I posted a message in the regular engine part unaware there was a spot specific for chips!! I have fallen into a Superchip. I took my 2001 Screw 5.4L 4x4 into the shop because I noticed it would down shift right when I would step into the accelerator after coasting or yielding. The dealer said that the previous owner had put a chip in it and it was making it shift at those times. It kinda clunks when it down shifts? So my question is, is the dealer right in their assumption and will this hurt the tranny? Dealer says no. No other mods done to the truck by am considering the K&N with airbox mod. Anything else I should be aware of?? Thanks for the help.

 

The computer is on the passenger side of truck, you can often get a good look at it from insode the cab. See if you can fuind the chip installation instructions on the web for a better idea where to find it, you will likely be able to see a chip on the comp.

The chip prolly is firming up the shifts as well, that combined with all the extra moving parts on the 4x4 would account for the clunk. Firming up the shifts actually reduces heat buildup and prolongs the life of the tranny. The normal soft shift is slippage which builds heat which of course is a tranny's enemy. If your dealer has no problems with a chip being in the truck, I say enjoy it. Many wont cover warranty work if a chip is installed.

 

Hi Sxmax,

Well, to begin with, you can easily check your PCM (Powertrain Control Module, referred to generically as "the computer") to see if in fact it does have a Superchip installed. You'll find the PCM just above the passenger's kick panel inside the cabin. The PCM looks like a rectangular-shaped aluminum box, and the way it's mounted in the late-model F-150, the height is 6 inches, the width is 1.5 inches, and it's about 9 inches long. If it has a Superchip installed, you will see the blue Superchip module right there on the back of the PCM (the back of the PCM will be facing the rear of the vehicle, so you'll see it right away once you find the PCM), as soon as you look above the passenger's kick panel.

If you do have the Superchip installed, you need to make sure to use *ONLY* premium gasoline, 91 to 94 octane. You also need complete instructions & documentation on that Superchip so you'll know exactly how to install it, how to properly remove it, how to prepare the vehicle to take it in for service, etc., so you should give us a call to go over this. You'll also want to check to see if the previous owner kept the black plastic snap-out tab that goes on the back of the PCM, it has to be removed to install the Superchip and should be replaced anytime the Superchip is removed. Many owners will put them in the glove compartment, as that is what we suggest in our Performance Products documentation we write for the Superchip.

A Superchip with the standard performance program is not going to damage your automatic transmission. There's no telling what's actually in that Superchip since you apparently bought the vehicle with it already installed and didn't know about it. It might have a program for extra-firm shifting, and that might be causing a bit of a clunk during a downshift, for example, and that cna be corrected. Give us a call & we can go over all of this with you, as well as the things that any owner of a performance chip needs to know, we'll also see if we can determine just what program is in that Superchip (it should have a label on the side facing the PCM, so it will have to be removed to determine that), etc.

Talk to you soon!

 

My service manager was unaware of the exact brand when he called, so when I got to the dealer, unfortunate it was not a Superchip, it was another brand. With all the info you have given me, I wish it was. Thanks for you help.

 

Hi sxmax,

Not a problem!

I saw your other thread where you were asking for info on that particular brand, but it's not any of the "brand name" chipmakers, so we're probably not going to be a lot of help on that one.
Your best bet in this case is to try contacting that company.

Good luck!