Hey guys,im looking to get some extra horsepower outta my engine,i already have a cold air intake,and a flowmaster muffler,but i was wondering what the other things i could get are and if you have any experiences with them,i was looking into a throttle body space,other then that i dunno what would be good or what would be a waste of money. Thanks in advance!

 

Don't waist your money on the spacer. All they do is make allot of noise. Save your pennies and get a chip or programmer. You will be happy with the performance gains.

Fitter

 

Nitrous oxide systems are relatively cheap and very effective.

If you dont like nitrous:

A set of headers, high flow cats, and a true dual exhaust would help immensely.

A set of heads from a later '95 - '97 explorer will boost compression. Have 'em ported while you're at it.

Port, or have ported, your upper and lower intake.

Comp cams makes a couple cams for the 4.0L.

Then after the above mods are done, THEN get the custom computer chip to make it all work together. You'll be amazed with the results.

 

Hey mudder. I have a 93 also and am/was heading down this same path of yours. I already have the headers. I would agree to that the TB spacer for this type of intake doesn't really help. Sounds like swirling the air around can make a better A/F mixture but I think it would only work on a throttle body fuel injection system. Our injectors are too far away from the spacer so the air flow probably isn't swirling by the time it hits the injectors. But if you really want one, you can buy mine from me.

Now the hang up I'm getting to is the chip. Ken Payne says he can read my PCM to get a download since he doesn't have my PCM code on file. This means taking the truck down for a few days while I Fed-Ex out my computer. But talking with other suppliers and manufacturers of different devices, I'm no so sure Ken can get a SCT chip programmed for me anyway.

Hold on Ken, let me explain.

There are devices out there that can read a PCM and then you can program the A/F tables, rev limiter...all that stuff to whatever you want. Moates has one (pretty cheap too) TwEECer is another and EEC tuner.com. From what I'm finding out, these devices can download the hexidecimal (.bin) file burned into the PCM processor. But it's hexidecimal - who can read that if not possessing a programming degree? So a GUI interpretor is needed. So developers (programmers) have created these called .def files. You need a bin and def file to get the device software to display all the tables and settings in "English".

Since there are a lot of Mustangs out there that people want to soup up, manufactures have invested a lot of time making .def files. There's a strong demand so they can make a return on the investment.

How many explorers do you see with racing slicks on at the drag strip? So why should the manufactures develop applications for something they can't sell. This goes away a little with EEC-V computers, 1995+, because the programming is easier to get at and many are flashable where you program over the top of the stock program.

We have EEC-IV's where we need to put a program in front of the stock program through the J3 port. What's done for these applications is that the stock program is copied onto the chip you add, and then only certain data is changed for what you want. Since the processor is looking a descrete memory locations for each piece of data, you need to know exactly where they are to change them.

So far, no one's wanted to do this programming for me. My ONE0 code might be the only request they ever get for this code.

So if Ken has some magic to get around the .def code, he's not shared it with me. Or if he wanted to make a .def code or if his Diablo or SCT system creates them automatically, I don't know that either. I do know that SCT wanted my PCM for 2 months to develop a database.

If you can find a chip for your PCM, let me know how you did it.

 

with all these mods i would be carefull if you have a auto a4ld tranny 91-94 x's they wernt designed for major power just telling you this to let you keepn it in mind

 

True, true. High horsepower tends to break things. I never had any luck with Ford auto's. C4 couldn't handle a measly 350 horse from my 302. And the 8" rear at it in the shorts after I install the top loader 4 spd - so of course had to upgrade to 9". So much for the old Mustang days.

With an Explorer, I'd be worried about too much horsepower in 4WD low. My 5 sp has a 3.9:1 first gear, t-case is something like 2.7:1 and 3.73 diff gears. Double your engine torque with heavy mods and there goes axle shafts, hubs, u-joints...

 

i dont get what is going on between chevy and ford ford makes good strong engines and chevy dont and chevey makes priity good trannys but fords sux why the hell is that personly i would rather change and engine than a tranny anyday that is why i dont wanna fix my truck

 

If you're going to make comments specific to me, please let me know you've made them. There are thousands of posts dailys and its unrealistic to think I'll see it... I stumbled across this thread entirely by accident.

Even across different codes, the basic table structures are in all the PCM binary reads and Diablo can create programs for any Ford read. I've yet to run across one they couldn't do. SCT does things a little differently I've been told by them in some cases "we won't do it, too much work for one file".

Frankly though, its not a matter of if they can do it... these days nobody wants to spend even 30 minutes on EEC-IV. In that time they can knock out a lot more EEC-V work and make more money. Getting Diablo to create a file from a read used to take 24-48 hours. Now its anywhere from 24 hours to 3-4 weeks.

Put it this way... the guy doing a lot of mods on an EEC-IV is going to consume a lot time from a programmer. Would anyone want to deal with the headaches, for the same amount of money that would take 1/4 his time with EEC-V?

Putting a lot of money into some applications is in many cases fool-hardy. (just like when you see someone dump $1500 into mods for a 2.3L engine when he could have purchased a vehicle with a larger engine for less). I suggest you look into swapping out a harness and use a different computer altogether and completely by-pass this issue.

 

Well Ken, I never expected you to find this and am quite impressed that you did. Had I wanted to ask you a question directly I would have sent an email, like I have in the past. That said, I wasn't try to talk behind your back either. I guess subconsciously I'd hope you'd find this but really I was just trying to be fair and to point out what you have just reiterated. So I'll post this response so eveyone knows the air is clear.

And I wonder what would happen if I sent you my PCM. Would it go to Diablo or would you be able to create this mystery file on your own ? - I don't have a clear understanding of the process. And if it had to go to Diablo would they reject it or will they grind through any custom request? So as you can see, I'm at wits ends trying to get a simple chip programmed.

But no doubt your interpretation is 100% correct, no one wants to waste their time on my one-off application. Seems a bit unfair since I bought a CA car, manual trans Explorer and a dealer changed the PCM without my authorization back before I even knew what a PCM was. I guess I shouldn't think an Explorer should put out more than the 160 hp.

And then what? Upgrade to a EEC-V? With all new wiring harness and connectors that might not fit my sensors. And then buy a $300-$500 programmer for what 15-20 hp? I'll be the guy in your example putting $1500 into 15-20 hp when I could sell the Explorer and buy an early Bronco with a 302 or a big Bronco with a 351.

Point is I love my Expolorer and even more so now that I'm learning how it works. I love sharing my findings in these posts and even had a moderator send a a that-a-boy/keep it up.

But gee if everyone else can play with their computers, I want to too! I have the money sitting in the bank and would love to send it to you Ken. I'm just not sure, based on all already mentioned, if you can get a chip for me and then without a dyno, actually get it optimum. Let me know.