fepony said:
Ok, not wanting to start a flamed arguement here.
All I can say is that any Ford Technician worth his scan tool, will be able to see some history that tells him there has been activity & then he can back check to OASIS... there is a signature trail... don't let them kid you.
THE ONLY detectable evidence is going to be the load date on the ECU. They can not void a warranty for that. Sorry, but not all dealers position their information into oasis. No matter how much you want to think they do...not all do.
fepony said:
GM went to non-replaceable E-Prom computers in I think '93-'94 to try & stop people from swapping performance chips before warranty work. Then Hypertech & Superchips introduced programmers to get around the OBDI & OBD II heirarchy.. but the nature of OBD (On Board Diagnositcs) is to have a trail to follow for solving warranty/repair issues & to speed up repair times. There are fleet versions of the GM & Ford Computers that can & do monitor average speed to distance, idle time, off time, run time, & all the critical engine features.
Welcome to OBDii Technology.
fepony said:
This happened to a member of our board.
Sorry but that does not float. Just because one airhead did not remove his mods or opened his mouth at a dealer does not constitute it being a detectionable item.
Here is a clue. You want to mod your car or truck then you need to be ready to pay for any damages it will cause. Simple to understand.
fepony said:
A chip leaves a code in the ecu that a delaer can easily find.
Wrong again. I know it is a tough concept to understand, but do try.
1. Altering the code and then replacing it back with a stock tune does not throw or give any codes.
2. The only way that any dealer or tech or anyone for that matter can see that there are any changes is going to be the load date of your stock program....and that alone can not void your warranty. No matter how much you think it does.
fepony said:
He does not need to look at your ecu to pull the code, simply plug his equipment into the port and the code will tell him a chip has been used.
Yes, again thank you for the obdii update. I think you need to understand when someone states that they are looking at your chip/ecu they are talking about HOOKING it up to a scan tool.
fepony said:
I am a Dealer for Superchips, DiabloSport and about 50 other companies I now tell ALL customers that their warranty can be comprimised by modding the truck.
Welcome to 2005. That has been a known thing on this site since day one. You mod your car/truck you are going to have to pay for the damages you cause. Defective parts that are not associated with your mods can not be denied warranty claims.
fepony said:
I fought with Ford for 2 months before they decided to fix my truck, the engine blew at 5400 miles. After all the fighting, we found that the main bolts were not tightened at the factory and 2 main bolts fell out and a third was about half out. Ford paid dearly, but, I was without a truck for 3 months. I am not the only one, a kid in Texas called me about a year ago with the exact same problem, a blown engine and Ford told him, "warranty denied, tampering with PCM"
well their is right cause for some of the denied claims. If your mods and ecu changes were drastic enough to cause failure of the parts then they were in the right to deny the claim....but that is between you and ford and another thread to discuss if you so wish.
fepony said:
I hope this helps. Just be aware, if a person knows how to use the scan tools they WILL be able to tell you when you disconnected your battery the last time. That in itself is reason enough for a dealer to "suspect" changes. Signatures are left by EVERY "chip" in someway. Just remember this when you go to change ANY factory setting. You run the risk of voided warranty.
gee thanks for the headsup

disconnecting the battery does not void your warranty. The dealer can suspect all they like it is up to them to prove it for warranty voiding. That alone can not void a warranty.
DO us a favor next time you would like to "inform" us. Do have all the correct information.
fepony said:
(quote)BTW: I have read a few of the posts there and all I am seeing are people that have modded their trucks, thrown rods, shot out plugs and then go in expecting that Ford should cover their modded engine.(end quote)
First off you should read more about the rods and plugs. The plug problem is directly related to design flaws. The 5.4 heads (old ones prior to '03) only have 4 threads for the plugs. This is the major reason for plug launch. It was fixed in '03 but NO recall issued as yet for our heads. The rods are cheap and NOT SVT. They are breaking on UNMODDED trucks but seem to be limited to 430 to 450 rwhp. Mods giving more boost and hp seem to make these 2 items worse. It is a chance you take when modding. Like any mods, if done right, your risks are less. MOST of these failures resulted from NO DYNO TUNE and a/f ratios above 11.8 resulting in detonation and piston/rod failure and plug launch.
There you have it. These "failures" are the product of an undereducated consumer and nothing more. Yea they may be a known issue, but adding more hp to the mixture is not going to improve it any. A known issue needs to be replaced, but when you up the HP on the block youare going to wear it out and any other failing parts quicker. You have NO ONE else to blame for the accelerated failure than yourself if it happens.