I have a 1996 Firebird 3.8 5 speed manual. I got a great deal on a turbocharger and I've been looking at what it's going to take to tune the computer for boost. I want to make sure that HP Tuners will be able to tune my car before I make the purchase.
The car is a 1996 and from what I understand it has an early version of the ODBII computer which has no aftermarket support. However, I have found that the 1997 ECM is pin compatible and can be swapped into the car as long as the programming is correct. HP Tuners shows to support 97-02 F body 3.8 cars. Looking at parts catalog, the same computer is used across all 1997 3800 engines, both the L36 NA and L67 supercharged. Am I correct in thinking I can get any computer with the proper part number from any 1997 3800 car and reprogram it?
The stock MAP sensor is only 1 bar. A 2 bar MAP sensor from a 1997 L67 supercharged car should be electrically compatible with the ECM. L67 supercharged computers obviously had a 2 bar MAP table. Can HP tuners add a 2 bar table to any base tune?
In my situation where the car won't have the stock ECM and tune, what would be the best way to approach tuning? The 1996 ECM is incompatible and gets set aside. A 1997 ECM gets installed and the existing tune in it is probably for a naturally aspirated engine with an electronically controlled automatic transmission. Can HP Tuners simply build a tune for the computer based on the needs of the car? Do I need to track down a stock bin file for a 1997 F-body 3.8 5 speed since that most closely matches the car and has the proper transmission config?