RangoWA

I'm not a tuner but tuned up my bikes and cars since the early 70s. I know advancing the timing usually makes them run leaner and peppier but hotter. I've gone back to stock for my stuff thinking the manufacturer knows more about the motor than I do. Back then emissions chocked stuff off but nowadays the computer handles all that in a variable way. It will be interesting what the dealer says about it.

chimmike

a plug melted like that isn't due to anything other than a tune that's way too hot for 87 octane. An 87 tune should be an 'economy' tune, not a performance tune. It should maximize afr to maintain as close to stoich as possible all the time, with minimal use for higher timing except where absolutely necessary. Save the aggressive timing tunes for better gas, and even then it should be limited to a point.

Stone629

And I'm definitely not saying the tune didn't cause this. It very well may have. But with the oil in the intercooler, etc it looks like there's more to it. I'm leaning towards a turbo seal, but who knows. I'll let y'all know as soon as they let me know.

MNSportsman

iTrader: (1)

Keep us posted. I really want to know the build date. If this truck falls in the TSB window it will add a whole other dimension to the conversation/argument that cannot be dismissed IMO. Ford has not been very forthcoming on what exactly the issue defect is that sparked this TSB so its premature, again IMO, to speculate its truly tune related.

redranger04g

Yes keep us posted. It will also be interesting to see if Ford says anything about your truck being re-flashed, indicating a tune could have been on the truck.

Eric Kleven

Oil in the intake can lower fuel octane. Lowered fuel octane + turbo = baaaaad.

That can easily explain spark plugs detonated to death.

'87 perf tune' will probably up the fuel maps pretty hard, especially on a N/A engine.

Stone629

Oil entering the cylinder is my first guess. Anyone know for a fact whether or not dealerships do, or even can access PCM history to determine whether or not it's been reprogrammed and returned to stock parameters? I've heard yes and no.

MNSportsman

iTrader: (1)

Yes, they can discern whether a truck has been tuned. Ford has published plenty of documents on what the process is and when it is to be followed - Attached file is one example.

What you will find is inconsistency in whether Ford requests this information and/or if the servicing dealer will go through the effort. I've read both. The fact is, it's a risk that people need to be aware of when tuning.

RLXXI

The only way they would find that abnormal calibration is if the truck is still tuned when IDS is connected, I know this for a fact as a dealer line tech I had to have my customers detune their trucks so I could run proper diagnostics on it when they came in with issues, when you remove the custom tune and put the truck back to stock, IDS reports no abnormalities in the calibration.

Fact!

Oh and I also have my own IDS and decided to see if it was the same since it's been 13 years since I worked at the dealer so I tried it on my own tuned truck, sure enough it reports the abnormal calibration, I took it back to stock tune and IDS was happy again.

The only way they can tell if a vehicle has been custom tuned at this point is to remove the pcm and send it to Ford for analysis. In the 11 years I worked at Ford that never happened.
.

chimmike

Sounds like things have changed in the 13 years since you've been gone. I bet their technology is better, and they can determine when PCMs have been recently reflashed, etc.