Well guys I think it finally happened

100% Accurate. if Ford doesn't ask for the Mode $09 PCM data and your dealer is cool, you can get it warrantied. Seriously ignore anyone who says return the car to a stock tune. They don't understand that the PCM stores this information and how any key cycles.

Cobra Jet said:

Getting the car back to stock doesn’t mean a thing... it HAS a TUNE... Ford can tell if the vehicle has had a TUNE...this has been discussed many times. Cool Dealer or not, if there is a Tune, it’s going to come up in the diagnostics.

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You should not had been running a canned tune with a aftermarket down pipe. You likely killed your turbo from overspool and no back pressure. Maybe you lucked out and it's only a gasket/seal.

They say you can run it with a hi-flow cat. But don't forget, they also will be happy to take your money and say your shit out of luck too.

grabber yote said:

100% Accurate. if Ford doesn't ask for the Mode $09 PCM data and your dealer is cool, you can get it warrantied. Seriously ignore anyone who says return the car to a stock tune. They don't understand that the PCM stores this information and how any key cycles.

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My dealer straight up said for me to revert my FP tune to stock before going in for dealer work

Regs said:

You should not had been running a canned tune with a aftermarket down pipe. You likely killed your turbo from overspool and no back pressure. Maybe you lucked out and it's only a gasket/seal.

They say you can run it with a hi-flow cat. But don't forget, they also will be happy to take your money and say your shit out of luck too.

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You will not over spool your turbo by simply running a down pipe, and certainly not because of lack of back pressure. It is just not how it works, a bad or no waste gate along with possibly high drive pressure due to excessive fueling are two notable reasons but not because you let it breath more. The turbo has to be driven harder, not "looser" if you understand the analogy. You need really both those components.

The canned OTS tunes do state what they are optimized for but lets say that I run the Stage 3 93 Oct tune on my 2.3 which has a cat less down pipe, its optimized for a larger down pipe in general, they may run more timing and more duration on the exhaust side which would increase flow, but that is what the down pipe is for. Running a Stage 2 or 1 I do not think takes in account for the down pipe, and would only run more optimally but would have less gains, but it would not drive the turbo faster.

Running too small a down pipe would be an issue with too aggressive a tune written for a 3" one, not the other way around.

lizardrko said:

My dealer straight up said for me to revert my FP tune to stock before going in for dealer work

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That is interesting considering its considered to be warrantied with the tune.

5.0yote said:

That is interesting considering its considered to be warrantied with the tune.

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I thought the same thing. His reason was when I had a CEL due to a vaccum leak, they couldnt read the code?

lizardrko said:

I thought the same thing. His reason was when I had a CEL due to a vaccum leak, they couldnt read the code?

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Not all Cels will throw a code. Or it throws a code but clears.

grabber yote said:

100% Accurate. if Ford doesn't ask for the Mode $09 PCM data and your dealer is cool, you can get it warrantied. Seriously ignore anyone who says return the car to a stock tune. They don't understand that the PCM stores this information and how any key cycles.

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Yeah, if I was seriously going to try to get Ford to cover mine (I wouldn't and didn't), then I'd leave the tune on it. The key cycle count is going to be a dead giveaway if Ford pulls the data and that resets when you flash the PCM.

Juben said:

Yeah, if I was seriously going to try to get Ford to cover mine (I wouldn't and didn't), then I'd leave the tune on it. The key cycle count is going to be a dead giveaway if Ford pulls the data and that resets when you flash the PCM.

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Right but if you tell them at the time of your vehicle intake that you power cycled your vehicle they would not really have a way to tell if the count was reset due to you pulling your battery or flashing it. I believe both would reset the counter, or at least it did with the S197s.

5.0yote said:

You will not over spool your turbo by simply running a down pipe, and certainly not because of lack of back pressure. It is just not how it works, a bad or no waste gate along with possibly high drive pressure due to excessive fueling are two notable reasons but not because you let it breath more. The turbo has to be driven harder, not "looser" if you understand the analogy. You need really both those components.

The canned OTS tunes do state what they are optimized for but lets say that I run the Stage 3 93 Oct tune on my 2.3 which has a cat less down pipe, its optimized for a larger down pipe in general, they may run more timing and more duration on the exhaust side which would increase flow, but that is what the down pipe is for. Running a Stage 2 or 1 I do not think takes in account for the down pipe, and would only run more optimally but would have less gains, but it would not drive the turbo faster.

Running too small a down pipe would be an issue with too aggressive a tune written for a 3" one, not the other way around.

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The wastegate is what controls boost. It's a flapper valve that, when closed, allows for all exhaust gas to go through the turbo to build boost. When fully open, exhaust gasses will bypass the turbine and boost will not be built. The wastegate (the flapper valve) is attached to a rod that runs to a diaphragm actuator. On the side of the actuator opposite the rod is a vacuum line. As vacuum is ported to that side, it "sucks" on the diaphragm and the rod, causing the wastegate valve to remain shut. Without this vacuum on the actuator, the only thing holding the wastegate shut is a spring.

Boost will build to approximately 5 psig (boost pressure, not exhaust differential pressure, mind you) before enough differential pressure across the turbo allows for exhaust gas to over come the spring pressure that holds the wastegate shut. When the wastegate is open (stock setup,) the turbo will not be able to build sufficient boost, if any. The more it tries, the further the wastegate will open to bypass around the turbine.

To maintain the wastegate shut, a vacuum solenoid (boost control solenoid) will energize (via control signal from the car's computer, the ECM) to port vacuum to the wastegate to maintain it shut (sucks on one side of the diaphragm in the actuator, which pulls on the rod that attaches to the wastegate to keep it shut.) Fully shut corresponds to wastegate duty cycle (WGDC) of 100%. To control boost, the ECM will send fewer signal pulses to the vacuum solenoid valve to allow the wastegate to bypass some exhaust gas in order to maintain a target boost (< 100% WGDC.)


ECM controls the solenoid valve on the waste gate. It controls it using a vacuum lines. The ECM will maintain the vacuum solenoid valve fully energized (100% WGDC) to port vacuum to the wastegate to maintain it shut, at first, but will shorten the pulse frequency to allow the wastegate to open to control boost at the target value.

The ECM looks up this information using a table based on stock exhaust and stock backpressure. It can compensate to an extent because conditions change and no two cars are a like, however it has to play constant catch up when you change the down pipe. Aftermarket down pipes require the wastegate to be open more than shut than stock pipes, and will overbuild pressure.

You get your information from people that want to make money off of you.