:: Chipping a 155 ::

Fitting a chip to a 155 is actually very easy. You have seen from the Chip Article that there are benefits from performing neurosurgery to your beloved!

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The picture (left) shows the ECU from a TSpark 2.0 16V with the chip already fitted (the big chip at the bottom).
The reason for its size is that it sits on a scrambling adapter board that makes the chip fit the standard hole and decodes the encrypted info in the chip.
The reason for this encoding is to deter pirates as the chip manufacturers actually sell the decoder to the dealers as opposed to the chip. The chip fitted is a Superchip and their modem dealers can download the code for the chip specific for your engine and ECU on site before they fit it.
In order to ensure you have the right chip for the car, certain parameters need to be known. First,the ECU number, this is 0 261 204 422. The second part that needs to be known is the number on the chip itself, in this case 358802. For a Superchip, all that needs to be known is the last 3 letters of the ECU and the last 4 of the chip, so this one is 422 8802 as found on a 1997 Gamma 96 155. My previous 155 was also 1997 (but not a Gamma 96), and this had the same ECU but with the chip number 35 7941 so had a Superchip of 422 7941.
The ECU is mounted in the passenger footwell behind a plastic cover, held on by a couple of 10mm brass nuts. Remove the cover and the 3 nuts holding the ECU to the metal frame. It will then drop easily into the footwell and the multipin connector can be removed by releasing the silver locking clasp.
Once out of the car, prise up the overlapping tabs around the edge, 8 in total.
Then carefully prize off the lid. The outer cover slides in a groove on the side of the multipin connector, so I found it easiest to pop the cover out of the groove first.
I didn't take a picture of the step where you remove the original chip, but get something small and pointy in the corner that is notched and just flip it out. The pins are rounded underneath and work on contact as opposed to legs in hole, so you cannot damage the chip.
Take the new chip on its bridging board and push this into the hole. When my first chip was fitted, the dealer put some silicon around it to secure it in place even more.
The V6 has a different shaped chip which will need prizing out as flat as possible as it does use legs. Reassemble and then take it for a blast!
It might take a short while for the ECU to adjust itself to your car, but I noticed on the 2.0 16 valve that the slight lag in the variable valve timing was greatly reduced and rolling road figures indicated an increase in peak power by a few BHP, but Torque was significantly increased which made drivability better.


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