My 2001 F 150 XLT 4x4 4.6 engine with 46k mi ran great with the tuner for about 20 days and then my transmission started popping into neutral for about 2 sec as I am going 80 mph. My tach flops around, my engine revs and then I can press the gas and I am in gear again. We thought it was the tuner and got a replacement. It only took 60 mi for it to start again. The gears were set with each shift lowered 200 rpm, and now they are set with the tuner default. Has anyone else had anything like this?

 

Nope, no probs here. I have had the Tuner for around 20k miles and love the way it cleans up the shifts.

Sorry U R having troubles, but it sounds like it is tranny issues, not the Tuner.

Try reprogramming your ECM with the stock program and see if the problem returns.

 

There are a whole bunch of computer chips in these trucks. You should go back to where you bought it from and have them look at the code for your trucks computer.

For one guy to say he hasn't had any problem with it isn't enough. Talk to Anita from Troyer.

 

I noticed this morning on the way to work if I let off the gas while doing 80 the transmission dropped gears and acted like a brake. Normally my truck coasts or freewheels very well. I installed the 87 program last night and this is my first day driving it. I remember a similar thing happening after having the battery disconnected for a while without any change in programming. It went away in a couple of days that time so I hope it is the same thing. Just the computer's adaptive strategies being reset.

 

Hi mrslarryb,

That doesn't really sound like anything going on with the Micro Tuner itself - especially when you used the second unit and it didn't start happening until 60 miles later. It sounds like you've got problems elsewhere, either in the transmission, such as shift solenoid or a valve body or EPC issue perhaps, or a VSS problem, etc.

The issue of having that false neutral is not something the Micro Tuner is going to cause - that is a classic symptom in failed shift solenoids in the 4r70W automatics, by the way - I've had that happen myself in a 4R70W in one of our past vehicles, and it gave the same symptom of going up into neutral - which is why the tach needle swings up, as the engine revs up when it shoots into neutral like that - and then bang - it finally drops back into gear. Classic shift solenoid defect symptoms.

I would return the vehicle to stock, and drive it for a few hundred miles, long enough for this to happen again, so you can see it's not a Micro Tuner issue - since you've already used 2 different units, we can safely eliminate something "wrong" with one of the Micro Tuners, aside from the fact that the symptoms don't match that as a culprit anyway - and then have this properly diagnosed.

I went thru nightmares trying to get my failed shift solenoids fixed under warranty - 3 different dealerships claimed they had no idea what was causing the false neutral, though we could recreate the problem - I found it in an Alldata *aftermarket* TSB - and once I installed a new updated valve body with fresh & updated shift solenoids, bingo, problem fixed. That was 3-4 years ago, by now more dealerships should know about those problems, hopefully.

 

My drive home was fine and my drive in today was fine, no transmission braking on the highway. It was just like back when I disconnected my battery. It fixed itself.

Haven't really had a chance to test it but I do not expect much performance on 87. When premium drops back under 2 bucks I will try it. I do notice a big change in shift points and not always for the better but I think I just need to get used to it. I have been driving it for over 2 years with Fords slush box shifts.

 

Hi Norm,

Thanks for your post, I'm sure others will find it interesting and informative as well - where you were talking about the difference you noticed in compression braking after clearing the PCM (battery disconnect, etc.) - and you're absolutely right, it's just adaptive strategy at work, and it sounds like it's already back to normal.

Adaptive strategy affects automatic transmission shift characteristics as well as the engine - in some cases, after a battery disconnect or program change the transmission will shift either softer or firmer than normal while the PCM goes thru the basic relearn cycle, and that can continue for anywhere from a day or two to a week or so, depending on how many miles & drive cycles are put on it. Shift points can also vary a bit during this time, as well as the TQ lockup characteristics & other aspects which affect compression braking, as you noticed.

Thanks for your feedback, glad to hear it's back to normal & enjoy your weekend!

 

Norm.....
The higher the price of gasoline the better the Microtuner is as far as cost-per-mile.
The cost delta between 87 octane and 93 octane (or 91 depending on region) is almost always 20 cents....give or take a few pennies. As the price gets higher, the 20 cents makes less and less of a difference. Especially if you experience an increase in mileage with the tuner as I have.

It is actually cheaper for me to drive my truck with the Microtuner programming and premium gasoline as long as gas prices are around $1.30 or higher for regular gas. The icing on the cake is that the truck feels as if it has been unleashed from it's bindings. Bottom line, as long as gas is high.....it's a win-win situation to have the SuperChips programming.

Just my experiences.......FWIW.

 

Hey there Rebel Yell,

Just thought I'd say hello - it's been a little while, good to see you again!

 

Same back atcha, Mike.
Still lovin' the Tuner.....but wishin' I had the new one that I have been reading about which has the 87 octane proggy.
But it's all good!

 

Huh? Does that mean Mike that I could potentially have problems like he does just because I am changing the program?

What is this adaptive strategy stuff?

 

There were no problems stated in Norm's post. ( Since you didn't say who "he" is, I have to assume you were referring to Norm's post.)

He reported a symptom of disconnecting the battery which clears the ECM. When the ECM is cleared, it has to re-learn your driving characteristics and how best to optimize your truck's operational efficiency.

Every time you disconnect your battery for any reason (even normal mundane stuff like replacing a bad battery), you will most likely have the same "problems " that Norm reported. It clears up in a day or two at most. The first drive to work always clears it up for both the trucks I have had with this type of ECM.

"Adaptive strategy" that you asked about refers to the ECM's ability to change the way it controls the engine's operation based upon how the truck is being driven, as well as where your truck is being operated. For example, you can drive from the beach (low elevation and high atmospheric pressure) to Denver (high elevation and low atmospheric pressure) and never have to adjust or calibrate anything to keep the engine running good. In the olden days with carbureted engines, one would have to re-adjust the carburetor when going from such opposite extremes.

Bottom line....adaptive strategy-GOOD. Stop fretting about it and play with the Micro-Tuner. It's all good


Oh yeah..... If anything I posted in this thread is incorrect or misstated, I hope Mike Troyer will explain or correct them for us all.

EDIT>>> After posting i realized that I should have said that the ECM will also relearn every time you change your programming, in addition to anytime you disconnect the battery. At least mine does. Anytime I change the programming, the truck does a strange feeling "engine braking" thing when slowing for a stop sign or traffic light. Feels like gearing down with manual tranny equipped vehicle. Not a problem. Like I said earlier. Always goes away after the 20 mile drive to work the next day after a proggy change.

Most importantly.....Have fun and play around with the 'Tuner!! . It's a great little mod that really livens our trucks up. Enjoy, my friend

 

Hi phurley,

RebelYell's response is right on the money - he covered that very well indeed.

If you want to learn a bit about adaptive strategy, just read your vehicle's owners manual thoroughly, as it explains anything the vehicle owner needs to know about it.

Relearn/Adaptive strategy affects automatic transmission operation as well as engine operations. Anytime you interrupt power to the PCM or change it's programming, you'll go back thru the basic relearn cycle & the adaptive strategy adjustments will begin again from scratch. Which is as RebelYell already explained & no big deal, it's kinda like how your truck was when you bought it brand new with 5 miles on it.

By using the search feature here, you can retrieve & read the volumes of info about this that we've posted here in this section over the years - however, in practical terms, there's really nothing more that vehicle owners need to know about it that isn't already covered in the owner's manual, so I'd say just read that manual.

Have fun,

 

Thanks Rebel,
Sunoco 94 is now at 1.91 and 87 drooped to 1.59. I am going to run out my current tank of 87 and give the 94 a try. They also have 91 and 93. I agree with you on the cost issue. I have already seen better mileage with the 2 tanks I have run since installing the 87 program. Money was tight last month so I was just pinching pennies. That is the great thing about the new tuner, I can go back and forth as my budget allows.

 

Hi Norm,

Nice to have access to Sunoco's *great* Ultra 94 octane fuel - that's the best pump premium in the country, IMHO. Plenty of octane & BTU's galore, I wish we had it here. We did just recently get a Sunoco station, but it doesn't carry the Ultra 94 - 93 is it's highest here, and it's an excellent fuel. The Sunoco 93 here is 1.71 a gallon currently - but then, the highest it's been here in the past few months was 1.79 for the best premiums.

If your budget allows, try running a few tanks of Ultra 94 on the "max" performance program, that should be fun.