Mike: while towing this past weekend I heard a strange noise>>>>Sounds like whoosh whoosh whoosh @ about 3-4 per second. Only heard it while going up hill (Blue Ridge Pkway) Pulling my 30'travel trailer, keeping cruise on, traveling 65-70mph and only on the steepest hills. Sound only was heard when boost gauge was reading over 20. Engine was not struggling at all. I've been reading about this over on the ford-diesel board and it's been suggested that the chip is causeing some kind of surging w/the compressor fan. Some have pulled thier chips and the sound goes away. Could you look into this please?? At this point I'm quite confused because some say it's bad and others say it's nothing. Thanks

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2k F250 CC SWB 6 speed 4x2 Diesel XLT Super Duty, Woodland Green
Power Mirrors, 3.73 LS, Captains Chairs, ARE tonneau top, rear privacy glass
TT Pkg, Class IV hitch, sliding rear window, running boards, mud flaps
265/75/16 AS OWL tires, am/fm/cassette/cd, rechargable MagLite
Clarion APA 5240 amp, Memphis speakers:Components front, 5x7 rear, 10"sub
SuperChip, Stepshields, Ventshields on windows, rubber bed mat
rugged liner bedliner on tailgate, quick disconnect jumper cables
unaFORDable (decal on tailgate) Western Diesel Turbo Brake (whoa boy)
Finally gauges!!: Pyrometer & Boost on the A-Pillar mount

 

Thanks Mike
In regards to some of your questions: the pyro was staying up around 10+ and dropping to 8 on the down side of each hill. The boost would also drop as soon as each hill evened out and I started down. Both were holding their temps/pressure while going up so no cycling up or down of the needle, just a steady climbing as I went up the hill. If I took cruise off, it stopped the whooshing sound too. This is the first time I've pulled that much of a load over the mountains and other than that whooshing sound, I've had no other problems.
Another question??? I read here that the standard chip for the PSD has been reprogramed for 65/115 What would be involved for me to get my chip reprogramed for that??? Although I must say, I would really hate to pull the chip (it's hard to take away what you're used to). Would it be worth it to have the chip reprogramed???

 

Hi Tina,

We've never heard of any problem like that caused by the Superchip, and we have a lot of PSD owners, many of them with well over 100,000 & 200,000 & more miles on them. Nor do I feel that it's suddenly harmful to your vehicle after using it for all this time, if it was something harmful you'd have known it long before now, as you've been using it for over a year now.

It sounds to me like it's something under a heavy load only, as you described, and that could be just about anything. Yes, the Superchip does use higher boost levels of course, as that is how the additional power is made in any PSD. However, the boost level only rises as a function of throttle demand, and when that happens, if the throttle position is steady, so is the boost level, you don't see the boost gauge cycling up and down, so it can't be the turbo impeller speed varying, or you'd see the boost level varying as well. Since you have a pyrometer, you'd also notice if your EGT's were getting out of line, which you don't mention, so I assume they're fine.

In all fainess I'd have to hear & experience this to have any feel for just what it is you're hearing. I'd say to give us a call when you get a chance, and let's talk about this a bit.

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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 Event Organizer

[This message has been edited by Superchips_Distributor (edited 01-29-2001).]

 

Hi Tina,

OK, thanks for that info, so we know the EGT's & boost levels are doing what they should.

And yes, a number of the programs have been upgraded for a little bit more power in the "standard" program, which has been referred to as our "50/100" program, so that many of those applications now gain about 65 hp & 115 lbs./ft. I need to check and see if your particular computer code program has also gotten those changes, and if so, the only cost to update you is simply the return shipping. So I'll check on that and let you know via email.

In thinking about what you noticed going over the mountains, it brought back from memory some cruise control issues on these Powerstroke diesels that other customers have mentioned on occasion, there have been some complaints about cruise control function from Powerstroke owners, chipped and stock alike that we've heard from time to time, but it seems to happen only when there is a rather heavy load being towed. We don't hear any complaints like that when it's lightly loaded. We've seen complaints about things like wierd noises to a strange vibration to the cruise control cycling up and down a bit in speed, etc. We've gotten some feedback from stock PSD owners, who have said that their service department wasn't very helpful when they complained about this after towing a heavy load, and a couple who were told that Ford knows of a problem of some kind in the cruise control in some of these PSD's, and "is working on it". I don't have any more info than that, and that isn't much at all either, of course we realize. As we don't own a PSD, I can only tell you what we've heard from their owners, but it seems that there is some sort of cruise control issue in some of them when towing heavy loads. What it actually is, I have no idea, and of course the vast majority of our PSD customers don't have any such issue(s). But the few who do seem to be enough to indicate that there may be some kind of issue, time will tell. It might be worth a search of TSB's, etc.

The key here is that these various symptoms only happen under heavy load with the cruise control on. From the people we've talked to, it (meaning the various symptoms I described above that people have told us about from time to time)will not happen if you simply maintain that speed with your right foot on the accelerator instead of using the cruise control, which tells you it can't be a Superchip issue, but instead it's a cruise-control issue, or it would happen when not using cruise control. Of course that can be rather inconvenient especially for those who are having issues with the cruise control varying speed up and down. We have one gentleman who has this particular symptom consistently, where the speed varies up and down under a heavy load with the cruise control set, and it aggravates him to the point where he just can't tolerate using the cruise anymore.

If you happen to come across anything in the way of a TSB, etc. please do let us know! Meantime, we'll check your code & get back to you in email, Tina.

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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 Event Organizer

[This message has been edited by Superchips_Distributor (edited 01-30-2001).]