so i bought an ebay chip...

[kctyphoon]

ok - so at the risk of being gang raped on this forum, i decided to post my thoughts/results of the chip/programmer i bought off ebay for like $35. let me get the disclosures out of the way first.

- i am aware of the 10k resistor mod, but i do not want to just bend a resistor into a sensor and risk shorting something out. i already had to have my truck reflashed over a no start isuuse and at a cost of $500 im not doing that again

- i am also aware that this is not a $400 programmer, and i never expected it to be one

- at the cost of a meal, i dont think the $35 invesment was a big risk, and the one i picked had a good return policy, so there really was no risk.

- i spent about an hour going through feebacks of different chips on ebay, looking specefically for people that left positive feedback for a 7.3 chip until i picked one.

- i know i could have saved my money, and put it towards a real programmer, but right now i have no desire to get one, or invest that kind of money to try to make my 1 ton diesel dually "fast".



ANYWAY - so the chip i took a chance on was the "mindblower" (cough) branded one. i think it cost me about $35. it installed under the hood, onto the iac or iat(?) sensor that would have been on the stock airbox. my sensor was on the drivers side wall of the fender, since i do not have a stock airbox. the previous owner had a k&n type filter and intake replacing the stock one. the chip installed easily, using 2 "t" type splices. it took about 10 min to look up the info, find the sensor and install it. i honestly didnt expect much, if anything to happen.

once installed - this is what ive notcied. the truck seems to idle SLIGHTLY higher, which turned out to be a good thing. the idle has smoothed out a bit, and truck doesnt seem to shake as much either... for whatever reason, it also seems to start easier, and crank a little faster too. it is definately more responsive when i first take off too. the truck doesnt seem to feel as "heavy" anymore when i first touch the gas pedal, and over all, i have to admit that the driveability has improved. i never expected to be saying this, but i have to admit that im happy i bought it. honestly the truck feels like its less of a chore to drive. the only things done to this truck is the intake and straight piped exhaust.

i have no connection with this compnay at all, and im not telling anyone to go out and buy one. i cant promise that it will make the same differences for you, but in my case it has definately helped, and was well worth the $35 i spent. it also makes a claim of helping to improve fuel milage, and the feeback from people with 7.3's that i found seem to support that, even if its just 1 or 2 mpg. i never keep track of mine so i cant say if it helps or hurts.

one other thing i can say is this. ive had my fair share of fast toys, ( worked chevy's, 93 Typhoon, 4 sportbikes), and i can promise you this. i have spent alot more money on plenty of other "add ons" and been less happy with the results. im happy with the results on something that cost about the same as an air filter, and i dont have to worry about it shorting anything out. if anyone is looking for a cheap thrill, maybe this will work for you too.

[madpogue]

That's a $2.00 resistor in a $33.00 box. If you're worried about shorting anything out, you can make a connector for the resistor so it plugs in without shorting, for probably another $2.00. Not even sure how it would affect a PSD; you'd have to read up on how the PCM uses intake air temp data.

[kctyphoon]

Originally Posted by madpogue

That's a $2.00 resistor in a $33.00 box. If you're worried about shorting anything out, you can make a connector for the resistor so it plugs in without shorting, for probably another $2.00. Not even sure how it would affect a PSD; you'd have to read up on how the PCM uses intake air temp data.

i am aware.. and even though you can make a pizza at home for under $5, alot of people still pay to have one delivered. it wasnt a matter of the money.

[glovemeister]

Originally Posted by kctyphoon

ok - so at the risk of being gang raped on this forum, i decided to post my thoughts/results of the chip/programmer i bought off ebay for like $35. let me get the disclosures out of the way first.

- i am aware of the 10k resistor mod, but i do not want to just bend a resistor into a sensor and risk shorting something out. i already had to have my truck reflashed over a no start isuuse and at a cost of $500 im not doing that again

- i am also aware that this is not a $400 programmer, and i never expected it to be one

- at the cost of a meal, i dont think the $35 invesment was a big risk, and the one i picked had a good return policy, so there really was no risk.

- i spent about an hour going through feebacks of different chips on ebay, looking specefically for people that left positive feedback for a 7.3 chip until i picked one.

- i know i could have saved my money, and put it towards a real programmer, but right now i have no desire to get one, or invest that kind of money to try to make my 1 ton diesel dually "fast".



ANYWAY - so the chip i took a chance on was the "mindblower" (cough) branded one. i think it cost me about $35. it installed under the hood, onto the iac or iat(?) sensor that would have been on the stock airbox. my sensor was on the drivers side wall of the fender, since i do not have a stock airbox. the previous owner had a k&n type filter and intake replacing the stock one. the chip installed easily, using 2 "t" type splices. it took about 10 min to look up the info, find the sensor and install it. i honestly didnt expect much, if anything to happen.

once installed - this is what ive notcied. the truck seems to idle SLIGHTLY higher, which turned out to be a good thing. the idle has smoothed out a bit, and truck doesnt seem to shake as much either... for whatever reason, it also seems to start easier, and crank a little faster too. it is definately more responsive when i first take off too. the truck doesnt seem to feel as "heavy" anymore when i first touch the gas pedal, and over all, i have to admit that the driveability has improved. i never expected to be saying this, but i have to admit that im happy i bought it. honestly the truck feels like its less of a chore to drive. the only things done to this truck is the intake and straight piped exhaust.

i have no connection with this compnay at all, and im not telling anyone to go out and buy one. i cant promise that it will make the same differences for you, but in my case it has definately helped, and was well worth the $35 i spent. it also makes a claim of helping to improve fuel milage, and the feeback from people with 7.3's that i found seem to support that, even if its just 1 or 2 mpg. i never keep track of mine so i cant say if it helps or hurts.

one other thing i can say is this. ive had my fair share of fast toys, ( worked chevy's, 93 Typhoon, 4 sportbikes), and i can promise you this. i have spent alot more money on plenty of other "add ons" and been less happy with the results. im happy with the results on something that cost about the same as an air filter, and i dont have to worry about it shorting anything out. if anyone is looking for a cheap thrill, maybe this will work for you too.

First you may want to look into getting rid of that k&n and installing a 6637, unless you enjoy a dusted turbo. I had a k&n in a stock box and I can provide what it looked like even after cleaning it. Near as I can tell I got to it before it dusted my turbo and pulled that piece of junk.

Second I see no connection between the underhood sensors and this particular chip, and how it could possible increase anything in your truck. At best given where you plugged it I figure it would modify temperature, but not sure what that would do. I contacted the 2nd owner of my truck as to why it had bd power stickers on it. He had an 80hp single stage chip installed and my truck hauls ***. It has survived since 04 with no issues, so these single stage chips are not all that bad. However, if I had the choice I wouldn't risk my PCM on getting a chip cheap. Last I saw you can get a ts 6 stage chip with canned tunes for $200 or so shipped. I'd try that before I decided to install a chip myself.

If I did anything I would 140v mod my IDM before I installed a chip of this type.

In the end it is your truck and you get to deal with it working or breaking down. Your chip may very well work and cause no problems and that would be neat as hell, but the risks outway the savings. I can get regular green coolant for $6.99 per gallon, however I pay $13.99 a gallon for 50/50 with the correct sca mixture because my motor is worth more than savings on coolant. Same as oil I pay $20 dollars for a larger, semi filter and $14.99 per gallon for 15w40 shell because I know they are both great products and I try to protect my motor as best I can.

[madpogue]

It's a favorite gasser "mod"; a resistor plugged into the IAT connector to feed the PCM a falsely low (or is it high?) temp value. Supposedly affects the A/F mixture for better performance. It's not a "chip" at all, in that there are no integrated circuits, no digital electronics, etc. involved. And it's hard to say what impact it would have on a DIT diesel engine. Again, you'd have to know just what the PCM does with IAT data, and what a fixed IAT value would do. (And ideally, you'd have to check, with a reader/scanner, exactly what fixed temperature this thing is feeding to the PCM.)

Keeping the actual IAT in the glove box would be a good idea....

[kctyphoon]

Originally Posted by glovemeister

First you may want to look into getting rid of that k&n and installing a 6637, unless you enjoy a dusted turbo. I had a k&n in a stock box and I can provide what it looked like even after cleaning it. Near as I can tell I got to it before it dusted my turbo and pulled that piece of junk.

Second I see no connection between the underhood sensors and this particular chip, and how it could possible increase anything in your truck. At best given where you plugged it I figure it would modify temperature, but not sure what that would do. I contacted the 2nd owner of my truck as to why it had bd power stickers on it. He had an 80hp single stage chip installed and my truck hauls ***. It has survived since 04 with no issues, so these single stage chips are not all that bad. However, if I had the choice I wouldn't risk my PCM on getting a chip cheap. Last I saw you can get a ts 6 stage chip with canned tunes for $200 or so shipped. I'd try that before I decided to install a chip myself.

If I did anything I would 140v mod my IDM before I installed a chip of this type.

In the end it is your truck and you get to deal with it working or breaking down. Your chip may very well work and cause no problems and that would be neat as hell, but the risks outway the savings. I can get regular green coolant for $6.99 per gallon, however I pay $13.99 a gallon for 50/50 with the correct sca mixture because my motor is worth more than savings on coolant. Same as oil I pay $20 dollars for a larger, semi filter and $14.99 per gallon for 15w40 shell because I know they are both great products and I try to protect my motor as best I can.

i appreciate the input, but dont think this is going to put anything at great risk.. its not like i spent a ton of money on maintenance items and then drive around on a race tune thinking its fine cause i bought more expensive oil and a $500 programmer.

i merely posted the experince ive had with something i own and have installed on the truck. i did it to maybe help someone else, and would think my personal experience might be better than other people's speculations on similar items they have never personally owned. im not telling people what i THINK it would do, im relaying what it did. i cant tell you why it does what it does. i CAN tell you i installed it, started the truck, started driving, and that it was different than every other time i drove it in the last 5 years. i felt i was being honest despite the trend of people hating on these things. after all, a custom programmer isnt exactly healthy for the longeviety of the engine just because it helps make more power.

i get the concept that you get what you pay for. (sometimes). but like i said this wasnt about the money. it was a small invesment that im happy with, on a truck that cost me 4 times that just to change the oil. so before someone spends the time, money, and aggraviation to install a new exhaust and downpipe cause people convince them thats what they need to do, this is cheap trick that might achieve what they are looking for in 5 minutes. that was the only point of this.

[kctyphoon]

Originally Posted by madpogue

It's a favorite gasser "mod"; a resistor plugged into the IAT connector to feed the PCM a falsely low (or is it high?) temp value. Supposedly affects the A/F mixture for better performance. It's not a "chip" at all, in that there are no integrated circuits, no digital electronics, etc. involved. And it's hard to say what impact it would have on a DIT diesel engine. Again, you'd have to know just what the PCM does with IAT data, and what a fixed IAT value would do. (And ideally, you'd have to check, with a reader/scanner, exactly what fixed temperature this thing is feeding to the PCM.)

Keeping the actual IAT in the glove box would be a good idea....

just to be clear, the iat sensor wasnt removed. this just splices in line with it. easy on, easy off. and yes, it isnt really a chip, or programmer, but thats what you would use to find it doing a search on ebay.

[backwoodsboy]

Originally Posted by madpogue

It's a favorite gasser "mod"; a resistor plugged into the IAT connector to feed the PCM a falsely low (or is it high?) temp value. Supposedly affects the A/F mixture for better performance. It's not a "chip" at all, in that there are no integrated circuits, no digital electronics, etc. involved. And it's hard to say what impact it would have on a DIT diesel engine. Again, you'd have to know just what the PCM does with IAT data, and what a fixed IAT value would do. (And ideally, you'd have to check, with a reader/scanner, exactly what fixed temperature this thing is feeding to the PCM.)

Keeping the actual IAT in the glove box would be a good idea....

Would be a low temp reading.
Cold air = dense air, so the PCM accounts for increased 02 by dumping more fuel.

[glovemeister]

Originally Posted by kctyphoon

i appreciate the input, but dont think this is going to put anything at great risk.. its not like i spent a ton of money on maintenance items and then drive around on a race tune thinking its fine cause i bought more expensive oil and a $500 programmer.

i merely posted the experince ive had with something i own and have installed on the truck. i did it to maybe help someone else, and would think my personal experience might be better than other people's speculations on similar items they have never personally owned. im not telling people what i THINK it would do, im relaying what it did. i cant tell you why it does what it does. i CAN tell you i installed it, started the truck, started driving, and that it was different than every other time i drove it in the last 5 years. i felt i was being honest despite the trend of people hating on these things. after all, a custom programmer isnt exactly healthy for the longeviety of the engine just because it helps make more power.

i get the concept that you get what you pay for. (sometimes). but like i said this wasnt about the money. it was a small invesment that im happy with, on a truck that cost me 4 times that just to change the oil. so before someone spends the time, money, and aggraviation to install a new exhaust and downpipe cause people convince them thats what they need to do, this is cheap trick that might achieve what they are looking for in 5 minutes. that was the only point of this.

I was thinking that there was some type of a cheap resistor in there, that helps increase fuel with a false/altered temperature rating. Take a look at this thread you will find that it is nothing more than a .3c resistor, that at best will describe what I thought was the case. Mindblower Performance Chip SCAM FRAUD - Dodge Cummins Diesel Forum

EDIT: After reviewing posts above mine it appears that another member here echoed the same sentiments.. better than I however.

[kctyphoon]

Originally Posted by glovemeister

I was thinking that there was some type of a cheap resistor in there, that helps increase fuel with a false/altered temperature rating. Take a look at this thread you will find that it is nothing more than a .3c resistor, that at best will describe what I thought was the case. Mindblower Performance Chip SCAM FRAUD - Dodge Cummins Diesel Forum

EDIT: After reviewing posts above mine it appears that another member here echoed the same sentiments.. better than I however.

yea that looks to be the same thing. AGAIN - im not saying the thing is physically worth the $30. neither were all the filters people were buying for $50-$100 when digital cable boxes first appeared and everyone was trying to get free PPV. honestly though - you gotta keep in mind that post was obviously written by an upset and irate customer that is hell bent on getting even with someone because he feels he taken advantage of. i mean who knows, he might have been the guy that spent $99 on it because he saw an ad promising 100 hp. however i am not in that situation. i basically knew what i was getting. i didnt make my decesion based on what the ad promised, i made it based on feedback and what people that owned it said.
claiming "severe engine damage" and "my mechanic said" are clear indicitators this is not an accurate testimonial. its one mad person marketing against a product he's not happy with.
again, all im relaying is my personal experience with it, and if having to spend $200 on stuff to get the same results a $30 resistor provided, id say im still ahead of the game. people pay alot of money on downpipes and exhausts too.. really its just a piece of pipe..but they work.