QSC8.3 CM554 CAPS - How to get .xcal file

[J99]

I need to recalibrate my Engine which is not starting anymore due to ECM recalibration need showing in Insite.

I got an official Cummins ECM Calibration file (J91384.ENI) for this QSC8.3 CM554 but it is password protected (when unzipping) and I can't see it in Insite 7.5.
So following advices on your forum, I am trying to get the .cal or .xcal out of it to be able to use it with Calterm.
But when trying to unpack it with Incal v4, it fails with a "PW Error".

So I was wondering if using {a cal converter program} would help me there (or if I risk to get the same error) before purchasing it online.

If someone could help on this and how to get me to this .xcal or .cal file, it would be great !

[Rawze]

First of all, the engine will not refuse to run simply because the program might be out of date ... or it is in need of being updated. your post is not very clear on this.

Is it rom-booted/blank?... or are you able to connect to it and make a work order?.

So .. if your able to communicate with it enough to make a work order, etc.. then its not likely to be ecm program itself not allowing it to run.

.. and if you cannot communicate with it at all (maybe rom booted, blank, etc.) then you need to simply take it to an OEM stealers$hit for that make/model truck to have it re-flashed. Those Incal files are Blank and DO NOT HAVE ANY VEHICLE SPECIFIC SETTINGS, such as addresses for cruise control, fuel pedal type, and all the other things necessary to make the engine work properly in the vehicle itself.

If those settings have gotten lost, for whatever reason, ecm went blank, dead, whatever it is, then the solution is to take the ecm off the vehicle to the nearest OEM stealers$it for that make/model truck and have it flashed according to the engine ser# if that is what it needs + have them restore all the vehicle specific settings too. They have the vehicle settings on file, and can easily restore them. - That way you get the latest software for it possible + all of the proper vehicle/dash settings. Settings like the cruise control, engine brake, accel pedal type, etc. and proper pins that they are wired to on the vehicle harness.

========
-- And NO,... a person does NOT have to buy any tool to convert an incal file so that CT can read it. Those files are nothing but a zip file that can be unzipped (using the correct password) to unzip it with. 7zip is the most common tool for doing this, and last I checked it was free off the interwebs. The one thing that might be difficult to get though is the correct *ecfg/E2M file for CT to be able to talk to the engine properly after it is unzipped.

[J99]

Thanks for the reply. Here are more precisions :
- The engine refuses to start despite checks on lift pump pressure (10 to 15 PSI as per spec), on gear pump pressure before the CAPS pump (around 165 PSI when crannking, as per spec), and whereas it was running fine the day before. The main change done before was changing the lift pump as the older one was clogged (algues). And we believe the new lift pump created some trouble of over / under tension in the ECM as it was not willing to run just on ECM 12V at some times (despite running well on 12V on a battery). It appeared to need more Intensity, consuming more watts. Now we cleaned the old one and put it back, works more normally with the 30 sec temporization with key on.
- I am able to connect to the ECM with Insite 7.5, was able to create a work order, an ECM Image, save it as a template, and check all fault codes (main one remaining from last time engine was running being 268 which indicates as first possible root cause that ECM may need to be recalibrated).
- I tried to resend the ECM Template to the ECM, works but no change.
- But one or two times during my connections to ECM, Insite sent a pop up with Error 5081 "Insite has detected some ECM have an invalid footprint and must be recalibrated"...I was able to temporarily make it dissapear by reloading the ECM Template taken on the ECM, but it looks to not be enough.
- So I am willing to recalibrate (I guess that is what you call reflash).
- I tried unzipping with 7zip and it is asking me for password, but I don't know where to find those passwords. Can somebody help me here ?
- For the ecfg/e2m files, I have some for the QSC8.3 from Libraries from CalTerm, but not sure which one is for my CM554 : Any idea on how to make sure of this ?

Thanks

[windowrattler]

Sent a PM to you.

[J99]

Trying to reflash now with CT 5.16 (after uploading the .xcal file from the ECM, which worked OK, trying to reflash with it back), the reflash fails after around 6 seconds with message "BDS Header Record is missing in cal file. [PDL Err Code = 6 ]" in the log file.

This looks a lot like what happened here : https://rawze.com/forums/showthread.php?...&pid=72137

So should I conclude the same with these older ECMs for QSC8.3 CM554, that I should look for Calterm 3.17 only ?
And get out of rom boot only via Insite ? (I have the official J91384.12 file from Cummins, but not compatible with my older Insite 7.5).

Any help here is welcome. Thanks.

[collinthomson1]

I had a similar problem replaced ecm but could not flash because needed to be rom booted sent to Cummins and they flashed a 265 hp file in it it’s in a tigercat 822 processor I would really like the 300hp file I had before can I flash now that ecm was room booted and can someone help me with a file I have calterm and insite esn is 60326276 it’s out of a case Steiger but if needed I can provide a esn that was in it

[Rawze]

(03-06-2025 )J99 Wrote:  Trying to reflash now with CT 5.16 (after uploading the .xcal file from the ECM, which worked OK, trying to reflash with it back), the reflash fails after around 6 seconds ...

on pre-2007 stuffs, YOU CANNOT FLASH BACK IN, A FILE THAT YOU COPIED OUT OF THE ECM!!!! --- THE COPY-OUT PROCESS CORRUPTS THE FILE!!!!. YOU CAN READ IT, VIEW IT, AND EVEN EDIT IT... BUT YOU CANNOT FLASH IT BACK IN!!!. ONLY INCAL FILES SHOULD BE USED TO FLASH AN OLD GTIS-2x or GTIS-3X ECM, UNLESS YOU KNOW HOW TO hex-edit and REMOVE THE CORRUPTION IN THE COPIED-OUT FILE!!!!!!.. The result is an unstable ecm. Anything from (one or more of...) possible rom-booted, possibly bricked, to maybe vehicle dash not working, maybe to sensors not reading, maybe memory issues, maybe engine running rough, and/or other unpredictable outcomes.

(03-09-2025 )collinthomson1 Wrote:  I had a similar problem replaced ...

some info on flashing those old ecm's ...

Those old GTIS-3.x products of yester-year are finicky, just like the older CM870 ISX's.

They like to rom-boot if things are not done in very specific ways. They will rom-boot if you try to put a copied file in them. They have lots of issues when flashing them and are quirky as all h#ell.

Working with them requires a proper rom-boot bench harness + using the correct procedures for when you make mistakes and cause it to end up rom-booted (or if it becomes completely bricked).

And if the ECM is more than 8-to-10+ years, old then it is a crap-shoot to flash one any ways ... as the flash and other memory wears out in them after so many years. They become stubborn and unstable, or da#$mn near impossible to re-flash properly when they are many years old.

It is also not uncommon to have to use CT version 3.17 on them, as it is about the only version out there that will not corrupt those old GTIS3x ecm's. Even so, if your working with a file that was copied out of the ecm... you should not try to flash it back in at all.. as it will be corrupted (due to the copy-out process itself) anyways.

[collinthomson1]

Oh I’m so how would you suggest getting back the 300 hp file Cummins was only able to flash a 265 hp ecm is reman from them maybe month old

[collinthomson1]

Do you suggest getting the rom boot cable