Diesel Tuner's Blog

This article will walk you through the procedure required to clear DTCs (Diagnostic Trouble Codes) with your EFILive AutoCal or SPADE programming tool.  

Trucks that this procedure is applicable for:

• 2001 - 2016 GM HD Pickup Trucks
• 2006 - 2018 RAM HD Pickup Trucks
• Other EFiLive Supported Vehicles

If you do not have an AutoCal or SPADE and need one, visit our website: https://duramaxtuner.com

What happened to Pre-Tuned ECMs?

When EFILive first came out there was no AutoCal.  Flashing had to be done in person with a V2 or in the very early years a V1 cable.  This left remote tuners a set of challenges.  How do you provide custom tuning remotely?  Of course, the answer was Pre-Tuned DSP5 ECMs.  The lynch pin of making the Pre-Tuned ECM program work was a steady supply of good core ECMs.  This meant the only downtime truck owners had was the time it takes to swap ECMs.  

There are a few critical downsides to Pre-Tuned ECMs though.  The first being a long term availability for good cores.  As years pass and more trucks are tuned and older ECMs are crashed and lost, cores disappear.  The OEM's do not provide an affordable replacement option and after a while, the cost of cores out weigh the benefits of Pre-Tuned DSP5 ECMs.  Another drawback is the ability, or lack there of, to verify the quality of each core module.  Many will take a flash with the bench harness and still show problems when installed.  

• Easy to install
• Minimal downtime
• Relies on Core ECM program
• Unable to test reliability of Cores

SPADE stands for Standalone Programming And Diagnostic Equipment.  It is also known as an AutoCal.  The hardware is manufactured and provided by EFILive and custom DuramaxTuner.com or Calibrated Power tunes are loaded onto them.  The SPADE is a very easy to use hand held tool that allows you to flash custom built EFILive tunes and data log, and read/clear most codes.