RomRaider

I'm building a Factory Five 818, using a 2004 WRX donor. The previous owner crashed the car, and it ran but did not drive - but that was okay for me, as I wanted the engine, transmission, and other miscellaneous bits, not the body. As I was dismantling it, I found a (possibly older) Cobb-branded dongle in the OBDII port, but the car did not come with an AccessPort. I asked the previous owner if there was one, and he said no.

I tried to use ECUFlash to read the existing ROM yesterday, and this is what I saw in the log after the initial startup:

Device Serial Number: [the serial of the Tactrix I am using]
SSM2 init
SSM2 ECU ID is 2E14446106
Requesting Seed...
Sending Key [1]...
interface close
interface close

To my uneducated and inexperienced eye, this looks like the software was at least able to start to talk to the ECU, but was then denied access, like the ECU is locked by whatever is loaded on it now - does that look about right to all of you?

And if so, so I have any hope of writing another map? If I do try to write another map (which I need to do, because I have upgraded the turbo and the injectors), am I going to brick the ECU? Or will it just not let me? Do I need to send my ECU to Cobb to get a stock map loaded to unmarry the AccessPort?

Thanks, all.

what ECU are you using and have you tried the different flash methods too just incase? Could be its a 16bit ECU or could be it uses the WRX04 flash method - also make sure you have the white flash block joined up and the greens hooked up, if the harness is now removed from the car make sure all the grounds are good too.

You could try reading it with FastECU (you can read a little more about that here: https://www.syvanenmotorsport.fi/forum/viewtopic.php?t=134 ) or failing that borrow an access port from someone and then marry it to the car then unmarry it that should leave the ECU open to ECUflash again.

It's the stock (I believe) Subaru ECU - Subaru P/N 22611AH791.

I have not tried to write anything to it - I'd like to be sure that I would not brick it, first. I'm just trying to understand at this point if what I see is consistent with a Cobb locked ROM.

The greens are hooked up, yes. I also have the Tactrix-supplied jumper for the flash block (in my wiring diagram, it's listed as conn. B300, Line End Check Connector), but it was not connected when I tired to read the ECU.

Anyone in the area of Thousand Oaks, CA have an AccessPort I can borrow to let me try to marry/unmarry? My Subaru-based car isn't mobile at the moment, so it would be ideal if you could come by, but I'm willing to pick it up, too.

I'm out in the shop, checking grounds now.

OK Ah791 i think the standard rom for that is A4TF300F - which is a 16bit rom so you want the 16bit flash method.

Trying to flash that file or a carberry file to it wont brick it, if the ECU is locked then it just wont flash and you'll get a similar error. I don't think Cobb offer the unlock service anymore but there are a few places that can still do it. I'd give fastECU a go first though just to see.

Excellent, thank you. I've just verified all the grounds at the OBD and ECU. I'll recheck power connections next, and try flashing something after that.