I too wish that i could feel the sheer performance and gas mileage improveent of the superchip. I have been waiting and waiting to finally get my superchip, i finally ordered it and received it 2 days later, . I pull the battery out, unhook the wiring harness, pull the ECU out, clean the contacts, i think i did a very very good job. Put the chip in, hook it all back up. Stick the key in the ignition and turn it to on. All of a sudden i hear the most terrible buzzing sound i've ever heard come from a vehicle. Turn the key to start and all i hear is the alternator turning and turning. MIKE- why when i put the key to on with the chip in, is there a horrilbe buzz, grinding sound coming from the fuse box? Pull the chip out, truck starts. Now i spent almost 45 minutes alone on those contacts, i know they are clean. Is this that problem the little red card has to do with? Do i need something soldered on the inside? I still want the chip in and everything but it really pisses me off that i have to send in my ECU and have my truck down for 2 days. Anyone else have this problem? I know the red card says 98% of the time its the contacts but i doubt it. HELP ME PLEASE MIKE

~FlaresideBeast

 

Did you try to install the chip again?

It almost sounds like maybe you didn't tighten the leads on the battery all the way after you reinstalled it. If they're not making full contact you won't be getting enough current to the starter. (It would act like a battery that's almost dead). It has enough juice to engage the solenoid but not enough to actually turn the starter. If that's it the sound would be a repeating clicking noise (almost buzzing, but not really that loud) as long as you are holding the key in the "Start" positon.

You mentioned that alternator turning and turning? Did you mean the starter or was the engine actually running? Sounds like it wasn't running and what you heard was the starter.

Also, if it sounds like it may be the battery, check the indicator and make sure it's green.

Hope this helps.

 

It wasn't the leads on the battery because i removed the chip and the truck started without touching the battery. And when the key was in the "on" position the engine check light also blinked, faster than a strobe but definately flashing. And the buzzing came from the fuse box, next to the coolant resevoir. And sorry i was just being annoyed by the chip not working, but the alternator wasn't turning and turning cuz it was running it was turning because i was pissed it wouldn't start. I was really waiting for it to fire up but it just wasn't meant to be.

 

When I first installed my chip, I also thought I got all the "stuff" off my board. (mine didn't start the first time) I did get it all off, but some of the leftover that was scrapped off, some-how got stuck on the chip it-self. So I carefully had to check all the contacts on the chip, and sure enough there was some of the "stuff" on a contact. Cleaned it off and it started right up!

When I called Superchips, the guy told me that EVERY contact has to make a GOOD connection or the truck won't start. Maybe you don't have a good solid connection?

Thought this might help.

 

Hi Flareside Beast,

Hang in there my friend, we'll get you taken care of, and get to the root of the problem. Sorry to hear you're having a problem, but it's always easily taken care of one way or another, and we're happy to help you, so don't panic, it's going to be OK.

First, we ask that you PLEASE read and follow your Performance Products documentation that comes with every Superchip we ship for these vehicles, as it tells you *exactly* what to do when you need help. It clearly tells you to contact us by telephone for Tech Support, that is the *only* way we can help you.

We cannot give Tech Support here on F-150 Online, that needs to be done over the phone, because we can go over a number of steps with you to diagnose what the problem actually is, so we'll know how to help you solve it.

What we have to remember is that this is the public web site F-150 Online, not the Performance Products Tech Support web site, and this, among other reasons, is why we write such clearly detailed documentation that tells you what to do if you have a problem.

In your documentation, we tell you specifially not to try getting Tech Support from us here on these message boards, as it's nowhere near fast enough a medium to give you the kind of service we want to. Tech Support simply cannot be done online or in email, it has to be done over the phone.

Also, we have to respect the policies of F-150 Online that all of us agreed to when we registered to be able to post here. One of those policies is that anything that is of a detailed nature between Vendor & customer in nature, such as pricing, order status, RMA's, Tech Support, those kinds of details *must* be conducted privately, off of these message boards, so as not to unfairly tax the already tremendous bandwidth needs of this web site.

Don't get me wrong, we *WANT* to help you and we're more than happy to, all we ask is that you PLEASE follow what your documentation tells you to do when you need help and call us, we're more than happy to help you find the real problem and get up and running with your Superchip. Though we are not officially open over the weekend, we do return all calls for Tech Support, as it tells you in your documentation, so please, just give us a call, and we'll be happy to help you, ok? Thanks!

 

Hey Flaresidebeast

As Mike T. said ...hang in there.

Had same thing happen to me. Except, in my case, no noises of anykind, just a no start.

Doubled checked what i did, still no start. OK.......Next step:

HELLO, yes this is Mike T etc,etc. No hesitation at all. Heres what to do, heres your options & finally This is what i can do for you.

In my case i did have pcm (jumper) problem.

This was resolved thru Mike T. & Superchip. 100% satisfaction.

A few of us have experienced this, cant say thats your problem. Many times it turns out to be something overlooked etc.

I know the feeling of "Oh man, why me" so, hang in there!

Good luck. Keep us posted. OT

 

I had the same problem happen to me with a Diablo Chip and I had to have the pcm replaced. Mechanic said the chip was bad and burned up my comuter. Man was I pi$$ed.

 

I was told, by the company I got my Superchip from, that I had to clean the computer contacts until they all turned gold...on both sides. Is this true? I was worried that I was going to start damaging the contacts if I cleaned too much. I rubbed a small screwdriver over mine and felt metal on metal, but the contacts were silver not gold.

Flareside, maybe you are having the same type of problem. What color were your contacts after you finished cleaning them?

Does anybody know if they should be gold or not?

98' XLT, 5.4L, 4x4, tow pkg.

 

Hi ColoFord,

In a word, NO!!!!!!!

You *NEVER* ever want to scrape on those contacts until the copper is exposed, that is an absolute no-no. Sure, that can allow the vehicle to start, but it won't run like that for long, as the copper is far too soft to last long-term. Anyone saying to do that doesn't know much about this, so whoever told you that is in error, my friend.

It's usually OK if you have a *little* bit of copper exposed, perhaps along 1 or 2 edges of a contact or two, but no more, you do NOT want to deliberately try to remove the protective tin coating.

The contacts are "layered", as they are on just about all PCB's (printed circuit boards).

First there is the clear-colored silicone-based conformal coating that is sprayed over the entire surface of the circuit board, this is what needs to be removed from the connector, and *only* this. This is not any part of the contacts themsleves, this is just the conformal coating, and that is all that should or needs to be removed. Sometimws you will have a little bit of cooper exposed from scraping the contacts, and while that is to be avoided, if it's just a little bit, usually that's OK, though not desireable, it usually doens't pose a problem operationally.

Next there is the protective tin coating over top of the contacts (this is the top "layer" of the contact itself), which is what gives them that silver or shiny appearance, and then finally, the actual copper contact underneath.

You do NOT want to remove that protective tin coating under any circumstances, as that is what protects the soft copper underneath. If that tin is removed, or most of it removed, then you can count on needing to build those contacts back up with some solder at some point in time, and I would recommend doing it now rather than later, so you don't have the vehicle stall on you in traffic, or exhibit a no-start and catch you by surprise.

See, what will happen is that the little "fingers" inside the Superchip can be a little bit "abrasive" over a long period of time (and I don't want to over-emphasize this here, this only applies to when you have all the copper exposed from an improper cleaning technique), and over time, due to the normal vibrations etc. of vehicle operations, the little fingers inside the slot on the Superchip that grip that connector can wear thru that soft copper, and you end up with a partial connection, and voila`, you get a no-start one day.

Don't worry, this is very easy to take care of, you just need to build each contact back up with a little bit of solder. If you cannot do that yourself, we can have Superchips do that for you for a small fee, most people can have someone local to them do that, it's not a tough job for anyone with good soldering experience. All it takes is flowing a little bit of solder back over the copper, to cover it up and protect it again, and the solder will conduct the signal properly so you can use the Superchip.

 

Hi Flareside Beast,

It's kinda hard keeping track with all the screen names here, meanign we can't remember whose real name matches what screen name in most cases, so I don't know if you have called us already for Tech Support yet or not, so I just wanted to check with you and see how you're doing!

If you're still having a problem, please do give us a call, and if you need to call us after our normal hours, which are Monday thru Friday from 10am to 7 pm Eastern, please call or email us & leave your name, number & a good time to call you, & we'll be happy to return the call if need be, ok?

I just didn't want you to think that if your schedule would not permit you to call us during our normal hours, that you couldn't reach us, as we'll make the effort to call you at a better time for you if need be.

Hope to talk with you soon,

 

Guys, listen to Mike T, he's absolutely correct about the contact cleaning. Fortunately for me, I work in the power biz, so I have access to all the tools to clean protective relay contacts. One thing we have to be careful of is not to overclean and remove plating. Same with your engine's computer.

Second, don't try to clean your computer in a dark environment. I actually took mine out and cleaned it in my house, using a table lamp with the shade removed for my light source. I thought I had the contacts on my computer clean, until the first time I stuck it up to the lamp. Boy was I wrong, that coating can be tough to see.

Take your time, don't overclean, use lots of light, and the results will be well worth it.

 

Screwed in NC,

*Very* well said, I can't over-emphasize the need to take the computer inside and use a strong bright light, as that will help you to see what the rest of the board that still has the coating on it looks and even feels like, and you can see much better that way.

It's also a good idea if you happen to have something handy like a magnifying glass, or even reading glasses, to "zoom in" a bit on that view.

Once you've done a few of them, you get to be a "pro" at it, but using bright strong light & some magnification is always a nice idea.

Thanks for your post,

 

Just went through the same thing. Thought I had done a good cleaning job. While at my wits end, I took it out one last time, just to make sure, and sure enough, there was still some coating on there. Persistance, patience, and attention to detail should get you over the hump (I hope). Good Luck!

 

FlaresideBeast,
i had the same concern two weeks ago, i thought i did something wrong. the sound you were hearing was the fuelpump relay under the hood going crazy. i called superchips support line . he knew what the problem was right away. the ecu had a factory flash program. i sent it down to MIKE T. still waiting to get it back. i'll let you know how it turns out.:confused:

 

Hi bigwhite,

Actually, that sound can happen either in the case of a reflash, or in the case of more conformal coating on the connector. In either case the ECU is not getting the correct signals, and that goes away as soon as you either have the connector properly cleaned, or have the correct matching program in the Superchip.

Glad you called today, thanks for touching base!