Advantages of having a gryphon php?

[ticopowell]

Yes and no. I have never had a problem, and if they do happen they are few and far between. Since when you change a tune you are essentially rewriting the computer, there can be data transfer issues, and if your battery doesn't have enough power it can also cause some major problems. I know Jack always hooks his truck up to a charger whenever he changes tunes just to make sure there is always enough power getting to the Gryphon and the ECM.
So yes, do not change a tune when you are far from home or a towing company (yes a mistake can make the truck not run), but problems like this won't happen most of the time. Like I said, I have had 2 trucks with multiple tune changes on each and I have never seen anything go wrong, and I wasn't hooked up to a battery tender or charger either.

[str088]

How long does it take to change a tune?! Because I will be receiving my
programmer maybe in a week or week in a half, and have to use the st-
ock 87 tow until I receive my custom tunes. Which sparks up new que-
stions from me. What are is the correct process when changing from one
tune to the other? Do you have to:
-Put your truck back into the factory settings?
-Unplug your battery?
-Choose your tune.
-Then follow on screen demands?

As far as those problems, how often have they occurred? When they do
occur are they catastrophic to the PCM of the truck? When they do get
fixed is there a lasting problem or is it easily resolved. Describe what those
problems consist of. Thanks a lot for the replies.

[ticopowell]

Originally Posted by str088

How long does it take to change a tune?! only a few minutes, it is really quick.Because I will be receiving my
programmer maybe in a week or week in a half, and have to use the st-
ock 87 tow until I receive my custom tunes. Which sparks up new que-
stions from me. What are is the correct process when changing from one
tune to the other? Do you have to:
-Put your truck back into the factory settings? NO
-Unplug your battery? NO
-Choose your tune. YES
-Then follow on screen demands? YES
The biggest thing is to make sure that your truck is turned off when you program your computer, and that there is enough power in your battery to do it. I usually change the program after I have been driving my truck around for a little bit.


As far as those problems, how often have they occurred? Not very oftenWhen they do
occur are they catastrophic to the PCM of the truck? No, I am pretty sure that every time it has happened Bill could fix it from his place.When they do get
fixed is there a lasting problem or is it easily resolved. I think it is relatively easy to solve if you have a computer and a telephone handyDescribe what those
problems consist of. Thanks a lot for the replies.

See above in Blue

[Jackpine]

Ticopowell has given you the straight scoop here, except for one TINY detail.

My truck, since it's a bit of a "Garage Queen" like 88Racing's, sits with a "Battery Tender" plugged in at all times when I'm home. I've posted in many places about the "parasitic" draw on the battery from all the OEM electronics and the things I've added to it. If it is not driven for 3 weeks, the battery would be dead. The Battery Tender, which is not a "boil your battery charger", keeps the battery at a full charge state.

I do not disconnect the Battery Tender when I change the tune. If you DO connect a charger, make sure it's one with a 2 Amp setting. I don't know that a higher charge rate would hurt anything, but it might (and I would not risk it).

Here's a link to a post I made in another forum that will answer your concerns. Please read it carefully: http://www.f150online.com/forums/chi...unes-read.html

- Jack

[str088]

Thanks Tico, wasn't trying to overreact just wanted to clear up stuff. Because as far
as what everyone was saying it sounded pretty serious.

I see, I have that for my motorcycle the battery tender. Do you think that my after-
market sound system would draw enough from the battery for it to be a problem? I
have a 720 watt kenwood bridged to a rockford 300 rms shallow mount sub, I have
a farad capacitor also. I also have infinity component references on my front door
and kenwood coaxials in the small doors in the back; all powered by a sony head unit.
I think I have a stock battery also, would this setup cause me problems as far as bat-
tery draw? And if I wanted to add another mono amp to power my sub and have my
current one power my other speakers would this cause enough problem where I'd have
to get a more heavy duty battery?

As always thanks for your replies guys, it is greatly appreciated.

[ticopowell]

I have 2 amps running maybe 1600 max power and 800 RMS and I haven't had a problem yet. Just make sure that you turn your radio, and really all other accessories, off before you try and change tunes. You will always have battery draw with the truck off, and with the truck in the on position, but without the engine running, you will have quite a bit more even without the stereo system running.
If your truck sits a lot I would get a battery tender like Jack said, that should keep the battery up even with the system (when off it shouldnt draw any extra power than just the radio).
Hope that clears more up, and feel free to keep the questions coming!

[str088]

Cool. With this second amp I think I'll be up to 2000 watts max and maybe 600-650
RMS. My truck doesn't sit too much. I interchange between my bike and the truck,
but I've been using the truck a lot more for the past month and a half due to some
weird weather we've been having here in Vegas. I'll probably get a tender for the
truck as well just in case. So when you tune it is very advisable to just turn every-
thing off on the truck, correct? Wilco. I'm really fidgety and anxious about the gryphon
getting here. I want to see what it can do for my vehicle.

[ticopowell]

I know you won't be disappointed! That is correct, and that sounds like a good plan for the battery.

[wood4heat]

Holy cow how much power does the Gryphon require to reprogram? You guys all have F-150's? I ask because I'm planning on getting a Gryphon for a 7.3 diesel and wonder if having two batteries would alleviate some of the problems.

Any chance constant reprogramming could cause permanent harm to the ecm? I plan to change back and forth from daily driver to tow tunes quite a bit.

[ticopowell]

It just needs the voltage, not the amperage really... if the volts drop too low then it doesn't have enough energy to do what it needs to do.
If I were an EE I would be able to explain better, but I think that should be alright. and Yes having a second battery wouldnt hurt at all