Hi there, my truck is going to have a rebuilt engine very soon, I'm going to install a Crane Cam and maybe bigger injectors and I was considering some electronics help for the computer...

Can someone recomend me a programer/reader?? I don't have any experience in this isue and any comment/help will be appreciated.

Maybe I can get a used one on Ebay...

 

Before you go complicating things describe what motor mods you are doing in detail, is this a 4.9 or one of the V8's you are putting in? A tuner is a great tool but you should determine if your motor will require one before investing.

 

Ok thanks for your help and fast answer. My engine is I6 4.9L 1995. it is needing an overhaul...

A friend gift me a crane cam 503901, a popular one for this engine can be installed without more mods but a FTE guy recommend me also change injectors from actual 14lbs to 19lbs and use a adjustable fuel pressure regulator.

The engine is going to be rebuilt with "Sealed Power" parts nothing special. The main idea is just get some extra torque since that truck is mainly used for towing and everiday use.

I don't know too much about this electronics helps, some offer chip's some offer programers and even scaner...

Hope it explain the idea, any extra comment will be appreciated.

 

No such thing as a programmer/tuner for your year - your truck uses an EEC 4 computer and only the EEC 5 and CAN computers can take a tuner. You need to use a chip. Don't shortchange yourself. Modifications like you mentioned should have custom tuning on a dyno to make sure the air/fuel ratios are correct, spark advance is correct for the compression ratio, and maybe tweak the idle if the cam throws that off.

 

Thanks for the help. I not really interested in get up to last pony from the engine, but change some tranny press and shifting schedule, maybe increase idle a little bit. That's why I'm looking for something cheap on ebay or so...

 

Sorry Ken that's not true.. I have a tuner called the Tweecer on my truck, it's one of several systems available for the EEC-4 processors now.

Javi: What you propose will not require larger injectors so I suggest you don't change them as this will make tuning manditory. The cam you were given may not be 100% compatable with your stock efi stystem either, if it is mass air it is but it's hard to say how well it will work with SD.

 

I believe you may be confusing the nomenclature.

The Tweecer is nothing new (I've tried incarnations of it over the years) but it is not a tuner and neither are the other solutions for the EEC-4 The Tweecer is tuning software used to load a chip (actually, to be more accurate, they are loading a chip emulator) attached to the J-port on the back of the PCM. A tuner is different -- it connects to the EEC-5 and CAN via the OBDII port and reflashes the on-board EPROM.

To illustrate:

The TwEECer -- EEC-IV user programmable module

You see where the Tweecer hardware attaches? Its on the PCM J port. Its using an EPROM emulator to override the on-board PROM, because the EEC-4 cannot be flashed with a tuner through the OBDII port.

In the Ford world:
Tuner - device which connects to the OBDII port and reflashes the on board EPROM. Some are hand held (SCT, Superchips, Edge, etc.) others connect to the PCM via a PC interface box (Sniper, HP-Tuners).
Tuner - someone who writes tunes
Tooner - someone who thinks they can write tune!
Chip - device which attach to the J port on the PCM, which signals the PCM to override the onboard ROM (or a portion of it) and instead will address the memory through the J port.
Tuning software - software which creates tunes for a tuner or chip
Chip emulator - device which uses a flash rom, ram, etc. to simulate a chip attached to the J port (this is what the Tweecer hardware is most like)
Fueling box - device which attaches to the PCM wiring harness. It intercepts and changes either the inbound or outbound signals, causing the vehicle to change its fueling characteristics. Most commonly used on diesels.

 

Yeah.. OK I got you. I mentiond this because I got the impression you were implying there were no DIY solutions for the EEC-4 and that a custom chip produced by a dyno shop was the only solution. With products like the Tweecer once a memory module is attached you can use the software to edit any and all parameters used by the processor.

 

Paul,

I should have been clearer - sorry. The Tweecer is a great DYI solution. The SCT Pro Racer package is another solution, though I believe for EEC-4 Tweecer is better. Moates has solutions, but its been a while since I've looked at them so I can't comment on how good they are now.

Javi,

Be forewarned, you need to spend a lot of time with tuning software to get familiar with just the basics, and a wide band O2 sensor is a must if you want to do it right. Check out the Tweecer forums to find out if its worth your time. Some folks would rather have someone with years of experience do it for them, pay them and get it over with. Others would rather learn and experiment (like me).

 

Agreed.. it may not be for everyone, these tuning packages give you access to everything which can be a curse as much as a blessing because of the amount of data you are presented with. You'll need to study up on how the EEC processor works(and EFI systems in general) to be able to make productive changes beyond the basics.
I have a wideband system from Innovate and I'm currently using EEC-Analyzer software with my Tweecer hardware. So far I have used it on 2 different motors and the results are immediately noticable. It has also helped me diagnose some problems so it's effectiveness goes beyond pure tuning. A setup like this is expensive though and not really necessary on a near stock motor, I wouldn't have invested in this if I were not planning a high output 5.8 efi that goes well beyond the stock calibration.