zero260 Posted January 28, 2016 Share Posted January 28, 2016 I'm wondering if a JDM ECU can be flashed to my key by any dealership or locksmith that can do it? I'm looking at buying a 2005 OBXT ej20x project and need to install and rewire the JDM ECU still. I don't see why it wouldn't work, but I'd like some confirmation/peace of mind before I jump into the project to find out the immobilizer is stopping me. any info, opinions, extra reading would be appreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
battelready Posted January 28, 2016 Share Posted January 28, 2016 Call them and ask. Some dealers do some dont. I bought an auto be more involved in my uninvolvedness . 200k+ Club If you can't blind them with brilliance, baffle them with bullshit. My high mileage turd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero260 Posted January 28, 2016 Author Share Posted January 28, 2016 I know I need to find someone that WILL do it for me. the question I have is CAN they do it? to anyone's knowledge is there any reason standard programming equipment used in the US would/wouldn't reprogram a JDM ECU? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
battelready Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 Hmm. I believe subaru only uses one type of software for their cars. The ECU's themselves are very similar so it stands to reason they you be able to . I bought an auto be more involved in my uninvolvedness . 200k+ Club If you can't blind them with brilliance, baffle them with bullshit. My high mileage turd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mondtster Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 Hmm. I believe subaru only uses one type of software for their cars. The ECU's themselves are very similar so it stands to reason they you be able to . One type of software for what? The immobilizer or the ECU in general? FWIW, the file size for the JDM ECU is half the size of the US ECUs for the '05-06 cars. The JDM immobilizer eeprom also does not contain the VIN, which the US one does. When I asked one of the guys at the local Subaru dealership he was unsure if the JDM ECU immobilizer could be programmed by the US select monitor. It would be nice if they could be however, because that is the biggest hurdle to clear (well, that and any emissions concerns) when swapping the EJ20X and Y motors in these cars. I was very close to just buying a select monitor and the correct cartridge and trying to program the keys myself, but I went another route instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
battelready Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 The immobilizer is programmed via the ECU. Basically what it does is that the BDU , immobilizer and everything have to programmed into the ECU. Usually what they do is plug it in and authorize it via the VIN with their tool. It takes like 2 seconds. But idk if you can do it honestly because if the car gets inspected and it has missing monitors, it wont pass. But if you dont use the correct map for the specific ECU it wont work. Maybe the guys on romraider forums might be able to help. Might be able to find a work around for the immobilizer to circumvent it. I bought an auto be more involved in my uninvolvedness . 200k+ Club If you can't blind them with brilliance, baffle them with bullshit. My high mileage turd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mondtster Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 The immobilizer is programmed via the ECU. Basically what it does is that the BDU , immobilizer and everything have to programmed into the ECU. Usually what they do is plug it in and authorize it via the VIN with their tool. It takes like 2 seconds. But idk if you can do it honestly because if the car gets inspected and it has missing monitors, it wont pass. But if you dont use the correct map for the specific ECU it wont work. Maybe the guys on romraider forums might be able to help. Might be able to find a work around for the immobilizer to circumvent it. Exactly, and as I said before, the data in the JDM immobilizer eeprom in the ECU is not the same as what is in the US ECU. There is no VIN programmed in the JDM ones, so I do not know what would happen if you try and use a US tool to program it. I found very little immobilizer information on the rom raider forums, but I did find what I needed to know when I did this over there. I've told the OP how I did it, but I'd say that my method is not something the average car guy will want to take on. I'll say this - even though the JDM ECU immobilizer does not have the VIN in it everything works perfectly once you get your key codes put in it. You'd never know my car was converted unless I told you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
covertrussian Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 mondtster, where you able to repogram it yourself or did you have to go to the dealer? I've seen other cars, Mini coopers specifically, be able to reflash a new immobilizer ID's with ECU flash. Thus it's probably possible to do the same with our ECU's but people tend to not want to open this can of worms due to theft. In reality, how many people walk around with ECUFlash and laptops stealing cars? 05 LGT 16G 14psi 290whp/30mpg (SOLD) 12 OBP Stock 130whp/27mpg@87 Oct 00 G20t GT28r 10psi 250whp/36mpg 22 Ascent STOCK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mondtster Posted February 6, 2016 Share Posted February 6, 2016 mondtster, where you able to repogram it yourself or did you have to go to the dealer? I've seen other cars, Mini coopers specifically, be able to reflash a new immobilizer ID's with ECU flash. Thus it's probably possible to do the same with our ECU's but people tend to not want to open this can of worms due to theft. In reality, how many people walk around with ECUFlash and laptops stealing cars? Yes. If you dig deep enough on the RR forums you'll find one or two posts detailing how to deal with the immobilizer. It is an invasive process however, requiring ECU disassembly, EEPROM desoldering, reading, writing, then resoldering and hoping it works. It took me a few tries before I figured out what I needed to write and where. But, in the end, my car has a 100% functional and legit EJ20Y swap without anyone else ever touching the car. One downside to the way I did it is that I can not add different keys, I have no idea what the key codes look like or how to generate them. I just know where they're located and how to move them as needed. To date, you can not write immobilizer data through ECU Flash or RR. It is on a separate chip. I believe that when you use a select monitor to do it you really interface with the ECU which in turn writes the EEPROM. I think it is possible for ECU Flash to do, but someone smarter than me will have to figure it out. I'd say most people are going to be at the mercy of a dealership, since they're the only ones with the select monitors to make the changes. I almost broke down and bought one but I couldn't be sure it would do what I wanted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero260 Posted February 6, 2016 Author Share Posted February 6, 2016 I was going to try to be the guinea pig on this one and see if the dealer could do it, but the car in question I was going to buy didn't happen, seller wants way to much and wouldn't negotiate. I'm still interested in this swap and might have to look for another option that needs an engine, then I can try it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
battelready Posted February 7, 2016 Share Posted February 7, 2016 I was going to say, you could buy a Chinese key programmer i found in the internet which hooks up to legacy's and lets you program new keys in. I bought an auto be more involved in my uninvolvedness . 200k+ Club If you can't blind them with brilliance, baffle them with bullshit. My high mileage turd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mondtster Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 I was going to say, you could buy a Chinese key programmer i found in the internet which hooks up to legacy's and lets you program new keys in. Got a link? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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