I was wondering if there is an aftermarket "chip" available for my 96'XL. I bought the 2.3L a few years ago when money was a litle tighter, now I wish I would had of bought the 6 cyl. I'm not to fermiliar with "chips" I guess it refers to the ECM Module...If anyone has any info I would appreciate it.

Thanks
AdamH

 

I really don't know anything about these superchips but I do have a couple of ideas. First of all, my '95 SC weighed in at over 3,600 pounds empty. Add the driver and a passenger and this is a 4,000 pound vehicle being driven by a 2.3 engine. Add cargo and it is a wonder they can stay with the traffic. However, it seems to me the best way to get immediate help is to reduce weight. You could get rid of the full size spare and the jump seats if it is a SC. You could take off the tailgate but that actually may reduce mileage by getting rid of the turbelence which provides a streamlining effect. Another thing to do is take off your fan and see if it helps. If so you could consider an electric fan kit. You could shut off the A/C and see if that helps. If so you could put a cut-off switch when you accelerate. I found that my '95 had more than adequate power when the A/C wasn't on. On hills I would shut it off and it helped quite a bit. Make sure your tires are aligned properly. Also that they have enough air. Obviously if it needs new plugs or wires change those. Just replace with the original motocraft plugs. The platinum plugs are a gimmick. Synthetic oil MIGHT give you a hp or two although I doubt it, personally. After you have done these things, you might consider some of the other things such as the superchip. My $0.02. I currently have an '89 SC 2.3 with 128,000 miles and quite frankly, it seems to get on down the road quite nicely. Maybe yours isn't fully broken in yet.

 

One other thing that would make a significant difference would be to lower the rear end gearing. You would need to change your speed gear and you would have a louder engine and lower gas mileage most likely. But it should give you more power.