advrider1967

So- yesterday I changed all the oils as well as the pan/filter in my PDK. I used the fill feature of PIWIS III V40 and it all went 100% well. After a spirited drive I decided to "readapt" the PDK. I made the MONUMENTAL bone head mistake of selecting "adapt after component replacement" (vs the option of no component replacement). It appears as if the PIWIS III tried to reach out to the mothership for SW, but only after sending a command to erase the PDK EEPROM. I have quite successfully "bricked" my PDK. Gear lever will not come out of P, when I try and start the car, it wont even crank, asking me to "Put Gear Selector in P or N".

Fault codes now show "control unit is not programmed" under the PDK menu, as well as various CAN comm issues, which all makes sense.

The question: I assume that if I drag this hunk of metal to the dealer they can reprogram the PDK ECU?

PV997

Several people have successfully used "adapt after component replacement" with a PIWIS2, it's discussed in the PDK repair thread comments. I have not done it myself but I specifically asked @amet about this (who owns a shop in the UAE and has done it himself) and he said the PIWIS2 has the default software in it. He told me his was a clone and it was not connected to mother Porsche. There's screen shots of it posted somewhere in the sixty pages of comments on that thread.

This is speculation but perhaps the PIWIS2 has it stored locally but Porsche removed it for the PIWIS3. You might want to reach out to @amet and see what he thinks. I'd try and find someone with a PIWIS2 before taking it to the dealer, what do you have to lose? I'm sure the dealer could fix it though they may want to replace the TCU and start from scratch.

advrider1967

Thanks for the reply! This all makes sense, given the amount of "features" that seem to come and go from PIWIS SW as revs come and go. I no longer have a 2, BUT... I do have a very good relationship with the local P dealer staff. It will be easier to try that avenue vs finding a 2. It will also get me the newest SW in the PDK (no idea what I had in there, but if I used an old 2 I'd probably get legacy SW).

advrider1967

I found the "programming" process/menus in PIWIS 3. I can select either "program with customer complaint" or "program". Using either the machine attempts to load "TO82_Program" SW but fails with zero % progress, with a "11070: Timeout during communication with control unit". Then, after some seconds, a "Fault memory could not be erased" pops up, and that's all she wrote.

All the other codes in the car are CAN comm faults with the PDK ECU.

I can get a new PDK ECU for very good price, would it work out of the box or do they need a PIWIS connected to the P mothership?

My car is bricked, in a lift at my shop

Petza914

As a wild shot, have you tried disconnecting the battery for 10 minutes to clear the memory and seeing if anything is different, even before hooking the piwis back up?

advrider1967

I have, a dealer tech suggested that- no help. I had them try and reprogram it with a OE PIWIS, and while the programming was "accepted" all faults are still active and present = car still bricked. New PDK ECU in 2 days.

t-design

Where are you located?

advrider1967

Colorado Springs

rnlst_log

Try manually program it in Engineering mode. Program without rule.

advrider1967

Ive configured the PIWIS3 to E mode, and can get to the menu you described. There are numerous "entries" I can select. Which one(s) should I be trying?

rnlst_log

Manual programming in development.
Select:​​​​
The entry that has your part number.
Can you still read the module's part number?
That will help you.

advrider1967

New PDK ECU installed, and it fired right up. Part number was superseded:

OE box: Siemens VDO 997 618 270 22
New Box: Continental 997 618 270 40

I wont have time to get it off dollies and out of the corner until next week to see how it drives, but at least it's alive again.

I have subsequently found out this is a "quite common" occurrence, according to a Porsche tech in Germany whose opinion I have no reason to doubt. I was told this old box can be bench flashed with the right tools and be brought back to life. I simply didn't have the time or inclination to hassle with that.

One interesting observation: I no longer have to press the brake pedal to start the car.

advrider1967

Ok, well it fired up and the PDK selector moves into R N D. HOWEVER: only has 2nd gear and R, numerous coding and comm issues, so it looks like another dealer visit.

Bruce In Philly

2009 C2S 180K miles

Dang this stuff gets complicated. Did you try hitting it with a BFH? I found I feel real good and every once in a while, just sometimes, you don't break it.

Peace
Bruce in Philly (now Atlanta)

advrider1967

LOL- no, not yet. Trying to get it into the dealer again may bring that on however