I have a 1988 f150, is there a way to update the firmware of the computer chip on the truck?

 

No - not in practical terms. Being a 1988 that is a significantly older vehicle being made 19 years ago - it would need to be at least a 1996 and have full OBD-II capabilities in order to be able to flash the PROM on that PCM. It is also not replaceable, as it is a surface mount design.

The only practical way to reprogram that PCM is to have a traditional performance chip done for it. If you like, feel free to give us a call and we can go over what it is you are looking to have done, and let you know if we can do that for you, if that might be of help.

Good luck!

 

Or, convert up to Mass air flow and use a newer programable computer. The mustang guys have refernced something call spanishoak for a computer, and several calibration codes that have some nice options.

 

Actually, that isn't a reasonable route, as the family of Spanish Oak PCM's are newer Power PC processors, and also requires CAN - Controller Area Network - and that is not going to be implemented on a 1988 vehicle within any kind of reasonable costs structure, far more than it could ever be worth.

Now what would be a possibility is to not only convert to Mass Air, which I recommend for any speed density vehicle, but to also use an OBD-II PCM (meaning a 1996-2003 PCM in the F-150 family of PCM's (12A650), just for example), so you do not need to deal with CAN issues - now doing *that* will require some homework, as he will need a complete new wiring harness and a PCM that will be compatible so that he could use a flash device, and have full implementation of OBD-II.

Such "conversions" aren't just simple plug & play deals, it requires actually knowing exactly what you are doing and precisely which vehicles will be suitable for donors - now in this case, since it's a 5.0 198 F-150, a smart move would be to use the setup from a 1996 5.0 Explorer, or a 1996 5.0 F-150 as these are the most common vehicles that are OBD-II and still use the older 5.0 engine family (and we have no idea what engine is in this 1988 truck, but assuming it's a typical 5.0 V8, this would be the route to implement OBD-II). This will of course require *all* the sensors, complete wiring harness, and the PCM will also have to be compatible with the transmission that is in his current vehicle if it's an automatic - if its a manual, then it becomes a bit easier, in that the PCM does not have to come from a vehicle that has the exact same automatic transmission - and of course, the 4R70W's that would be found in 1996 F-150's or Explorers would not be in a 1988 F-150.

However, unless he finds a junkyard vehicle that he could take everything out of and have it all work, sensors, complete harness and compatible PCM so that it is all plug& play, he's be better off just doing the Ford Motorsport Mass Ar conversion - it would be an EEC-IV, and thus would require a traditional performance chip instead of being able to flash the PCM, but that would certainly serve him just fine.