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Connecting your PC to your vehicle

The following information is specific to GM-H VN, VP, VR, VS and VT Commodores. Although, most of the information is general enough to be applied to any vehicle/8192 baud interface combination.

Note: EFILive does not supply an interface for 160-baud (VN/VP) interfaces. However the 160-baud interface is relatively simple to build and costs only a few dollars for parts. Details on how to build your own 160-baud interface can be found here.

  1. Connect the serial cable to the max232 interface unit.

  2. Connect the max232 interface unit to the ALDL connector, located under the steering column, just above the brake pedal.

  3. Start EFILive V4 - see License key if EFILive V4 is not licensed.

It is important not to connect your PC to your vehicle prior to starting EFILive V4. Under certain circumstances doing so can cause DTC's to be set in your ECM, indicating "...loss of serial data...".
  1. Connect the serial cable to your PC's serial port.

  2. Select your vehicle - see Selecting your vehicle

  3. Turn on your vehicle's ignition - but do not start the engine.

  4. Click on the "Automatically detect chatter" toolbar icon .

The two status indicators above the console display on the Macros (F6) tab page should both turn green. If one or both are red then either there is a connection problem or the wrong vehicle has been selected.

The following table lists the combinations of settings that should be used for each type of vehicle. The Chatter and Max232 echo settings can be changed (for 8192 baud only) in EFILive properties - click the properties toolbar icon to change properties.

Vehicle Chatter Max232 echo Interface speed
VN V6 160 baud
VN V8 160 baud
VP V6 160 baud
VP V6 160 baud
VR V6 8192 baud
VR V8 8192 baud
VS V6 8192 baud
VS V8 8192 baud
VT V6 8192 baud
VT V8 8192 baud
VT LS1 8192 baud

Status descriptions and what they mean

Status Description
Interface detected OK Max232 echo was ticked and EFILive V4 received a valid response from the Max232 interface unit.
Interface NOT detected Max232 echo was ticked but EFILive V4 did not receive a valid response from the Max232 interface unit.
Interface assumed OK Max 232 echo was not ticked - no attempt was made to contact the max232 interface unit.
or
A 160-baud interface is conencted.
Chatter detected Chatter was ticked and chatter was detected.
Chatter NOT detected Chatter was ticked but chatter was not detected.
Unexpected chatter detected Chatter was not ticked but chatter was detected.
Chatter NOT expected Chatter was not ticked and chatter was not detected.
 

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