Normally, I would call Mike but it's a Saturday at 5pm and I know I probably can't get ahold of him until Monday so I'm going to post what's going on here and see if anyone can help.

Thursday evening I filled the tank with 93 octane. Friday, I received my Superchip. This morning, (Saturday) I tried to install it. Here's the steps I went through.

1) I took out the battery all together then undid the 10 mm screw on the wiring harness and disconnected the harness.

2) Slid computer out through front of cab.

3) I cleaned the connector using the little eyeglasses screw driver method. I cleaned it with alcohol and it all seemed to go good. I cleaned both sides to what I thought was very good. I then put the computer back together.

4) I put the computer back into the truck and hooked everything up. I tried to start it and sure enough it started the first time.

(Here's where I think I messed things up)

5) Instead of turning on the lights and disconnecting the batter (I missed that part the first time reading through the documentation -brain fart), I took the truck for a ride.
At first I noticed a increase in shifting and power so I would say the superchip was working then all hell broke loose. At around 55 mph when decellerating the RPM gauge went to 0 and then fired back up. It was running about 2000 RPM at that time. It did this a couple of times. Then on the way back from my aprox 5 mile trip it stalled the engine. I pulled over turned off the power and started it backup and it stated. I manged to get home through the last mile after it stalling 3 times on the way. After I got home I decided to think about things and took about an hour break.

After the break I tried to start the truck and it woudln't start. It would turn over but never start almost like no gas was flowing.

I then re-read the documentation and that's when I saw the Lights trick to reset the computer. I also read that 90% of all bad installations is when the connectors aren't cleaned completely. So I pulled the computer again and re-cleaned the connectors. I'm pretty confident that the connectors are nice and clean. I then put the computer back in with the superchip on it. This time I made sure that the lights were on for 5 minutes before I hooked up the battery. After hooking up the battery I tried to start the truck. No Go. It would turn over just like last time but no ignition.

6) Disconnected the battery. I yanked the Superchip. Hooked battery back up. Tried to start the Truck and it started right up. I pulled the battery again turned on the lights for 5 minutes Hooked battery back up and I'm driving the truck in original mode with no Superchip



I noticed that the Superchip doesn't fit real snuggly on the board but it does seem to have enough pressure and I believe I'm putting it on ok.

I'm running 2001 XLT 5.4L with computer code SVB2.

Does anyone have any ideas if I did something wrong and give me anything else to try. I'm hoping to get ideas before tomorrow so I can work on it this weekend. I get very busy during the week.

Thanks for any help.

Henry Sheldon

 

Hello Henry,

Sorry to hear you're having a problem. This is a very simple installation issue usually, and easy to take care of.

I do have to point out that this is not the way to report having a problem (please take no offense at what I say here, as many people read these posts and a trend can start quickly!) as you'll recall from this quote from our Performance Products documention:

"Remember, if you need help, Technical Support is just a phone call away, so anytime you have a problem with the vehicle not starting with the Superchip installed, or any other issue you think may be related to the Superchip, please call us here at Performance Products FIRST!! Do not attempt to get Technical Support by posting on the message boards of F-150 Online, if you are a participant at that web site. That clogs the public message boards and does not get you the help you need from us in a timely manner, so please just give us a quick call or shoot us an email, please do not post Tech Support issues or problems on F-150 Online, and thanks in advance for your understanding. We’re happy to provide any Technical Support that may be needed, please just give us a call. If you have a problem with your vehicle after installing the Superchip, always call us here at Performance Products before having your vehicle serviced at your dealership, as we may be able to help you avoid a trip to the dealer! The number to call for Tech Support is (540) 862-9515, Monday -Friday 10 am to 7 pm, Eastern time. If you need to reach us during the weekend, please leave us a voicemail, and we will return any calls placed to us over the weekend. Remember, if you don’t call us, we can’t help you."

End of quote.

That is in our documentation for several reasons; because it's common sense of course, that's how to reach us for Tech Support, but beyond that, F-150 Online has very clear (and needed) policies we must abide by that require communications that are of a nature that are between vendor & customer be conducted *privately*, off these public message boards.

And of course, we want to give you the quickest possible service, that's the underlying point in all of this, we want you up and running every bit as much as you want to be! To help us do that, please just give us a call, that's how it all starts.

Just so you'll know, had you called us at 5 pm today and left us a voicemail (5 pm being the time quoted in your post as being your reason for not calling), your call would have been returned before 6 pm, and your problems would already be over, most likely. Sometimes you'll catch us here after hours, sometimes you won't hear from us for a few hours, but we return all Tech Support calls placed over the weekend, so please do not hesitate to get in touch with us, that's always the first step to take when you need Tech Support. We know that many people can only find time to install their new parts over the weekend, so while we're not officially open weekends, we return Tech Support calls so you don't have to wait until Monday to hear from us if you have a problem on Saturday, for example, as in your case.

OK, far too much said.

Your problem is actually very simple, you have a connection-related problem, the cure for which is covered in the troubleshooting section of our instructions. Unless you've gone too far and have copper exposed on your contacts, you simply have more conformal coating on your connector, and potentially also inside the slot on the Superchip, as it can transfer over if the Superchip is installed before all that coating is removed. Assuming that no copper is showing thru on your contacts (or just traces of copper along an edge or two, no copper showing thru in the middle of the contacts), then the connector needs further cleaning, as may the slot on the back of the Superchip. When the Superchip is installed before *all* conformal coating is removed from the entire surface area of the connector covered by the slot on the Superchip, that conformal coating can transfer over into the slot on the Superchip.

On these 2001's, the amount of the conformal coating is quite thick, much more so than in previous model years, and it is clear in color, so it can be tricky to tell if you really have all of it removed or not. Our instructions on removing it and how to check your work, what to do if you have a problem with a no-start, etc. are clear, and tell you what to do, but written instructions can only take you so far, sometiems you just need to talk to us, that's always the best thing to do when you're having a problem, & we're happy to help you thru it.

You need to go back and use something to magnify your view of the connector, under strong light, and look closely, go back and check every bit of your work on the connector, paying particular attention to the area between the contacts as well as the contacts themselves. Scrape lightly but thoroughly, it's almost like "shaving" the conformal coating off, for lack of a better term, looking for anything that flakes off or turns white-ish (make sure it's not silver, indicating metal), that is more conformal coating. It can easily be over 1/8th of an inch thick on these 2001's!

What I would *really* suggest at this pont is to give us a call, and let us work thru this with you to make sure of what the problem really is, and take care of it. Just remember, anytime there is a problem with a Superchip installation, there's a reason for it that can be identifed and a cure for it, and usually it's pretty easy. Sometimes you're better off just leaving it for a while, maybe overnight, and take another fresh look at it the next day. At any rate, please do give us a call, so we can take care of this for you!

We look forward to speaking with you,

 

Mike,
I apologize for posting that message. I will read the documentation again and try all suggestions on there. I also hope I didn't mess it up by cleaning it too much. Thanks for the post and I will call for now on. I thought it was just easier on here during the weekends. Again I apologize for my ignorance.

-Henry

 

Hi Henry,

No problem, & no need to apologize, we really just want to provide you with the best possible service.

Don't ever hesitate to call regardless of what day of the week if you're not sure of something, or if you would just feel more comfortable talking to someone before you go any further, etc. Most people are installing them for the first time, so quite naturally there may be things you want help with, or aren't really sure of perhaps, etc., so anytime you're in doubt, give us a call.

Hang in there Henry, you'll be enjoying your Superchip soon!

 

Mike,

Thanks for all your help. I did exactly what you suggested. I went back to the documentation. Read it throughly and took out the computer this morning. Cleaned it again and this time I cleaned the chip as well. I then taped it on the computer and instealled the computer. It started right up. Superchip is working wonderfully.

Thanks for your patience with me and your help. You were great.

Henry Sheldon