Superchips ron,


I never had to add coolant before, I was towing approx. 6k pounds on a hot day (100+) and I left it in performance mode. The EGT's never got above 1050, the coolant temp remained at a steady 205 and below and the trans temp was a steady 185-190. I kept it real easy on the hills. I know I should not tow in performance mode, but Vic Ferrari once wrote, "just keep an eye on your gauge and you'll be o.k.". I cleaned the area of overflow and obviously stopped towing. It seems to be o.k. Any suggestions. Do you think it may have had more water than coolant (although it never reached 212, water's boiling point)?

 

You can tow up to 6000lbs on the HP setting. Where do you live? Are they hills or mountains? I would back the setting down to tow perf and attempt the same hills.
On a side note either you have a level issue with the coolent, OR the dreaded head gasket failure , which has been a problem with the 6.0L's for a while.
Ron.

 

Out of curiosity, How can I confirm that te head gaskets failed????? It does not consume coolant or is the oil "milky" in color or white smoke (coolant burning). The reservoir is not bubbling while the truck is running either. *****....I hope it is not the head gaskets. Is the head gasket a common problem with the 6.0L???? Are they going to know I have a tuner if I return it to stock program?

 

Chata...Like I said many posts earlier...Return it to stock and make an appointment with your dealership. They won't know you had a tuner unless you tell them or give them reasons to prove otherwise. I certainly would not say I was towing with a tuner in the wrong mode because you will surely have problems. The only way to confirm a gasket failure is by bringing it to the dealer.

Yes the 6.0 has had head-gasket issues that are well known. They have a new design out that supposedly has taken care of the problems. If it ends up that you have a head-gasket replacement it would be best to spend the extra money and purchase a set of the ARP headstuds for your dealer to replace the OEM headstuds. They are much better quality. If you do a search for Head-Gaskets in the 6.0 forum you will find a couple weeks worth of reading.

To be safe you should never tow a tuned vehicle other than in the "Tow" mode. I don't know how long you've been using the SuperChips Tuner, but if you just recently added it you could have had a gasket issue that it pushed over the edge if were not watching it really close. I would talk to SuperChips to find out what they could offer, but would definitely return your vehicle to stock.

 

Considering it is a 2004 with 25k miles on it, it should be under warranty. I am going to monitor it and take it in to the dealer in the winter. Any chance it could just be anything other than the head gaskets?

 

Chata...You are going to wait until the winter to find out if the gaskets are blown?

 

Shouldn't it smoke white.......or consume coolant..... or leave oily residue in the expansion chamber (reservoir) or something basic like that to know they are blown?????????

 

I contacted the service writer I have dealt with for a few years. I asked him to look for TSB's regarding coolant blowing out of the reservoir. Apparently, Fords's new standard is that the "min." level is the "max" level. If overfilled while towing it will discharge fluid from the reservoir. He says that he has not seen many 2004 6.0's come in for head gaskets. I am going to take it in regardless, but it just does not seem that my vehicle is exhibiting the tell tale signs of a blown head gasket. Any other ideas/suggestions please post.

 

That says it all Chata...They must not do much 6.0 work there or they are a fairly small dealership or he full of it. You can take it in just to document the case. My advise is to be as civil and concerned as possible and not get to upset with what they tell you. If you don't have much luck then you can always go to another dealership. I would still return it to Stock and drive it a little.

Did you ever get a response from Ron @ SuperChips?

 

They are a large dealership, alot of trucks go through there. I live in SoCal where temps are somewhat extreme in the summer, mild winters. I am going to take it in. No I have not received anything from Superchips RON. Coincidentally, I do still have it in performance with no further coolant issues or radical temperatures.

What ever happened to Vic Ferarri from Superchips????????

 

I have a cousin who is a diesel mech. at ford and he said that superchips is one of the few tuners/programers that can't be detected when reprogramed back to stock.

Aloha
Kaipo

 

I left Superchips in Sept 2005 to work full time on a vehicle specific performance directory. It's launched and been going strong for over 9 months now; getting ready to do TV commercials very soon.
I can't post the URL in the forum because it would be like advertising.

But that's what happened =o)
I haven't tuned any car or truck since then...not enough time (plus I'm in a non-compete contract).

 

So what is the difference between SCT Xcal2 and superchips? RAe they one and the same? Is one a spi n off from the other? How do the products differ?

 

Sct was started by Superchips Inc. to assume custom tuning.
SCT is now a company that is not affiliated with us anylonger.
Ron

 

SCT has been offering custom tuning for a long time now. You can have them setup a "JakeBrake" for towing, turn off the EGR, lockup the torque converter at certain rpm's, etc...

SuperChips has been in business the longest, but neither is a knockoff. One was developed for different purposes. SuperChips is now owned by MSD which now owns Edge. I owned Superchips Tuners for 7 years and also had a FlashPaq, but after 6 months and no custom tuning and many other update problems I decided to try SCT and haven't looked back. Innovative Diesels sells them and tunes them. Eric is the tuner and is well known.

The FlashPaq is now offering some custom tuning, but I'm sure will have a learning curve. Funny thing is I JUST received my SuperChips FlashPaq registration only 13 months after I bought it, but since I sold it 6 months ago won't help.