New 2 me 1999 Ex 4x4

[SkyJumper]

Man, I just went thru another driverside axle upper boot. The second one in little over a month. The new axle shaft will be in tomorrow for pick up. Luckily, the shaft I bought comes with a lifetime warranty. SO no questions asked.

I know that the Torsion Twist is doing this, creating the ribs of the boots to rubb constantly against one another as I am driving which in turn is wearing the boot ribs to a thin wall. The sad thing is all the TT I did was 1.5", so I do not know how you all are telling others that 2" would be OK. Especially after I am going thru cv boots like water. And this is with the new lift keys I bought. Even at 1.5" of TT lift, it is increased drive line angles to wear these boots out fast.

 

[jrjr]

Why did you get new keys? Couldn't you get 1.5" out of the stock keys? I'm sure you know, but ideally the axles will be straight and the more angle you put in them, the more stress it puts on the CV joint.... if you are wearing the boots, man it must be a steep angle it seems.....

 

[SkyJumper]

Well it is only a 1.5 inch gain over stock. So I say the shafts are at about 35* angle. I bought the lift as a kit, the Torsion keys with the rear blocks. And I rather have the indexed keys as it requires less torqueing down of the bolts and less bolt threads at top of the crossmember to be exposed to the elements and a possibility of a bolt snapping when needed to remove or lower.

 

[SkyJumper]

Well I replaced the D/S front axle shaft once again. Lets see how long this one lasts.

I got to thinking, and the first time I busted the CV boot and this time I was coming home from visiting my Dads up in Pinellas County, about 130 miles north of my house. And I was running between 80-90 mph each way there and back. And when I got home both times is when I seen that the boot busted. What I am thinking is the boot is rubbing each rib and the friction and heat from running sooo fast is what caused the blow out. WHat you all think? That I believe was my culprit.

 

[SkyJumper]

Well I received my new headlights today and installed them. I think they look pretty damn good and way better than the originals. Here are some updated pics.

 

[babysilk]

Looks great!!

 

[SkyJumper]

Looks great!!

Thanks, it is getting there, one piece at a time. Thankfully I bought a good fundation to build on. Next week my new brush guard should be in. Then who knows whats next.

 

[SkyJumper]

Well this is just a follow up to the Edge EVO/HT tuning and the performance update to where I am now.

Before I bought the Edge tuner, I was averaging about 10-11 miles to the gallon with the 4.6 and a full tune up with only 120k to include aftermarket exhaust and full CAI. Now that I did the Edge tune, I am averaging between 15-17 miles to the gallon. I am using the tune specific called 87 Octane. It is as it says, meant to run on 87 octane. I have made a couple trips up to my Dads which is about 260miles round trip. After each trip I would fill up when I got to a 1/4 tank left which is at around 330 miles. That is around 19.5 gallons used to go 330 miles, which equates to 16.5 miles a gallon. That is a great increase compared to before I did the tune.

So after about 2k in miles since I tuned it, I would say I am earning my money back quickly in fuel mileage gain. And I would recommend this to anyone.

 

[jrjr]

Awesome! Does it feel much different driving? What do you think changed in operations?

 

[SkyJumper]

Awesome! Does it feel much different driving? What do you think changed in operations?

There is a hell of a difference with the tune and the performance while driving.

1) The ability to get up and out of its shadow at take off is tremedously improved. It takes off at half throttle without hesitation as before. And without the RPMS at 3500 screaming to high hell.

2) The passing gearing at half WOT you feel the down shift of that of a jerk forward. Not that of a trans jerking, but the push off kind of jerk when it hits the final passing gear. It is amazing, the 87 octane mode adjusts the shift points for the trans to be more firmer and agressive.

3) At highway speed at around 50-70, if you need to pass someone that is in front of you and you want to get out in the fast lane to get around them and back intot he secondary lane, you need only to depress the go pedal alittle bit for it to take off where as before you needed to depress the go pedal to WOT to get up and going. I mean the 4.6 is really a little small for the Expedition in my opinion.

3) With all that said, the fuel savings is paying for the tuner and fast.

4) I currently have a 97 Mark VIII with the 4v 4.6 and it is quick, well in comparison, the 4.6 in the Ex feels like the 4v'er in the Mark. I am not kidding at all. I am soo impressed with this tuner. I was debating going to the Extreme mode on the tuner, which requires 91 octane or better, but why, I am getting what I want out of the 87 octane mode.

Believe me, it was money well spent.

 

[jrjr]

Good deal.
You got THIS one right? The Edge EvoHT?

 

[SkyJumper]

Good deal.
You got THIS one right? The Edge EvoHT?

Yes

 

[jrjr]

So let me get this straight, you hook it up, burn the computer chip, then you can unhook it correct? Or do you have to leave it plugged in?

 

[SkyJumper]

So let me get this straight, you hook it up, burn the computer chip, then you can unhook it correct? Or do you have to leave it plugged in?

When I got the handheld unit in the mail, I read the directions and it states that I needed to connect it to my computer by way of the supplied USB and get the necessary updates for my application. I came to a upload issue and I called EDGE and the tech guy told me that it was not necessary as the EVO/HT was rather new and no updates were necessary. So I took it and plugged it into the OBDII port, when you do this it turns on, then you follow the step by step procedure. Once it comes on, it first tells you to turn the key to the on position, then it reads the stock setup from the ECU, you can actually hear this happening. Then once it uploads the stock setup and registers your VIN, it then walks you through the rest of the setup, you pick the tune you want, then you can actually take that tune and modify it to your liking, gears, shift points, tire size, etc. Then you turn the key off, then it tells you to turn the key back on and then it is reprogramming ECU for the new tune. During this couple minute upload, you can also hear this within your electronics uploading. Once the upload is complete, it will tell you to unplug it. Then you are done. The ECU is now reprogrammed the way you wanted it through the tune. Once you start it up you know right then that something is different, and once you take off, that is when you know everything is better and more performance. You can go back in at anytime to change the tune, go back to stock, or enhance the tune you have. My RPM's are in range and the Speedo is correct within 1 mph.

 

[jrjr]

I am thinking hard on this one!
I wonder if you can use one programmer for more than one vehicle?

 

[SkyJumper]

I am thinking hard on this one!
I wonder if you can use one programmer for more than one vehicle?

Well with the EVO/HT, the only way you can use this on another vehicle is you have to reload your ECU back to stock. If you do not, then the programmer is locked to your VIN and at the performance mode you are set at. It holds the stock configuration in the handheld unit for a time in which you need to go back to the dealer or you are selling it or what not. But to answer your question, no you can not as long as you are using a specific tune and not at stock mode.

 

[jrjr]

I would only be looking to improve fuel efficiency really. Most of my demands are in 4L but it would be nice to be able to use my Expy more on the open road due to better mpg. If using the canned tune is that good, I wonder why one wouldn't just switch chips to something like this for way less money.... Of course you would have to know how good these are in advance of purchase......

http://www.performancechipsdirect.com/Ford/Expedition/

 

[SkyJumper]

There is no comparison between that chip and a hand held tuner. In respect to the chip, yes you will probably see gains in fuel mileage, but it is not programable for tires, gears, shift points, fuel type/grade, or other enhancements. Yes the chip is much cheaper, but you get what you pay for I guess what it boils down to.

 

[SkyJumper]

I received my brush guard today by FEDEX and installed it today, or should I say tonite as it was dark when I finished. I will post pics tomorrow after work.

 

[SkyJumper]

Well the CV axle Gremlin bit me again over the past week. I had to go out and get a new axle for the P/S this time. That makes a total of 3 shaft replacements in the past 3 months due to this TT lift. And keep in mind that I only lifted the front by 1.25" instead of full twist. The boots are at a angle to allow friction with the ribs of the boots are rubbing one another as I drive. And is causing the boot to split at the inner rib. This TT lift is junk in my opinion.

As I mentioned to another member early today, I am going to start piecing together my parts needed to do the solid axle swap using a D60 up front and a Sterling in the rear. Far more reliable and less chance of small part failure and get rid of the 1/2 crap.