Do-it-yourself chip tuning: how to flash the brains of a car yourself

If you doubt whether it is possible to do high-quality chip tuning with your own hands, we assure you that it is possible. We will not say that it is simply and immediately clear that studying the theory and preparation will take little time, that everything is guaranteed to work out. However, if you approach the issue seriously and responsibly, carefully study the topic, find good equipment, a suitable program, and carefully, step by step, perform tuning, the reward will be a control unit reconfigured to your needs. And you don’t have to pay at least 2-3 thousand rubles for a 10-minute procedure. And also, in the future you will be able to do chip tuning yourself whenever you want.

These were the advantages of flashing a car with your own hands, now let’s briefly discuss what this procedure is, in general, and why it is needed.

Why do you need chip tuning?

In fact, chip tuning is hacking the factory settings of a car’s electronic control unit (ECU). The word “tuning” itself is translated from English as “tuning”, “adjustment”. To put it simply, chip tuning is the re-programming of an ECU in order to improve its performance.

What role does the control unit perform in a car? It coordinates all electronic processes, collecting data from at least two dozen sensors and transmitting commands to executive units. The ECU controls the operation of the automatic transmission, transmission, cooling system (air conditioning, climate control), controls the mode of gasoline supply to the engine, regulates the operation of the ignition system, examines gas distribution components (determines the level of exhaust toxicity), monitors engine temperatures, processes information about the operation of the ABS, crankshaft, optimizes speed, voltage and other parameters of the wheelbarrow.

This is the main component of the car’s on-board network, its electronic brains. Their initial chip tuning is performed by the manufacturer, and in order to optimize the wear of the internal systems of the car, the capabilities of the ECU are adjusted to average values. At the same time, power suffers and the engine potential is significantly reduced, but for everyday driving these parameters are quite sufficient.

Over time, electronics may begin to lag. Drivers complain about the engine, air conditioning system, increased fuel consumption, etc.

Obviously, the control unit periodically requires reconfiguration. So why not do it yourself, setting the parameter values to maximum? What will it give?

The air conditioner will start working better;
The speed performance of the car and the dynamics of its acceleration (from 0-100 km/h) are optimized;
Fuel consumption will be reduced;
The toxicity of exhaust gases will decrease;
All on-board computer systems will operate at full capacity;
The speed of the gearbox will increase;
The car will become more playful, sporty, and powerful.

But we will not discuss the pros and cons of flashing in this article.

Is it worth chipping the engine yourself?

You can flash your car's ECU yourself, but, we repeat, you need to act correctly. First, thoroughly understand the topic. Collect the necessary equipment, adapters, select the software that suits your car. In principle, if you act methodically and clearly according to the instructions, chip tuning with your own hands will go perfectly.

In special tuning workshops they will ask for a minimum of 3 thousand rubles for the procedure, in simple car services - from 2 thousand. You can also contact the official dealership of your brand, but they will charge at least 10 thousand re for the service. But, they will do everything wisely - they will diagnose the ECU, if necessary, replace problematic elements, and check the transmission.

Of course, if you have money and don’t want to stretch your head, it’s better to turn to professionals. Otherwise, dozens of car owners successfully perform car flashing on their own, why are you worse?

What are the risks? First of all, an unsuccessfully chosen program or a crookedly executed hack can worsen the operation of the ECU. And even if you ruin it, you’ll have to turn to professionals. Plus, do-it-yourself chip tuning, bypassing the official DC, deprives the car owner of the right to apply for service under warranty. Well, too aggressive chip tuning settings can reduce the life of the control unit. It’s not for nothing that the manufacturer, in order to extend its operating time, sets average values?

So, as you understand, we will not give a clear answer to the question of what is better - to do the firmware for the car’s brains with your own hands or contact chip tuning specialists. Weigh all the pros and cons and make a decision yourself.

Next, let's look at what is required for hacking and how to do it yourself.

What is ECU firmware

This is a control program written into the block itself. Engine ECU programming is initially done by the manufacturer. However, the stock version is not adapted to specific climatic conditions and driving style. Moreover, on modern cars power is limited by software due to environmental requirements. Flashing an ECU is a change in parameters in the factory program that allows you to bypass such restrictions.

An analogue of ECU firmware is installing a different operating system on a smartphone.

Pros:

Power and torque will increase;
Acceleration will become faster;
If desired, a faulty catalyst or particulate filter is switched off;
Improves engine performance when the air conditioner is on;
The gas pedal responds faster;
Turbo lag is smoothed out.

Where to flash the ECU
The ADAKT company is fundamentally against removing a correctly working particulate filter and catalyst, especially in services that offer to do this for free.

Minuses:

You need to refuel with high-quality fuel;
The burden on the environment increases if toxicity standards are lowered.

What do you need for DIY chip tuning?

Let's list what you need to prepare for flashing your car yourself. On new cars (older than 2012), chip tuning is performed electronically, without mechanical intervention in the internal world of the ECU. Older cars require removing the unit, unsoldering it and replacing the main chip.

Of course, contactless chip tuning via the OBD 2 diagnostic connector is easier to do yourself.

The whole essence of the procedure in this case comes down to connecting the laptop with the program to the ECU and making the necessary changes using the programmer.

You will need:

Chip tuning program (can be downloaded on the Internet);
A good laptop with a full charge level, the selected software is installed on it;
ECU programmer (not a cheap device, for one-time chipping with your own hands it is more economical to rent it);
OBD 2 adapter, for connecting to the diagnostic connector of the car programmer;
A cord for connecting the latter to a laptop.

If you need to replace the chip (on older cars), you also need to purchase a microchip. Typically, ROM 27S256 or ROM 27S512 are suitable (sold on the Internet or in tuning shops). You also need to buy a protective panel for the microcircuit and prepare working tools (keys, soldering iron, etc.).

What changes in custom ECU firmware

Depending on the purposes of chip tuning, when reprogramming the engine ECU, more than 1000 calibrations can be made. Most often the changes concern:

fuel supply, enrichment thresholds, fuel supply restrictions during acceleration;
boost pressure on turbocharged engines in economy and power modes;
hardware configuration bytes and error mask;
torque, fuel supply and boost limits;
operating algorithm of the mode manager.

How to flash a car with your own hands?

We proceed directly to the stages of chipping. Let's look at how to flash a car yourself, through an ELM327 scanner (the latter type of processor, the most common today):

Prepare all the necessary equipment, charge the laptop, install the tuning program;
Make sure that everything is fine with the engine, for this it is advisable to diagnose it using a special scanner (you can use free applications for IOS or Android);
Connect the programmer to the laptop. Devices must remain stationary during the procedure, so securely fasten or place them firmly;
Connect the adapter to the OBD 2 diagnostic connector (usually located somewhere under the steering wheel, shaped like a trapezoid, with 16 pins);
Now turn on the car's ignition;

The laptop will launch Flasher, whose task is to identify errors.
After fixing the identified problems, you can run the file with the firmware;
First, the program will display the factory settings of the ECU, then it will replace these parameters and “fill” the ECU’s memory with new ones. If necessary, you can always roll back to factory settings.
Upon completion of chipping, turn off the ignition and wait 5 minutes;
Next, the engine starts again, Flasher will carry out a new check. If errors are found, the procedure will need to be completely repeated until they are completely absent.
Done, you have done chip tuning yourself.

Also, let’s look at how to flash a car yourself via a laptop if you need to modify the ECU (do-it-yourself chip replacement):

The first step is to remove the ECU; to do this, you need to remove the panel under the right and left console with your own hands. Proceed carefully even with the power off;
To remove the block, carefully remove the latches;
Without touching the contacts, remove the connector from the socket;
Now you need to unscrew the bolts and remove the ECU (along with the bracket);
The next step is to open the power supply and remove the cover;
Inside you will find a printed circuit board. Work extremely carefully, as electronic components are very sensitive and can be easily damaged;
Remove the chip by gently pressing it upward. If it is sealed, the joints need to be cut with a side cutter;
Insert the new chip (microcircuit) in the same way as the old one was installed (if it was soldered, also use a soldering iron);
Close the ECU cover and return it to its place by performing the removal steps in reverse order;
Done, you managed to replace the chip in the ECU with your own hands. Now move on to the electronic part of the procedure. Its steps are listed in the instructions above.

Well, now you know how to flash the car’s firmware yourself, with your own hands. You have a rough idea of the entire range of tasks, and therefore you can decide on the advisability of independent chip tuning. If you are ready and not afraid of difficulties, go ahead, we believe in you! Before flashing the car yourself, carefully read the instructions and sequence of steps again. When everything works out, you can be congratulated on your successful mastery of a new science. You will definitely become better at understanding the brains of your car, and, who knows, perhaps in the future you will turn into a professional chip tuner? By the way, these days it is a very profitable craft!