First off, I would like to tell Mike what an excellent organization you are representing. All my questions were answered thoroughly and shipping was immediate when I ordered my chip!

Now that I finally finished scraping off the connection points, I put it in and truck didn't crank. Took it out, scraped some more (not too much copper is showing, but some on each pin) and truck cranked after turning over just a few seconds (longer than usual) only on the first time. Now it cranks normally. Just checking to see if this is normal?

Anyway, as for performance gains. I notice that it pulls stronger than it did before. Strange thing is that it seems to pull harder when normal driving rather than WOT. Maybe that is just me though. Only thing I am questioning is the shifting. I don't notice that great of a difference. I notice some but not as much as I was expecting from the posts I read. Will it be firmer when I put a few more miles (I have 50 on it since install)? Just wondering if this is normal as well.

Thanks again for the customer service and overall I am happy with the chip, I just would like a firmer shift. I will probably be calling you about a transgo kit in the near future to correct this.

Thanks again,

Matt

 

Hi Matt,

Thanks for your post!

Sounds like you just needed to clean the connector better that first time, and that's why it didn't start at first but is now starting and running normally.

Just make sure that you have removed *all* the conformal coating, not just from the actual contacts, but from both sides and every bit of surface area on that connector that is covered by the slot on the Superchip when the Superchip is pushed onto and seated on that connector. Sometimes people make the mistake of cleaning only the contacts. You will also want to check the slot on the Superchip to see if any conformal coating has transferred over from when it was installed before all the coating was removed, as that is very common and will eventually cause a problem. You can get the connector clean enough to allow the vehicle to start and run normally anywhere from as little as just once to as long as a year or more, but still have a problem later on, if *any* conformal coating remains anywhere on the connector or the slot on the Superchip, just to give you some more info on this.

With regard to how firm it shifts, you have a point there, as we are not trying to make it shift "hard," what we're doing first and foremost is reducing slippage as well as improving performance. The transmission calibrations is set up to firm up the shifts in direct relation to how much throttle opening you give it, so that the shifts are firmest at WOT (wide-open throttle) of course, but even then still will not be hard enough to "chirp" the tires on the 1-2 upshift. It's a calibration that can still be used for towing, for example. We generally recommend giving it a month with the Superchip before deciding that you want to do the shift kit as well, so that you have enough miles and enough different driving situations to see how the Superchip shifts to determine if you want harder shifts. One thing to look at are the firmness of an upshift in the rain in the middle of a turn, for example. It's amazing all the things that Superchips has to consider in this regard.

In general, if you want a shift that is firm enough to "chirp" the tires on the WOT 1-2 upshirt, or that is significantly firmer than what the Superchip does over the next few weeks, then that is going to require a shift kit in addition to the Superchip. We can crank up the line presure in the Superchip to make it shift harder, but that isn't the best way to make these trannys shift hard, that works the front pump harder. If you want tire-chirping shifts, that is best accomplished with a combination of the Superchip to take care of all the program issues and the Transgo shift kit to take care of the mechanical issues, set on Level 1. That combination usually gives you a very tolerable light throttle shift yet a nice tire-chirping full-throttle upshift.

Your observation that the Superchip noticeably improves the part-throttle power is right on the money, as there is typically more room for improvement in some areas on part-throttle performance than there is on full-throttle with many vehicles, not just these F-150's. This is one of the neat things about the Superchip, it tunes the engine for maximum horsepower and torque *all* the time, at any throttle position, at any rpm, so you get all there is to safely be had from the powertrain program in any situation from the Superchip.

You'll also notice that your vehicle runs stronger as you accumulate the next few hundred miles and the ECU adapts to it's new program.

Have fun!

 

I am so glad I ordered the superchip, and with my vehicle the install couldn't have been any easier. I printed the information earlier in the week from online and read it over. It was a walk in the park. Now for the interesting part...My F-150 flareside was manufactured in Canada at the Ontario plant, when I got the computer out and took it in the house I immediately noticed something different. Instead of a plug over the opening it was an aluminum snap cover, there were no 6 screws to remove..it had torx screws, one on each side. I opened up the case and the connector had like an electrical preservative grease on them. There was no laquer to scrape, just wiped them off thoroughly and dressed them with alcohol. The whole time for install, including removal of the battery and tray because of the ORP was about 35 minutes. The results of this chip are awesome, especially in the shift performance...Thank again for the chip and the great service. The only thing I wondered about is the fact that the chip doesnt fit flush to the case. The connectors are snapped in and there is about a 1/4 inch gap between the chip and the computer enclosure. Its secure with ductape and works great, just wonder if you've gotten this question before.

 

Hi Piercon,

Thanks for your post!

Just a couple of points...........

You do have conformal coating on that board that has to be scraped off *after* removing the obvious grease on that connector. All Ford ECU's have conformal coating on their PCB's (printed circuit board), whether it's obvious or not is another matter, but it's always there. I'd go back and check that again, and scrape that coating off of there, so that you don't have any problem later on. Remember, this coating is clear in color, so you are generally not going to see it until you actually start scraping it off, and then it turns opaque to white-ish when it is scraped off. We've been doing this for many years, longer than anyone else in fact, and not once have we ever had any Ford ECU without conformal coating on it, they all have it. This is done to keep the 4-layer PCB together as well as to keep the components adhered to the board in rapid temperature changes, etc.

The Canadian vehicles are all US-spec as well, there is no difference inherent in Candian F-150's compared to their US counterparts, they all have the same software revisions, ECU's, etc.

You will sometimes see differences externally in the style of cap on the port as well as the screws or Torx-heads, etc., that's perfectly normal and has nothing to do with it being built in Canada.

If that Superchip was obtained from us here at Performance Products, then you need to go back and read our Performance Products documentation *very* carefully, as it goes over all of this and much more in great detail; not only the cleaning procedure and what you will find on that connector, but it also *specifically* instructs you regarding the potential gap between the back of the Superchip and the ECU that some vehicles will have, which has absolutely nothing to do with the Superchip itself. DO NOT attempt to force that gap closed or even try to make it any smaller at all, read and follow our instructions exactly.

If the Superchip was obtained elsewhere, then you won't have our documentation, just the manufacturer's which does not cover any of that.

Good luck & have a great Memorial Day weekend!

 

Piercon, where did you down load instructions on installing a Flip Chip? I bought a used one it didn't come with the papers. Let me know. Thanks..............Scott