Performance shift button?
 

Recently I purchased DHP so I could tune my PCM and I've reading through the documentation for it. The document mentions a performance transmission shift option featured in the 97-00 Grand Prix GTP and how to add the option to a 98-02 GT/SE and 00-2002 GTP. While playing around with a 2000 Alero .bin file in tiny tuner I saw that our PCMs have the shift performance table associated with this button, but has invalid values unsuitable for driving conditions... I'm thinking if we follow this procedure and actually wire a performance button up and properly tune the performance shift table, maybe we can also have the performance shift table option available. Thoughts?
Here's the proceedure mentioned in the DHP documentation:

How to add Performance shift back into your 98 - 2002 GT/SE, and 2000 - 2002 GTP:
Following these instructions you should be able to add a performance shift switch to any 98-2002 GT/SE or 2001-2002 GTP equipped with a Digital Horsepower PCM.
Parts Required:
1. About 10 Feet of dark blue wire 16/18 Gauge Preferably, use your own judgment.
2a. A Shift knob from a 97-2000 GTP (GM part #10224212)
2b. OR any type of "On / Off" switch.
3. Packard Electronics FEMALE Connector Pins (GM part #12084913) Sold in Strips of 5.
4. A DHP reprogrammed PCM
5. Misc. Wire connecting supplies
Instructions:
1. Disconnect your battery
2. Remove your air box, locate your PCM and remove both connectors, this will ease the job immensely.
3. Locate Connector 2 on the PCM that will be the Clear one NOT the blue one.
4. Lift off the gray covers covering the wiring you may have to cut off some tie wraps to do so.
5. Locate Pin Number 21 or lack there of it will be a empty slot, take a drillbit or a punch and punch a SMALL hole in the rubber covering it.
6. Take one of the FEMALE pins and crimp the Dark blue wire onto it at the end. You may want to solder this connection as well to avoid any problems in the future.
7. Push the Pin and wire assembly into the whole you just made in the rubber grommet at pin 21 on the clear connector. MAKE SURE it seats fully, it may take 2 or so tries to get it right.
8. Position the wire to run with the rest of them out of the connector and into the loom if possible, if not grab some loom and cover it, a factory appearance never hurt anyone.
9. Take the aforementioned blue wire, now connected to pin 21 on your PCM and run it into the cabin either way you see fit..
10a. Run the wire up into the console and up to your NEW shift knob with switch, attach the blue wire to the RED wire of the switch using whatever means you like, solder/butt connectors ect, take the black wire on the shift boot and put a knurled ground loop on it and attach it to the upper left hand corner bolt that holds down your shifter.
10b. If using a simple switch, solder the Blue wire to one prong, and solder the ground wire to the other.
11. Reverse all procedures and button up all your trim and under hood accessories.
{IMG} Now on a 99-2002 GT/SE and on 2001-2002 GTP's equipped with a Trip computer the DIC should show the status of the Performance Shift switch.
{IMG} On a 98 GT/SE, and a 99-2002 GT/SE equipped with a base level DIC, there is a little more wiring required.

For OUR cars you need it to switch type 1 and a debounce time of ~25

The other 2 #';s are for such items such as Class II.

This variable tells the PCM what type of switch is activating the PS mode.

If its 0, there is no switch
1, standard switch
2,3,4 I forget which are which but one is a Class II. Class II is the data bus message format. Some of the regal’s use Class II and this basically means when you press the switch, a message is sent on the data bus to tell the pcm to go to PS mode, etc, etc...

as long as you tune to performance shift table correctly I don't see why it wouldn't work...
I say give it a try :thumb:

wouldn't this be basically the same as driving with the b&m shift kit?

Basically except it's cleaner and customizable. I want to find the Alero 3400 PCM pinout and see its possible.

i know with the gm trucks its just grounding one wire and then you have tow haul mode. one my friends silverado i noticed the tow/haul tables had slightly more pressure then normal trans pressure tables, i just upped them to his liking. if it were me id copy over the stock trans pressure tables and start increasing them till you like the way it shifts with performance mode of course. this is with HPT by the way.

i have a switch setup, ive had it for years, on the autocross track my car only uses 2 gears. works like a charm.

After a little more research, there's even a "Shift Switch" section for Tiny Tuner in the Alero's .bin file so that you can set up the type of switch that you'll be using as described in the how to.. I hope these aren't just ghost parameters that exist in the .bin file but actually do nothing. That would be annoying lol.

Another thing I'm trying to understand is how would I be able to get confirmation that performance shift is activated... GTPs have a instrument panel light for indication when the option is selected... that's going to be another obstacle to overcome.

Edit:
Care to give us any insight of how you got this working?

X2^

bump???

i set the parameter, with digital horsepower, and wired the switch into the proper input wire on the vcm, i have not found the parameter in hptuners, and i dont remember the pin to add a terminal to but i will try to find out again. mine is a basic on/off switch i have hidden under my dash, it is set to stay in first until 44mph and drop to first at 40 mph, 2nd shifts out at 90 if i remember correctly, all the parameters are setup in the performance shift tables, ill look in my hptuners to see if they are there.

got a how-to? I would be interested in doing this later on when I find time and money

The how to i originally posted is basically what you'd want. The pins should be the same because IIRC the PCMs are the same between GPs and Aleros of the same year. You'll need some tuning software though.

Well good, lol i was going to ask more stupid questions and you answered them.

lol no problem. That's what forums are for :)

you would think that :coolio:

all you have to do is add a pin on the pcm, which I believe is Clear 21, extend the wire and run it to one side of a switch, and run a wire to ground on the other side of the switch. When you flip the switch on, it grounds Clear 21, and you are in p-shift mode.

for the pins, the best thing to do is to use a pin from a spare pcm connector. i have a whole bunch of these, think I should sell these pins on the site? $1 seem fair?

yea seems fair, shipping?

could ship in an envelope, so like a buck for shipping for the envelope and stamp would be reasonable, or if you order something else, free shipping. Only problem with really cheap orders is paypal takes about 30%. I would much prefer people just add this to another order.

Just have him send it through pay-pal as s gift. They won't take anything.

Thats awesome Mike. I just wish there was a way to know when performance shift is on for our cars... But i guess when its on you'll know if you've tuned it properly. You should probably have stiffer shifts on the regular table as well because i've heard it increases the longevity of the transmission anyways.

you could wire up an illuminated switch when you hook it up, or you can run a power wire to a remote-mounted LED if you wanted, and use the circuit to give the LED ground, just an idea.

If you guys need a pcm tuned for with performance shift setup, just let me know, I can take care of it.