Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Duratec Performance EEC Tuner Dyno @ All Ford Nationals Carlisle Pa

Thanks for the info Rara, that's good stuff to know. Also, I realize this isn't a toy.

Rara, I think that you missed my point. I was only considering what options that I may have. As for you passing judgement on how much knowledge I may or may not have... Well that is questionable. I mean you no ill-will, but I would hope that you understand that I could be a Ford Engineer, for all you know. I am not, but that is another story. I for one, would purchase or "borrow" software/programming from someone who knows their schitt.
As for the warranty... Well again, I only speak hypothetically, but if my motor blew and I took it back to stock, Ford has to "prove" beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was aftermarket equiptment (Magnusson something-or-other) that caused the failure. That costs Ford money. Alot!... The warranty work would most likely be done, in order to save that cost. I have dealt with this before. My car was about one phone call away from being bought back under the lemon law about 3 years ago. I got my Platinum Extended Warranty at no cost to me and currently have 65k miles on the OD...

Just a friendly FYI...

Take that!

LOL!

For those that would like to learn how a management system like this works and want a demo version of a similar management system to play with in order to become familiar with it, check this book out.


It can be found at www.motorbooks.com by looking up the title: Engine Management: Optimising Modern Fuel and Ignition Systems

A great book, published in the last year with up to date info and with a Ford bias, albeit a Zetec one. Well worth the money, as it comes with a sample to play with before you blow anything up.

$9 cheaper at Amazon . Amazon lists a different title, but the ISBN is the same on the two books.

Good catch Perry. Now no one has an excuse to not know how to tune!!

The wise Rara put it into words I could not do myself. Without a wideband, dyno, or a profesional tuner to help you guessing could potentially cause problems.

The ONLY modifications I did to my PCM were to run an exact copy of the 4.6L GT 80mm maf function and slightly advance the timing. I'm currently in the middle of building a knock sensor from GM parts and a wideband using the Honda SLEV O2 sensor so further tuning can be accomplished.

This type of tuner would be invaluable to artificially aspirated motors. The lightning 90 mm maf and 4.6 TB on a S/C or Turbo Duratec, and or for the Turbo kits comming out for the Ztec would provide meetering and flow capability's never seen before. Loose boost and gain cfm!

Mr. Brown,

a few thoughts.

I don't think I did, but that sort of discussion could go on forever w/ no resolution

I don't think I was passing judgement on anyone's knowledge base in particular, but if the shoe fits . . .

I was pretty sure already that you weren't a Ford engineer, I can usually pick them out, there are actually quite a few on here. btw, it looks like I was right

Hmm, this seems to go right along w/ what I was saying, seems you agree w/ me. For that matter I AM a Ford engineer, and my time there has even included a stint at SVT Engineering (I will eventually return) and you know what?
Despite working w/ Ford and Roush and SVT calibrators every day, I still would not fool w/ most of the things available to be fooled w/ in somehting like the eec-tuner or tweecer without assistance from someone far more knowledgable than me on the subject (and I don't really think I'm a slouch in that dept., a little inexperienced as a calibrator, but not ignorant).

The law you refer to is the The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, which states that mere presence of aftermarket parts will not void your warranty. Further, if a dealer feels that an engine failure is related to aftermarket parts (it is usually pretty easy to tell) he can simply deny your claim right then and there. It would then be your responsibility to prove that the dealer unjustly denied your claim, which costs you money. To be honest, this sort of thing is actually fairly common w/ lightning owners. Lightning owner slaps a smaller pulley setup on the truck, to dramatically increase boost pressure, then installs a chip, and then amybe a bit of juice for the cooling effect. Owner blows motor (typically making 500rwhp or so at this point) then takes off all his aftermarket parts and goes back to the dealer "I dunno what happened" Dealer service manager proceeds to laugh his head off at the customer, and tells him to head off somewhere else, or pay the many thousands of dollars it takes to redo the motor. If your engine suffers a detonation-induced failure from a lean condition, the first place a tech or engineer is gonna look is the spot for the chip on the PCM, and chips ALWAYS leave some sort of telltale, its almost impossible not to, especially on Ford PCMs. Bottom Line, You will likely get denied for a mod induced failure, and if you don't, you are guilty of defrauding the dealer and FoMoCo.

So, your car almost got lemon-lawed because of a modification you did? I doubt that. The dealer/ Ford rep. prolly extended the warranty to get you to STFU (whether you were justified or not on this doesn't mean much on that)

Jason, keep in mind that this post comes across much harsher than the spirit I intended, and I do mean no ill will toward you either (unless you try to cut into my paycheck . . . )
Bottom line is, that few of us have the real knowledge, experience, and skill to just jump in and start fooling w/ something like this, remember great power comes w/ great responsibility, if you forget that (in any part of life) you will get yourself into very, very big trouble.

Hey D Davis, hehe, I didn't say a word about you, but did I hit too close to home? :p