just a brief background on my truck, 99 Supercab 4x4
4.6L 5 speed
Superchip, K+N gen 2 FIPK and a Flowmaster dual exhaust.......no other mods at this time.......

Now my question is concerning the chip of course........the previous owner put all these mods on the truck. so none of them were my doing.......but im not complaining..........i am wanting to upgrade the throttle body to the BBK version and possibly some 24# injectors, with pulley's and the dual e-fans..i dont want much. ok back to the question.....when he purchased the chip "from a local speed shop" he then installed it in the ECU and his truck died......no go anywhere......so now i have it and reading the posts and seeing that it would need re-programming for some of these mods.....what can i do........he told me .... from what Superchips said........ that he had/ i now have a 1 in a 1000 F-150 ECU........something about "jumping" connections in the ECU....and then had to remove the entire unit to be shipped back for "modifycations" in order for the chip to work correctly....when it comes time for these mods can i just remove the chip and ship it back or do i need to "lose" my truck for 2 days while it is re-programmed? and also..if i remove the chip what will my truck do....due to the "jumper" in the ECU......sorry to bother u i just wanted to ask some questions......thanx Pete

 

Hi Pete,

Nice getting all of those modifications from the previous owner! Maybe he's also willing to help you get up & running with that Superchip, since he's the one that has the "benefits" of ownership like Tech Support, etc. In other words, he could go to the selling dealer and they should be able to provide the instructions for dealing with the jumpers, for example, if that is the actual problem.

Your PCM's issue with potentially being what we call a "jumper box" (which happened on a tiny number of 1999 F-150's & was a manufacturing error) is easily solved by closing the jumpers, if that is the actual root of the problem here. If that PCM is a jumper box, then of course the vehicle will *never* start with the Superchip installed until those jumpers are closed.

Your best bet to get up & running now with your current modifications and the program that is currently in that Superchip would be to simply have the original owner go to the selling dealer and ask them to provide the needed assistance to get up & running. Even if they can't do the soldering themselves, they can provide the instructions so that any electronics tech can do it easily & quickly. We suggest using a local TV/VCR repair shop, or a CB Radio shop, etc., as those places usually have a good tech on staff that can deal with this in just a few minutes, as it's a very easy procedure for someone who knows how to solder electronics.

Worst case scenario, that PCM & Superchip can be sent in to the manufacturer, and Superchips will do that work to close the jumpers. That involves 2 and sometimes 3 days of vehicle downtime of course, overnighting it in having the work done & overnighting it back out.

However, given that the modifications you want to do are going to require custom tuning anyway, that means your Superchip has to be reprogrammed, such as if you upgrade to 24# injectors. If you'd like to have us do the needed custom tuning before you use that Superchip, we can also provide any assistance you may need to get up & running with the Superchip when it's sent back to you with the new custom program.

If you run into a dead end on this, such as if the original selling dealer will not or cannot provide the jumper instructions needed, etc., you can give us a call & we can go over this with you. This is not hard to deal with.

We can also provide any needed custom tuning, other parts (injectors, electric fans, etc.), modifications, etc. for just about anything you'd want to do to improve the performance of that vehicle. If you'd like to give us a call to go over the various things you've mentioned in your post in more detail perhaps, just give us a shout & we'll be happy to speak with you.

 

Mr. Troyer thanx for the insight......i guess i didnt make it clear..im sorry........and it could just be me misunderstanding......when my friend had the truck.....as i stated previous.he installed all the said mods....except the throttle body, e-fans, pulley's, and the 24# injectors. those are of my Want...but back to the chip, the PCM from what u call it....im sorry my ranger had an ECU so im still in that "mental state" has already had the "jumper" installed in it........he did over-night the PCM back to superchips and they "fixed" the factory "problem" ..now i guess my main question is.........as i perform these said mods, and by removing the superchip, will my truck still operate, or will it "die" when removed.....call me ignorant to these new "computer" mods and i appologize emensly, thanx again for your time.......Pete

P.S. i can build a 5.0 carb'd mustang motor all day long, but when it comes to these "mod" modular motors im in the dark.....

 

Hi Wyoming,

OK, first, just so you'll know, ECU & PCM mean the same thing, your powertrain computer. ECU stands for Engine Control Unit, a term that we have used for many years & somtimes still do, and then there's PCM, standing for Powertrain Control Module. It's all the same thing, it means the powertrain computer, the computer that controls engine operations & tuning and in vehicles with automatic transmissions, those shift characteristics & operations as well.

Anytime you remove a performance chip from these Ford computers, the PCM reverts right back to it's original factory powertrain program. I think that's teh heart of your question, maybe.

To take it a step further, the real question in your situation becomes "Will your vehicle run correctly even with all those modifications after you remove that Superchip?" Removing the performance chip causes the Ford PCM to reverts right back to the factory program, so the PCM (ECU to you) goes back to stock trim. So as long as you have not done modifications that have altered the engine's mechanical configuration to the point that the factory program can't handle it, the vehicle runs fine.

Anytime you change the MAF (mass airflow meter), injector size, drop on a blower, change camshafts, port the cylinder heads, etc., those types of modifications require custom tuning, and therefore your vehicle will not run properly on the factory program with those kinds of modifications, that's why you use a custom programmed/tuned Superchip.

I hope that clears things up a bit,

 

Hi Mike....Hi Wyoming.........Mike, I'm not sure but, I believe what he is asking is: When he pulls the chip to send it out (to you if he wants great service) will the truck run, even though the jumpers have been soldered? After all, the jumpers were connected to use the chip so pulling the chip will not entirely revert the PCM to original condition. Does he have to de-solder the jumpers while the chip is out for re-programing? Do the jumpers affect any circuitry other than the chip connection? I may be wrong, I've been before....many many times......


Ed

 

Hi Ed,

Ahh, maybe one of us will figure out what he really needs to know, so far I don't seem to be able to.

Sure it'll run!

Remember, connecting those jumpers in a "jumper box" is only finishing the factory's job that was not correctly done to begin with. Had the factory done their job properly, those jumpers would *already* have been closed, so closing them does not modify or alter the PCM in any way from it's *original* design or function whatsoever. Closing the jumpers simply corrects the factory mistake and thus activates the J3 connector as it was supposed to have been all along, and as all other EEC-IV & EEC-V PCM's always have been from the factory.

Maybe we'll get lucky & he'll call us so we can figure out what his real question is, that is, if this didn't cover it.

 

ok thanx to the Both of ya'll, my questions Have been answered......im sorry i didnt make it clearer.....to understand, my fault..I was afraid that once i did remove the "chip" to have it re-programmed, that my truck would not run/start. but knowing now that it will and revert back to factory programs.....again thanx Pete

 

Hi Pete,

OK, glad to hear that S'crewloose was able to figure out what you really wanted to know, as I was sure off the mark!

You can pull the Superchip and the vehicle will still start, that just causes the Ford PCM to revert back to it's factory program, that's all.

 

Hey Pete,

Just a suggestion and I hate to sound like an add but, If you have to have your chip programed, Mike is the guy...He probably has turn around times equal to a local guy, but the customer service is second to none.