Shad & dmenn -
Don't know if you guys ever got any satisfaction with Bayou but, now that the Gen II FAQ are back on line, I was perusing the Bayou postings and remembered why I had tried a Powerchip instead. What I didn't remember is that the problems/symptoms I experienced with Powerchip were exactly the same as your problems with the Bayou. FYI what I wrote on this subject, below, appears in the thread "The Powerchip Group: +23bhp". Guess maybe we weren't meant to re-chip our Legends.
- geez
Lee (and the rest of you guys who might be interested) -
I finally did try the Powerchip Gold in my '94 Legend LS Coupe with auto tranny, RM Racing intake and 2 1/2" Stromung catback exhaust, ecu code 37820-PX9-L67 (originally a California car). Pulled out my ecu and sent it to Powerchip in Santa Monica while I was out of town on business. Reinstalled it when I returned. Unfortunately, it didn't work.
The "check engine" light came on immediately and stayed on as did the "TCS" light. The TCS "Active" light would no longer light momentarily when starting and the TCS switch and indicator light on the dash would no longer function. At about 4100 RPM, power would cut out like it had a rev limiter and the "D4" tranny indicator light would start to flash until I'd shut the engine off and re-start it. I understand this is all part of a "limp home" mode when things go bat sh*t with your engine management. Fortunately, Powerchip had sent along my "original" chip which I plugged in and everything returned to normal.
Powerchip went back to the drawing board, comparing my original program to theirs and enlisting the help of their experts down under with their experience on Honda Legends. They then sent me a second chip which, unfortunately, behaved just like the first. They say they've successfully chipped a Legend or two out in California that did work, but mine doesn't.
I must admit that through it all they were professional and pleasant to deal with and, except for my time spent crawling around on the passenger side floor, the experience ended up costing me nothing. (I had originally gone to them based on both their US and Australian web sites, and some bad vibes I had picked up on this forum about Bayou's customer service.)
Only one thing still confuses me. They maintained that the TCS system had nothing to do with their chip. Yet it acted as described, above, with both their chips and worked just fine with mine. With all three chips, I'd hook up all four plugs to the ecu and operate the car without hooking up whatever the box is that's on the bottom of the floor plate that covers the whole shebang. (I did find out the air conditioner won't work with that box unplugged, but it was just one more thing to have to mess with while seeing how the chips worked. And, besides, the original chip worked just fine with that box disconnected. Now, however, everything is hooked back up and the carpet is back in place.)
They say they'll contact me down the road if they discover what the problem might be. Meanwhile, I'm just as happy not having to disembowel the passenger side floor to get to the ecu. I must admit the tips in this forum were invaluable in helping me get the ecu out in the first place. Thanks, guys!
- geez
