Got my chip back from Mike yesterday. Was in for re-programing from my 97 Rangers Program to 97 f-250 program. On Sunday this past week I did the prep work to get ready for the install. Went to install the chip last night, guess what I have those 1 in 5 trucks with clearance issues in the Computer mounting, so I had to take the computer back out, to bend the lip on the vertical part of the computer mounting bracket so there wouldn't be issues with the chip.
Results, Well my main goal is MPG, this will take a week or 2 to see. But the drivability is Great, the other thing I wanted. With this truck I could see a lot more contrast in having vs not having the chip, than in the Ranger. You know when it down and up shifts, and firm. The only thing I thought was just a little diffrent this time was that if you let off the gas saw doing (30mph, hard to do, just s TINY amount of gas pressure) and then got back on the gas again, there is a more noticable shift of gears. IE let off, instant unlock or down shift, get back on, instant lock or up shift. This is fine, just more noticable now. Performance is good and shifting is Great. We will see how MPG is. Mike has been GREAT, Thanks for taking the time to help me out!!!!!!

 

Hi thomasjs,

I did not know about the clearance problem till last weekend when I had a total system shutdown while I was driving. Even the “--------“ in the odometer. I found not only did I have a clearance problem in which the bracket wedges between your superchip and computer but I also found that my meticulous cleaning job was not good enough as I had re-cleaned my contacts and found so much more of that conformal coating stuff. My bracket was actually cutting though the tape that I had put over the superchip.

 

Hello LaserNAV,
Good thing nothing happened to the computer. My worst fear of messing with the chip and it is a possible burn out. Yup, there is A Ton of conformal coating on the computer, I found Brake Cleaner (Acetone) works great to ensure it is gone for good, that stuff melts the coating quick, using a contact brush to control where I used it. Seems like a few of use have the bracket issue :-), mine was so bad there was no way to secure the computer back in place with the chip installed.

 

Hi thomasjs
You should post your fule millage when you find out what your increase is. I am currently doing a measurment on mine. I heard that it takes 1K miles for your computer to completely re-learn you driving habits and engine ..... I am going to try and compare at this point as well.
I so far my increase has been about 3-4 mpg after about 300 miles.

Good luck



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2000 Navigator. Laser Red, Every option. ,FIPK Superchip, Rear air deflector, Bug deflector, PIAA headlights (SUPERWHITE)

 

Hi thomasjs,

Ahh, so that's right up your alley then, you've had a lot of experience in doing that. I'll bet you've seen more conformal coating than you ever cared to in that line of work!

Proper (meaning complete) removal of that conformal coating is the key to the Superchip being able to communicate with the computer of course, and as long as that is done and there is no interference issue with the "tab" on the mounting bracket, there are rarely any problems with a Superchip installation. It would be nice if we had a way to quickly & easily remove that coating for first-timers using a solvent of some kind, but as I'm sure you've seen with all your experience in this field all too many times, in the wrong hands it can be a complete disaster.

By the numbers, just over 98% of everyone installing a Superchip we provide has no problems or issues, and everything goes well. Among the just under 2% who do have some kind of issue, over 95% of the time it's simply more of the conformal coating still on the contacts needing to be removed, and it's hard for those without any experience with this stuff to accept sometimes that there is still more of that clear coating on there.

------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Performance Products F150Online Superchip ordering system: F150Online Superchip Ordering System
First National F-150 Online Rally Event Organizer

 

Superchip ordered yesterday, Oct 23. Will report results.

PS: LaserNAV, I'm an Amsoil dealer.

 

Superchip ordered yesterday, Oct 23. Will report results.

PS: LaserNAV, I'm an Amsoil dealer.

 

WOW, 3-4MPG That is great!!!! I can only hope. For me I drive 500Miles a week. So every MPG counts. I will post in the next couple of weeks on here about mine.
Thanks for shareing about yours!
Take care!

 

Hi thomasjs,

Glad to hear your installed & up and running! Your probably going to feel more effect from the Superchip in this vehicle simply due to the differences in the stock programming between the Ranger you had and this F-truck.

I always cringe when I hear that someone has used solvent on the contacts, as that can melt the PCB (printed circuit board)if it gets anywhere it shouldn't. It's great stuff *if* properly controlled, as it will melt and cut right through that conformal coating, no doubt about it. In the "wrong" hands, it could be a disaster, but obviously you know what you're doing, and it worked well for you.

We are starting to see more of those "tabs" on these mounting brackets over time, so we may be on our way to seeing more than just the 1 in 5 we had estimated that seem to have this from our experience, only time will tell.

Have fun!

------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Performance Products F150Online Superchip ordering system: F150Online Superchip Ordering System
First National F-150 Online Rally Event Organizer

 

Hi LaserNAV,

Thanks for calling, I enjoyed speaking with you. It will be interesting to see what your mileage increase ends up at, once you actually fill it back up and do the manual calculation.

Getting an apparent increase of the 3.5 mpg you told me about is an *excellent* result, and we don't have a lot of data on those DOHC Navigators, as there are a lot fewer of them than there are these F-150's, of course. The V-8 automatic F-150's usually average about 1.5-2.0 mpg increase when not using a lot of heavy throttle, and your initial numbers are well above that. But of course, you have a completely different engine, the 5.4 DOHC has little in common with it's SOHC counterparts. My 4.6 DOHC in the Mark 8 picked up 2.3 mpg, and the numbers we get back in general on those DOHC motors tends to be a little bit higher of a mileage gain than in the SOHC's, so it will be very interesting to see what your numbers are over time.

You may get all of your mileage gain pretty quickly, or, you may be like some other 1999 & newer vehicles we've had here, that get about half their mileage gain pretty much right away, and then the rest of it more slowly, only time will tell. We've seen some vehicles that can take as much as 1500 miles or a bit more to complete their mileage gains, my wife's 1999 4.0 Ranger was like that, as have been a few others we did some informal "testing" on the first quarter of this year.

By the way, I'm just curious, what kind of headlamp bulbs are you using, and at what wattage? I went to 100 watt bulbs all the way around in my Mark 8's 4-headlamp system (2 for low beams, the other 2 for high beams), and also installed a harness that allows for all 4 headlamps to be on at the same time under high-beams.

Have fun!

------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Performance Products F150Online Superchip ordering system: F150Online Superchip Ordering System
First National F-150 Online Rally Event Organizer

[This message has been edited by Superchips_Distributor (edited 10-24-2000).]

 

Hello Mike,
Yup, Chemicals in the wrong hands is dangerous. I worked in an ARMY repair depot (Electronics repair), got to know conformal coating all to well. Lots of equipment gets ruined with this stuff, also by the people who remove it. One of those, don't try this at home things. My coating was very heavy, instead of risking issues of removing it with tools, I went this way carefully.
Just shareing, God I love you guys :-) HAHAHA
This board has been great and you have been a pleasure to work with. So how do you remember it all. You certainaly have a lot of knowledge.
Take Care!!!