P0601, Reduced Engine Power, PCM, and ChuckCow...
09-06-2013, 12:32 PM
#1
Intermediate
Thread Starter
P0601, Reduced Engine Power, PCM, and ChuckCow...
First, please forgive me for the novel I am about to post.
So, I have a 2005 Z51 Manual. She is my first Corvette, and somewhat of a daily driver... never in the winter. She has faults, but she is mine and she is fun to drive. To me, that is all that matters.
Last September(ish), I hit a pothole at about 80 on my daily commute, so damn hard that it shook the HUD out of whatever it rests in. Long story short, after an allignment check and a high speed balance check, and it initially appeared that the HUD was the only casualty. Well, it became aparrent to me after a week that the plastic endcaps on the radiator were leaking. So, I parked it in the garage early for the winter. Come April, I had the P.O.S. plastic capped radiator replaced with a DeWitts... more rows of larger copper lines and a "direct fit". The battery was also dead, probably original... so I replaced it with a Optima Yellow Top, as Dead Battery Syndrome had taken its toll one last time. I took a spin to the local gas station to fill'er up. No indication of any issues other than the radiator surfaced in the 30 minutes that I drove it before taking it to the garage the next day.
That is when it all started. At first the shop that I hired to swap the radiator called me at work, telling me that the car had reported via the "Driver Information Center" (DIC), that the car had gone into "Reduced Power" mode and would not start or run. That is the first report of any problems that I had heard of an issue other than the Radiator. I had nothing to offer them other than to disconnect the battery and try "try again". Fortunately this worked without a problem and nearly all was well with the world again... or so I thought.
After driving her on a day trip to Elmira, NY for a wedding... the "Reduced Power" surfaced again and essentially that car shut off. After restarting her every 10 - 80 miles it became aparent that there was something unquestionably wrong. A trip to work (100 mi round trip) confirmed it when I ended up limping the car home, restarting here every mile or less at times in rush hour traffic. To say I was pissed off and spitting nails was an understatement. Before getting her home, I stopped at the local auto parts store to read the codes thrown. P0601 was the result.
P0601 essentially means that your power control module (PCM) has issues. You can read any number of resources about this code meaning a number of things across multiple makes and models of cars and their associated PCM's. In this case, with my E40 PCM, the best description that I found was that the error indicated a "Internal Control Module Memory Check Sum Error". IF you are a computer geek, as I am, you know this is bad. A Check Sum is essentially an integrity check of something placed in memory. Sometimes this is also referred to as a "hash", although they have minute differences, both serve the purpose of generating a computed numeric value for a specified block of data (in this case, your PCM's program), that is relatively unique. The result should always be an expected value... relatively similar in the case of a checksum, exactly the same in the case of a hash. This computed value determines the integrity of the data placed in memory... essentially determining if the data that is there is what it should be. In short, my PCM had brain cancer, and it was getting worse. There are a number of causes for this degradation, which I wont go into for the readers benefit.
So, I looked around at the possible solutions and consulted with a number of dealerships and service departments in my area. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM jerked me around and right off the bat I could tell they were looking to milk my limited bank account dry. At this point, after my research and conversations with friends and other ASE certified folks... I had a pretty good idea of what was wrong, and what had to be replaced, and the cost associated with the fix... both for time involved and the part. I got part numbers for the E40 in my specific application (z51, manual, LS2, etc.) and found the cost to be about $371. Dealerships were looking for that just to diagnose the problem. No service center would quote me a price for the part, and most were telling me 4 hours of labor. I smelled male bovine fecal matter and lots of it.
Taking a step back, I spoke with Chuck from Covettes of Westchester (the infamous ChuckCOW) last fall about a tune and a few other things. I had read both good and bad in the forum about him. I started with an e-mail via his website about a tune and was replied to with a phone call probably no more than 30 minutes later! I didn't go through with the tune, etc. at that time... but intended to in the spring (of course the pothole came shortly after and the radiator fix consumed budget intended for the tune). With the experience I had in speaking with Chuck, I decided to consult him regarding my PCM issues in mid-August. I quickly discovered why he earned the title "The Corvette Doctor".
A disclaimer: I received no solicitation to write about my experience with Chuck, or discount on the services I chose. My opinions and words are my own.
Chuck is, without question, the most knowledgable person I have met when it comes to Corvettes and their associated PCMs. After a few calls and e-mails, it was a no-brainer type of decision. I decided to get the PCM from Chuck with a tune, and to drive up the following Monday and have the car tuned (wideband) and a new thermostat and Vararam installed. I drove up to Westchester on Saturday (in my "winter beater") and picked up a PCM with a base tune and COWBoost on it. The "brain cancer" in my current PCM had progressed to the point where the car might idle for 30 seconds before it forgot about who or what it was and gave up on life. It simply was not drivable. Chuck gave me the print out of instructions on how to change out the PCM.
The PCM swap took about 1 hour, in my driveway, 6 or 7 "push pins", a total of four 10mm screws, maybe two 6 mm screws, and 3 color coded plugs. Had it not been for the danger of working under a car... a 3 year old could have figured it out. After the swap... the car ran beautifully. With the initial tune and COWBoost, the change in the throttle response was absolutely noticable. The car had life again, and I would not have to get it towed up to Westchester for my Monday appointment with Chuck.
But this was just the beginning...
I took Monday off and drove my Vette up to Chuck... loving the new life that the PCM and Boost had given the car. I had a 160 deg thermostat installed, along with a Vararam CAI, and had Chuck do a wideband tune. The work that is done in Chuck's shop is done right. I got to visit with Dan who also works in the shop. Watching the work that was done on both my vette and all of the other vehicles in the shop, I can tell you that no corners were cut; nothing was done half-@$$ed on any vehicle regardless of the task. Great attention to detail is given by both Chuck and Dan.
The difference that the wideband tune made was unquestionably noticable. I once read somewhere that GM left a lot on the table with the LS2 and it is nice to be able to use that now. I can now tell you that Traction Control now serves a purpose. The car pulls harder regardless of RPM. My gas mileage has changed... for the better. On the "fuelly" app, I am averaging about 2 miles per gallon better than I was! With the new thermostat, I am averaging about 181 - 183 degrees when cruising under normal load on the highway in the morning with ambient temperatures around 67 degrees.
There were other issues that I was having with the car that were fixed either by having the latest software installed or by Chuck changing part of the program that was loaded:
- Dead battery syndrome has since been resolved by a combination of the program installed and some advice given by Chuck regarding the "suite of electronics" that I have onboard.
- My gas gauge used to tell me that the tank was empty after a fill-up (even after telling the atendant that I didnt want it topped off). That has since been resolved by the updated firmware in the PCM.
- CAGS... fixed by Chuck in the firmware loaded in the PCM. No more forced 1st to 4th.
I will NEVER take my vette to a dealership for a PCM related problem. Let me give you the facts, versus what the dealerships tried to tell me.
Flashing an E40 PCM takes 5 minutes tops. I know... I watched Chuck do it about 10 or 15 times while doing a wideband tune. Being that the dealerships quoted me 4 hours of labor to swap and program (not tune, but a "base" program) a PCM is a huge pile of male bovine fecal matter. I swapped the PCM in my driveway with a jack in about an hour. Any competant mechanic with the right tools and a lift could do it in 20 minutes.
The price that any dealership service center quoted for diagnosing a P0601 was between $300 - $500 plus an hour of labor. That is more male bovine fecal matter... because as I understand it... the P0601 code is pretty cut and dry with an E40 PCM... as it isn't entirely unheard of with this particular PCM. The E40 is not the most robust PCM ever designed. AutoZone has an E40 PCM listed at $371.
Its been close to 3 weeks since Chuck and Dan worked their magic. My car passed inspection earlier this week (New Jersey), and all is well and right with the car again (well... except my HUD from that damn pothole, but that too will get fixed soon).
In short, you can not go wrong with Chuck and Dan at Corvettes of Westchester. I received a fair price for quality parts and competant labor.
I do not hesitate to recommend them to anyone.
So, I have a 2005 Z51 Manual. She is my first Corvette, and somewhat of a daily driver... never in the winter. She has faults, but she is mine and she is fun to drive. To me, that is all that matters.
Last September(ish), I hit a pothole at about 80 on my daily commute, so damn hard that it shook the HUD out of whatever it rests in. Long story short, after an allignment check and a high speed balance check, and it initially appeared that the HUD was the only casualty. Well, it became aparrent to me after a week that the plastic endcaps on the radiator were leaking. So, I parked it in the garage early for the winter. Come April, I had the P.O.S. plastic capped radiator replaced with a DeWitts... more rows of larger copper lines and a "direct fit". The battery was also dead, probably original... so I replaced it with a Optima Yellow Top, as Dead Battery Syndrome had taken its toll one last time. I took a spin to the local gas station to fill'er up. No indication of any issues other than the radiator surfaced in the 30 minutes that I drove it before taking it to the garage the next day.
That is when it all started. At first the shop that I hired to swap the radiator called me at work, telling me that the car had reported via the "Driver Information Center" (DIC), that the car had gone into "Reduced Power" mode and would not start or run. That is the first report of any problems that I had heard of an issue other than the Radiator. I had nothing to offer them other than to disconnect the battery and try "try again". Fortunately this worked without a problem and nearly all was well with the world again... or so I thought.
After driving her on a day trip to Elmira, NY for a wedding... the "Reduced Power" surfaced again and essentially that car shut off. After restarting her every 10 - 80 miles it became aparent that there was something unquestionably wrong. A trip to work (100 mi round trip) confirmed it when I ended up limping the car home, restarting here every mile or less at times in rush hour traffic. To say I was pissed off and spitting nails was an understatement. Before getting her home, I stopped at the local auto parts store to read the codes thrown. P0601 was the result.
P0601 essentially means that your power control module (PCM) has issues. You can read any number of resources about this code meaning a number of things across multiple makes and models of cars and their associated PCM's. In this case, with my E40 PCM, the best description that I found was that the error indicated a "Internal Control Module Memory Check Sum Error". IF you are a computer geek, as I am, you know this is bad. A Check Sum is essentially an integrity check of something placed in memory. Sometimes this is also referred to as a "hash", although they have minute differences, both serve the purpose of generating a computed numeric value for a specified block of data (in this case, your PCM's program), that is relatively unique. The result should always be an expected value... relatively similar in the case of a checksum, exactly the same in the case of a hash. This computed value determines the integrity of the data placed in memory... essentially determining if the data that is there is what it should be. In short, my PCM had brain cancer, and it was getting worse. There are a number of causes for this degradation, which I wont go into for the readers benefit.
So, I looked around at the possible solutions and consulted with a number of dealerships and service departments in my area. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM jerked me around and right off the bat I could tell they were looking to milk my limited bank account dry. At this point, after my research and conversations with friends and other ASE certified folks... I had a pretty good idea of what was wrong, and what had to be replaced, and the cost associated with the fix... both for time involved and the part. I got part numbers for the E40 in my specific application (z51, manual, LS2, etc.) and found the cost to be about $371. Dealerships were looking for that just to diagnose the problem. No service center would quote me a price for the part, and most were telling me 4 hours of labor. I smelled male bovine fecal matter and lots of it.
Taking a step back, I spoke with Chuck from Covettes of Westchester (the infamous ChuckCOW) last fall about a tune and a few other things. I had read both good and bad in the forum about him. I started with an e-mail via his website about a tune and was replied to with a phone call probably no more than 30 minutes later! I didn't go through with the tune, etc. at that time... but intended to in the spring (of course the pothole came shortly after and the radiator fix consumed budget intended for the tune). With the experience I had in speaking with Chuck, I decided to consult him regarding my PCM issues in mid-August. I quickly discovered why he earned the title "The Corvette Doctor".
A disclaimer: I received no solicitation to write about my experience with Chuck, or discount on the services I chose. My opinions and words are my own.
Chuck is, without question, the most knowledgable person I have met when it comes to Corvettes and their associated PCMs. After a few calls and e-mails, it was a no-brainer type of decision. I decided to get the PCM from Chuck with a tune, and to drive up the following Monday and have the car tuned (wideband) and a new thermostat and Vararam installed. I drove up to Westchester on Saturday (in my "winter beater") and picked up a PCM with a base tune and COWBoost on it. The "brain cancer" in my current PCM had progressed to the point where the car might idle for 30 seconds before it forgot about who or what it was and gave up on life. It simply was not drivable. Chuck gave me the print out of instructions on how to change out the PCM.
The PCM swap took about 1 hour, in my driveway, 6 or 7 "push pins", a total of four 10mm screws, maybe two 6 mm screws, and 3 color coded plugs. Had it not been for the danger of working under a car... a 3 year old could have figured it out. After the swap... the car ran beautifully. With the initial tune and COWBoost, the change in the throttle response was absolutely noticable. The car had life again, and I would not have to get it towed up to Westchester for my Monday appointment with Chuck.
But this was just the beginning...
I took Monday off and drove my Vette up to Chuck... loving the new life that the PCM and Boost had given the car. I had a 160 deg thermostat installed, along with a Vararam CAI, and had Chuck do a wideband tune. The work that is done in Chuck's shop is done right. I got to visit with Dan who also works in the shop. Watching the work that was done on both my vette and all of the other vehicles in the shop, I can tell you that no corners were cut; nothing was done half-@$$ed on any vehicle regardless of the task. Great attention to detail is given by both Chuck and Dan.
The difference that the wideband tune made was unquestionably noticable. I once read somewhere that GM left a lot on the table with the LS2 and it is nice to be able to use that now. I can now tell you that Traction Control now serves a purpose. The car pulls harder regardless of RPM. My gas mileage has changed... for the better. On the "fuelly" app, I am averaging about 2 miles per gallon better than I was! With the new thermostat, I am averaging about 181 - 183 degrees when cruising under normal load on the highway in the morning with ambient temperatures around 67 degrees.
There were other issues that I was having with the car that were fixed either by having the latest software installed or by Chuck changing part of the program that was loaded:
- Dead battery syndrome has since been resolved by a combination of the program installed and some advice given by Chuck regarding the "suite of electronics" that I have onboard.
- My gas gauge used to tell me that the tank was empty after a fill-up (even after telling the atendant that I didnt want it topped off). That has since been resolved by the updated firmware in the PCM.
- CAGS... fixed by Chuck in the firmware loaded in the PCM. No more forced 1st to 4th.
I will NEVER take my vette to a dealership for a PCM related problem. Let me give you the facts, versus what the dealerships tried to tell me.
Flashing an E40 PCM takes 5 minutes tops. I know... I watched Chuck do it about 10 or 15 times while doing a wideband tune. Being that the dealerships quoted me 4 hours of labor to swap and program (not tune, but a "base" program) a PCM is a huge pile of male bovine fecal matter. I swapped the PCM in my driveway with a jack in about an hour. Any competant mechanic with the right tools and a lift could do it in 20 minutes.
The price that any dealership service center quoted for diagnosing a P0601 was between $300 - $500 plus an hour of labor. That is more male bovine fecal matter... because as I understand it... the P0601 code is pretty cut and dry with an E40 PCM... as it isn't entirely unheard of with this particular PCM. The E40 is not the most robust PCM ever designed. AutoZone has an E40 PCM listed at $371.
Its been close to 3 weeks since Chuck and Dan worked their magic. My car passed inspection earlier this week (New Jersey), and all is well and right with the car again (well... except my HUD from that damn pothole, but that too will get fixed soon).
In short, you can not go wrong with Chuck and Dan at Corvettes of Westchester. I received a fair price for quality parts and competant labor.
I do not hesitate to recommend them to anyone.
07-19-2019, 10:39 PM
#7
2nd Gear
Member Since: Jul 2019
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2008 z06 pcm
I’m currently having the same problem with my pcm, I have ordered a new one that was programmed to my VIN but when I installed it the car will not start, I was wondering if there was a relearning process for the car to start?
07-20-2019, 01:41 AM
#8
Burning Brakes
I really love it when people act like they found the holy grail, Myself and others have been telling other owners FOR YEARS the benefits of a "custom tune" and how much HP GM left lying around. Only too have people tell us "no way" that can't be" your full of it" and then by some chance they or their friends get a "custom tune" and then they run around telling everybody. "oh man you guys really should do this it's fantastic!" The BAD things you heard about Chuck or "custom tunes" most of them were written by the doubters. I always love when someone says " I put headers on and got a tune and got 50 HP from the headers" No you got 30 of that from the tune. There are bad tuners out there so do some research, it's worth a long drive to a good one! I drive 150 miles to Vengeance Racing, Mike C.. Chuck is one of the best also. Ask the tuner if he locks the tune? if he does don't go to him. My tuner sends me the file to keep, After my FIRST TUNE he retunes my car at a reduced rate as I do mods. I believe Chuck does too, My guy does EFI live and so does Chuck. EVEN if you do NOTHING else to your car GET A GOOD TUNE you will be AMAZED!
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erikszr1 (07-28-2019)
09-18-2019, 08:17 PM
#9
2nd Gear
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Chuck, I have a 2005 Corvette coup live in southern California do you have a recommendation for a shop to tune and replace my PCM? I am having the same problem with it shutting off with a code P0601.
Really appreciate your help
Thanks
Dave
Really appreciate your help
Thanks
Dave
10-19-2019, 04:39 PM
#10
Instructor
Member Since: Jul 2005
Location: Naples Florida
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Just to make sure nobody else falls victim to what happened to me, here's a brief synopsis of my experience in dealing with Corvettes of Westchester (Chuck CoW) when I encountered this P0601 error with my C6....
It started when my car was reporting the reduced engine power issue and I came across this thread. After encountering problems locating a replacement ECU for my car, I decided to give CoW a try after seeing the positive posts in this thread. I contacted Chuck in late August to have him provide me with a replacement ECU with the CoW booster. I was told he would have the replacement ECU to me in about 3 weeks after placing the order and requested that I send him my defective ECU and TCM to speed up the process. I paid him in full in advance with my credit card on August 20th and sent him my ECU and TCM around the 26th.
A little over 3 weeks after making payment, I attempted to call and email him for an update regarding the order. He did not answer the phone, did not return my call and did not return my email. The subsequent few weeks I made many attempts to contact him, leaving voice messages and emails but never received any responses. As of recently, I have continued to make attempts to contact him by calling and sending emails almost every weekday and am still not receiving any return communication from him. It has been over 8 weeks since I paid him and understand that he probably never had any intention of sending me the item I ordered from him. I had to file a transaction dispute with my credit card company and will continue to make attempts to contact him until he sends me back my ECU and TCM that I sent to him.
Anyone looking to do business with this guy should do so cautiously. He may have been great to do business with at one time, but definitely not as of recently from what it looks like. My experience has been a nightmare so far.
Furthermore, if anyone is experiencing the error being reported in this thread, just try doing a search for the service number from the label printed on your ECU. There are some decent vendors out there that can quickly program your VIN on a refurbished unit with a factory program and have it in your hands within a few days.
It started when my car was reporting the reduced engine power issue and I came across this thread. After encountering problems locating a replacement ECU for my car, I decided to give CoW a try after seeing the positive posts in this thread. I contacted Chuck in late August to have him provide me with a replacement ECU with the CoW booster. I was told he would have the replacement ECU to me in about 3 weeks after placing the order and requested that I send him my defective ECU and TCM to speed up the process. I paid him in full in advance with my credit card on August 20th and sent him my ECU and TCM around the 26th.
A little over 3 weeks after making payment, I attempted to call and email him for an update regarding the order. He did not answer the phone, did not return my call and did not return my email. The subsequent few weeks I made many attempts to contact him, leaving voice messages and emails but never received any responses. As of recently, I have continued to make attempts to contact him by calling and sending emails almost every weekday and am still not receiving any return communication from him. It has been over 8 weeks since I paid him and understand that he probably never had any intention of sending me the item I ordered from him. I had to file a transaction dispute with my credit card company and will continue to make attempts to contact him until he sends me back my ECU and TCM that I sent to him.
Anyone looking to do business with this guy should do so cautiously. He may have been great to do business with at one time, but definitely not as of recently from what it looks like. My experience has been a nightmare so far.
Furthermore, if anyone is experiencing the error being reported in this thread, just try doing a search for the service number from the label printed on your ECU. There are some decent vendors out there that can quickly program your VIN on a refurbished unit with a factory program and have it in your hands within a few days.
10-19-2019, 06:42 PM
#11
Race Director
Member Since: Mar 2011
Location: SW Florida
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2021 C6 of the Year Finalist - Modified
10-19-2019, 07:16 PM
#12
Drifting
There are just too many people that can tune a car locally that I do not see any reason to ever send an ecm out to someone. I have never understood this. Not trying to bash you. This guy is a total scum bag. Hopefully this will work out for you, but from watching the other thread it may be best to cut your losses and move on. Caveat emptor.
04-17-2020, 11:22 AM
#13
First, please forgive me for the novel I am about to post.
So, I have a 2005 Z51 Manual. She is my first Corvette, and somewhat of a daily driver... never in the winter. She has faults, but she is mine and she is fun to drive. To me, that is all that matters.
Last September(ish), I hit a pothole at about 80 on my daily commute, so damn hard that it shook the HUD out of whatever it rests in. Long story short, after an allignment check and a high speed balance check, and it initially appeared that the HUD was the only casualty. Well, it became aparrent to me after a week that the plastic endcaps on the radiator were leaking. So, I parked it in the garage early for the winter. Come April, I had the P.O.S. plastic capped radiator replaced with a DeWitts... more rows of larger copper lines and a "direct fit". The battery was also dead, probably original... so I replaced it with a Optima Yellow Top, as Dead Battery Syndrome had taken its toll one last time. I took a spin to the local gas station to fill'er up. No indication of any issues other than the radiator surfaced in the 30 minutes that I drove it before taking it to the garage the next day.
That is when it all started. At first the shop that I hired to swap the radiator called me at work, telling me that the car had reported via the "Driver Information Center" (DIC), that the car had gone into "Reduced Power" mode and would not start or run. That is the first report of any problems that I had heard of an issue other than the Radiator. I had nothing to offer them other than to disconnect the battery and try "try again". Fortunately this worked without a problem and nearly all was well with the world again... or so I thought.
After driving her on a day trip to Elmira, NY for a wedding... the "Reduced Power" surfaced again and essentially that car shut off. After restarting her every 10 - 80 miles it became aparent that there was something unquestionably wrong. A trip to work (100 mi round trip) confirmed it when I ended up limping the car home, restarting here every mile or less at times in rush hour traffic. To say I was pissed off and spitting nails was an understatement. Before getting her home, I stopped at the local auto parts store to read the codes thrown. P0601 was the result.
P0601 essentially means that your power control module (PCM) has issues. You can read any number of resources about this code meaning a number of things across multiple makes and models of cars and their associated PCM's. In this case, with my E40 PCM, the best description that I found was that the error indicated a "Internal Control Module Memory Check Sum Error". IF you are a computer geek, as I am, you know this is bad. A Check Sum is essentially an integrity check of something placed in memory. Sometimes this is also referred to as a "hash", although they have minute differences, both serve the purpose of generating a computed numeric value for a specified block of data (in this case, your PCM's program), that is relatively unique. The result should always be an expected value... relatively similar in the case of a checksum, exactly the same in the case of a hash. This computed value determines the integrity of the data placed in memory... essentially determining if the data that is there is what it should be. In short, my PCM had brain cancer, and it was getting worse. There are a number of causes for this degradation, which I wont go into for the readers benefit.
So, I looked around at the possible solutions and consulted with a number of dealerships and service departments in my area. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM jerked me around and right off the bat I could tell they were looking to milk my limited bank account dry. At this point, after my research and conversations with friends and other ASE certified folks... I had a pretty good idea of what was wrong, and what had to be replaced, and the cost associated with the fix... both for time involved and the part. I got part numbers for the E40 in my specific application (z51, manual, LS2, etc.) and found the cost to be about $371. Dealerships were looking for that just to diagnose the problem. No service center would quote me a price for the part, and most were telling me 4 hours of labor. I smelled male bovine fecal matter and lots of it.
Taking a step back, I spoke with Chuck from Covettes of Westchester (the infamous ChuckCOW) last fall about a tune and a few other things. I had read both good and bad in the forum about him. I started with an e-mail via his website about a tune and was replied to with a phone call probably no more than 30 minutes later! I didn't go through with the tune, etc. at that time... but intended to in the spring (of course the pothole came shortly after and the radiator fix consumed budget intended for the tune). With the experience I had in speaking with Chuck, I decided to consult him regarding my PCM issues in mid-August. I quickly discovered why he earned the title "The Corvette Doctor".
A disclaimer: I received no solicitation to write about my experience with Chuck, or discount on the services I chose. My opinions and words are my own.
Chuck is, without question, the most knowledgable person I have met when it comes to Corvettes and their associated PCMs. After a few calls and e-mails, it was a no-brainer type of decision. I decided to get the PCM from Chuck with a tune, and to drive up the following Monday and have the car tuned (wideband) and a new thermostat and Vararam installed. I drove up to Westchester on Saturday (in my "winter beater") and picked up a PCM with a base tune and COWBoost on it. The "brain cancer" in my current PCM had progressed to the point where the car might idle for 30 seconds before it forgot about who or what it was and gave up on life. It simply was not drivable. Chuck gave me the print out of instructions on how to change out the PCM.
The PCM swap took about 1 hour, in my driveway, 6 or 7 "push pins", a total of four 10mm screws, maybe two 6 mm screws, and 3 color coded plugs. Had it not been for the danger of working under a car... a 3 year old could have figured it out. After the swap... the car ran beautifully. With the initial tune and COWBoost, the change in the throttle response was absolutely noticable. The car had life again, and I would not have to get it towed up to Westchester for my Monday appointment with Chuck.
But this was just the beginning...
I took Monday off and drove my Vette up to Chuck... loving the new life that the PCM and Boost had given the car. I had a 160 deg thermostat installed, along with a Vararam CAI, and had Chuck do a wideband tune. The work that is done in Chuck's shop is done right. I got to visit with Dan who also works in the shop. Watching the work that was done on both my vette and all of the other vehicles in the shop, I can tell you that no corners were cut; nothing was done half-@$$ed on any vehicle regardless of the task. Great attention to detail is given by both Chuck and Dan.
The difference that the wideband tune made was unquestionably noticable. I once read somewhere that GM left a lot on the table with the LS2 and it is nice to be able to use that now. I can now tell you that Traction Control now serves a purpose. The car pulls harder regardless of RPM. My gas mileage has changed... for the better. On the "fuelly" app, I am averaging about 2 miles per gallon better than I was! With the new thermostat, I am averaging about 181 - 183 degrees when cruising under normal load on the highway in the morning with ambient temperatures around 67 degrees.
There were other issues that I was having with the car that were fixed either by having the latest software installed or by Chuck changing part of the program that was loaded:
- Dead battery syndrome has since been resolved by a combination of the program installed and some advice given by Chuck regarding the "suite of electronics" that I have onboard.
- My gas gauge used to tell me that the tank was empty after a fill-up (even after telling the atendant that I didnt want it topped off). That has since been resolved by the updated firmware in the PCM.
- CAGS... fixed by Chuck in the firmware loaded in the PCM. No more forced 1st to 4th.
I will NEVER take my vette to a dealership for a PCM related problem. Let me give you the facts, versus what the dealerships tried to tell me.
Flashing an E40 PCM takes 5 minutes tops. I know... I watched Chuck do it about 10 or 15 times while doing a wideband tune. Being that the dealerships quoted me 4 hours of labor to swap and program (not tune, but a "base" program) a PCM is a huge pile of male bovine fecal matter. I swapped the PCM in my driveway with a jack in about an hour. Any competant mechanic with the right tools and a lift could do it in 20 minutes.
The price that any dealership service center quoted for diagnosing a P0601 was between $300 - $500 plus an hour of labor. That is more male bovine fecal matter... because as I understand it... the P0601 code is pretty cut and dry with an E40 PCM... as it isn't entirely unheard of with this particular PCM. The E40 is not the most robust PCM ever designed. AutoZone has an E40 PCM listed at $371.
Its been close to 3 weeks since Chuck and Dan worked their magic. My car passed inspection earlier this week (New Jersey), and all is well and right with the car again (well... except my HUD from that damn pothole, but that too will get fixed soon).
In short, you can not go wrong with Chuck and Dan at Corvettes of Westchester. I received a fair price for quality parts and competant labor.
I do not hesitate to recommend them to anyone.
So, I have a 2005 Z51 Manual. She is my first Corvette, and somewhat of a daily driver... never in the winter. She has faults, but she is mine and she is fun to drive. To me, that is all that matters.
Last September(ish), I hit a pothole at about 80 on my daily commute, so damn hard that it shook the HUD out of whatever it rests in. Long story short, after an allignment check and a high speed balance check, and it initially appeared that the HUD was the only casualty. Well, it became aparrent to me after a week that the plastic endcaps on the radiator were leaking. So, I parked it in the garage early for the winter. Come April, I had the P.O.S. plastic capped radiator replaced with a DeWitts... more rows of larger copper lines and a "direct fit". The battery was also dead, probably original... so I replaced it with a Optima Yellow Top, as Dead Battery Syndrome had taken its toll one last time. I took a spin to the local gas station to fill'er up. No indication of any issues other than the radiator surfaced in the 30 minutes that I drove it before taking it to the garage the next day.
That is when it all started. At first the shop that I hired to swap the radiator called me at work, telling me that the car had reported via the "Driver Information Center" (DIC), that the car had gone into "Reduced Power" mode and would not start or run. That is the first report of any problems that I had heard of an issue other than the Radiator. I had nothing to offer them other than to disconnect the battery and try "try again". Fortunately this worked without a problem and nearly all was well with the world again... or so I thought.
After driving her on a day trip to Elmira, NY for a wedding... the "Reduced Power" surfaced again and essentially that car shut off. After restarting her every 10 - 80 miles it became aparent that there was something unquestionably wrong. A trip to work (100 mi round trip) confirmed it when I ended up limping the car home, restarting here every mile or less at times in rush hour traffic. To say I was pissed off and spitting nails was an understatement. Before getting her home, I stopped at the local auto parts store to read the codes thrown. P0601 was the result.
P0601 essentially means that your power control module (PCM) has issues. You can read any number of resources about this code meaning a number of things across multiple makes and models of cars and their associated PCM's. In this case, with my E40 PCM, the best description that I found was that the error indicated a "Internal Control Module Memory Check Sum Error". IF you are a computer geek, as I am, you know this is bad. A Check Sum is essentially an integrity check of something placed in memory. Sometimes this is also referred to as a "hash", although they have minute differences, both serve the purpose of generating a computed numeric value for a specified block of data (in this case, your PCM's program), that is relatively unique. The result should always be an expected value... relatively similar in the case of a checksum, exactly the same in the case of a hash. This computed value determines the integrity of the data placed in memory... essentially determining if the data that is there is what it should be. In short, my PCM had brain cancer, and it was getting worse. There are a number of causes for this degradation, which I wont go into for the readers benefit.
So, I looked around at the possible solutions and consulted with a number of dealerships and service departments in my area. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM jerked me around and right off the bat I could tell they were looking to milk my limited bank account dry. At this point, after my research and conversations with friends and other ASE certified folks... I had a pretty good idea of what was wrong, and what had to be replaced, and the cost associated with the fix... both for time involved and the part. I got part numbers for the E40 in my specific application (z51, manual, LS2, etc.) and found the cost to be about $371. Dealerships were looking for that just to diagnose the problem. No service center would quote me a price for the part, and most were telling me 4 hours of labor. I smelled male bovine fecal matter and lots of it.
Taking a step back, I spoke with Chuck from Covettes of Westchester (the infamous ChuckCOW) last fall about a tune and a few other things. I had read both good and bad in the forum about him. I started with an e-mail via his website about a tune and was replied to with a phone call probably no more than 30 minutes later! I didn't go through with the tune, etc. at that time... but intended to in the spring (of course the pothole came shortly after and the radiator fix consumed budget intended for the tune). With the experience I had in speaking with Chuck, I decided to consult him regarding my PCM issues in mid-August. I quickly discovered why he earned the title "The Corvette Doctor".
A disclaimer: I received no solicitation to write about my experience with Chuck, or discount on the services I chose. My opinions and words are my own.
Chuck is, without question, the most knowledgable person I have met when it comes to Corvettes and their associated PCMs. After a few calls and e-mails, it was a no-brainer type of decision. I decided to get the PCM from Chuck with a tune, and to drive up the following Monday and have the car tuned (wideband) and a new thermostat and Vararam installed. I drove up to Westchester on Saturday (in my "winter beater") and picked up a PCM with a base tune and COWBoost on it. The "brain cancer" in my current PCM had progressed to the point where the car might idle for 30 seconds before it forgot about who or what it was and gave up on life. It simply was not drivable. Chuck gave me the print out of instructions on how to change out the PCM.
The PCM swap took about 1 hour, in my driveway, 6 or 7 "push pins", a total of four 10mm screws, maybe two 6 mm screws, and 3 color coded plugs. Had it not been for the danger of working under a car... a 3 year old could have figured it out. After the swap... the car ran beautifully. With the initial tune and COWBoost, the change in the throttle response was absolutely noticable. The car had life again, and I would not have to get it towed up to Westchester for my Monday appointment with Chuck.
But this was just the beginning...
I took Monday off and drove my Vette up to Chuck... loving the new life that the PCM and Boost had given the car. I had a 160 deg thermostat installed, along with a Vararam CAI, and had Chuck do a wideband tune. The work that is done in Chuck's shop is done right. I got to visit with Dan who also works in the shop. Watching the work that was done on both my vette and all of the other vehicles in the shop, I can tell you that no corners were cut; nothing was done half-@$$ed on any vehicle regardless of the task. Great attention to detail is given by both Chuck and Dan.
The difference that the wideband tune made was unquestionably noticable. I once read somewhere that GM left a lot on the table with the LS2 and it is nice to be able to use that now. I can now tell you that Traction Control now serves a purpose. The car pulls harder regardless of RPM. My gas mileage has changed... for the better. On the "fuelly" app, I am averaging about 2 miles per gallon better than I was! With the new thermostat, I am averaging about 181 - 183 degrees when cruising under normal load on the highway in the morning with ambient temperatures around 67 degrees.
There were other issues that I was having with the car that were fixed either by having the latest software installed or by Chuck changing part of the program that was loaded:
- Dead battery syndrome has since been resolved by a combination of the program installed and some advice given by Chuck regarding the "suite of electronics" that I have onboard.
- My gas gauge used to tell me that the tank was empty after a fill-up (even after telling the atendant that I didnt want it topped off). That has since been resolved by the updated firmware in the PCM.
- CAGS... fixed by Chuck in the firmware loaded in the PCM. No more forced 1st to 4th.
I will NEVER take my vette to a dealership for a PCM related problem. Let me give you the facts, versus what the dealerships tried to tell me.
Flashing an E40 PCM takes 5 minutes tops. I know... I watched Chuck do it about 10 or 15 times while doing a wideband tune. Being that the dealerships quoted me 4 hours of labor to swap and program (not tune, but a "base" program) a PCM is a huge pile of male bovine fecal matter. I swapped the PCM in my driveway with a jack in about an hour. Any competant mechanic with the right tools and a lift could do it in 20 minutes.
The price that any dealership service center quoted for diagnosing a P0601 was between $300 - $500 plus an hour of labor. That is more male bovine fecal matter... because as I understand it... the P0601 code is pretty cut and dry with an E40 PCM... as it isn't entirely unheard of with this particular PCM. The E40 is not the most robust PCM ever designed. AutoZone has an E40 PCM listed at $371.
Its been close to 3 weeks since Chuck and Dan worked their magic. My car passed inspection earlier this week (New Jersey), and all is well and right with the car again (well... except my HUD from that damn pothole, but that too will get fixed soon).
In short, you can not go wrong with Chuck and Dan at Corvettes of Westchester. I received a fair price for quality parts and competant labor.
I do not hesitate to recommend them to anyone.
Hello,
I own a 2012 GC that is showing the exact same issues: engine stalling, P0601 code, "Reduced Engine Power" message on DIC. Only difference is it happens to me less often. It will happen if I am sitting idle for more than ~10 minutes. It also happens maybe once every 3 hours of driving. When it happens, all I have to do is wait for the car to COMPLETELY shut down (~3 minutes after turning car off and open/shut door), then start it back up. It runs fine. I will have the check engine light on for the drive cycle, and maybe one more drive cycle. Then no check engine light until it happens again.
When you stated " I got part numbers for the E40 in my specific application (z51, manual, LS2, etc.)" - how do I find the correct PCM for my vehicle?
Also I called on tune company, explained my situation, and asked if a tune update would fix the issue. They stated their tune wouldn't fix the issue. They suggested I buy a new PCM, then I could use their tune. Did you buy a new PCM? Or did Chuck have a PCM that already had his tune flashed? If you had to find a new PCM, do you have any suggestions? I have heard of "Pcm4Less".
Thanks ahead of time for your time!