Truck details in sig.

This is something that I noticed right away after I installed the Gearhead tunes/PHP chip in my truck a few months ago. I usually run the truck on #3 (tow/economy) when empty and #1 (heavy tow) when I have the RV behind me. I'm honestly afraid to run the faster tunes because #3 is so aggressive. The truck already has more power than I will ever need, so I really don't feel the need to crank it up and see what it might do to my transmission and HPOP.

I've noticed it happen in both settings. When I give it around 40% throttle from a stop or near-stop, the truck accelerates hard and shifts somewhat harder than normal (which is expected) and sometimes it will do this really fast sequence of upshift-downshift-upshift, all within about 1 second. Recently, I've also noticed that it occurs when I hit a bump in the road at the same time a shift occurs. Both of these events - the somewhat harder shift and the bump in the road - cause me to not be able to maintain consistent pressure on the pedal. I can feel myself being moved around slightly in my seat, and I just can't hold the pedal in the same spot. This is exactly when the mis-shift occurs and I strongly feel that they are related.

Now the question is... is this a programming issue with the chip, or is the throttle sending erratic signals to the transmission? My OD light occasionally blinks and it's showed a 2-3 shift error when I had them read at a diesel shop. I sometimes have a SES light that is a result of a malfunctioning glowplug relay controller. No other codes AFAIK.

 

I'd be more inclined to troubleshoot the trans code you're getting occasionally than look towards the chip programming. Could have a broken spring or similar in a valvebody somewhere.

With it occurring on bumps, I wonder if the chip isn't seated properly?

Been running GH tunes for a long time now with no issues, same with several other local friends. What also raises my curiousity about the shifting issue being a problem somewhere else is Matt's tunes defuel slightly on shifts to help preserve the trans, so you shouldn't be getting a hard shift at decent throttle acceleration. If I peg it off a stop, I get a lag almost like a manual trans shifting when the rig defuels for shifts.

I feel you on bumps in the road and unintentional throttle modulation. The roads here in Houston suck downtown and half the time I end up coasting instead of hitting the bumps and throttle and lurching the rig.

 

I've also had my GH tunes on the Hydra for awhile now. Nothing but great things to say about them. I even added a a JW valve body after I had the chip burned with no ill effects. I agree with Matt above, I think you have other trans problems going on.

If you have a trans shift kit installed, it will act differently vs stock calibrations. When I had my Diablo tuner I like do run mine on firm shift, for the same feel my brother had to run his on soft shift with the shift kit previously installed.

 

I would see if there is a problem with the trans and not the chip, I installed a beefed up trans and a trans command from banks to increase line pressure and firm the shifts, should have told clay that when he burnt my chip. when I put her above 50 HP the shift is so hard I chirp the tires 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 3rd, that's with 35 inch tires and a detroit locker. I know something will break, it hasn't and I've been doing it for about a year now, the shift is so violent when I get the wheel spin I can picture the driveshaft splines stripping or u-joints snapping. I think I am just going to take out the trans command and give it to some one on FTE, put my mind at eas.

 

I've put about 1200 miles on my truck towing my RV from Las Vegas, NV to Shawnee, OK. I've kept it in mode '00' - stock tuning - the whole time.

I haven't had one unusual shift, and the OD light hasn't blinked at all. Whatever is going on with my transmission seems to have everything to do with the chip.

I haven't had time to drop the pan and see what's going on, but without the chip I don't seem to have any issues at all.

 

Any ideas? Drop the pan? I'm not even sure what I'd be looking for, to be honest.

 

I would call GH and tell them what's going on and see what they can do tuning-wise to help you out. I've never waited longer than two days for revised tunes from them, and they have never given me issues for requesting specific tweaks. It's free, so why not?

 

I'm starting to think that I have something else going on, too. I've noticed that when I switch tunes on the fly, the truck will often stall. I unhooked the trailer for the first time since Friday, and switched it to 03 for driving around town. I did it when I was rolling out of the RV park at 10mph and it stalled on me.

I also notice that when I switch it from 02 to 00, it will retain the high idle and sometimes stall.

I wonder if the chip is making a good connection now.

 

There's a good chance of that, would be well worth looking into all the free solutions first!

I had poor contacts on my old DP F5 and it caused all kinds of issues for the X til I figured it out.

 

I got a new set of tunes from Gearhead e-mailed to me a few months ago. I've been driving it around quite a bit, both loaded and unloaded, and I've yet to see a repeat of the weird shifting. It runs and shifts great without any issues.

However, there is almost no power improvement. I drove it around with the stock tuning today, and then switched it to 04. There is no appreciable difference. I know it's running the Gearhead tune, because it shifts into OD at about 44 instead of the stock programming's 39 MPH.

I know I'm going to have to contact Gearhead again, but WTF? Does anyone else have issues like this?

 

From what I can tell, they use a progressive fuel map. The more throttle you give it, the more apparent that it's been tuned. Just cruising around town it'll feel stock - it's when you out your foot down that you'll see the tuning difference.

I initially had the exact same reaction as you are now when I switched to GH from my previous tuner. Then I punched it one day to merge smoothly and it was very obvious that even in the daily tune, it was better and had more power. Daily cruising and normal driving and throttle inputs? Hardly even noticeable and I could've sworn it was stock.

Hell, even now #4 feels stock unless I plant my foot - and I'm making considerably more power than you are.

Not to beat the old horse again, but are you positive everything else is running properly or optimized? Tweaks and adjustments via a tuner are only as a good as the systems that they're running.

Stock tuning mine shifts into OD at 47-50, GH it shifts at 44.

 

With the first set of tunes, it was very apparent that the truck wasn't stock. The throttle was much more responsive up front. I don't run my truck all that hard normally. I'll have to take it out one day this week and get on it and see if I can tell the difference.

No, I'm not positive of that at all actually. I honestly feel that making that determination is a bit overwhelming for me. There is a lot I don't know about this engine. It's the first diesel I've ever owned and I don't have much of a baseline to compare it against. For all I know, someone with a lot more experience might drive it and tell right away there's something wrong with it. But I just don't know.

I have a boost gauge, but it's defective. One of the many things on my to-do list (which is pretty long these days) is to return it and get a working one.

 

Do you have any way to monitor certain parameters such as ICP, IPR, FIPW, etc? It could prove quite helpful with troubleshooting issues with the amount of knowledge bouncing around in here - I'm not a whizz at it by any means.

 

No, I don't. What's the best way to monitor those parameters?

 

I you have a cell phone or a tablet, look at an app called TorquePro. You'll also need an OBDII port bluetooth or wifi adapter. $20 for the less expensive ones/possibly less reliable, $90-100 for the bullet proof ones.

Scroll down the main page of this forum. Below:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...-pro-pids.html


If you have a laptop, look into AE. It reads and diagnoses everything.