danny, maybe you can shed some light on this problem...

i have a 98 explorer sport 4x4 4.0 SOHC. i installed a superchip in march and it ran perfectly until around june, at which time my truck would sporadically not start for me. then on a long drive (coming home from college), my truck stalled on me - it just simply shut off. i pulled over and it started right up and i drove the rest of the way home. then for the next few days, it would continue to shut off on me while i was driving. i called ford and took it in (i only took it to ford because my truck is still under warranty) - they told me that my lower intake manifold gasket was shot, causing a vacuum leak, and they replaced it for free - they said it was part of a warranty extension they gave to everyone with the same truck as me (i guess they havent seen the problem enough to offer a recall, they only want to fix it when it happens.) so when i get my truck back from ford, it runs perfectly for about 6 weeks, then it starts shutting off on me again - this time, much more frequently. i decided to take it to my usual mechanic. he said it was the superchip. so we took it out and my truck has run great since then.

i called superchips, directly, last week, and they were great to deal with. they said to send it back and they would repair/replace my chip as needed (i think the guy said they usually just replace the chip for intermittent problems like this.)

now, heres what worries me. ill get the new chip, and my truck starts shutting off again, or my truck runs good for a few months, then shuts off again. i am a college student who is constantly making 200-300 miles trips; i need my truck to be reliable. (now some people say, if you want reliability, leave it stock, but we all know thats no fun ) i am happy that superchips is satisfying me, but how do i know what the problem with my chip was?...or maybe it wasnt my chip after all? i read on another thread that you said to another guy that maybe the contacts lost contact, or maybe he developed a short. well, i cleaned my contacts pretty good when i installed the chip, and my chip was secured in place with tape, and ive only had the chip in for about 3000 miles/3 months. can superchips test what was wrong with my chip?...im just afraid that theyre such a big company, that if i call and request something like that, it wont happen, or it will, but i wont get the results, or some know-it-all from superchips will say "this is whats wrong..." with no testing. im nervous that ill get the "heres a new chip, now shut your mouth" treatment.

danny, any suggestions, or advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated - anything to put my mind at ease. i love what the superchip does for me, and driving my truck around without lately, well, quite frankly, sucks, lol. id hate to keep it out permanently.

thanks,
jason

oh, and sorry this is so long.

 

Jason: Knowing where the ecu is located on the Explorers, I would be more likely to think that you eventually built up a corrosion problem with the contacts. When installing any electronic parts that will be exposed to underhood elements, try to seal the part as well as possible. I don't know what you used to "tape" the chip in place. I use clear, flexible, Scotch Brand, 2 inch wide tape. I also tape the chip in place with several peices of tape to attepmt to weatherproof it as well as possible. There is no guarantee that it will never happen again. If your truck stops, simply pull the chip, not difficult with the ecu accesable under the hood.
It could possibly be a short that developed in the chip itself, over time, but, I would still suspect corrosion. It could be such a small amount it would be difficult to see it, but, it could cause one of the contacts to lose contact.
Superchips takes their "Lifetime Product Waranty" very seriously. Don't fear that this is a "here's a new chip, go away", it is not.
Thanks
Danny
2001 Cobra-Lazer Red
3:73 Gears
Steeda Tri-Ax Short Shifter
Bassanni X-Pipe
DiabloSport Chipped
DenseCharger

 

Jason: Sorry I didn't answer ALL of your questions. It is near impossible to Autopsy a chip. The construction of the chip makes it impossible to disect without destroying the chip beyond autopsy.
That is not an unheard of problem, though it is not very common.
Thanks
Danny
2001 Cobra-Lazer Red
3:73 Gears
Steeda Tri-Ax Short Shifter
Bassanni X-Pipe
DiabloSport Chipped
DenseCharger

 

awesome. thanks for the input danny. i actually used the same tape you said you used - the 2" wide clear scotch tape. i guess this time when i install the chip, ill pout more tape around it to try to keep out some moisture.

thanks again,
jason

 

actually, danny, would it not be a good idea to use some dielectric grease in there? my roommates suggested it, but i wanted to ask first.

thanks again

 

Tbomb: Good idea, only problem is that you never want to put any conductive material inside the ecu or on the contacts. They are so close together you could short across any two contacts, result, fried ecu!!!
Thanks
Danny
2001 Cobra-Lazer Red
3:73 Gears
Steeda Tri-Ax Short Shifter
Bassanni X-Pipe
DiabloSport Chipped
DenseCharger

 

ok, makes sense, danny. thanks for the quick responses.

 

d, what about this...how about if i run a bead of black silicone around where the chip meets the ecu, to keep moisture out?

thanks again,
jason

 

I would hestitate to do this because you may have problems taking it out later. Try finding wide vinyl tape (the stretchy type, similar to bumper stickers) and using that. Its very similar to the vinyl that Diablo uses with their chips.

Ken Payne
Ford Truck Enthusiasts Admin