Help!

I have a 2006 4.6L with a superchip flashpaq and a K&N CAI.

I put on the CAI because the tech support at superchip said I'd be fine with my 4.6L and it's only a problem with 5.4L, so I was like cool.. and put it on.

For 3 days, it was awesome, noticed a ton of extra power, truck was haulin' all the way to 100..

Well when I left work last night, it was a different story. The truck has almost no power anymore it seems like, it revs up more than it accelerate, and it seems like it's shifting late..

I have used a quarter tank of gas in 70 miles.[the first quarter of the tank, the one that takes forever to burn through!] Holy Crap that's bad, even for my truck, which has always been bad!

It's because all my truck does now is rev up, I don't have an RPM guage to tell exactly what it's doing, but it sucks..

I reverted my truck back to stock and now it seems like everything is ok, maybe notice a lil more power than before because of the CAI, but the truck just feels so wimpy now.

Do I need to buy another tuner, one which allows custom tunes? Because this one doesn't, apparently..

Help!

-Andy

 

Welcome to the forum Dinozero

 

Thanks man. Haha.. I've actually been reading this forum almost everyday for six months. I've just been too shy to introduce myself and my mostly stock truck. But here in the next couple weeks will be my big coming out partly.

I got lift, wheels, tires, CAI, tuner, system, dvd player, and more all added or will be added shortly.

Then I can post pictures and not be embarrassed!

 

People wont knock on your truck... they'll just give you suggestions...


costly suggestions :o

 

Any advice at all to what my problem can be?

I've put my truck back to stock settings, and I notice MORE power than tuned, so it has to be a tuner problem.. or at least I hope. The truck defintely accelerates faster up to 50 in stock mode, but I dunno... it might still be running a little lean or something funky..

I don't have a clue..

 

A programmer "messes" with your PCM, and the PCM controls EVERYTHING!

As to why your truck should run great for three days after installing the programmer and then suddenly acting sick, I haven't a clue either.

When you set it back to stock and it ran better - that tells me the programmer is at fault too, just like you thought.

But, should you get a different programmer? That seems extreme. Isn't there someone you can call and talk to about your problems with this device? (I'm talking about the manufacturer of your programmer here).

- Jack

 

I'd suggest an XCal3 with custom tunes. I'd also suggest Troyer for the tuning, but many have great success with VMP

 

Well, I'm going to call them again tomorrow, but they said it doesn't sound like anything related to the programmer of course, but I think they're just not wanting to admit it, because they told me it would be fine to install the CAI.

Financially speaking, I'm in a easier spot since I actually got this tuner for free from a friend that didn't need it anymore, and I could actually sell it for a small amount, and put it towards a more advanced tuner that allows custom tunes.. that part isn't as bad as it sounds. I never thought a programmer could do so much, so I never would've paid the money before, but now after seeing what they can do, I'd shell out the dough.

But right now, this one is costing me a fortune, cause I'm running premium, and I'm at half a tank with 120 miles. It's just reving up and eating all my gas.. I don't know what would cause it to stop shifting at the right points anymore.. I'm going to try running stock for a couple of days to make completely sure the problem isn't still there..

I definitely notice better power in stock at least up to 40-50, after that.. it still seems a little funny to me, but I'm not 100% sure, because I've never ran stock with a CAI on.

On other forums with users having a running lean problem though, even after they set it to stock it was still screwy, so its hard to say, i've read, on this forum actually in another thread I believe that the 04+ models can run lean with just a CAI on and no tuner attached. So that could still be the problem, and why I'm experience some funkyness above 50MPH even on stock setting.

 

4.6L won't run lean enough to throw a code, you'll be fine with the CAI. It's the sensitive '04 5.4 that has the lean problem, '05+ 5.4's not as sensitive

 

Thanks for the reply. Thats good news, and well, maybe a little bad too.

If that's the case, then would that mean my problems are completely unrelated to the programmer and CAI?

I found a post on my flashpaq forums from another user, with pretty much my same truck but an 04. He was having some major problems with the CAI and programmer I have, not exactly the same as mine, but his truck was stalling out, and acting funny..

After sevel trips to the shop, turned out all he needed to do with remove his CAI, and thoroughly clean the inside of his throttle body, from some kinda oil from the KN that was building up, after he did that, he said all the problems went away..

The only thing with that was, his CAI was installed for much longer than mine, a real long time actually.. mine has only been on less than a week. Then again, mine isn't stalling out like his was though, so maybe that would come later if I didn't do anything to correct it now..

It just sucks cause I'm in a small rural town, with no one around here to take my truck to that knows anything really about these tuners or anything. Everything I do has to be done myself and from research online, etc.. and i'm not a real car savy person at all, though I find the more I read on here, I quickly am becoming one.

I really appreciate all the help I've received so far, I really enjoy reading these forums, the people here are incredibley respectful and mature for a message board.

I'm going to try and give this Bill guy a call tomorrow too, never talked to him, but from what I read he's really nice and knowledgable, he could tell me fairly if he thinks his product would help me I hope.

Andy

 

If he had oil build up, he just over oiled the filter when he re-oiled it.

 

That could well be it, too. He was thinking it was because the tuner was causing it to suck "extra" air into the engine, than would normally do, it was causing an increase, or higher level of the oil than normal to come into the throttle body and cause problems.

But like I said, even if that was the fix, if I had to do that every 5 days, that would be terrible.. because mine hasn't been on that long..

I'm almost sure my trouble has to come from my two recent mods, the programmer and CAI, since my truck is pretty new, just lost my factory warrantly though last month, I would hate for it to be my transmission or something.. that would be terrible..

 

I can tell you with an AF1 CAI + XCal3 oiling the filter every 6000 miles or so, I've had 0 problems.

 

Two things to try..

First disconnect your neg battery cable for about 30 minutes. When you reconnect your pcm will "re-learn" and adapt to your modifications.

Second, and even third really.. lol.. make sure that your MAF sensor is in the same orientation with your new intake as it was with stock. This is important for some reason.. lots of folks here have fixed the problem you describe just by orienting the MAF back to the proper position. Also give that MAF a cleaning spray with an electronic component cleaner. Let it dry for a good 15 minutes or more before closing everything up.

I'd almost say, without knowing anything else, that you've turned the MAF 90 degrees in some direction. The thing probably must be oriented straight up from the ground.

Try all that crap, hopefully it'll help!

 

Wow! Thanks for the reply.. I'm going to try this as soon as I get a chance!

I gotta do some research first though, I'm not sure where my MAF is, and I didn't install my CAI, so I don't know how it was originally. I'm not very vechicle savvy, sorry!


But I can help you guys with any computer problem you have!!

-Andy


Edit: Printed instructions on the K&N out at work, and went out there. Without unscrewing anything, it looks like the MAF is in there correctly according to the instructions. Bummer. But after looking up stuff about that MAF online, it could still very well be that I suppose. Just odd to have trouble with it with my mileage, but anything is possible at this point. So I'm going to go buy some electronic cleaner and see if that helps..