ok i have a 1991 9c1 caprice sitting here and i want to pull the motor from it and put it in my truck. car has TBI L05 (roller 350), 700r4 etc. only thing i want to use is the motor and TBI. ive been searching here and else where for info as far as what i need out of the car. thats all pretty simple so far. my big concern is the ECM. some people say you can pull this and that when you reprogram. other say no you cant. doesnt seem to be any real consensus.

ECM #16136965 is what is in my car. ive seen it mentioned that you should look for #1227746 and #1227747. anyone know why one is better than the other?? my car runs perfectly fine as is so i dont see a reason to change the ECM.

I will be using a TH350/205

next question is exactly what can be programmed out of the ECM?
knock sensor?
electronic spark control?
canister purge solenoid?
EGR solenoid?
torque converter lock-up?
VSS?
O2?
transmission position switch?
CTS?
MAT?


next i know i can send this thing off to be reprogrammed. is there any free software online that can do it?

or is there someone on the board who can do it for a reasonable cost.

AFAIK, its not a reflashable chip. A fresh one needs to be burned.

A given ECM number is used on many different vehicles. The PROM chip that goes inside it much more specific.

Why are you going to TBI?

next question is exactly what can be programmed out of the ECM?
knock sensor?
electronic spark control?
canister purge solenoid?
EGR solenoid?
torque converter lock-up?
VSS?
O2?
transmission position switch?
CTS?
MAT?

I can understand programming out the emissions stuff (EGR, canister purge, etc.), but the why you'd want to get rid of the rest is beyond me. Getting rid of all that stuff kind of defeats the whole purpose of a TBI setup no? I like TBI and everything, but it'd probably be easier to get a carb intake to match those EFI heads and just put a carb on.

Get in touch with Mark from Affordable Fuel Injection. He's a vendor on PBB and can walk you through everything you need. He makes a good retrofit harness and can burn a chip that is custom tailored to your application and does exactly what you want it to do.

Here's his website: http://www.affordable-fuel-injection.com

I can understand programming out the emissions stuff (EGR, canister purge, etc.), but the why you'd want to get rid of the rest is beyond me. Getting rid of all that stuff kind of defeats the whole purpose of a TBI setup no? I like TBI and everything, but it'd probably be easier to get a carb intake to match those EFI heads and just put a carb on.
I dont want to neccessarily get rid of all those. i just want to know what CAN be gotten rid of. dont really feel like doing a carb.

AFAIK, its not a reflashable chip. A fresh one needs to be burned.

A given ECM number is used on many different vehicles. The PROM chip that goes inside it much more specific.

Why are you going to TBI?

why not?

Get in touch with Mark from Affordable Fuel Injection. He's a vendor on PBB and can walk you through everything you need. He makes a good retrofit harness and can burn a chip that is custom tailored to your application and does exactly what you want it to do.

Here's his website: http://www.affordable-fuel-injection.com

thanks for the info. do you know his name on here?

why not?


Seems like a large investment (mostly time, some $$$) for better driveability while cold, and running better at angles. TBI also means limiting performance somewhat.

Maybe I'm just soured because TBI was always a thorn in my side with problems, whereas my gas-carb, propane, and diesel rigs run/ran great.

next question is exactly what can be programmed out of the ECM?
knock sensor?
electronic spark control?
canister purge solenoid?
EGR solenoid?
torque converter lock-up?
VSS?
O2?
transmission position switch?
CTS?
MAT?


next i know i can send this thing off to be reprogrammed. is there any free software online that can do it?

or is there someone on the board who can do it for a reasonable cost.

Can't speak specifically for your ECM, but for the 7747, the answer to most of your questions is yes, but reprogramming is not required from what I can tell. The knock sensor signal can be tied into the 5v reference from the MAP so the ECM sees the fake signal and assumes no knocks and therefore does not adjust the timing. I would keep the spark control as that is a benefit of the TBI, the emissions stuff can be removed completely without reprogramming, just cut the wires, TCC is probably required or a separate lock up so your TCC operates correctly, not having the VSS only affects deceleration. You may run rich on decel without it, but it is not required; not sure about the position switch, CTS, or MAT; if you mean MAP, you need that.

Seems like a large investment (mostly time, some $$$) for better driveability while cold, and running better at angles. TBI also means limiting performance somewhat.

Maybe I'm just soured because TBI was always a thorn in my side with problems, whereas my gas-carb, propane, and diesel rigs run/ran great.

sadly to say it is somewhat just "for something to do". also the caprice i got for free. runs fine. i just dont drive it at all. suspension and steering needs work and i dont really want to invest money into fixing it. so the $ investment isnt an issue. as far as the time, well thats why im trying to figure things out BEFORE i tear into the car. performance im not worried about right now. I will worry about that when my 416sbc is built.