How can you tell if a truck has been chipped?

schreckman · Jan 29, 2014

I have a 99 7.3 F-250 Automatic and wondering if it was chipped. It shows 30 more HP on the dyno than stock during the e-test. It reves up real fast and hit redline and the rev limit kicks in and it blows black smoke at full accel.

My stock 2000 manual does none of these things. So if the truck has been chipped, how do I get it back to stock program?

Wingdog · Jan 29, 2014

Sounds like it might have a light tune on it right now. Did the previous owner mention anything about having a programmer in it? You should get ahold of them to get the programmer or tell him to take the program out of your truck you just bought off of him, if he still wants his programmer. The only other way to remove the tune is at the dealership with a re-flash of the ECM.

schreckman · Jan 29, 2014

Thanks. Negative on the previous owner that I bought it from. I think it was fine when I bought it from him. I resold it after a trans re-build and the next owner forgot to make payments to me so I repossessed it. Now it runs like this. No way he is going to cooperate because he is PO'ed over losing his down. So is the Ford dealer the only one who can reprogram it to stock or are there independent shops that can flash it?

BIG JOE · Jan 30, 2014

Ford charged me $65, to turn my 7.3 back to stock.. after the programmer unit took a dump.

You should be able to see if a chip has been added. They normally will be visable.. sticking out of the back of the ECM, or remove the ECM and open it up.. yul see it.. on the end of the "Board".

Joe

Wingdog · Feb 3, 2014

schreckman said:
Thanks. Negative on the previous owner that I bought it from. I think it was fine when I bought it from him. I resold it after a trans re-build and the next owner forgot to make payments to me so I repossessed it. Now it runs like this. No way he is going to cooperate because he is PO'ed over losing his down. So is the Ford dealer the only one who can reprogram it to stock or are there independent shops that can flash it?

Dealer is only able to re-flash the ECM. But if is a programmer he's not going to be able to do much with it if he want to put it in another truck or sell it to someone. The programming software needs to be removed from one ECM before adding onto another one. This is why you can't buy just one programmer and then tune a whole fleet of trucks. So ask him how useless his programmer will be like that, LOL. Good Luck.

dpantazis · Feb 6, 2014

umm, did you check to see if there is a chip on it? pull the ECU and it will be obvious.
its not dealer only. someone like DP tuner could do it. you gotta sent it in. they have the programmers, at lease they used to.

How can you tell if a truck has been chipped?

schreckman

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Wingdog

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schreckman

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