Also the salvage yard doesnt guarantee that it will even work so for the piece of mind i thing ill spend the extra money.

 

I can't really say for sure, I don't really care about mpg's with my truck. Plus, I had a bad plenum for awhile that was killing my mpgs, and then I got the lift and 35" mud tires. I doubt it would affect it by more then 1-2 mpgs at the most. If you care about mpgs, then doing performance mods shouldn't even be a consideration. You should be doing gas mileage mods instead. FWIW, I currently get about 11 mpg with the configuration I run today.

 

not true.
the pcm hardware is sort of generic, covering multiple years, engines, transmissions, and other options.
the software image is very specific to your engine, transmission, options, and maybe/maybe not a specific year, i'm not sure.


so if you buy a refurb, they will load the proper image, along with your actual vin number for a perfect match.

if you buy one from a junkyard, you need to match the exact year, engine, transmission. the pcm will contain its original vin number and mileage. this can't be changed by most people, including the dealer, but it can be reflashed by a refurb'er. refurb price of 150-250-300 is about right. junkyard should be a lot less.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/99-00...Q5fAccessories

 

The mileage is not stored on the PCM, it is stored on a chip in the gauge cluster. The PCM only increments it. So no mileage worries with going with a used PCM.

A used PCM will retain the original VIN though, but that does not prevent you from using it. You can have a place like B&G flash your VIN if you want, but it is not necessary.

For it to plug and play, it has to be the same year, trans, engine, and security group. That's it. If those match, it will work. I know this is true for at least '99's because I've done it with 2 different used PCM's on my truck.

 

VIN flashing may be an issue for some state inspections.

 

thanks for all your help guys. i just bought the refurb. theyre flashing my vin and milage onto it and overnighting it all for 300. and comes with a one year warrenty. after i save up some money i might have B&G flash a tune on it for me. idk yet though if im going to mod this truck out or not. but on like a 1k budget what performance mods would you go for. i already have an air raid cold air and a gibson cat back dual.

 

I would go SCT before a B&G tune. If you change anything on the truck outside of the tune parameters, you'd have to send the pcm in for another change and more $$$$

With SCT you can pay a flat amount and get updates via email when you need them.

 

I would get a used pcm, then throw an sct tuner on it. I know a guy that'll sell you a new unit with 3 tunes of your choosing for less than a superchip will cost you. And for 100 more unlimited tunes. The b&g flash is good, but your stuck with one program. That's all you ned if your not going to play with it. And for a comparison, I had a superchips and thought it was great(it is a good tuner), definitely noticeable on performance setting. Took it off and put sct on, my 87 tune felt like sc performance setting, no comparison on the sct performance tune. And for 1k, try to find an M-1 intake, 52 tb, maybe some 1.6 or 1.7 roller rockers. That should make a real noticeable gain. I have all of the above in my dak with ud pulley and at 55-60 I get around 18-20, 65-70 I get 15-16mpg. I know a guy who polishes and bores the tb for more perf. For around 90. Or take the kegger off and cut the runners down about 1 1/2 inches and smooth up the transitions for smoother flow. Don't cut runners if in 4x4, you'll lose a little down low but gain up top. The factory intake is designed for low end torque, where 4x4's and heavy trucks need it.

 

you'll need the $1000 for repairs.....

 

Nahhh I'll be out of my fathers kota and back in my ram hopefully for 300 bucks when I get the brain of my truck back on tuesday. Besides I can save up that grand for add ons quickly. I'm a 17 year old who's only bills in life are fuel and hangin out with my crew.