Based on my research so far:
P38 with Thor engine use Bosch Motronic 5.2.1 ECU. A very similar ECU is commonly found on various BMWs of the same vintage, E38 and E39 come to mind.
The ECU uses DS2 serial protocol for diagnostics. The protocol is well known and documentation is available. Communicating with BMW version of this ECU can be done using very inexpensive gear and readily available (in the BMW world) software. Has anybody tried this with LR ECUs?
I heard conflicting information as to ability to reprogram these ECUs. Some sources state that these ECUs made up to 2002 are not reprogrammable unless you desolder the CC460 chip, remove it and use programmer like batronix BX48-II. Some claim that 03-04 Discovery versions of the ECU are reprogrammable without hardware modification, but its unclear what gear (if any) is available to do this.
Having looked at the info on the CPU used in BMW and Porsche versions of 5.2 Motronic, the non-volatile memory consists of a few different blocks. The parameter blocks (that store values typically accessible for modification by various tools) are stored separately from code. The code is stored in a "locked" block, presumably not reprogrammable remotely to avoid "bricking" the device.
I am intend to analyze and modify the actual code that the ECU runs. Any pointers would be greatly appreciated. The goals are to gain ability to change the ignition and fueling maps and to disable checking the BECM code, thus making the ECU compatible with ANY BECM.
P38 with Thor engine use Bosch Motronic 5.2.1 ECU. A very similar ECU is commonly found on various BMWs of the same vintage, E38 and E39 come to mind.
The ECU uses DS2 serial protocol for diagnostics. The protocol is well known and documentation is available. Communicating with BMW version of this ECU can be done using very inexpensive gear and readily available (in the BMW world) software. Has anybody tried this with LR ECUs?
I heard conflicting information as to ability to reprogram these ECUs. Some sources state that these ECUs made up to 2002 are not reprogrammable unless you desolder the CC460 chip, remove it and use programmer like batronix BX48-II. Some claim that 03-04 Discovery versions of the ECU are reprogrammable without hardware modification, but its unclear what gear (if any) is available to do this.
Having looked at the info on the CPU used in BMW and Porsche versions of 5.2 Motronic, the non-volatile memory consists of a few different blocks. The parameter blocks (that store values typically accessible for modification by various tools) are stored separately from code. The code is stored in a "locked" block, presumably not reprogrammable remotely to avoid "bricking" the device.
I am intend to analyze and modify the actual code that the ECU runs. Any pointers would be greatly appreciated. The goals are to gain ability to change the ignition and fueling maps and to disable checking the BECM code, thus making the ECU compatible with ANY BECM.
