Does anyone know why my hypertech chip is causing spark/engine knock? And how come I am not as happy as all of the superchip users? I never noticed any spectacular change in power or shifting.

97 4.6
3 door
short box
Borla catback
K&N charger
LT275/70 bgf AT TA/KO.

 

Hypertech pinged on 93 in my '98 Nascar, but it did feel pretty (almost Superchipish) beefy to me. Shifting wasn't so great with the Hypertech. One note, not a flame, but I don't understand why Mike from Superchips said that "Hypertech only tunes for W.O.T.," when I drove the '98 like an old lady about 99% of the time... but the truck would ping even if I pushed the pedal down about 1/4 to 1/3 and I got my best fuel economy (by far) with the Hypertech. BTW, I drove like an old lady 99% of the time with the Superchip also, but got 1.0 to 1.5 MPG less with the Superchip.

[PS] How do you like the Borla system?

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Sailor Moon's Toy,
Tuxedo Mask


[This message has been edited by Tuxedo Mask (edited 08-01-2000).]

 

rasskil,

I would not be so quick to point a finger at the chip. How many miles do you have on your 97? Carbon buildup in the combustion chamber will also cause detonation. A dirty MAF has been known to cause ping. The chip pushes the timing to the edge and leans out the fuel mix so it will cause the problem to show up sooner than without a chip.

Regards

Jean Marc Chartier

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00 F-150 XLT SC Flairside 4x4 4.6 w/5spd 3.55LSD
Warn XD9000i, skid plates, Draw tite class III,
Rancho RSX Reflex shocks,
Borla Cat Back
Modified Air Cleaner Outlet Tube
and air box, K&N air filter,
Superchips





[This message has been edited by JMC (edited 08-01-2000).]

 

Hi rasskill,

One of the things most Hypertech chips require is the use of an abnormally cold thermostat, which they use to keep the cylinder head temperatures abnormally low. That is their technique for quelling detonation with the spark advance they add in, and how they do it. We do not like or advise the use of those cold thermostats, as this can contribute to increased combustion chamber deposits over time. However, if you are not using it, that may be one reason why you are getting detonation with their chip.

There can of course be some other contributing factors. I see that you have some fairly good-sized tires on there, sometimes they can increase the load on the motor to the point that it will detonate if they set the timing right on the ragged edge, this may or may not have anything to do with your detonation, just a thought.

The first thing to look at is your fuel supply. Sometimes detonation is not caused by a strict spark advance vs. octane standpoint; certain gasoline formulations ("reformulated", "oxygenated", etc.) can have a lower energy content (measured in # of BTU's per lb. of fuel), and thus cannot support the same conditions in the combustion chamber when tuned aggressively. We do make certain suggestions as to fuels to use with a performance chip. The first of which is, if you like your current results, don't change anything. But in your situation, you should be using the highest-quality premium gas available in your area. Texaco, Amoco, & Citgo generally tend to have high energy contents in most places across the country, as a loose general "rule". Exxon you should generally avoid, as it has just about the lowest energy content of any "name brand" gas we've seen, though it's a clean-burning fuel. Exxon is reformulated year-round. Stay away from any "no-name" brands; you can sometimes get lucky with them, but more often they are not quite up to snuff with that kind of tuning. Shell has also given good results in the East, and not-so-good in the West, according to the feedback we get. There are always exceptions in certain areas of course, but in general, the higher your gas mileage the higher the energy content of a given fuel, so that is your best informal indicator of energy content.

One other thing I wanted to mention is this; the best performance chips for these vehicles can only add about 10%-12% more peak horsepower. Hypertech claims 13-16 horsepower for that application according to their tech staff, whereas the Superchip makes 26 horsepower. My point is, the best expectation you can have in your F-150 4.6 is to see about 10%-12% more raw power, and that is about what to expect the vehicle to actually *feel* like. That coupled with the fact that there is so much potential weight difference in these F-150's depending on their configuration & options can make all the difference in how that vehicle responds. A 10% power gain on a 4200 lb. vehicle feels better than that same 10% gain in a 6000 lb. F-150, in other words.

Your detonation could also be due to a faulty mass airflow sensor, so after you have checked everything else if you still get no improvement, you might want to have your dealer do a diagnostic scan of your vehicle to see if everything is in spec. That should be done with the chip out of the vehicle, so the technician doesn't get a false error code telling him/her that the computer's internal eprom chip isn't functioning. That will happen with either our chip or Hypertech's attached, as engaging that external override data path in the Ford computer causes the computer to turn off it's internal eprom chip, and to seek it's instructions externally, that's exactly how Ford designed it, and most of us take advantage of that convenient design. Removing the chip instantly turns back on the factory chip, though you also need to do a battery disconnect for a few minutes to clear that program, from the computer's memory. Most dealership technicians do not know how that circuit works, so that is why I mention this.

Obviously there could be any number of factors contributing to your detonation. If you like, please feel free to give us a call, and we'll be happy to go over everything in detail with you, so you'll know what to check and in what order. This could be something very simple that when "fixed", will allow you to enjoy your Hypertech chip fully.

Best of luck with your truck,

------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Performance Products F150Online Superchip ordering system: F150Online Superchip Ordering System
First National F-150 Online Rally Info:https://www.f150online.com/rally2000/index.html

 

Mike, Since ford has different programs for different trucks, would that make a superchip in one truck more noticable as another with a different computer code. Like the example you gave above about the the 98 4.6 auto truck(not nascar). How would that truck compare with a 97 4.6 same body configuration, with and without the superchip. Will the superchip bring the 97 up to the performance of the 98 with superchip. So what I am getting at is, is it possible for the superchip to have different amounts of power improvement based on the computer code.

 

Mike, Jean and Tux,

Thanks for all of your replies. I currently have 75,000 miles and I have been running 93 octane ever since I installed the chip. As I recall the problem has not always existed. It began about 4 months after I purchased it and it steadily got worse. It is possible that I have carbon build up or a messed up oxygen sensor. I also noticed the problem after I put the bigger tires on. I guess any of those three problems could be a contributing factor. I am going to bring the truck to the dealer, to check the sensors, and I am still waiting to hear back from hypertech. Hopefully something will remedy the situation. With the 32 inch tires I need every bit of power I can get.

Tux,
I love the Borla Catback. I got the split rear exhaust. It sounds awesome. There is no Cackle and it is not super loud, but it is great to hear that tiny V8 purr like a stockcar. By far my favorite add-on.


Rasskill

 

Hi Tux,

I say that simply because it's true. Here's another fact that you probably did not know about your 1998 NASTRUCK. It had a computer code of FOU1, which is the most aggressive code ever made for that vehicle (the 1997 & newer 4.6 automatic F-150). The NASTRUCK was a special truck that was about 600 lbs. lighter than any comparable 4.6 automatic F-150, and Ford made that program a bit more aggressive, even though they did not change the official power rating of that engine. Even when stock, a number of those trucks would ping on regular gas, and many their owners have to use 89 octane with the factory programming to stop the detonation. Ford then went on to use that same FOU1 code for a lot of other 1998 4.6 automatic F-150's, which are all heavier than the NASTRUCK that the FOU1 program was originally developed for, and more of them detonated stock than any other code. As a matter of fact, we offer two different Superchip programs for that FOU1 truck, because of this tendency to detonate in the FOU1 code. FYI.........

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Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Performance Products F150Online Superchip ordering system: F150Online Superchip Ordering System
First National F-150 Online Rally Info:https://www.f150online.com/rally2000/index.html

 

Hi Four-Tough1,

Excellent question!!

The answer is basically no. The whole idea of programming to each of these different computer codes instead of generically is exactly so we can program for the same consistent result, so the same amount of power is gained by the motor from one code to the next. So the main variable here is the actual truck configuration and hence it's weight, which determines it's eventual power-to-weight ratio.

Now every once in awhile we'll see a unique situation, but by and large the answer is no, the power gained by the Superchip does not vary significantly from one computer code to the next, just as the stock power output from the factory does not vary from one code to the next.

Great question!

------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Performance Products F150Online Superchip ordering system: F150Online Superchip Ordering System
First National F-150 Online Rally Info:https://www.f150online.com/rally2000/index.html

 

Hi rasskill,

OK, best of luck!

------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Performance Products F150Online Superchip ordering system: F150Online Superchip Ordering System
First National F-150 Online Rally Info:https://www.f150online.com/rally2000/index.html

 

The first step that I would do is remove the Hypertech Power Module. This will eliminate any doubt that the tuning is causing the problem. If the pinging continues, then the problem is truck related. Otherwise, the problem is on our end, and we will take care of it immediately.

Thanks!

Sean M. White
Technical Supervisor
Hypertech, Inc.