Chip Help, what have I got?
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Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2003
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From: Colorado,
Chip Help, what have I got?
Just bought my L off a lot and it has a Superchip with flip switch.
One feels stock and the other feels performance. It shifts harder and the redline went up from 5,200 to 5,800
Is there anyway to find out what the program is or track down the tunner who programed it?
I don't want to just send it off for a reburn until I decide what, if any mods I want to do or what I have.
It has a blue metal cover that says Superchip, there is a sticker on the cover that says CARB EO-330-4
it has a 2 position switch.
Can you tell me anything from these numbers?
One feels stock and the other feels performance. It shifts harder and the redline went up from 5,200 to 5,800
Is there anyway to find out what the program is or track down the tunner who programed it?
I don't want to just send it off for a reburn until I decide what, if any mods I want to do or what I have.
It has a blue metal cover that says Superchip, there is a sticker on the cover that says CARB EO-330-4
it has a 2 position switch.
Can you tell me anything from these numbers?
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Joined: Mar 1998
Posts: 13,385
Likes: 4
From: Virginia
Hi EZGZ,
No, that doesn't tell us anything, that is just the Superchips CARB Exemption Order number for it's emissions certification. That means absolutely nothing with regard to what's actually in that chip.
What *could* help us to identify it is if there is a sticker on the back side of the module (that's the black side) that will have the compute code (CUX1 for '99, CUX2 for '00, CXN1 for 2001, ABU2 for 2002, NLP2 for 2003), along with some additional letters & numbers after the first 4 digits. Anytime we program a Superchip, we place a sticker on the back of it to identify the program, so that nobody ends up in your position, not knowing what program they have.
It can be *very* dangerous to run a performance chip when you don't know what's in it, *especially* in any supercharged engine like the Lightning. That program combo you have may be just fine, or it may not be appropriate for the vehicle, unless it has a sticker on the back of it labeling the program, the only way to tell is to descramble the program and examine the hex code.
Since no Lightning comes with a Superchip installed by Ford Motor Company, it sounds like you purchased a used Lightning that's been hot-rodded a bit by it's previous owner. So I'd make sure to have that truck checked out thoroughly from one end to the other and top to bottom by somebody that *knows* Lightnings, in addition to having that chip reprogrammed if there is no program sticker on it to identify what's inside. Just a suggestion to try to keep you safe here................
By the way, there is no Superchips program for the Lightning where the "redline" is 5200 rpm. In fact, that's even lower than the factory "redline." Also, 5800 rpm is a tad too high to rev these engines unless the bottom end of the motor has been built (forged connecting rods, etc.), so it sounds to me like your tachometer is just a bit off perhaps. No big deal, factory electronic tachs can sometimes be pretty close, and they can also be WAY off sometimes. We've seen Lightning tachs swing way past 6000 rpm when the motor was only turning 5400 rpm, for example, so we never depend on the factory tach.
The factory WOT upshift point is 5250 rpm, and the factory rev limiter is right on top of it, too close I feel, at just 5400 rpm. The way we normally set them up is to make the WOT upshift 1-2 @ ~5400 rpm (which is where the factory rev limiter is set), and the rev limiter 300 rpm higher (so in this case, 5700 rpm), so you have more headroom between the WOT upshift and the rev limiter to avoid bouncing of the rev limiter.
For *only* the 1999 Lightnings, and even at that only for a short period of time, our "standard" Flip Chip setup did have it set up so that Side 1 was the factory stock program, and then Side 2 had the performance program in it. That was our very first program combo for the Flip Chip in the 1999 Lightning, and was only done for a very short period of time years ago, when the '99's were first rolling off the assembly lines. That way people had a quick & easy way to do before & after testing.
But as time went on and more people started doing more modifications, we quickly left that behind and did a more aggressive program on Side 2, and a more conservative program on Side 1 to protect the motor against a tank of bad gas, etc.
If I were you, I'd remove that Superchip, and then check out that vehicle very thoroughly for any other modifcations and to make sure the original intercooler has been replaced if it's a '99 or '00 model, etc. Then get that Superchip reprogrammed so you actually *know* what's in it and how the vehicle is actually tuned. This may sound a bit drastic & maybe even paranoid, but these are expensive supercharged engines, too, better safe than sorry.
Anytime a Lightning owner is going to do any performance modifications, we strongly recommend working with a qualified Lightning performance specialist so that you get good advice from someone that is qualified, no mistakes are made, etc. We can of course provide any performance parts or tuning services needed for the Lightning, & our contact info is just below.
Good luck with your Lightning!
No, that doesn't tell us anything, that is just the Superchips CARB Exemption Order number for it's emissions certification. That means absolutely nothing with regard to what's actually in that chip.
What *could* help us to identify it is if there is a sticker on the back side of the module (that's the black side) that will have the compute code (CUX1 for '99, CUX2 for '00, CXN1 for 2001, ABU2 for 2002, NLP2 for 2003), along with some additional letters & numbers after the first 4 digits. Anytime we program a Superchip, we place a sticker on the back of it to identify the program, so that nobody ends up in your position, not knowing what program they have.
It can be *very* dangerous to run a performance chip when you don't know what's in it, *especially* in any supercharged engine like the Lightning. That program combo you have may be just fine, or it may not be appropriate for the vehicle, unless it has a sticker on the back of it labeling the program, the only way to tell is to descramble the program and examine the hex code.
Since no Lightning comes with a Superchip installed by Ford Motor Company, it sounds like you purchased a used Lightning that's been hot-rodded a bit by it's previous owner. So I'd make sure to have that truck checked out thoroughly from one end to the other and top to bottom by somebody that *knows* Lightnings, in addition to having that chip reprogrammed if there is no program sticker on it to identify what's inside. Just a suggestion to try to keep you safe here................
By the way, there is no Superchips program for the Lightning where the "redline" is 5200 rpm. In fact, that's even lower than the factory "redline." Also, 5800 rpm is a tad too high to rev these engines unless the bottom end of the motor has been built (forged connecting rods, etc.), so it sounds to me like your tachometer is just a bit off perhaps. No big deal, factory electronic tachs can sometimes be pretty close, and they can also be WAY off sometimes. We've seen Lightning tachs swing way past 6000 rpm when the motor was only turning 5400 rpm, for example, so we never depend on the factory tach.
The factory WOT upshift point is 5250 rpm, and the factory rev limiter is right on top of it, too close I feel, at just 5400 rpm. The way we normally set them up is to make the WOT upshift 1-2 @ ~5400 rpm (which is where the factory rev limiter is set), and the rev limiter 300 rpm higher (so in this case, 5700 rpm), so you have more headroom between the WOT upshift and the rev limiter to avoid bouncing of the rev limiter.
For *only* the 1999 Lightnings, and even at that only for a short period of time, our "standard" Flip Chip setup did have it set up so that Side 1 was the factory stock program, and then Side 2 had the performance program in it. That was our very first program combo for the Flip Chip in the 1999 Lightning, and was only done for a very short period of time years ago, when the '99's were first rolling off the assembly lines. That way people had a quick & easy way to do before & after testing.
But as time went on and more people started doing more modifications, we quickly left that behind and did a more aggressive program on Side 2, and a more conservative program on Side 1 to protect the motor against a tank of bad gas, etc.
If I were you, I'd remove that Superchip, and then check out that vehicle very thoroughly for any other modifcations and to make sure the original intercooler has been replaced if it's a '99 or '00 model, etc. Then get that Superchip reprogrammed so you actually *know* what's in it and how the vehicle is actually tuned. This may sound a bit drastic & maybe even paranoid, but these are expensive supercharged engines, too, better safe than sorry.
Anytime a Lightning owner is going to do any performance modifications, we strongly recommend working with a qualified Lightning performance specialist so that you get good advice from someone that is qualified, no mistakes are made, etc. We can of course provide any performance parts or tuning services needed for the Lightning, & our contact info is just below.
Good luck with your Lightning!