I recently purchased a performance chip to install in my ECM. My car is a 92 firebird and was made in CA. 305 TBI. The ecm does not have an access panel to put the chip in. I opened up the ecm and there is still not a place to put the chip. Does anyone know what is up with CA cars? Can a different ecm fix the prob or even work with my car? Anyone experience this or heard of this?

...dang emmission stuff!

 

With no access panel you may not be working with the ECM. Your ECM will have a paper label on it with the Service No as 1228746. A small panel on the top of one end with 2 screws. The ECM is on a slide mount under the passenger side of the dash.

Remove the hush panel, locate the ECM with 2 connectors full of wires. Push the lower part of the ECM toward the front of the car. Velcro will let go, then pull the ECM straight down.

RBob.

 

I know...that is what is crazy..this is my second third gen, and I know exactly what the ecm is and should look like. On my first one..it had the access panel...this one with california emissions does not...when I opened the ecm anyway to look inside there was no chip anywhere. Everything is solid state. This car was originally eqipped with the ca emissions package and I am guessing thus a special ca computer. I was really quite shocked to not find what I expected. I even cross referenced my Haynes manual on PRom replacement...it said the same as you, but my ecm is different.

I am going to be calling the chip manf. tomorrow...hopefully they will know more...

...please if anyone is familiar with this weird problem,....chip in

 

Can you post a picture of it?

RBob.

 

I wasn't away of any CA emissions package or anything that makes CA cars any different than any other thirdgens. After 87 they were all made in CA anyway.

 

I can't get the pics small enough that I can post them...it must be less than 1 mb and mine are about 2mb each....such a PITA

 

If you want to email me the pictures I can convert them and post them for you.

You must have some really strange computer then, because there is no difference between a "California" thirdgen and a "non-California" thirdgen sold in the United States. I heard some of the Canadian cars are different, though.

 

TBI's have the little black carrier, not the blue memcal.

 

Alright, I'm an idiot...I was trying to find a place to install the PROM in my air bag sensing computer. It is the silver gray color and looks just like an ecm, only with no access panel. Sorry to everyone, but thanks to those of you who responded because you caused me to rethink what I was doing. Thanks for the help!