Kenne Bell S/C
Thread Starter
|
Post Fiend
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 5,983
Likes: 2
Kenne Bell S/C
Well, I’m now is possession of one Kenne Bell TS 5001 kit for my 2K Navi. It will be several weeks before I actually get to put it on as I have ordered some extra items but I’ll be sure to keep you up to date. I don’t know how much interest this forum will have in my experience as my engine is the Intech 32V and I don’t think they were present in any Expys.
For the time being I have taken the time to prepare for the install. I have read the instructions twice and I must say this *appears* to be a very well engineered kit and has awesome instructions. There are a couple of pitfalls that could leave your truck in the garage for several extra days (weeks?) if you are ill prepared. Take their advice and read the instructions before you are ready to begin.
For example, one of the last steps is the installation of ‘the chip’. You remove the PCM and disassemble. You are asked to determine if two ‘jumpers’ are present, which are clearly illustrated in the manual. If they are not, you are informed that the vehicle is not drivable; you must send the PCM to Kenne Bell for modification where they will solder them in for you.
I thought I had my ***** wired tight and was ordering a couple of extra items today when the Kenne Bell tech mentioned my ‘capture codes’. What are these I ask? Considering that my kit was ‘previously installed’ it appears that my chip was ‘burned’ with a certain ID unique to my PCM. Unless that Id is mine the chip will not work. Another catastrophe averted I guess.
So in the mean time, I’m reading and planning and I’ve got to say I’m suffering a bit of overload. I have purchased an AutoTap so I may gain baseline data before and after the install. Upon connecting it to the Navi I noticed LTFT’s of 196%. No way man, no way. So after a call to tech support I get the response that this is a known issue: “Negative fuel trims are reported as large positive numbers”. This will be addressed in the next release. Well being a S/W developer myself I’ve got to ask: when is the next release. So, I’m concerned that I don’t have the ‘right’ (best?) scan tool. But which one is better? Good luck finding it on the net. Maybe I’ll just rely on my local Ford dealer (which is just fine other than the expense, these guys are a bunch of winners). Poking around I have found mostly good but some negative comments about my proposed setup. A few say that the ‘FMU’ is a band-aid and that the Boost-A-Pump is a piece of junk (apparently they don’t use an FMU on the 5.4 2V configuration, just injectors) while others say they are a perfectly fine pieces of equipment. And of course I worry about after the install. Some say that the Kenne Bell programming is just too rich, safe but rich. What do I do then? The HyperTech Programmer doesn’t explicitly say it applies to a 32V and I really have no idea whether they have what I need or don’t.
Thanks for reading the rant, I’m telling you that I could assemble a 289/302/351, 429/460, FE, you name it, blindfolded but I’m suffering from a lack of experience with the ‘new technology’. I’m not really fearful, I just don’t want to take the time by learning through many, many mistakes. Mind you I want to learn! Don’t drive what you cannot fix, although I am fortunate enough to be able to just drop it off and pick it up from the experts. But I doubt that they will have the time to explain all of the knowledge I desire.
I’ll keep this thread updated for all those interested…
For the time being I have taken the time to prepare for the install. I have read the instructions twice and I must say this *appears* to be a very well engineered kit and has awesome instructions. There are a couple of pitfalls that could leave your truck in the garage for several extra days (weeks?) if you are ill prepared. Take their advice and read the instructions before you are ready to begin.
For example, one of the last steps is the installation of ‘the chip’. You remove the PCM and disassemble. You are asked to determine if two ‘jumpers’ are present, which are clearly illustrated in the manual. If they are not, you are informed that the vehicle is not drivable; you must send the PCM to Kenne Bell for modification where they will solder them in for you.
I thought I had my ***** wired tight and was ordering a couple of extra items today when the Kenne Bell tech mentioned my ‘capture codes’. What are these I ask? Considering that my kit was ‘previously installed’ it appears that my chip was ‘burned’ with a certain ID unique to my PCM. Unless that Id is mine the chip will not work. Another catastrophe averted I guess.
So in the mean time, I’m reading and planning and I’ve got to say I’m suffering a bit of overload. I have purchased an AutoTap so I may gain baseline data before and after the install. Upon connecting it to the Navi I noticed LTFT’s of 196%. No way man, no way. So after a call to tech support I get the response that this is a known issue: “Negative fuel trims are reported as large positive numbers”. This will be addressed in the next release. Well being a S/W developer myself I’ve got to ask: when is the next release. So, I’m concerned that I don’t have the ‘right’ (best?) scan tool. But which one is better? Good luck finding it on the net. Maybe I’ll just rely on my local Ford dealer (which is just fine other than the expense, these guys are a bunch of winners). Poking around I have found mostly good but some negative comments about my proposed setup. A few say that the ‘FMU’ is a band-aid and that the Boost-A-Pump is a piece of junk (apparently they don’t use an FMU on the 5.4 2V configuration, just injectors) while others say they are a perfectly fine pieces of equipment. And of course I worry about after the install. Some say that the Kenne Bell programming is just too rich, safe but rich. What do I do then? The HyperTech Programmer doesn’t explicitly say it applies to a 32V and I really have no idea whether they have what I need or don’t.
Thanks for reading the rant, I’m telling you that I could assemble a 289/302/351, 429/460, FE, you name it, blindfolded but I’m suffering from a lack of experience with the ‘new technology’. I’m not really fearful, I just don’t want to take the time by learning through many, many mistakes. Mind you I want to learn! Don’t drive what you cannot fix, although I am fortunate enough to be able to just drop it off and pick it up from the experts. But I doubt that they will have the time to explain all of the knowledge I desire.
I’ll keep this thread updated for all those interested…
Thread Starter
|
Post Fiend
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 5,983
Likes: 2
Kenne Bell S/C
Yet another possible pitfall. I've sent my question in but have yet to receive a response. If you use their kit you run preimum fuel. No big deal there. However, the Navi already requires premium fuel. 96 octane is not readily available and if I'm looking to have to add two cans of NOS at each fillup, well, that's too much for me. I hope the news I hear back is good.
Thread Starter
|
Post Fiend
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 5,983
Likes: 2
Kenne Bell S/C
Another potential problem averted. From Kenne Bell:
"You would only need 91 octane to run with our kit as this is what the programming is tuned for. 91 is the highest that we can get here in California so that is what we tune for. I am getting all the pricing for the other items so the items might not ship out until tomorrow. Thanks, <name witheld>"
"You would only need 91 octane to run with our kit as this is what the programming is tuned for. 91 is the highest that we can get here in California so that is what we tune for. I am getting all the pricing for the other items so the items might not ship out until tomorrow. Thanks, <name witheld>"
