changed the throttle body to 62mm and have heaters, magnaflow cats and exhaust.
I have replaced the fuel injectors with new once. That's it.
How am I supposed to know which fuel injectors I need now? I don't know. There was a TV show about tuning a i6, they have used a programmable ignition from MSD. I can't believe I'm the only one with the bigger throttle body. I do have other rocker rollers as well. New O2 sensors. I don't have any misfires and the engine sounds smooth. But as mentioned, I don't have power. I have to shift back from 5th to 4th all the time on the highway.
 
I have a 4.6l stroker at about 260 hp, 27# injectors with the 62mm throttle body works ok, still a tad on the lean side and my timing is off but no tune for a 94 pcm. Tim
 
20210804_191538.jpg


Those are the once I bought.
 
Chris said:
You would have to know what size you’d need, then you can get them just about anywhere online including Amazon, eBay, etc.
Click to expand...
Yes, but you HAVE to make sure you get the injector data, offset and flow rates... if not, you can spend a ton of time messing with a wrong tune, right from the start.
I finally have mine dialed in... I took the long method.
 
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SurfinLife said:
Yes, but you HAVE to make sure you get the injector data, offset and flow rates... if not, you can spend a ton of time messing with a wrong tune, right from the start.
I finally have mine dialed in... I took the long method.
Click to expand...
For sure! If I was going this route I would probably speak to someone specifically who deals with tuning TJs and other vehicles for a living.
 
Chris said:
For sure! If I was going this route I would probably speak to someone specifically who deals with tuning TJs and other vehicles for a living.
Click to expand...
Hard to find. I paid for a remote tuner because I couldn't find a tuner with a dyno that would touch it. Even that tuner had basic knowledge could only do so much.
I have a turbo setup that works pretty good. I always enjoy the ride... but it's a hack because of the limitation with the 05-06 NGC3 PCM. By hack, I mean tricking it so it works, but it's not a PCM that has the appropriate tables for forced induction. So far HPT is functional but frustrating at times. Like recently, the issues they gave me with the new firmware/software update.

So far, the most stable setup I found, is the AEM Infinity 358 PCM. Add some sensors, and tune it to be a real beast.

I haven't read through this whole post yet, but I have lots of experience with the turbo setup and all the extras, beyond just tuning the pcm to make it work... you have to seal up some leaks in ways like normal turbo vehicles. I'll check it out and share my experiences... since I'm in the rocky mountains, I run Closed loop too.
 
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I dont know anybody around here in Richmond, VA area.. I probably continue with the gears first and hope for a miracle happen.
I may buy the tuner, either the HP or the Split Sec. Again, I have zero glue but at least with the HP I could read out and approach people that understand this (thats why i came here) or see what comes next. I was looking at the Boosted SC anyway, they would make a tune up as part of the package.
Thanks
 
Christoph0315 said:
I dont know anybody around here in Richmond, VA area.. I probably continue with the gears first and hope for a miracle happen.
I may buy the tuner, either the HP or the Split Sec. Again, I have zero glue but at least with the HP I could read out and approach people that understand this (thats why i came here) or see what comes next. I was looking at the Boosted SC anyway, they would make a tune up as part of the package.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Since you have a 2002, it would be using the JTEC version of HPT... Different stuff to know than with 05-06.

Read the posts from Jezza.. he has some really awesome info and a very cool stable setup...

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/turbo-4-liter.49996/
 
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Agro said:
Hi guys.
Great forum with plenty of info.
New to Jeeps, so still learning greatly.
If I could ask for a little help regarding the Jeep PCM for you knowledgeable people.
We are having trouble here in Australia with wanting to tune a turbo charged TJ 4.0L 2004 model.
It's a late 2004 model, with the ECU plugs having 4 row wire plugs.
Now the problem we have, is we purchased a 2004 Split Second piggyback ecu, but this is a 3 row wire plug ends, so will NOT plug inline to the ECU plugs. The supplier says we don't need a piggyback ECU, instead tune through the OBD port via tuning software. All I'm reading though, is 2004 models need a piggyback, and the newer 2005 up require tuning software.
So my question is, could my car have the newer updated ECU?
How would be the best way to check to which ECU the car has, to see what option I need?
I don't want to spend money on HP tuners or Diablo units to find it's not compatible with the current ECU!
I'm guessing they changed over to the newer ECU late 2004, so it's a hit or miss which ECU is in the car.
Any help from you guys would be greatly appreciated, as modifications to Jeeps here in Australia is very limited.
Cheers and thank you for a great forum.
Paul.
Click to expand...
Do you still have the split second unit? May look to purchase off you.
 
Agro said:
Hi guys.
Great forum with plenty of info.
New to Jeeps, so still learning greatly.
If I could ask for a little help regarding the Jeep PCM for you knowledgeable people.
We are having trouble here in Australia with wanting to tune a turbo charged TJ 4.0L 2004 model.
It's a late 2004 model, with the ECU plugs having 4 row wire plugs.
Now the problem we have, is we purchased a 2004 Split Second piggyback ecu, but this is a 3 row wire plug ends, so will NOT plug inline to the ECU plugs. The supplier says we don't need a piggyback ECU, instead tune through the OBD port via tuning software. All I'm reading though, is 2004 models need a piggyback, and the newer 2005 up require tuning software.
So my question is, could my car have the newer updated ECU?
How would be the best way to check to which ECU the car has, to see what option I need?
I don't want to spend money on HP tuners or Diablo units to find it's not compatible with the current ECU!
I'm guessing they changed over to the newer ECU late 2004, so it's a hit or miss which ECU is in the car.
Any help from you guys would be greatly appreciated, as modifications to Jeeps here in Australia is very limited.
Cheers and thank you for a great forum.
Paul.
Click to expand...
There's a great writeup for 2004 successfully using the AEM Infinity 358

https://www.aemelectronics.com/prod...gement-systems/infinity-ecu/infinity-series-3
The best so far!!
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/turbo-4-liter.49996/
 
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Does the HP tuners for 2004 Jeep Wrangler, 2.4L, really work? JTEC system. Enters the ECU, connects, but the ECU does not open the menu for inserting the updated software and does not allow the exclusion of functions from the menu.
 
Chris said:
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:

View attachment 67606

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):

View attachment 67607

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.

View attachment 67616

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

View attachment 67608

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

View attachment 67609

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

View attachment 67610

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

View attachment 67611

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):

View attachment 67612

Check out all the options under Engine > Spark:

View attachment 67613

And here's the Engine > Airflow options:

View attachment 67614

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

View attachment 67615


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!
Click to expand...

Can you give me Josh Pearl contact information so can can the same tune or something similar. Thanks
 
Chris said:
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:

View attachment 67606

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):

View attachment 67607

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.

View attachment 67616

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

View attachment 67608

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

View attachment 67609

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

View attachment 67610

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

View attachment 67611

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):

View attachment 67612

Check out all the options under Engine > Spark:

View attachment 67613

And here's the Engine > Airflow options:

View attachment 67614

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

View attachment 67615


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!
Click to expand...

Have you been able to get a final tune and would you be willing to show the perimeters you ended up with?
 
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