Greetings all, first post from a n00b.

I just bought my late father's '92 F-150 XLT (5.0, E4OD), and I want to give it a little more 'go' if possible. As it sits, it's breathing through a stock airbox and exhaust; there have been no mods made engine or trans-wise whatever. Basically, it's just like it rolled off the factory floor (except for the new P235-75-R15 Cooper ATS tires I put on this afternoon).

Can this engine be chipped, what's the best (I keep seeing Superchips posts), and what kind of performance increase and milage can I expect? Currently getting ~ 14-15 in town if I stay out of the throttle.

I realize this isn't exactly a performance vehicle (I have my built VW JettaGLX for that), and this is the first Ford truck I've been in since I had my '84 Ranger, obviously this is the first one I've had with electronic engine management so I'm as green as they come as far as anything to do with this truck is concerned. Thus, any help I can get would be appreciated.

Hope to learn a lot here, and eventually be helpful in my own right.

Cheers!

 

www.troyerperformance.com
Go there. I think you'll find what you are looking for...Kevin

 

Hello N.O.T.,

Welcome to F-150 Online, and our condolences on the passing of your father.

Yes, that 1992 5.0 automatic F-150 can be "chipped" - those 5.0's typically gain about 20 Hp or so from our tuning, as well as the top speed limiter being removed, etc., so it's a nice improvement.

With regard to the potential for MPG gains, you may gain some from our tuning - most people do, but it's just a by-product of the increased spark advance on part-throttle in our normal performance tunes, so your results will depend on many factors beyond our control. Like how you operate & maintain your vehicle, what fuel you feed it (that makes a significant difference, NEVER burn "cheap" gas), the terrain, etc. Remember that this is *performance* part, not a magical MPG gainer that will defy the laws of physics (that's my canned MPG phrase) - that's a big heavy truck with the aero profile of a small house. So it's not going to get what some would call "good" fuel economy. You may see 1-2 more mpg from our tuning, which would be a very significant increase in a 14-15 mpg vehicle - but that cannot be promised or guaranteed.

Give us a call at our number listed below & we'll be happy to go veer this with you in proper detail, etc.

Best of luck with your truck, and we hope you'll hang out here with us in your spare time!

 

Kev, thanks for the nudge.

Mike, thanks for the kind words. It's appreciated.

Can you give me some rudimentary nformation on my truck? I know next to nothing about it (other than it's maintenance history - I did it all), basically I'm looking for stock HP, torque rating, everything. I have a lot of learning to do about the ol' girl. Reading up on how to replace the ball joints at the moment (a little squirrely over bumps and in lane changes).

Couple questions:

1. What do you mean by 'cheap' gas - 87 octane? Or cut-rate stations?

2. Does the chip alter shift-points at all, or have any control over the AT at all?

Sure I have more, but can't think of any at the moment...

Thanks for the replies, and your patience as a VW guy learns a new way of life.

D

 

Hi D,

Those model years can be either speed density or mass air, & electronic-control trannies didn't happen in the trucks for a couple more years on most of them, etc., so I can't tell you that until I have more info from the vehicle - just give us a call & we'll tell you where on the vehicle you can find the info we need to know, and then can go over all of that with you on the phone in proper detail.

Just so you'll know for future reference, let me point out a couple of "basics"..............

1.) Any time you have a question, first use the SEARCH feature here - chances are anything you can think to ask has already been asked & answered hundreds or thousands of times over the years here, so you can always use the SEARCH feature to look it up. Learn to use it's search filters, etc., as that is your key to instantly unlocking all the information that has ever been discussed here.

2.) Anything that is detailed in nature we don't discuss by typing - typing takes 100-200 times longer than talking via telephone, and we get tons of emails & posts every day - so we can't go over things like Tech Support, details, etc., here or anywhere by typing - there just aren't enough hours in the day, so we have to do that by phone or in person - and thanks in advance for your understanding on that.

To try to answer some of the other questions............

When I say "cheap" gas, in general I mean not just the fact that it's 87 octane, but also just like you said - the "cut rate" stuff - meaning all of the no-names, off-brands, etc., steer clear of them as they are not only lower in energy content (BTU's per gallon), but also have a lower quantity and quality of detergent additives - you pay less because you *get* less - the retailer isn't' taking food off his plate to give you a better price, you pay less because you get less. This is perhaps my single biggest "pet peeve" as a tuner, far too many people think all gas is the same (no, it's *not*) and just buy the cheapest gas they can find - bad move. That is (IMHO) the second worst thing you can do to a vehicle, second only to not changing the engine oil & filter on time.

There are also some "major" name-brand fuels to steer clear of, like Exxon, for example - it's a nice clean fuel, and in my years in the oil business they ran some of the cleanest & safest refineries & tank farms I've seen (which may surprise some who only know Exxon by their poor response to the Exxon Valdez spill). But Exxon fuels are reformulated year-round in all 50 states, and have a lower energy (BTU) content, so they don't deliver as good fuel economy nor will their fuels support more aggressive conditions in the combustion chamber very well. If you'll use the SEARCH feature (the icon is in the upper right portion of your screen here), you can retrieve any of our hundreds of previous posts on what specific brands of gasolines tend to do a better job in various areas of the country, and I think you'll find that very helpful.

On the power ratings, those older 5.0 trucks varied quite a bit in their stock ratings - they can be anywhere from 175 HP to as much as 210 HP when brand new in stock trim. I strongly suggest buying a service manual for it - look in the original vehicle's owners manual and in there you will find the info on where & how to get an official service manual for the vehicle, and therein you will find all the info, specs, details, etc. for that specific model year & configuration of 5.0 F-150.

Have fun with the ball joints!

 

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the tips and pointers. Yeah, I can understand the lack of desire over typing extraordinarily long and detailed responses to questions - I type by hunt and peck myself, while staring at the key board. Getting pretty fast at it though, can get up to 40 wpm on a good day...

Will certainly make use of the search feature, and will definitely give you a call in the near-term. Need to get some things sorted in the truck (nothing overly major), so I'll be looking for some information to make an informed decision.

Thanks again.

Dave

 

Hi Dave,

40 wpm is *very* fast for a "hunt & peck" typist! I can crack maybe 65-70 wpm on a good day (took typing all thru high school to hang out with the ladies), but I still can't even begin to keep up..................

Take care & talk to you soon!