Whipple Installed!

[ccradier]

Hence I am looking at 38's. I have a set of 40's from another project but they at c rated.

 

[Isthatahemi]

Is this thing (whipple) out the box set up for max power? Of course not, but if you want to have a fun reliable truck have at it in o.t.b form. Now If more is desired, swap pullies, tune for e85, mod the fuel system as needed. But just know it now moves more in to that race truck range. Heavy and fast is expensive to maintain, especially if you beat on it like a teenager. Right now it will pull like normal just easier, run really good for a heavy ass truck on 37's and sound wonderful doing it with a little more work(plugs more often and belt). I am kind of regretting regearing to 4.30's before I did this. The 3.55's would have maintained the fuel economy and plenty of power on tap. That ship has sailed and I am not looking back.

My.02 is that 37's and 4.30's are a good match, even from a fuel use perspective. My 34's and 3.73's feel about right, so you're not too far off that, also my opinion 3.55's would be too far from ideal.

 

[ccradier]

I am in a fairly flat at sea level area, do I enjoy the 4.30's yes, did my 3.55's get up and go yes. Just add more go pedal and lock gears out when cruising if needed. Was I burning less fuel on the in town with 3.55's yes and same on the open road. Not complaining just stating what I have experienced owning a 3.55 truck with stock Fx4 tires graduated to 285's, then regeared to 4.30 and have 37's now. The ten speed does wonders for gearing, you can have some cake and icing at the same time. Just don't be afraid to lock tenth or 9th gear out depending on terrain. I could and still do spin tires easily with either gears and tires. I was more pissed of about the dead pedal than gearing. Gears didn't fix that, amplified it a bit do to the mechanical advantage down low. The whipple and tuning got rid of it. Again I wish I would have done this first before regear, I might have saved 4 grand and been happy. And if not gear away. I spent hours on grimjeeper.com concerning tire sizes and gear changes. We all live in different areas that require different tools.

 

[Isthatahemi]

With the “warmer” (above freezing) weather, the misfire codes and CEL’s are rare, so the misfire is a confirmed a tune / weather issue as expected.

But, the truck won’t hold WOT in 1st or 2nd gear, it cuts in and out.

Hoping to get a solution from Whipple….. been a couple months, would like to to be able to launch from a stop….

 

[JTredway]

With the “warmer” (above freezing) weather, the misfire codes and CEL’s are rare, so the misfire is a confirmed a tune / weather issue as expected.

But, the truck won’t hold WOT in 1st or 2nd gear, it cuts in and out.

Hoping to get a solution from Whipple….. been a couple months, would like to to be able to launch from a stop….

any chance it's seeing wheel slip and or torque management from the ECU/TCU pulling power to save the trans?

 

[Isthatahemi]

any chance it's seeing wheel slip and or torque management from the ECU/TCU pulling power to save the trans?

Wouldn't be wheel slip on dry pavement with 4wd and advancetrac off, particularly in 2nd gear, in fact, in 2wd, it seems to smear the tires without the same issue.... but it doesn't launch hard in 2wd due to traction, it becomes a tire murder situation, with seemingly no intervention of any sort.

As far as saving the trans, it has a rating over 1000 ft/lbs, well above the capabilities of the kit as sold, so it may be some torque management of some sort. Perhaps it's the weak bypass spring like another fellow had that was allowing the bypass to open in an untimely way.

It is, quite simply a Whipple issue to solve imo. Their F150 kit works so flawlessly once installed this is all quite out of place. I doubt I would even get an aftermarket tune (if they were available, which they aren't) until this base tune is "fixed".

 

[JTredway]

Wouldn't be wheel slip on dry pavement with 4wd and advancetrac off, particularly in 2nd gear, in fact, in 2wd, it seems to smear the tires without the same issue.... but it doesn't launch hard in 2wd due to traction, it becomes a tire murder situation, with seemingly no intervention of any sort.

As far as saving the trans, it has a rating over 1000 ft/lbs, well above the capabilities of the kit as sold, so it may be some torque management of some sort. Perhaps it's the weak bypass spring like another fellow had that was allowing the bypass to open in an untimely way.

It is, quite simply a Whipple issue to solve imo. Their F150 kit works so flawlessly once installed this is all quite out of place. I doubt I would even get an aftermarket tune (if they were available, which they aren't) until this base tune is "fixed".

My guess It could still be a wheel slip issue, doesn't take much for the abs system to sense wheel sleep between certain wheels and it will derate, with the front not being locked it could be a driver front spin up that's different than the passenger side, or something as simple as a yaw sensor sensing what it things is the truck sliding from all the torque. Even somethign as simple as the rear diff opening up if you don't have the limited slip and more power goes to say both passenger side tires (front and rear), then there's torque limits programmed in almost all trans typically in 1-3 gears, there's def limits in the 10r and it's even worse with us with the 6.7s, there's a noticeable and I mean DRASTIC change when it finally gets into 4th or 5th and then it loads up and accelerates hard. Could be a bypass issue, and could also be something as simple as the truck isn't loading up as hard, supercharges and turbos (worse with turbos) can struggle to build boost fast enough in the first few gears bc by the time it starts to load up you're at a shift point and it derates/bypasses for the next gear.

My guess like you said, still small kinks being worked out with the trans tune or weak spring though. If it's not doing it in the higher gears that leads me to believe wheel slip or abs/yaw sensor since the system never is technically fully off unless you do the full send mod with the fuse removal.

I'd be curious of someone else could send you a trans tune only. I'm about to pull the trigger on ASAPCalibrations trans tune.

 

[GT-SD]

It is, quite simply a Whipple issue to solve imo. Their F150 kit works so flawlessly once installed this is all quite out of place. I doubt I would even get an aftermarket tune (if they were available, which they aren't) until this base tune is "fixed".

Whipple has been great on supplying feedback and support, but modifying the calibration, given the regulatory EO's and parameters they operate in as well as tuning expertise bandwidth within the organization, is probably not helping the speed and turn time.

If it were me, I might consult with a tuner (either local or remote) who has experience with the 7.3L specifically and pay them to set up the logging needed and evaluate the logs when the issue occurs. For $200 - $300, you can probably narrow down specifically what is going on. That could help speed up the response and calibration update from Whipple. Most tuners can work with you remotely, even though they may not be able to modify it, they can tell you what to log and look through it in a detailed manner. This would at least expedite narrowing down the cause and providing Whipple with additional feedback.

 

[Isthatahemi]

I have been logging and in some cases writing and refining tunes for new model fords for years, including 5 recent F150's, with nitrous, boost, etc, including the most recent whipple sleeper truck that ran 10.9@127 - I guess I should have mentioned that. The logs and torque source suggest it’s closing the throttle to reduce torque to stay within the limit. I actually have an Mhptuners MPVI2 that I can log with, but lacking resolution problem isn’t the issue, apparently it’s a lack of precision controlling the large throttle blade.

I should mention, if it was wheelspin issue, it would happen worse in 2WD, and it’s not. With the larger tires I have, wheelspin isn’t a major issue in 2WD, and completely non-existent in 4wd.

As mentioned, Dustin Whipple himself has acknowledged the issue and is working towards a fix.

 

[Isthatahemi]

Snip

If it's not doing it in the higher gears that leads me to believe wheel slip or abs/yaw sensor since the system never is technically fully off unless you do the full send mod with the fuse removal.

I'd be curious of someone else could send you a trans tune only. I'm about to pull the trigger on ASAPCalibrations trans tune.

I may try pulling the harness for the advance trac that is pulled to do dyno runs, that’s a good idea for sure! The only cause I can think of is acceleration exceeding some “safety parameter in advanctrac, but the logs don’t suggest that and everyone else would have that issue.


No tuning access for ‘24s, so I am waiting on Whipple either way.

 

[Isthatahemi]

Any insight on whether this is an isolated issue?

Hard to say, seems like they are aware of it and it’s obvious in the logs, they are saying the cool / dense air is the cause, but it was 50F here, which isn’t cold per sa.

I also find that I’m harder on my stuff than most, I roll with people, bikes, sleds, trucks, who all say they push their stuff, but they don’t, so not sure if I’m having this because I do stupid stuff like stop on an empty road and do launches and pulls to test if it runs properly.

Just got another misfire CEL on my way to get chicken dinner…..so maybe it’s me and expecting it to work right is too much.

 

[McE]

Hard to say, seems like they are aware of it and it’s obvious in the logs, they are saying the cool / dense air is the cause, but it was 50F here, which isn’t cold per sa.

I also find that I’m harder on my stuff than most, I roll with people, bikes, sleds, trucks, who all say they push their stuff, but they don’t, so not sure if I’m having this because I do stupid stuff like stop on an empty road and do launches and pulls to test if it runs properly.

Just got another misfire CEL on my way to get chicken dinner…..so maybe it’s me and expecting it to work right is too much.

Thank you for all the information and thorough responses to questions, man. Can't wait to get mine done.

 

[Isthatahemi]

Very Welcome.

Go for it brother, worth every penny, I don’t regret it for a second, I just want that last 10%!

 

[JTredway]

Hard to say, seems like they are aware of it and it’s obvious in the logs, they are saying the cool / dense air is the cause, but it was 50F here, which isn’t cold per sa.

I also find that I’m harder on my stuff than most, I roll with people, bikes, sleds, trucks, who all say they push their stuff, but they don’t, so not sure if I’m having this because I do stupid stuff like stop on an empty road and do launches and pulls to test if it runs properly.

Just got another misfire CEL on my way to get chicken dinner…..so maybe it’s me and expecting it to work right is too much.

I am that guy too typically with all my vehicles. I would say for what you have in the truck and blower you’re not asking anymore than a guy who tuned his CTSv or any other car, honestly.

It sounds like whipple rushed to market that was 90%-95% complete. I’m going to assume you’re running 93 fuel so unless you have shitty fuel it’s something else.

The 7.3s are hard on plugs, wires, coils for whatever reason but you shouldn’t have that many misfires and sounding like the performance guy you are, usually drive ability issues improve with colder denser air when temps are managed better (baring you have the fueling to meet those demands -ie if the pumps and injectors where already close to capacity).

What I would be worried about is if that misfire is a form of detonating but like you said maybe the bypass is blowing open and you’re briefly overfueling? But you should see that puff of smoke if so and probably would have a little exhaust overrun crackle or backfire.

Any chance you’re getting some belt slip? Have you checked around the blower snout for what looks like black rubber dusting? We had a rash of cars go through this on the supercharged Audi group I was apart of.

At this point we’re all invested, let’s figure this shit out! Do you have logs that show knock correction?

 

[VB!]

The logs and torque source suggest it’s closing the throttle to reduce torque to stay within the limit. I actually have an Mhptuners MPVI2 that I can log with, but lacking resolution problem isn’t the issue, apparently it’s a lack of precision controlling the large throttle blade.

As mentioned, Dustin Whipple himself has acknowledged the issue and is working towards a fix.

I trimmed your post to the parts I'm replying to.

I think you mentioned you don't have a Tremor so I don't know if you can do this. Go find some sand or very loose terrain that needs some throttle to get moving in. Put the truck in "Rock Crawl" mode (this is 4x4 Low with the locker engaged). Give it anything more than light throttle. What happens?

Mine becomes completely undriveable. The throttle cuts in and out. The truck shudders. It's a mess. (It drew a lot of attention at King of the Hammers when trying to maneuver up a hill through lots of trucks and people.) This happened with the original Whipple tune for '23 and the new most recent '25 tune. The thing is, I never tried this before the Whipple so I do not know if it is the truck or the Whipple. It does not happen in "Off Road" mode (this is 4x4 High with the locker engaged). In Off Road mode the truck just cuts all four tires loose and parties. I wonder if it is some kind of torque limiting going on that is exacerbated in 4x4 Low. Try it and see if it is similar to what you are experiencing.

Out of all the things I talked with Dustin about, this made him pullout his note pad, ask detailed questions, and write things down more than any.

 

[X5Pilot]

My Whipple has been shipped and the total time from order to delivery is 8 weeks 2 days, a far cry from the original 14-16 week estimate. I understand it ships with both a dual alternator belt and a single alternator belt. Anyone here with a dual belt set up can have my extra belt or like to swap for your single if you aren't using it.

 

[Isthatahemi]

Guys - not to be rude, but Whipple has acknowledged the issue with my tune.

No need to test, it’s not a TC issue. It’s a tune issue.

I’ve been doing this for a decade, and suffice to say I’ve reviewed the logs, Whipple has stated the tune needs adjusting. End of story for the moment.

It’s not spinning in 4wd, at all, it’s not a TC issue, and there is no alternative but to wait. Not my cup of tea, but it is what it is.

 

[GT-SD]

My Whipple has been shipped and the total time from order to delivery is 8 weeks 2 days, a far cry from the original 14-16 week estimate. I understand it ships with both a dual alternator belt and a single alternator belt. Anyone here with a dual belt set up can have my extra belt or like to swap for your single if you aren't using it.

Speaking of Belts, I just changed mine last weekend and it is a single alternator.

My truck is nearing 40k miles, and the recommendation is to change the belt out after 25k, but I continued to inspect it and saw no need. However, on foggy or wet days this spring, when I would start up the truck there would be a chirp for <10s. It was not a belt squeal and wasn't very loud; happening maybe 1 or 2 times a month. It only occurred on a cold start when it was foggy or damp outside, and it was gone by the time I got out of the truck and popped the hood. On something like this, my SOP is to drive it until the problem manifests enough to positively identify the issue. In this case, since the belt had been on for almost 40k miles, and it would be a good idea to replace it out of an abundance of caution, why not throw some parts at it? To remove the possibility of some of the modification parts being the cause, I replaced the (2) idler pulley's that were added as part of the Whipple install.

As an interesting note, Whipple does a good job of using readily available automotive parts. I ordered the 2 two idler pulleys specific to the Whipple kit from Gates off of Amazon, and the belt was at the local Autozone store. All in, it was ~$70 in parts. Removing the belt, idler pulley's and reinstalling took about 45 minutes. It could have been done faster, but disconnecting the fan clutch electrical took 10 minutes because it didn't want to come off.

Probably won't know for a while if it fixed the issues, but if it continues, then I know it is very likely an OEM Ford part problem.

Here are the PN's:

Gates Micro-V K060926 (6PK2351) 21mm x 2365mm

Gates 36101 DriveAlign Belt Drive Idler/Tensioner Pulley (x 2) - There is a Gates Store at Amazon, so you know you are getting genuine items, not knock offs.

Below are some of the photos of the belt after 40k miles

In the next week or so the truck will hit 40k and get an oil change. The sample will be sent out and will be posted once the results come in. Will probably go with Valvoline Restore and Protect at least (1) more 5k interval.

 

[X5Pilot]

Love these updates, keep it coming. This Whipple thread has more info for our trucks than any other forum I've found.

 

[ccradier]

Got a coolant leak.