I just bought my Lightning and it's my to and from work vehicle so I plan on keeping it pretty close to stock. Also got 6 years of factory warranty and I want to keep it in effect. And I want to safely stay with 93 unleaded. What experiences are out there with tuning mods and factory warranty issues???

Right now the most I can imagine experimenting with sometime in the future might be a 2 # lower pulley, maybe some chip work, possibly a cat-back exhaust system (but I want performance not just noise), and some drop shackles. I imagine the warranty guys take a dim look at the higher poundage blower pulleys so that may be out. What about the chip work and the exhaust? I figure you can always put the computer program back to stock before a trip to the dealer unless there is a catastrophic failure.

Also, I get the impression that a true free flowing exhaust system can cut boost by virtue of less backpressure - thus maybe less or no more power without going to a higher boost pulley. Is this pretty accurate?

Great forum. Thanks for any help and experiences!

 

Dan,
Congrats on getting a lightning. You will not be disappointed.

Now about that whole warranty thing. If you are worried about it then my best advise is to leave the L stock and enjoy it.
Once the mod bug starts, it doesn't end and FoMoCo is very aware of it.
So unless your buddy owns the dealership or you know somebody then anything done performance wise can be considered a warranty breaker.


VINNIE

 

How well connected with the dealership you are WILL NOT help you one bit if you have a major motor problem. At that point Ford sends a Field service rep out. He, not the dealership decides if Ford pays. Take my word for it ( no one knows better than I ) you will have one hell of a fight on your hands!


Jerry

 

I simply asked what the dealer would allow, and had my salesperson put it in writing. Basically, a CAI and cat back exhaust is typically the limit-but the dealer holds the cards literally and figuratively.

 

1. Get money back for extended warranty

2. Put money in bank

3. Mod the ***** out of truck until it explodes

4. Spend warranty money on bullet proof lower end

 

swiseuf,

The dealer DOES NOT hold the cards on major repairs. You are wrong sir. Please do not give out this wrong info.

Jerry

 

Jerry is correct on the "major repairs" comment-I was not as specific as I should have been regarding major repairs. I blew an engine on an older model warrantied truck, and it was outside of the dealerships call to determine what to do.

 

swiseuf,

Sorry is I came off as an A-hole, but I did not want anyone to get the wrong idea.


Jerry

 

w/o warrenty voidance I would go with boost bypass (unplug the selenoid most likely for ex fix to bring it back). the catback. Factory tech valve body. and new cold air intake of some kind. chip and pullies get their attention usually.

 

Jerry- no harm no foul. You are only trying to look out for others, and I totally respect and appreciate that.

 

6 years on the warranty ? Thats a LONG time. Six LONG years
Six LONG years in the slow lane.
WHY fight it ? Try and get some money back from the extended warranty and then open the hood and throw fi****lls of dollars at it. Wait.... make that buckets of money, your hands can't hold that much.

 

Had to go to an all-day car show yesterday and couldn't reply back until now. Thanks for all of the responses. Sounds like unless I want to find yet another vehicle for a daily driver (too many garage queens already according to my wife) I better leave well enough alone except for maybe a set of catbacks and minor tweaks. I would kind of like the warranty to last at least as long as the payments. A couple of followup questions:

What is the purpose of unplugging the boost bypass? Is this pretty much the same thing as a wastegate on a turbo to limit the amount of boost? How safe is that in cool weather - in terms of high high might it go w/o bypass?

Still curious about aftermarket catbacks effects on backpressure and boost?

Thanks

 

It is true that it is out of the dealers hands in the event of a maor letgo. I work at a SVT dealer we had a 02 SC HD come in with a rod out the side of the block, the truck had 3,500 Miles on the clock. Ford told us to pull the computer and the plugs over the blown cyl's, they sent an inspector he took pic's of the computer board (where a chip had been slid on it) and pic's of the burned plugs and the hole in the block and left. Ford called us back and told us the waranty was VOID on the engine. Here is my advice if you wan to mod your truck: 1-Get another computer and leave your orig. untouched (also computer # must match the sticker on the right door) 2- put in colder plugs and save your old stock plugs (so you can put them back in) 3-Save all removed pulleys,air cleaner parts, etc for reinstall if your engine lets go then you have the best shot at getting past an inspecton. It will be worth it the repair on the HD Truck was going to be around 8,000 he declined repair

 

Thanks. Anyone on catback exhaust and boost bypass questions?

 

Lightning5.4 that is really good advice...thanks for the input!

SVTarkansas: yes, the boost bypass is helpful only in that it prevents loss of boost after a burnout (helpful at the track)...and from what I hear a catback ir neither helpful nor harmful except it makes it sound nice and will be beneficial in the long run with high horsepower (in conjunction with LT headers.) good luck man

-Mike