need expert help
Thread Starter
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Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,105
Likes: 4
From: oceanside C.A.
need expert help
ok i had a hyperteck tuner but it got stolen like 3 months ago, i still have the tune on my truck, my ? is can i just get another tuner of a diffrent brand to change the tune that is on there or do i have to take it back to the dealer get it reflashed and then i can use another tuner? does anyone know?
Thread Starter
|
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,105
Likes: 4
From: oceanside C.A.
damn just what i didnt want to hear does anyone know how much this will cost? i have the extended 75000 mile 5 year warenty but when they see my truck and the mods they will laugh at me
Former Sponsor
Joined: Mar 1998
Posts: 13,385
Likes: 4
From: Virginia
Hi Big,
I advise getting the PCM flashed back to stock - that is not a must, but if you don't you will NEVER have access to your original factory tune, and everyone should be able to return to stock if need be. For example, we can make a custom Micro Tuner for your truck (and that would get a *FAR* better result) - but when it is installed, it's going to treat *whatever* program is inside that PCM as the stock tune, and that is what it will save for you to go back to if you should ever choose the option to "return to stock" with the Micro Tuner. So I recommend having your PCM flashed - even though you have gears installed. It only takes maybe 20-30 minutes from start to finish at a dealership using the Ford WDS system, and what it will cost is up to each individual dealer - some may do it free under warranty if you just ask them to install the latest factory update for that PCM (if there is one, and many times there is). Or, they may charge you $80 or so to flash the PCM - either way it's a bargain. It's not an absolute "must," but I would go ahead and do it if it were my vehicle.
By the way, I know you haven’t asked anything regarding what I'm about to say, but something needs to be pointed out immediately - you are running a potentially dangerous combination there by using Hypertech's standard tuning along with an aftermarket MAF - that's a no-no. Also, you have enough mods on there that you need to upgrade to larger fuel injectors - which requires custom tuning.
We strongly recommend NEVER using any MAF meter different from stock without datalogging & having a proper custom tune done on the vehicle - otherwise you are taking big chances with the motor due to the transfer function being altered. Regardless of GMS’s power gain claims (they usually claim a 17 HP gain from that meter on a 5.4 F-150), the only way you get any real power gain from that GMS MAF on a vehicle that is not making enough power to peak it's stock MAF meter (like yours) is from it leaning out the A/F ratio & skewing the load so more spark is delivered - that's dangerous, and should be avoided.
To be clear, I am NOT saying that all GMS MAF's are going to automatically cause problems - some have been OK if they are not calibrated to a different-than-stock injector size (at best) and when used with the stock factory tuning. But we have seen enough problems with many aftermarket MAF's (Pro-M, GMS, C&L, etc.) that we simply do not recommend using an aftermarket MAF meter unless the motor actually *requires* it due to a very high power output, and even then, ONLY with a proper custom tune based on proper datalogging being done.
Right now you're not making enough raw engine power to actually *require* a MAF meter upgrade at this point (your stock MAF meter can support 325+HP no problem), but with your current mods and our custom tuning, even using your STOCK MAF meter that engine WILL be making enough power to require a fuel injector upgrade.
I'd recommend either going back to your stock MAF meter or changing it out for a Ford 90mm unit so you have a reliable & consistent MAF meter calibration, upgrade the stock 19# injectors to 24# units, and have us do the required custom tuning. I'd use a 90mm Ford MAF and drop in a set of 24# injectors - between the 90mm MAF and our custom tuning, you'll pick up a good deal of power, usually somewhere between 35-40 HP over what you’d make with the stock tuning with a configuration like your truck has, and an easy 20+ HP (if not more) over what you're making right now with that Hypertech tune & GMS MAF installed. (That's a bad combo – never run “standard” performance tuning with an aftermarket MAF meter!).
Doing what I have recommended will really wake that truck up and improve it's performance significantly, as well as be much safer than the combo you're running right now. It doesn’t matter that you may not be getting check engine lights on the dash - you have a problem that needs to be addressed, which is not enough fuel injector capacity as well as that GMS MAF's calibration may well be off, and you're using standard Hypertech performance tuning with an aftermarket MAF. You can't know without proper datalogging just what that MAF meter change has done, but remember - in most cases where you change to any aftermarket MAF meter, that is NOT a "bolt-on" mod as those manufacturers like to claim - their calibrations are not really consistent, so changing the MAF meter *always* requires datalogging - and usually requires custom tuning to compensate for too. Even then in many cases the aftermarket MAF’s just don’t respond correctly to having the transfer function dialed in - especially over the past couple of years since Pro-M (who supplied most of those MAF's to GMS) and other aftermarket MAF meter manufactures have been delivering far less than consistent MAF meter calibrations.
I should point out that you have an awesome truck there with a lot of *very* nice modifications - it's obvious you have spent a LOT of money on it and take great pride in that vehicle - just as you should, I think any of us here would be proud to own it! It just needs a little bit of "tweaking" to make it safe and significantly increase it's power & performance, too.
Give us a call if you have any questions on this, we'll be happy to go over this with you.
Good luck!
I advise getting the PCM flashed back to stock - that is not a must, but if you don't you will NEVER have access to your original factory tune, and everyone should be able to return to stock if need be. For example, we can make a custom Micro Tuner for your truck (and that would get a *FAR* better result) - but when it is installed, it's going to treat *whatever* program is inside that PCM as the stock tune, and that is what it will save for you to go back to if you should ever choose the option to "return to stock" with the Micro Tuner. So I recommend having your PCM flashed - even though you have gears installed. It only takes maybe 20-30 minutes from start to finish at a dealership using the Ford WDS system, and what it will cost is up to each individual dealer - some may do it free under warranty if you just ask them to install the latest factory update for that PCM (if there is one, and many times there is). Or, they may charge you $80 or so to flash the PCM - either way it's a bargain. It's not an absolute "must," but I would go ahead and do it if it were my vehicle.
By the way, I know you haven’t asked anything regarding what I'm about to say, but something needs to be pointed out immediately - you are running a potentially dangerous combination there by using Hypertech's standard tuning along with an aftermarket MAF - that's a no-no. Also, you have enough mods on there that you need to upgrade to larger fuel injectors - which requires custom tuning.
We strongly recommend NEVER using any MAF meter different from stock without datalogging & having a proper custom tune done on the vehicle - otherwise you are taking big chances with the motor due to the transfer function being altered. Regardless of GMS’s power gain claims (they usually claim a 17 HP gain from that meter on a 5.4 F-150), the only way you get any real power gain from that GMS MAF on a vehicle that is not making enough power to peak it's stock MAF meter (like yours) is from it leaning out the A/F ratio & skewing the load so more spark is delivered - that's dangerous, and should be avoided.
To be clear, I am NOT saying that all GMS MAF's are going to automatically cause problems - some have been OK if they are not calibrated to a different-than-stock injector size (at best) and when used with the stock factory tuning. But we have seen enough problems with many aftermarket MAF's (Pro-M, GMS, C&L, etc.) that we simply do not recommend using an aftermarket MAF meter unless the motor actually *requires* it due to a very high power output, and even then, ONLY with a proper custom tune based on proper datalogging being done.
Right now you're not making enough raw engine power to actually *require* a MAF meter upgrade at this point (your stock MAF meter can support 325+HP no problem), but with your current mods and our custom tuning, even using your STOCK MAF meter that engine WILL be making enough power to require a fuel injector upgrade.
I'd recommend either going back to your stock MAF meter or changing it out for a Ford 90mm unit so you have a reliable & consistent MAF meter calibration, upgrade the stock 19# injectors to 24# units, and have us do the required custom tuning. I'd use a 90mm Ford MAF and drop in a set of 24# injectors - between the 90mm MAF and our custom tuning, you'll pick up a good deal of power, usually somewhere between 35-40 HP over what you’d make with the stock tuning with a configuration like your truck has, and an easy 20+ HP (if not more) over what you're making right now with that Hypertech tune & GMS MAF installed. (That's a bad combo – never run “standard” performance tuning with an aftermarket MAF meter!).
Doing what I have recommended will really wake that truck up and improve it's performance significantly, as well as be much safer than the combo you're running right now. It doesn’t matter that you may not be getting check engine lights on the dash - you have a problem that needs to be addressed, which is not enough fuel injector capacity as well as that GMS MAF's calibration may well be off, and you're using standard Hypertech performance tuning with an aftermarket MAF. You can't know without proper datalogging just what that MAF meter change has done, but remember - in most cases where you change to any aftermarket MAF meter, that is NOT a "bolt-on" mod as those manufacturers like to claim - their calibrations are not really consistent, so changing the MAF meter *always* requires datalogging - and usually requires custom tuning to compensate for too. Even then in many cases the aftermarket MAF’s just don’t respond correctly to having the transfer function dialed in - especially over the past couple of years since Pro-M (who supplied most of those MAF's to GMS) and other aftermarket MAF meter manufactures have been delivering far less than consistent MAF meter calibrations.
I should point out that you have an awesome truck there with a lot of *very* nice modifications - it's obvious you have spent a LOT of money on it and take great pride in that vehicle - just as you should, I think any of us here would be proud to own it!
It just needs a little bit of "tweaking" to make it safe and significantly increase it's power & performance, too. Give us a call if you have any questions on this, we'll be happy to go over this with you.
Good luck!
