Just picked up a used Gryphon
 

I just picked up a used Gryphon, the unit was unlocked and Has the 3 canned tunes..

What are the 3 tunes that come with the unit ?

Which one is best for fuel economy ?

Also the previous owner says I dont need to look for the ECM code as it will appear on the display..

Any tips for first time user ???

Thanks.

Is it a monotone Gryphon? They come with the tranny only tune, an 87 octane towing, and a 93 octane performance.
What modifications do you have on your truck?
Most recommend the 87 octane because it uses 87 octane gas versus the more expensive octanes. Economy will be fairly similar on either tune.
Yes your hex code will show up, just be sure to write it down if you want your custom tunes.
Tips... Dont enjoy it too much! :D

2005 Lariat 4x4

Gotts Intake Mod
K&N Drop In Filter
FlowMaster Muffler (not sure on the details as it came with truck)
Troyer E Fans
Gryphon (Not Installed)

Not sure if it is a Monotone ?? Not sure what this is..

What can I expect when I plug it in ?

What exactly is the "tranny tune" ?

Thanks

Look at my album, my gryphon is a monotone, no color except the black lcd screen and backlight leds. being that you got it used, I would guess that you have the monotone gryphon. Did you make sure it was setup for your
The tranny tune is a tune that just modifies the transmission. It makes it shift better which also makes it last longer because there is less wear and tear on it.
Go here and download the manual for your Gryphon and it will explain a lot better on what you need to do to install the Gryphon in your truck. also you can download Pegasus there.
The biggest things to worry about is to plug the Gryphon in with the truck's key in the on position, but without the engine running. The Gryphon will initialize and it will then display your hex code. it should stick around until you hit a button so write it down then send it in if you want custom tunes.
After it goes through that it will ask if you agree to a warning of some sort, then it should take you to the main screen with 4 parts, each part is customizable to display a different thing such as cylinder head temperature, intake air temperature, what gear you are in, miles per gallon instant or average, and a number of other things.
To tune it you should hit the menu button, go to the performance settings menu, then pick your tune you want to use. Do Not customize the tune for the first time you program it, but you can in the future if you don't like a few things, or you change your tire size or anything like that.
let the tune load, once you are back to the main screen you can then start the truck and enjoy the tune. :D
Any other questions feel free to ask, like they say, the only dumb question is the one that isnt asked. :)

Monochrome :thumbsup:

Looks like none of your mods require a custom tune so if you like the canned tunes just stick with them.

First thing you need to do is read the manual.

The tranny tune, as Tico said, only modifies the transmission's shifting strategy. It does not make any performance changes to the engine. This tune runs on 87 octane.

The tow tune modifies both the engine and transmission strategies. It is the tune that most people use as their daily driver because it has noticeable performance gains while still being able to use the lower octane gas.

If I were you I'd try out these two out because they do not require any higher grade gas.

Ok cool. Thanks for that link Tico. That answered alot of my questions. Having the manual is always a good thing... :doh: There are still some things I am not sure about. But I guess The more i mess around with it the more I'll understand how it works.

LongShot, So the tow tune is not only for towing. It's also going to improve the performance and shifting. Should I expect some fuel savings with the tranny or towing tunes ??

I am trying to read up on everything but it's just alot to grasp in a short period of time. Why the tranny problems??

I have a few ?? Regarding the Pegasus. Any pointers on this would be great.

I just read that the Pegasus will not work on a MAC, I have a desktop PC with Vista and can install the program there, but how can I get the downloaded content to the gryphon ??

Thanks so much guys.

Answers in Blue :)

As for the tranny ??'s. I'm referring to different threads I've seen around with guys having transmission problems. I'm not sure if they are related to the different programmers or if it's just normal wear.

As for transferring the info. I guess what I'm trying to say is. Do I need a laptop with windows or can I transfer the tunes / images using a flash drive or something.

Yes you need a computer with windows to transfer the tunes, you pull the gryphon out of the truck to do it so you don't need a laptop, just a computer.
And the tranny problems that I have seen people talking about recently are with diesel trucks, but they are always possible with our trucks... Longshot or Jack or someone would know more about any tranny problems better than me, they have been looking at them longer :)

I believe the transmission problems you may be talking about are with the Edge Juice programmer, which is designed for diesels. There are no transmission problems associated with the Evolution models or, with any of Bill's tunes.

There IS another tuner though, who works primarily on diesel applications, who seems to have a fairly high failure rate among the engines he's tuned. This is not Bill Cohron (PHP), or two other tuners you may have read about: Mike Troyer and Justin Starkey. These three are top-tier tuners and, of course, our personal favorite among them is Bill.

- Jack

Ohh I see.. thanks for clearing that up.

So I could disconnect the unit from the car, DL the new software/tune into it and go back to the truck and just plug it in.. Will I have to reinstall it , or will it recognize the gryphon..
Should the truck be returasks ned to stock everytime im going to unplug the gryphon ?

what about if I need to disconnect the battery for whatever reason.. Also I notice that the instruction manual neverbut ask to disconnect the battery. usually this is the case to reset everything , I guess not.:confused:

You can unplug the gryphon at any time, as long as the truck is off. To add or change the tunes that are located on the gryphon you should return the truck to stock before unplugging it. It will recognize the gryphon and you will just need to load the new tunes just like you did the first tunes. The tunes are loaded with the truck's internal memory so unplugging the battery will not affect them. Jump starting the truck is ok to do as well as long as the gryphon is unplugged when you do it. Hope that helps :D

Any transmission trouble you read about is a rare case, it just seems like there are a bunch because people usually only post when there is a problem. Some people also don't take as good care of their truck as they should. That will also add to the thread count.

If you need to disconnect your battery it is safe to do as long as the programmer is unplugged. This protects the programmer from getting damaged during an electrical surge.

The only time you return the truck to stock is when you are going to a dealership (and do it days in advance) or if you are plugging the programmer into the computer.

Ive read the instructions several times and installed my gryphon today. I installed the tranny tune just to get used to the way everything works. I can immediatly feel the difference. It feels much more responsive. I only went around the block to make sure all was ok.

In the instructions, I did not find a section that shows how to return the truck to stock.. what is the proper procedure to do this ??

Thanks guys !! This forum has been really imformative. Even to my dumb newbie questions :doh::doh::tmi:

When you access the power programming menu again, you'll find there is now a "Return to Stock" selection. (It may have a slightly different name.) Just select it and it will return the PCM to stock. And by the way, to answer a question that's often asked, this is the ONLY way the PCM is returned to stock. Disconnecting the battery or the programmer does not "lose the tune".

- Jack

sweet. thanks dude !!

I just went out for a test drive. I set ttruck on the tranny tune and tried a 0-60 run to see how it works.

During regular driving. The truck feels really solid and feels torquy.
But while doing the 0-60. I stepped on it hard and it started to like surge looking for a gear then it finally shifted into gear pretty hard. I pulled in to the gas station for some gas and I noticed the unit stayed on when I shut the truck off.
And my unit is stuck on the 0-60 finished test screen. I shut the truck down but the unit stays on.

When the Gryphon screen stays lit after shutdown, it's generally a sign of a failing battery. Please disconnect your Gryphon from the OBDII port (the lit screen will rapidly deplete a weak battery) and have your battery load tested.

When you reconnect, make sure the ignition is ON, before you plug the Gryphon in so that it can boot properly.

- Jack

I have a brand new battery, I highly doubt that was the issue.. I tried shutting the truck down several times. and it was staying on.. Not knowing what to do, I decided to unplug the gryphon at the unit.
Once it shut down, I put the key to the ON position and plugged it back in. It gave me the hex key and then went straight to the Main menu.

All seems fine now but I havnt drven it again.

What do you think about the surging and hard shifting ?? Is the tranny tune not designed to be pushed hard ??

I suspect what you felt as surging was the engine hitting the rev limiter between the 2-3 upshift. In a Wide Open Throttle (WOT) shift situation, the shift is commanded at a specific RPM, which you can set in the Custom Options Menu. I would not set this shift point above 5100. (Actually, I like 4975, since the torque and horsepower are generally dropping above 5000.)

Now, as the shift is commanded, the transmission clutch is applied, allowing the engine to freewheel for a short period (until the clutch is released and the shift completes). The freewheeling engine RPM rapidly increases and if it hits the rev limit, spark and fuel is cut to prevent damage. The RPM drops and then the whole cycle repeats until you come off the gas a bit.

If you make sure the rev limit is at least 400 above the highest WOT shift point, this problem will generally not happen. I have my rev limit set at 5500 in the Custom Options Menu. Don't go much above this point either, because the Torque Converter (TC) starts to balloon above 5400 RPM.

By the way, don't set the 3-4 upshift too high. It's actually hard to get a genuine WOT 3-4 upshift unless you're on a racetrack. My shifts are around 4975, 4975, and 4400.

Are these your rev limiter settings for 1st 2nd and 3rd gears ??

The rev limiter is a maximum that the PCM does not let the engine exceed regardless of gear. The individual rpms Jack listed are WOT shift points. This is where the computer tells the machinery to change which gear is being used, because of delays and such the actual shift can occur later and at a higher rpm. The rev limiter comes into play here because the shift points, in order to improve performance, are set as high as they can practically be. If the engine does not shift into the higher gear soon enough it can actually rev high enough to get caught by the rev limiter and cause trouble with the shift. That is why the general recommended gap between the shift points and rev limiter is about 400 rpm. The 400 rpm gap gives a better buffer for shifts that dont work perfectly.

Thanks, Longshot - exactly correct. But I'm not certain Medic150 understands. The Rev Limit (RPM Limit?) is a SINGLE value that is one of the menu choices in the Custom Options Menu. I think it MAY default to around 5300, which would be too low for a WOT upshift from 2-3 set at 5000.

Setting these values is pretty easy, but read through this: http://forum.gopowerhungry.com/faqs-...ions-menu.html (making sure you understand it) before you do. You WILL have to manually set your Tire Size (TS) and possibly your Gear Ratio (GR) if you open that menu.

- Jack