vF Tuner for the 3.5L Tacoma

Yes from what I understand it has been successfully done already.

 

Correct.

 

Yeah find some of my posts and ping me if you need help

 

Do you, or someone else, have a vft that's basically OVT 1.05.1 or the latest beta (04B04 ECU) either with or without the alternator output changes (I can add the alternator changes). If not, no worries. I can wait; I have solar on my truck, too, but would like to get the alternator boosted for my dual AGMs without losing the tune.

 

@OVTune, Mat, any plans to add the FJ to the supported list? I have a local FJ guy that would probably be interested in the ability to make some changes to his ECU.

 

So, I thought there was no way to tell if your ECU has been flashed. Someone said that in a long-ago post in this thread. I was worried about warranty issues if I used the software, so this statement now has me confused. If you can't "read" an ECU that has been flashed, then it seems like the dealer would notice this right away...? Or is this another misinterpretation (I hope)?

EDIT: (backstory) my bro-in-law had an expensive tuner system that flashed his F250 ECU but it also "encrypted" it. He would undo the tune every time he took it to the dealer and all is good. Until his truck was broken in to and the tuner under his seat (dummy) was stolen. Now, it was locked to his ECU so is worthless to anyone else, but now the dealer is unable to do anything with his ECU and told him he would have to buy a new one since their hardware unit won't even read it now. /sad

 

i don't believe you can actually read the ECU with TS nor would a dealer ever have a reason to. You can still identify and flash, which is all a dealer would ever do (ex. applying a TSB)

 

Is there a "diff" function in the software that will show what has changed from a tune file and the existing ECU? This would be useful for when a dealer applies a TSB and you could see exactly what parameters were changed, which then allows you to go back to your previous tune and just make those same changes. Or am I not understanding how this works? Doesn't applying a TSB then change the ECU ID which means you would have to buy more credits to work on that one with the vf software?

 

Not that I am aware of, but the TSB files are attached:

-- 04B13 / T-0033-18.cuw for 2016s and 2017s
-- 04B14 / T-0014-20.cuw for 2016s and 2017s
-- Also 04A71 / T-0037-18.cuw for 2018s
​

About all that I have ever done is open them in Notepad to look at the header data. After the header, it looks like all hex data?

The one big dealio here is that a while back @OVTune showed us a small section of the software flowchart. It was massive and a mess.



On your last question, Yes. If you apply a TSB, the ECU ID changes and you would have to buy Credits to unlock your new ECU. Those are @OVTune 's ground rules.

There are two ECU IDs for the 2019 MTs and nobody knows why just yet. It might be worth trolling through the nhtsa website to see if any TSBs have been posted?

 

BTW, sorry! My thoughts are shit. Getting them typed out is worse. I'm Mr Edit.

 

Hmmm. While I understand the need for a steady(ish) revenue stream, it seems to me that when someone finally gets to the point of their "perfect" tune and doesn't need anything extra, and then the dealer comes out with a fix for something, now the person has to decide if they need the fix or if they can live without it. That isn't good if it is a safety issue. They should be able to apply the fix and go back to their original settings without having any extra cost since they already paid for the software and additional tune packs previously and doing it this way requires no extra labor for Matt, et al. This is why i was asking about the diff function, which would show the user what settings the dealer changed so they could simply reload and edit their existing "perfect" tune and drive away into the sunset! Seems it would be a real PITA if you made a lot of tweaks and then had to go back and reconstruct all of those, on top of an extra fee after every TSB update. Again, I haven't used the vf software so I'm speaking out of ignorance of how it works...

 

its a good idea in theory but in reality its much more difficult. Some of the TSBs have had table changes, others have had logic changes. Its much more complicated than just copy pasting your perfect tune into the new ECU code.

 

It could be argued that the early 2016 04B10 tune was dangerous considering what was posted. Toyota didn't address it for almost three years and then would argue with owners who begged to get the TSB applied (a freaking 10min parking lot job). 04B12 was fatiguing for me. Thankfully, I only dealt with it for about 8mo.

That said, I think we heard from one person that said their MT went into a limp mode and it wasn't because of a triggered TB? I personally believe that there is some additional good voodoo in 04B14, but I certainly could be wrong.

In the end, you could go out and buy any product. A month later a new version drops. Such is life. We don't get upgrade insurance. @OVTune is doing us a favor. They are not the bad folks in this. It is Toyota who kicked out a shittastic tune. OVT is just unmasking what the HW is good for. AT Goons in the Dev thread delayed and argued about the development process and have landed us in this current situation.

The other side of that is that the MT version of the tune has a bunch of MT specific features. Real usable stuff.

 

$79 is not really a lot to pay if a tsb comes out, changes your id, and you have to buy a new tune pack. Hell, I don't plan on making a whole lot of changes besides increasing charging voltage and it was still worth it.

 

I agree. I have zero problems supporting the people who support me.

 

Are there any example tunes for 04B90 6MT before I buy the tune pack?

 

I agree as well. I’m not opposed to pay either.