Techstream 10.30.029 obsolete "sort of" fix...

I bought from eBay--for a whopping $16.95 with free shipping--a mini-VCI interface cable (1.4.x firmware) that included a hacked version of the Techstream 10.30.029 software. The installation (Win 7 Pro on an Acer Aspire netbook) went as described in the vendor's docs (you have to overwrite the original MainMenu.exe with a hacked version and use a provided registration code) however when firing it all up and connecting to the truck I got a dialog advising that the "10.30.029 software was obsolete as of September 16, 2016" and "MUST be updated"--with just one active button [UpGrade].

Doing so launched IE and connected to the real Techsteam site, where of course real credentials were needed to update--not having those I experimented a bit and found that:

Spoofing the system date did not work as there is some "phone home" function if the software;

The "obsolete" message could be eliminated by dropping the network connection, Techstream would connect to the truck;

However this caused the software to advise, each time I connected to my '09 Taco, that I had just "29 of 30", "28 of 30"... " freebie sessions left;

So having blown 6 of the "30", 24 left, I decided to reboot the netbook and as I had not thought it through it reconnected the wi-fi; which of course caused Techstream to go into its "...obsolete must be updated" song and dance;

But with an image of my $17 swirling in the drain I once again dropped the wi-fi connection and relaunched Techstream, and attempted to again connect to the truck--guess what? It loaded up and connected to the truck fine telling me that I had just 29 sessions left.

Bottom line: It appears the software resets the limit counter each time the phone home function fails. I don;t know how many times it will do this; we'll see.

BTW the interface cable seems to work fine though I have not yet used it to program anything, one of my main interests was to see if there was any accessible TPMS OFF setting. Unfortunately, and though I was able to connect to the TPMS controller there does not seem to be such a flag--poop.

That's it for now, I will play with it a bit more tomorrow...

 

Any updates on this? I have a brand new off road with manual tranny and there is some annoying throttle lag and rev hang which makes down shifting and rev matching difficult. I was hoping there might be some tweaks I could make through the OBD interface.

 

I have found that the TechStream system to be much more a diagnostic and what I'll call "user customization" tweaking tool than an a tuning tool. I had hoped it would be more of the latter. It allows things like disabling some inconsequential warning things like the seat belt chime (the warning light stays on), setting timeout values for interior lights, volume level of the key chime, etc. Many of these can be customized using various combinations of keyless remote, in car buttons, ignition key manipulations, etc.

You can use it to program new/different TPMS sensors and set the pressure ranges, but it will not disable the whole damned thing. New chipped keys can be programmed. It appears to allow flashing of new ECU firmware however does not have the capability (that I could find) of downloading the firmware so that it might be altered and reloaded (all things I could do on my Mustang with a system from Delta Force Tuning).

It does not do things like reset tire sizes to correct the speedometer; alter idle or tip-in rpm, shift points or any of that good stuff.

I.e. it is a tool for Toyota technicians to examine DTCs, monitor sensors and systems, reset the MIL--all of which can be done with any higher end scantool, or any ELM 327 based blue tooth ODBCII reader and a suitable phone app (like Torque Pro). It does handle programming/reprogramming keys and TPMS sensors, and let you "customize" some of the silly and annoying things modern cars do.

My bottom line is It's OK for what it is It is somewhat inconvenient to use for monitoring DTCs as you need an XP based laptop and it is a corded USB interface. Those who marvel at it must have never used a real tuning system, otherwise they would view it with a big "ho-hum" as do I.

Would I buy it again? Probably not; though it is cheap so maybe...

 

I don't think Toyota ECMs are as programmable or "tunable" as other brands like Ford or Chevy.

I'm a regular viewer of the South Main Auto channel on YouTube and in lots of his videos, Eric O. connects his Snap-On Verus or Autel MaxiSys to the car and is able to trigger all sorts of functions, but I've never seen him do it on a Toyota. I think Toyota ECMs are more locked down and limited than ECMs in other vehicles.

But that is my opinion - I'd be interested to hear from people who have more experience than I do.

 

@cliffyk Ok thanks for the update. Doesn't sound like what I need.

 

I think the license crack is for the European version. It doesn't say anywhere in the instructions but I had to select Europe instead of North America to get mine to work.

 

I have friends in the tuning industry, they have said Toyota's ECU could almost certainly be cracked but that the market for such a product would be miniscule making it not a money maker...

 

it's easy to install it