Will the truck start if the contacts are not completely cleaned?
Thread Starter
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Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 418
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From: Antelope, CA
Will the truck start if the contacts are not completely cleaned?
I installed my chip in about 45 minutes. I own a 1998 F-150 XLT 4x4 ex-cab with the 4.6.
My question if the computer contacts are not 100% cleaned will the truck start. Mine started and runs fine. My concern is I really don't fill any difference. I had about an 1/8 of a tank of regular fuel when the chip was installed. As soon as I finished the install I headed to the pump and put 20 gallons ($40.00 thats a bunch of CRAP in it's self) of 92 premium gas in the truck. I've only put about 100 or so miles on the truck since the install but really don't know what all the hype is about. Can Mike or anyone help me out? Thanks for the info. Hey Mike I bought the chip from a guy who bought the chip from you. It is about 4 months old. I e-mailed you before buying it and you said it would be covered under warranty. (Mr. Schunemann) Don't want to post his name to the world. Anyway please help me out. Is there anyone else who has expierenced the same results?
Thanks all!!!
My question if the computer contacts are not 100% cleaned will the truck start. Mine started and runs fine. My concern is I really don't fill any difference. I had about an 1/8 of a tank of regular fuel when the chip was installed. As soon as I finished the install I headed to the pump and put 20 gallons ($40.00 thats a bunch of CRAP in it's self) of 92 premium gas in the truck. I've only put about 100 or so miles on the truck since the install but really don't know what all the hype is about. Can Mike or anyone help me out? Thanks for the info. Hey Mike I bought the chip from a guy who bought the chip from you. It is about 4 months old. I e-mailed you before buying it and you said it would be covered under warranty. (Mr. Schunemann) Don't want to post his name to the world. Anyway please help me out. Is there anyone else who has expierenced the same results?
Thanks all!!!
Former Sponsor
Joined: Mar 1998
Posts: 13,385
Likes: 4
From: Virginia
Rich,
First, your truck will not start if you haven't cleaned enough of that material off the contacts. We have seen a few rare cases where somebody cleaned enough off for the vehicle to start and run, but when they pulled it out and then reinstalled it, the truck would not start, and they had to clean the contacts better. But generally, as long as it starts, your Superchip is working just fine.
You do have to disconnect the battery, otherwise it will take several hundred miles before you really start feeling the effects of the Superchip.
One thing you have to remember is that the Superchip cannot suddenly turn a 2.5 ton pickup truck into a fire-breathing monster. It's a 10%-12% power-gainer, and that's how it has to be viewed. Which, for the price is a fantastic gain. I wish there was a part or a series of parts that you could say, multiply both the cost and the power gain of the Superchip by a factor of 5. I'd be happy to pay $1000-$1200 for a 100-120 horsepower gain, and so would anyone else! Unfortunately, the only thing that will do that for that kind of price is nitrous oxide.
Rich, I think you probably just need to accumulate some miles on it. But I would advise you to immediately disconnect the battery, and pull the headlights on for a few minutes, to drain any residual voltage from the IC's in the computer, and then re-connect it. This will force the computer to immediately begin it's re-learn cycle, and gives a better immediate result.
In a situation like yours, what we suggest is to do the battery disconnect as I described above, and then use it for a solid month. Then take it out for at least a week, so you can see what the truck runs like without it. Then reinstall the Superchip again, and there won't be any doubt in your mind about what it does, just make sure to disconnect the battery each time you install or remove the Superchip.
Another thing to remember is that it can take as long as 2000 miles for you to see the best gas mileage from the Superchip. As you accumulate more miles, anytime you are not using heavy throttle you will get better gas mileage, that's just one of the by-products of this type of tuning. You should use the best quality premium gasoline that is available to you, and gas mileage is the single best informal indicator of energy content of a particular gasoline. Once you have accumulated the miles, you will see a mileage increase if you calculate your mileage accurately and consistently, unless you always drive the truck heavily loaded and with heavy throttle. That is what helps to reduce the cost of operation on premium gas, to the point that most people don't see as much as $150 a year in increased fuel costs, and that's in the worst cases.
You simply have to allow the product the time (miles) it needs to deliver all of it's results, and have realistic expectations of what it's going to do.
Good luck!
------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Online Superchip ordering system:https://www.f150online.com/scpp/index.html
[This message has been edited by Superchips_Distributor (edited 04-03-2000).]
First, your truck will not start if you haven't cleaned enough of that material off the contacts. We have seen a few rare cases where somebody cleaned enough off for the vehicle to start and run, but when they pulled it out and then reinstalled it, the truck would not start, and they had to clean the contacts better. But generally, as long as it starts, your Superchip is working just fine.
You do have to disconnect the battery, otherwise it will take several hundred miles before you really start feeling the effects of the Superchip.
One thing you have to remember is that the Superchip cannot suddenly turn a 2.5 ton pickup truck into a fire-breathing monster. It's a 10%-12% power-gainer, and that's how it has to be viewed. Which, for the price is a fantastic gain. I wish there was a part or a series of parts that you could say, multiply both the cost and the power gain of the Superchip by a factor of 5. I'd be happy to pay $1000-$1200 for a 100-120 horsepower gain, and so would anyone else! Unfortunately, the only thing that will do that for that kind of price is nitrous oxide.
Rich, I think you probably just need to accumulate some miles on it. But I would advise you to immediately disconnect the battery, and pull the headlights on for a few minutes, to drain any residual voltage from the IC's in the computer, and then re-connect it. This will force the computer to immediately begin it's re-learn cycle, and gives a better immediate result.
In a situation like yours, what we suggest is to do the battery disconnect as I described above, and then use it for a solid month. Then take it out for at least a week, so you can see what the truck runs like without it. Then reinstall the Superchip again, and there won't be any doubt in your mind about what it does, just make sure to disconnect the battery each time you install or remove the Superchip.
Another thing to remember is that it can take as long as 2000 miles for you to see the best gas mileage from the Superchip. As you accumulate more miles, anytime you are not using heavy throttle you will get better gas mileage, that's just one of the by-products of this type of tuning. You should use the best quality premium gasoline that is available to you, and gas mileage is the single best informal indicator of energy content of a particular gasoline. Once you have accumulated the miles, you will see a mileage increase if you calculate your mileage accurately and consistently, unless you always drive the truck heavily loaded and with heavy throttle. That is what helps to reduce the cost of operation on premium gas, to the point that most people don't see as much as $150 a year in increased fuel costs, and that's in the worst cases.
You simply have to allow the product the time (miles) it needs to deliver all of it's results, and have realistic expectations of what it's going to do.
Good luck!
------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Online Superchip ordering system:https://www.f150online.com/scpp/index.html
[This message has been edited by Superchips_Distributor (edited 04-03-2000).]
Member
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 84
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From: Plano, Texas, USA
The contacts need to be clean as a whistle to avoid any problems with the chip. I'm sure you already know that.
Also, does the chip you bought second hand match the computer code for your truck? Seems like a no brainer, but I don't know what a chip that didn't match a code in a truck would do..or not do.
My own experience with the chip is that the improvements came over time. Yeah, I did notice the stiffer shifts right off the bat, but the more impressive engine performance came as the miles mounted up on the computer. I've heard it said that if you disconnect the battery to the truck and let it sit a half hour or so, that resets the computer so it will relearn its new info with the Superchip faster.
I've had the chip in about eight months now, and that 4.6, even with my pokey-butt 3.08 rear diff. gears, feels a lot stronger than stock, and stronger than it did the day I installed it.
Hope this helps!
Also, does the chip you bought second hand match the computer code for your truck? Seems like a no brainer, but I don't know what a chip that didn't match a code in a truck would do..or not do.
My own experience with the chip is that the improvements came over time. Yeah, I did notice the stiffer shifts right off the bat, but the more impressive engine performance came as the miles mounted up on the computer. I've heard it said that if you disconnect the battery to the truck and let it sit a half hour or so, that resets the computer so it will relearn its new info with the Superchip faster.
I've had the chip in about eight months now, and that 4.6, even with my pokey-butt 3.08 rear diff. gears, feels a lot stronger than stock, and stronger than it did the day I installed it.
Hope this helps!
Thread Starter
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Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 418
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From: Antelope, CA
Thanks for the info. Yes it's the correct code. I removed the entire battery because it was too had to loosen the 10mm bolt from the wire harness. Do I still need to disconnect the battery? I understand it a BIG truck and the 4.6 is a little small for the 4x4 ex-cab and 295 BFG AT tires on it. I just couldn't feel any difference. I don't expect to burn tires. The true test will be when I haul the boat to the lake. Is there a way to attach photos to these topics? Pleae let me know..
Rich
Rich
Former Sponsor
Joined: Mar 1998
Posts: 13,385
Likes: 4
From: Virginia
HI Rich,
You need to disconnect the battery while the computer is still in the vehicle and connected, so that the computer sees a sudden los of power. That triggers the re-learn cycle to begin immediately. If you did that *before* changing over to premium, then do the disconnect again. The bottom line is that you can only expect a 10%-12% power gain, and that is not going to make a 2.5 ton truck suddenly feel like it lost 1000 lbs., it's simply going to make the vehicle feel like it has 10%-12% more power all the time, as that is what is happening.
It sounds to me like you just need to accumulate some miles, and have realistic expectations. These Superchips work exactly the same on all these vehicles engines, and your engine is no different than others here, as long as it's healthy and well-maintained. It's not something that is hit or miss, or that only works sometimes. It always works. It gets down to a matter of perspective, and having realistic expectations.
Bigger tires can sometimes have a drastic effect on these vehicles. I have another gentleman right now that installed the Superchip and loved it, and then installed huge tires and a big lift, and thought the chip wasn't working anymre, which of course cannot happen, unless the Superchip just outright fails, in which case the vehicle won't start anymore. The increased load from larger tires cannot be overstated in some cases. You mentioned installing 295 series, what matters is not the width, but the actual circumference. If the circumference (or effective height) has changed, then that will cause an effective change in your gear ratio, which is what gives us the basic torque multiplication. Increase that circumference, and you can knock a 3.73 gear ratio down to a 2.5 or so pretty quickly. Having as little as 1 inch additional tire height substantially increases the effective load on the engine, and it affects it all the time, under all circumstances and conditions. I don't know how much of a change you have here, but I just wanted to point out that this can indeed be a factor. Some 4X4 shops will not tell you that you must do a gear ratio change to make big tires work "properly", so that they don't lose a sale, as gear changes in 4X4's quickly become a $1500-$2000 expense, which for many will stop a project right in it's tracks. Before anyone gets their dander up, I do not mean to "slam" 4X4 shops in general, there are a lot of great stores out there, and they too, hate to see another fail to properly advise their customers. In most cases, an inch or less change in tire height usually doesn't *require* a gear change, but anyhing much more than that does. In all cases, and increase in circumference will be detrimental to "performance", due to the effective change in torque multiplication.
Many factors can affect your results, but one thing that will not change is the power gain from the Superchip. That is a solid 10%-12% under almost all circumstances, from about 1000-1200 rpm on up. You'll always have that much of a peak gain, as long as you use a good quality premium gasoline, and your vehicle is in good operating condition, which I'm sure it is. So it gets down to just how much effect can a 10%-12% power gain have on your vehicle's current setup & configuration.
In the final analysis, it all gets down to your power-to-weight ratio, combined with your effective gearing and aerodynamic profile that will govern your vehicle's overall performance. If you will do exactly as I outlined in my last response, with regards to using the Superchip, you will see that it is in fact adding power.
Good luck,
------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Online Superchip ordering system:https://www.f150online.com/scpp/index.html
You need to disconnect the battery while the computer is still in the vehicle and connected, so that the computer sees a sudden los of power. That triggers the re-learn cycle to begin immediately. If you did that *before* changing over to premium, then do the disconnect again. The bottom line is that you can only expect a 10%-12% power gain, and that is not going to make a 2.5 ton truck suddenly feel like it lost 1000 lbs., it's simply going to make the vehicle feel like it has 10%-12% more power all the time, as that is what is happening.
It sounds to me like you just need to accumulate some miles, and have realistic expectations. These Superchips work exactly the same on all these vehicles engines, and your engine is no different than others here, as long as it's healthy and well-maintained. It's not something that is hit or miss, or that only works sometimes. It always works. It gets down to a matter of perspective, and having realistic expectations.
Bigger tires can sometimes have a drastic effect on these vehicles. I have another gentleman right now that installed the Superchip and loved it, and then installed huge tires and a big lift, and thought the chip wasn't working anymre, which of course cannot happen, unless the Superchip just outright fails, in which case the vehicle won't start anymore. The increased load from larger tires cannot be overstated in some cases. You mentioned installing 295 series, what matters is not the width, but the actual circumference. If the circumference (or effective height) has changed, then that will cause an effective change in your gear ratio, which is what gives us the basic torque multiplication. Increase that circumference, and you can knock a 3.73 gear ratio down to a 2.5 or so pretty quickly. Having as little as 1 inch additional tire height substantially increases the effective load on the engine, and it affects it all the time, under all circumstances and conditions. I don't know how much of a change you have here, but I just wanted to point out that this can indeed be a factor. Some 4X4 shops will not tell you that you must do a gear ratio change to make big tires work "properly", so that they don't lose a sale, as gear changes in 4X4's quickly become a $1500-$2000 expense, which for many will stop a project right in it's tracks. Before anyone gets their dander up, I do not mean to "slam" 4X4 shops in general, there are a lot of great stores out there, and they too, hate to see another fail to properly advise their customers. In most cases, an inch or less change in tire height usually doesn't *require* a gear change, but anyhing much more than that does. In all cases, and increase in circumference will be detrimental to "performance", due to the effective change in torque multiplication.
Many factors can affect your results, but one thing that will not change is the power gain from the Superchip. That is a solid 10%-12% under almost all circumstances, from about 1000-1200 rpm on up. You'll always have that much of a peak gain, as long as you use a good quality premium gasoline, and your vehicle is in good operating condition, which I'm sure it is. So it gets down to just how much effect can a 10%-12% power gain have on your vehicle's current setup & configuration.
In the final analysis, it all gets down to your power-to-weight ratio, combined with your effective gearing and aerodynamic profile that will govern your vehicle's overall performance. If you will do exactly as I outlined in my last response, with regards to using the Superchip, you will see that it is in fact adding power.
Good luck,
------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Online Superchip ordering system:https://www.f150online.com/scpp/index.html
Thread Starter
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Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 418
Likes: 0
From: Antelope, CA
Thanks Mike I will disconnect the battery just to make sure. Also I was wondering if you could sent me some warranty info and any additional papers that come with the chip. I'd like to read up on the chip. Thanks again, if you need the full name of the guy I bought it from let me know. I purchased it from a guy on the classified adds. His post is still currenty on there. I checked with you prior to buying it.
Thanks for the help!!
Rich
Thanks for the help!!
Rich
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Former Sponsor
Joined: Mar 1998
Posts: 13,385
Likes: 4
From: Virginia
Dear Rich,
Since you bought your Superchip used, you will need to get all of that from the original owner.
------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Online Superchip ordering system:https://www.f150online.com/scpp/index.html
Since you bought your Superchip used, you will need to get all of that from the original owner.
------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Online Superchip ordering system:https://www.f150online.com/scpp/index.html
Thread Starter
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Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 418
Likes: 0
From: Antelope, CA
That would be fine if the original owner still had it. I had contacted you prior to buying the chip. You confirmed the seller did purchase the chip from you. You also stated you would cover the warranty. I have NO idea what the warranty is and like I'd stated before any additional reading material would be great. Even if you e-mail the info that would be fine. I guess what I'm getting at is if the customer service is here now I will buy additional chips from you in the future. I'm a BIG believer in customer service. Without us buyers you wouldn't be doing what your doing. Thanks again..
Rich
Rich
Former Sponsor
Joined: Mar 1998
Posts: 13,385
Likes: 4
From: Virginia
Dear Rich,
If you want to discuss this further, you can give us a call at the number below.
------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Online Superchip ordering system:https://www.f150online.com/scpp/index.html
If you want to discuss this further, you can give us a call at the number below.
------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Online Superchip ordering system:https://www.f150online.com/scpp/index.html