This is an area I know nothing about and it is all guesswork, so bear with me. I bought an 04 F-150 [new style] extended cab, 8 foot box, 8200 GVW, 5.4 automatic. It was accident damaged but I eventually got it on the road. I noticed it had an AIR-RAID induction system which makes one pretty sound when you hit the gas. Also I noticed the truck had amazing power for a truck of its size and weight. I had driven the truck for a few thousand miles and it always worked great.
Last week I gave the truck to a mechanic who works at a Ford dealership. He does repairs at home but takes vehicles into the dealership if he needs to scan or whatever. He mentioned he re-program the truck while at the dealership. Now the truck as a definite lack of power!
Now my questions: If the truck had an aftermarket chip installed, would this reprograming caused my problem? How do I know if there is a chip installed? Where do I look? Is the chip ruined? What do I replace it with to get the performance back?
Sorry about all the guesswork and questions but this is all new to me. thanks in advance for any help.

 

First of all there is no chip per say for that vehicle. It more than likely was reprogrammed by the original owner with an aftermarket "tuning device" such as an XCal-2, Edge, or any of several others available. I would almost bet on it if there is an aftermarket intake (Airaid) on the vehicle. And YES, by your friend reprogramming it, he has overwritten the tuning that was in the truck when you purchased it causing the loss in performance.
There is no way of testing to see as the present day tuning devices leave no tell tale sign of being used. I suggest you do a search here and using that information, decide on what if any tuning device you choose and then purchase it. I would highly recommend a custom tuned X-Cal2 from Troyer Performance....Good luck with your decision...

 

OK thanks. Not good news but at least I know what to do, if anything.
One question. Am I to assume by the truck being reprogramed, it is now back to the original Ford level of power and performance it had when built?

 

It is back to Ford specs, not necessarily factory ones.

Ford has made changes to their programming as well. That is why many report performance improvements when Ford has updated their programming. The changes are slight and by no means equal to a tuner.

 

OK, Understood. Man this truck is DEAD. I'll have to do something

 

Bringing this up again. In my E-bay search for the names of reprograming tools suggested, I came across modules that add power and sell for $29-$49 dollars. Now, I know you get what you pay for, so are these junk? The buyers all seem happy.

 

Those are junk. I would look into the Edge and Xcal2

 

Hi Daleford,

Glad to hear you got your truck up & running!

In terms of getting it running good again, the hot tip is to have us do our Troyer Performance custom tuning - we've specialized in improving the performance & tuning of these trucks longer than anyone else, 15 years now, so many people come to us for their tuning & other performance needs as a result of our expertise on this specific platform.

We deliver a set of 3 different custom tunes, set up for each individual vehicle owner & however they use their vehicle, so they have maximum flexibility, in a simple to use hand-held tuner.

In the 2004 new style truck with the 5.4 3V engines, it uses the ETC (electronic throttle control) system, and it is just dead from the factory -= very poor throttle response and power - we improve on that quite a bit, making it feel like it should have - far more responsive, and with more power on tap all the time, at any throttle position or rpm - as well as provide much better transmission shift characteristics and many other aspects of overall driveability improved.

I hope this brief info helps, and to go over this in more detail, please give us a call at our number listed below, we'll be happy to help!

 

Thanks for the info Troyer, and I would love to stop by with my truck. Just one problem. I can't seem to find your location, not even on your website! Strange.
Can anyone tell me where they are? thanks

 

I-64 in Covington Virginia.....

 

Well, guess I won't be there anytime soon. Funny they wouldn't advertise that on their website

However THANK YOU for that info

 

Hi Daleford,

I just went and checked our "Contact Us' info, and you're *right* - it doesn't list our location!!!

Sorry about that, we obviously need to get that taken care of!

 

Glad to help. Is there a reward? I may need a reflash