I think I bricked my ECU doing the B04 update..[OVTune Fixed it!!!]

It’ll be fine. This is a one in a hundred thousand thing.

 

It’ll be fine, but after having it towed to a dealer or buying an ECU from a different source and trying to fix it himself. Any idea how much a new ECU runs? I’m curious.

 

Curious about the cost too, bet it's on the pricey side.

 

I guarantee it is. That’s a pretty intriquite and necessary part of our trucks. Hopefully it’s fixable with having to pay for a new one.

 

Typically any ECM/ECU will run from 500 to 1200 dollars, however, there are some places that have reprogrammed units and they run around 200 to 300 with a return of your old one. I don't know if they have this available on Toyota, but I know for a fact it works with a dodge dakota.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...g-alpha-release.495735/page-975#post-18039534

 

I can’t understand how the ECU could be “bricked” by this (as in rendered non-usable, ever). Like, if you screw up the operating system of a phone or computer, you can always start over from scratch, and boot from the bios. The thing is a only a “brick”, when it is completely dead and unable to be restored with a new copy of the program. If the Toyota ECU can be bricked, as opposed to simply corrupted, beyond recovery, by a simple communication error, than the IT engineers at Toyota are really lame.

 

Could have had a voltage issue. I can't remember the exact voltage but if you are below 10.5 or so I think it starts to get challenging. rule of thumb anytime flashing your ECU is to ensure ALL electrical load is off (no lights, radio, turn screen off, close the doors with window down to run your cable, etc., Also good to keep your laptop outside the truck so you don't risk wiggling a cable or anything mid-flash. Most of the times this happens it seems to be a voltage issue (either low battery or too much load pulling from the battery while flashing).

First I've seen someone have this issue when updating their ECU. Sad, folks wouldn't have to resort to this if there was a better campaign underway to update trucks outside of the 2 issues on the TSBs (whereas the B04 fixes FAR more than those TSBs indicate...)

 

Still pretty pricey. Especially if you gotta get the truck transported to the dealer etc. Hopefully it’s just a minor thing for the OP.

 

You act like everyone that has ever flashed their ECU has ended up loading it on a flat bed to take to the dealer. It simply isn't like that. This is a one off failure, and it would have happened regardless of whether it was at the dealer or in his driveway.

 

Hold on man... I never speculated as to how it happened. Frankly that’s not my problem. I just feel bad for him.

What I want to know is how the hell is is this guy gonna get his truck to the dealer if he can’t even start it?

 

Maybe you meant to quote something else, but if I'm at the dealer and they brick it, that's their issue. If I brick it in my driveway, now it's my issue. Slight difference.

 

Shit man........stop pouring water on everyone’s sense of entitlement!

 

Did you get any advice? I thought I read there was a reflash procedure he says will get things corrected.

 

I didn’t quote the wrong post. I told the other guy that he’d (likely) be fine to flash it himself, and that the OPs situation was a one off occurrence. The reply was that “he’ll be fine after towing it to the dealership.” That makes it seem like EVERY attempt to flash the ECU in your driveway will result in failure of the unit.

I understand there’s a difference in who would be deemed at fault. That’s a risk that you have to decide you’re willing to take. I, personally, decided to take it. Thousands of others have as well, with no adverse outcomes.

 

I wonder if there are really thousands, as in at least 2000. That would be what, $1.2 million in revenue? Nice chunk of change if true.

 

There are thousands of OVTune customers. Nary a bricked ECU.

 

Updating the ECU is like updating your bios. If you fuck that up there's nothing the updater can talk to to know how to update. It becomes a bootstrap problem.

 

I think there seems to be confusion here when there was help asked from Ovtune.

Did you try to update with his tune or Toyota’s stock ecu update?

Part b if with Toyota’s: did you try to update it with stock Toyota’s with OvTune’s installed?

That would help solve some issues with getting some issues/questions resolved.

 

Gee without being a rocket scientist here... went south on OP's watch he has to pay. Dealer does it they have to pay. Which do you prefer?