Apparently there is little love for my old truck. Starting to get a little frustrating.
http://www.kennebell.net/supercharge...i57/hemi57.htm

Wondering what it would take to give her a new brain (PCM).
Has anyone upgrade the 03 electronics to a newer PCM?

 

af talked about this not too long ago but no one really knows anything about it

 

**** 03's. Im learning its a PITA do anything

 

If a newer PCM can use the 03 sensors for input it might be do able, but otherwise I am afraid it would be a lost cause. If anyone has input I would appreciate it.

 

get an '03 & '04 manual and draw out the engine wiring diagrams... then re-wire the sensors to the correct pins on the pcm connectors. Do-able I think... if all of the sensors have the same p/n's then that is all you should have to do to use the '04 pcm.

one potential problem however is with the trans control... I am not sure how the '03s & '04's differ.

 

I was afraid someone might suggest that. I study the 03 manual fairly often and I am constantly learning something new about my truck. My local speed shop told me they had a dyno shop that could map my 03 for a SC. I think I'll go talk with the dyno guy and see what he has to offer. I'm not trying to make a racer, more of a fun street truck.

 

From what I read in AF's thread the only real difference is that there is another computer all together that controls the tranny. I would think if you were to match all the correct wires it would be doable, but at the same time it would most likely be a major PITA. I guess it just depends on how badly you wanna be able to do things that 04's and 05's can?

 

lol, this whole addition to speed is a pita sometimes...

 

Addiction, I have spent my entire life modifying whatever rides I've had. Starting with my first truck a 40 ford pickup that was laying pieces at a farm. Only had really two failures, never got my 32 ford pickup on the street because I just didn't have any resources and a 53 Mercury I abandoned early in my military career. But a few were real fun, Olds powered 34 coupe, Skyline GTR with a chevy LT1 in it and Toyota 4x4 with a chevy sm block in it. All were a PITA and 50 years after that first truck I still wake up wanting to put my personal mark on this or that. Yes, I would call it an addiction.

 

In order to do the swap, you'll need a newer PCM (i suggest 05 since they're the most tuneable), the complete wiring harness with that 05, and the gauge cluster. If you've got the time and money, you'd be a hero for doing something like this to show it is possible. I'd be willing to bet that every single 03 owner is at least moderately annoyed at the 03 PCM.

I'm learning to live with it. Its really not as handicapped as most think. You just have to figure out a different way to do things. For instance, the whole nonsense about not being able to run an aggressive cam is just that...nonsense. You dont have to adjust the idle as long as you have a good tuner who can make up for it elsewhere in the tunes.

The only major downfall of the 03 is the limited trans options, because of the separate PCM and TCMs. All other years have the TCM inside of the PCM, allowing the handheld to modify both of them. That and a few other small issues like not being able to adjust idle, rev limiters (dsp only), and a few other small things