This would probably be just for Mike. My truck is a 93 5.0 manual trans with a computer code W2M. I installed the chip in the beginning of april and my truck ran pretty smooth for around a month. I however noticed a slow degrade in performance and even a reluctance to start as the chip was in longer and longer. It got to a point that the truck would not even start, and when it was on, the check engine light came on, and it seemed like the engine was stalling and the amperage gauge kept lowering and going back to normal. It smelt like she had been burning a lot of oil. The truck had been since I installed the chip. I had been going through quarts of oil 2-3 before i acutally needed a oil change. It got to a point that I was at school and had to drive her home, a 5 mile trip, stalled out about every mile, with the same problems listed above. The truck had no acceleration and the gears would only accelerate to a certain speed and then just stop no matter how much gas i gave it. I finally could not drive the truck anymore and took the chip out. The first time i turned her over without the chip was perfect. I've been running her for about 3 weeks, and havent had a problem since. I was wondering whether or not this was a defective chip? If so, what do I need to do to exhange it for a new one?

Thanks, Craig Harrington

 

From what you discribed I think your chip has been working itself loose. Did you secure it with good quality tabe to insure it stayed put. Since it worked fine for awhile I would double check that you cleaned it properly and reinstall it as per instructions and see how the vehicle performs. If it still stalls etc. and you bought the chip from Performance Products (MIKE) I would give him a call and I'm sure he will walk you through you're problem. Good Luck.
George

 

Hi Craig,

The first thing you need to do anytime you think you're having a problem with any Superchip that we have sent to you is to call us right away, as that is the fastest, best and only way we can really help you.

From the description of your symptoms, and based on the decade+ of experience we have with these kinds of symptoms being reported and what the actual problem turns out to be over 98% of the time, most likely you just need to clean the connector better and re-seat the Superchip module, making sure to tape it to the ECU properly as well, so it cannot come loose over time from speed bumps, railroad tracks, 4X4 use, etc.

What you are describing there are absolutely *classic* symptoms of a connection-related issue between the Superchip and your ECU (powertrain computer), which is an installation-related problem, and is easy to take care of.

You see, anytime you attach the Superchip to the Ford ECU, the Ford ECU will turn off it's internal ERPOM chip in your EEC-IV ECU and seek it's instructions externally. That means it can no longer access any internal instructions, so if it cannot communicate fully, properly and immediately with it's external alternate instruction set (meaning the Superchip), then that is what you get, hard starts, stalls, and finally it won't run at all until you remove the Superchip entirely. And when you remove the Superchip, voila`, the vehicle starts right up and runs normally. Why? Because when you removed the Superchip, the Ford ECU also turns back on it's internal EPROM chip containing the factory program automatically, that's how that circuit works, like an on/off switch basically (in this regard), so the ECU can now get it's instructions, and so the engine starts right up and runs just like it did before the Superchip. This does not mean anything at all is wrong with the Superchip, it just means that the ECU is not able to *communicate* with the Superchip, and that is virtually always a simple installation problem. It's *possible* to have it be a problem with the Superchip itself, and if so, we'd just replace it for you of course, but that is highly unlikely, something like this is almost always a simple connection-related problem.

One thing that is not in any way related to the Superchip installatin or removal is your engine's oil consumption. It could not have increased from using no measurable amount to using 2-3 quarts in a normal 3000 mile oil change interval as a result of installing the Superchip, that is not even remotely possible, the Superchip cannot affect oil consumption in your vehicle. Oil consumption is a matter of the actual mechanical health of the engine, so if you're using oil, you are either leaking it out, using it internally or burning it internally (inside the motor), but that hasn't changed because of the Superchip. You'll quickly see that your oil consumption does not drop from removing the Superchip.

You may have broken a piston oil control ring, you may have leaking valve seals and thus be using oil internally, you may have blown a rear main seal out of it, it could be any of a number of different things, all of which can happen at any time, but the engine is not using oil now because of the Superchip.

We've seen odd things happen at the same approximate time as a Superchip installation where the customer swears the Superchip had to have caused it. We just a few days ago had a gentleman install a new MAF backwards and burn it up in a mid-90's GM vehicle, but he just knew it was the Superchip product's problem. He overnighted the ECU & Superchip in, eveything checked out fine, he puts it all back in the vehicle which still won't start. Finally, he has the vehicle towed into his dealership, which is where they quickly found the real problem, that the MAF had been installed literally backwards, which eventually caused it to burtn up. And it just happened to finally burn out at the *exact* same time he was programming his GM LT1 ECU with the Superchips Micro Tuner, OUCH!!! Talk about something tough to explain to a customer, have something else on the vehicle just coincidentally happen to fail at the same approximate time as a Superchip installation! We've seen it happen time after time over the years....................

If your oil consumption really is at that level, and if it has increased that drastically at roughly the same time as installing the Superchip, that still means nothing with regard to the Superchip, it's purely coincidental, the Superchip simply cannot have anything to do with that. If you are using 2-3 quarts in 3000 miles, then you have either a serious oil leak and/or a serious internal engine problem, seals, rings, etc. that need immediate repair.

What *is* possible is just as you have described, it not wanting to run, being harder and harder to start and finally it not starting until you removed the Superchip, those are *classic* Superchip installation-related problems.

To directly answer your question Craig, yes, it *is* possible for the Superchip to fail in service. It is so extremely rare as to be about the last possible cause here, but it is within the realm of possibility.

One other thing you have to make sure of on those older vehicles is that the timing is set right, and for those older 5.0's & many other FoMoCo motors, the initial timing needs to be set at 10 degrees BTDC (before top dead center), and don't forget to deal with the SPOUT connector if required on your particular vehicle to set initial (sometimes referred to as "base timing") timing correctly. Sometimes owners of older vehicles that still have a dfistributor you can twist to add in timing will do just that, run them at 13, 14, even as much as 16 degrees BTDC, but when the Superchip is installed, that *must* be at the factory setting of 10 degrees BTDC. Even if you have not ever changed that yourself, that initial timing still needs to be double-checked, as the Superchip controls timing based on the factory setting of 10 degrees BTDC, so if the initial timing is advanced or retarded from that baseline factory setting of 10 degrees, then the timing will not be correct with the Superchip, and that can cause anythign from low power to higher coolent temperatures to driveability problems, and even detonation if it's too far advanced, etc.

The first thing you need to do is to call us for Tech Support, we can be reached at our number listed below, and we can go over all of this with you.

Chances are this is just a very simple installation issue, and we can help you determine that over the phone in most cases.

Hang in there & give us a call, ok? Thanks!

 

Thanks Mike, I plugged her back in and she purrs like a kitten, and yes I did clean her again and taped her on, throughly. One other question for yah. When I'm driving around and I through her in neutral, the amp gauge takes a dive and I lose a lot of power. I dont mean performance, just electricity in general. At night with the lights and wipers on, when I was sitting at a light, the head lights dimmed and and the amp needel lowered. Is that from a lower iddel? Im just curious, again hoping that its something that I can fix!

 

Hi Craig,

OK, glad to hear it fired right up after checking the installation, that's usually what happens, so it was just a simple connection-related issue, very good!

Don't forget to make sure and check that base timing, ok?

If you put it into neutral when driving around like that, then what happens is the engine rpms drop back to idle speed (or very close to it, the point is engine rpms drop), so the alternator isn't putting out nearly as much current as it does when you are in gear & driving around, when the engine rpms are up, so this is simply a matter of engine speed **on the surface.**

Now, to take that a step further, if you are getting any significant dimming of the lights, or slowing down of the A/C cabin fan, etc. anytime you are at idle or when you drop it into neutral like that when driving around, your battery may be due for replacement, or you may have some other underlying charging system ailment. Your system takes it's power from the battery, and then the alternator recharges the battery as you drive the vehicle. So if the battery is drained to the point where lights go dim at idle or when you drop it into neutral like you described, when driving around, it may be that the battery is just old & can't recharge properly, has 1 or more dead cells, etc. So things are fine while you're driving and the engine is turning enough rpms to get nice output from the alternator, but as soon as the alternator is not spinning fast enough to supply the power being asked of the battery, BINGO, low current and dim lights are the result.

Have your entire charging system checked (not just the battery), to make sure of whether this is an actual battery problem, or an alternator problem or a voltage regular problem (which is internal to most alternators these days), etc. to find the *real* underlying culprit.

Good luck!