Take you time to learn how to tune and you will be unstoppable. Love to see Grams Truck finally get to run the way it was meant to. I want to see it get up those hills in the other truck reviews and show those new kids how it was done in the 90’s.
Going with the Megasquirt ECU is the way to go! A lot of these older EFI computers are starting to crap out, and no amount of playing capacitor changing hokey-pokey is gonna solve the issues.
It's called "Digital Fade" or "Digital Creep" and it's what you get when the original software in the PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, or EROM, starts to degrade, and the program and/or map have bad data. It's been a serious problem with the classic computers (1970s & up) as well as early digital vehicle control modules.
I've been programming since the 1970s including burning proms. I've programed thousands. Yes, proms can fail, but "digital fade"??? No. Bits almost never get corrupted. There are checksums to catch that. You're blowing smoke
That's awesome that you were able to find not only a real solution to the problem but a customizable one at that. I imagine that having that sort of control over the programming might allow you to not only improve performance but also fuel economy potentially. I'm excited to see what you end up learning.
Hey, Sarah, yay MegaSquirt! This is literally what I do. I have a VERY noob friendly series of videos for MS tuning on my channel. Learn at your own pace and teaches WHAT is going on rather than just the how.
Your passion for cars and mechanical knowledge is awe inspiring. Love watching your vids for how excited you get about your projects as much as for the content. 👍🏼 🎉
Think this is one of my favorite vids you've done Sarah.Content spot on ,You spot on .Doesn't get any better than this.Until the next vid,right?Thanks for doing a great job.We all think so.
Yeah.. so I had over a decade of experience as an aerospace technician/supervisor/instructor and quality assurance inspector before doing RUclips. I’d hope I already have those down by now. Haha
i would hope so too. 🤣 i remind myself all the time about this to simplify tracking a problem and tackling new things. i do think your viewers would like to see you have a crack at tuning a ECU but i understand time is limiting factor for ya. i look forward to the rally car build, rallying is the best fun you can have with your pants on.
Another older video I watched, as I’m catching up. Slowly. The truck is a blessing to have no matter what. I know you get this resolved. Gramms is proud!
Once again, I'm impressed by your dedication to bringing Gram's Truck up to spec. Your OCD is on full display, but in this case, probably necessary just to be persistent enough to get to whatever little glitch is making the problem in the first place. Looking forward to the next installment.
I can feel a bit of your pain. I had a 2009 Chrysler T&C that needed an ECM. Dealer wouldn't sell it, found them on the net at the "Rebuilt" places... after doing some research on the companies that were doing the rebuilds, I found that most had poor reviews and most had many complaints with the BBB. So I looked on ebay and found one from a wrecked van for $25. Dealer had to reprogram for $125 and it worked great. Don't trust people just because they have a "business" on the internet.
Your explanation of jumpers in the ECU as " neurological pathways" was brilliant. You should trademark that, because no one will ever explain it more succinctly. Excellent video, by the way! Thank you.
I thought I suffered a little OCD when restoring my cars but I have nothing on you Sarah! Great video and you should be proud of your builds. Watching from Australia 🇦🇺
Great episode! We are all smarter for seeing it. Watching you geek out over tech is awesome, and Charlie is always a great addition to your already excellent content. Keep it up Sarah!
You are soooooo cute!! 😃😃. Your face, when you are talking about explaining computers. No matter how i feel during the day or night, I can watch one of your videos and feel even better! Keep up the great work Sarah.
Last time I used jumpers was setting up IRQs on a Sound Blaster and a NIC some time in the 90-s. Jeez, I'm feeling old 👴 Seems like a proper way to easily configure a stand alone ECU for a 94 truck, though 👍
Sarah, please watch you hair with running vehicle. Tie it back maybe. I've seen what can happen. Love all your vids, wonderful presentation and respect your ability. AWESOME!
Great video, Sarah. This video is a testimonial to how far electronic engine control has evolved. It makes complete sense to upgrade to modern electronics that can be monitored and tuned. Looking forward to seeing how the final result turns out.
When the temps here in the wintertime get below 20 degrees my 94 runs super rich as well until the system goes into closed loop. Hope the next episode comes up with a simple cure. The check engine light comes on as well.
Old capacitors can be a real drag. One of my hobbies is restoring vintage radios and test equipment. Some of those old capacitors used oil-impregnated paper as the dielectric and encased everything in a cardboard tube dipped in wax. Their failure mode can (literally) be explosion!
10:24 Lacuna Coil reference. Love it Sarah - LC is one of my favorite bands! I've seen them every time they've come through Denver in the last 15 years!
Your perseverance is amazing. I feel your frustration as I have chased 90's electrical gremlins in a 4.3 transplant. Always learn something from your videos. Thanks
Sarah, keep going. Keep going equites to new learning. New learning is where the world is going and this puts you on top. THX for the videos, I really enjoy them.
Awesome technical video… I just bought a 1998 Single Cab Step Side/Style Side with the 2.5L… my kids and I are swapping out the 2.5L for the 4.0V6 SOHC… Your videos are Awesome!
This is so cool to see a MS install. I built a Megasquirt from a kit, learned how to solder and installed in a 80's VW rabbit. massive learning curve. the Microsquirt was out of my price range but considering time is money, it's the better way to go.
ive got a 97 ranger that seems to be having similar issues to your truck. i actually did a megasquirt on a toyota that i turbo'd about 10 years ago. might have to look more into this and start another project. whats nice now is that the megasquirts can come with factory connectors. i had to make a jumper harness when i did mine by tearing apart a spare ecu and harness for the plugs.
Hey Sarah. Just thought I'd say that your issue sounds like a power steering pump switch issue that I had, because on my 1992, the power steering switch, with the wheel at lock, is supposed to bump idle RPM so that getting into and out of tight, slow spaces is easier. I'm wondering if you have a bad A/C control switch or relay in the A/C power system.
Tuning is always tricky. Thankfully though you e got resources available to you. No worries. You’ll get her running better and smoother than the old school ECU. 👍🏻😎
Interesting! I recently inherited a 94 ranger with 4.0 too. Since I got it , it was really struggling. Finally determined the PCM had the leaky capacitors. They will eventually go bad on all of them. Then it goes into limp home mode and performance really suffers. Eventually I did get a rebuilt one that worked perfectly. After that mine ran like a champ!!!!! But it was really hard to find.
@@BillySBC nah, it's like saying "3 pints of month old milk and they're all mouldy! What are the chances?". 90s caps deteriorate, pretty much 100% of the time, often corroding a chunk of the board as well meaning you have to solder on jumper cables across the board. On top of that they'll be other potential snags, such as dry solders and other component failures. Fortunately you can normally just work through any issue until it works, and most components on the board will be generic.
@@stuartgreenshields5591 I get where your coming from. I was working on these things when they were new, and they were garbage then. One thing is for certain, they did not get any better with age. Far from it.
Hi Sarah, I am so impressed with you, You are a very intelligent young Lady. I appreciate your desire to achieve perfection with everything you do. I thank you for sharing these videos with us. I have watched and enjoyed everyone of them.
Outstanding Video I went through similar experience with a 98 Corvette LS1 when i put in a 2001 PCM and had to repin two connectors of 150 pins each then restart via security protocol. When the engine fired I ran out into the street about 10PM screaming "ITS ALIVE!!!!" and my neighbor yells out "Yeah we heard it start!, No go to bed!".
Watched this video with extreme interest! I have my Gramps 1987 Ranger, fully original factory gleaming glory, that currently has zero issues other than a radius bushing squeak. I never knew such option existed, and will look into this as a back up if the OEM ECU fails!
I had one of these with stick shift and two wheel drive. I used giant slabs of marble countertops that were the cuts from a place next to the auto body shop I worked at. Loved that little truck and did pretty well in the winter with the bed loaded. and yes Sarah your channel still rocks.
You got this!! I know you will bone up on things and have it under control. Keep at it, and I can't wait to see the Ranger running like a top. Until next time... Wrench safe.
Hi Sarah! Loved the ranger series and many other’s of yours. I actually wanted to recommend a friend use a product you used on the upper fender plastic to condition and restore color. Would you mind sharing?
Thankyou Sarah for making learning fun. I'm not qualified in any way to comment on your work. But I will say, I really get a kick out of the yellow pointy finger thingy.
charlie's reaction and explination of PCM issues is spot on. he's my spirit animal for that.
Direct 👍🏻
20 years in IT, his assessment was accurate for most situations.
@ 11:30 ... lol, Charlie dropping truth bombs!! Yeah, buddy...
I was thinking this exactly!
I love the ranger. Sarah you’re a great mechanic.
Very cool that there is such modern ECU tech available for older vehicles like your Ranger.
Yeah! It’s really going to be critical for 90s vehicles going forward as their primitive ECUs age and break.
@@SarahnTuned - For Sure!
@@SarahnTuned < - 1999 Mazda Miata. I'll be watching with interest.
Thank you for blazing this trail and sharing with us.
@@richardhobbs7107 Would you care to try and rewrite that in human-readable form?
never knew you could do this.. wonder if this is the fix i'm looking for on my 91 s10..
Luv that truck! Luv the Destinations, perfect look for the truck!
Everyday we learn something new. We so appreciate you.
Nothing better than digging into problems. That said, it is fun unless you are rushed.
11:25 LOVE Charlie's response! Just LOVE it!
Take you time to learn how to tune and you will be unstoppable. Love to see Grams Truck finally get to run the way it was meant to. I want to see it get up those hills in the other truck reviews and show those new kids how it was done in the 90’s.
Glad to see your grandma truck back on the channel.
Going with the Megasquirt ECU is the way to go! A lot of these older EFI computers are starting to crap out, and no amount of playing capacitor changing hokey-pokey is gonna solve the issues.
It's called "Digital Fade" or "Digital Creep" and it's what you get when the original software in the PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, or EROM, starts to degrade, and the program and/or map have bad data. It's been a serious problem with the classic computers (1970s & up) as well as early digital vehicle control modules.
I've been programming since the 1970s including burning proms. I've programed thousands. Yes, proms can fail, but "digital fade"??? No. Bits almost never get corrupted. There are checksums to catch that. You're blowing smoke
That's awesome that you were able to find not only a real solution to the problem but a customizable one at that. I imagine that having that sort of control over the programming might allow you to not only improve performance but also fuel economy potentially. I'm excited to see what you end up learning.
Oh yeah, sky’s the limit. I could do flex fuel, forced induction, no lift shift, launch control everything is possible with further expansion.
Hey, Sarah, yay MegaSquirt! This is literally what I do. I have a VERY noob friendly series of videos for MS tuning on my channel. Learn at your own pace and teaches WHAT is going on rather than just the how.
Haha I was using your videos to learn! I shouted you out in the next video not even knowing you commented this 😂 so wild! Thanks!
@@SarahnTuned Haha, awesome!
Your passion for cars and mechanical knowledge is awe inspiring. Love watching your vids for how excited you get about your projects as much as for the content. 👍🏼 🎉
Your skills, determination and dedication are second to no one. You are the best.
Wow! Diagnostic and explanation was very well done. Thank you for a great learning video.
That truck is going to run so much more efficient and clean.
Think this is one of my favorite vids you've done Sarah.Content spot on ,You spot on .Doesn't get any better than this.Until the next vid,right?Thanks for doing a great job.We all think so.
Learning and tuning this aftermarket ECU will make you a better mechanic. Its only air, fuel and spark. Don't give up, you got this!🔧
Yeah.. so I had over a decade of experience as an aerospace technician/supervisor/instructor and quality assurance inspector before doing RUclips. I’d hope I already have those down by now. Haha
i would hope so too. 🤣 i remind myself all the time about this to simplify tracking a problem and tackling new things. i do think your viewers would like to see you have a crack at tuning a ECU but i understand time is limiting factor for ya. i look forward to the rally car build, rallying is the best fun you can have with your pants on.
Another older video I watched, as I’m catching up. Slowly.
The truck is a blessing to have no matter what. I know you get this resolved. Gramms is proud!
Once again, I'm impressed by your dedication to bringing Gram's Truck up to spec. Your OCD is on full display, but in this case, probably necessary just to be persistent enough to get to whatever little glitch is making the problem in the first place. Looking forward to the next installment.
The Ranger content is always my absolute favorite!!❤️
I can feel a bit of your pain. I had a 2009 Chrysler T&C that needed an ECM. Dealer wouldn't sell it, found them on the net at the "Rebuilt" places... after doing some research on the companies that were doing the rebuilds, I found that most had poor reviews and most had many complaints with the BBB. So I looked on ebay and found one from a wrecked van for $25. Dealer had to reprogram for $125 and it worked great. Don't trust people just because they have a "business" on the internet.
Cool video Sarah. Learning everyday makes you a great professional. Love how you embraced that. :)
Thanks! I wish you and your gang a Happy Thankgiving And Charle feels better soon
WOW! 2.3k views in 12 minutes! You're killing in on viewership. Kudos on your work.
Had no idea that for a vehicle that old you could get a modern ECM. Props!
Your explanation of jumpers in the ECU as " neurological pathways" was brilliant. You should trademark that, because no one will ever explain it more succinctly.
Excellent video, by the way! Thank you.
I concur!!!
You can't trademark an explanation.
@@Jumalten001 The point is not to "trademark the explanation". The point of the statement is to praise her on the QUALITY of the explanation.
major upgrade! I love when something old is made current in machines. Thanks for sharing the journey!
Thanks for covering this!
great video. its cool seeing you do stuff step by step.. hope charlies better soon..
I love love love her humor and her knowledge is amazing…
Hello Ranger my old friend. I've come to work on you again.
I thought I suffered a little OCD when restoring my cars but I have nothing on you Sarah! Great video and you should be proud of your builds. Watching from Australia 🇦🇺
Love a Charlie to the rescue moments!!! He's a mint flavored life saver!!!
I want to personally thank whoever gave you that pointer finger thing because it is hilarious.
Great episode! We are all smarter for seeing it. Watching you geek out over tech is awesome, and Charlie is always a great addition to your already excellent content. Keep it up Sarah!
Very educational, keep at it, configuring a modern ECU is something few will tackle on a 90’s vehicle, don’t sell yourself short, you’re brilliant.
Be sure to follow up with G'ma's truck soon!!! We love this project!
You are soooooo cute!! 😃😃. Your face, when you are talking about explaining computers. No matter how i feel during the day or night, I can watch one of your videos and feel even better! Keep up the great work Sarah.
Your description of jumpers is completely correct
I knew that the truck isn’t smarter than you!
Nicely done Sarah!
Nothing more to say other than:Dog Gone... Sarah: You are absolutely Remarkably Amazing! J
You are one tenacious human!! Love it!! I learn more and more with each new video from Your fantastic channel. Keep the great videos coming.
Last time I used jumpers was setting up IRQs on a Sound Blaster and a NIC some time in the 90-s. Jeez, I'm feeling old 👴
Seems like a proper way to easily configure a stand alone ECU for a 94 truck, though 👍
Sarah, please watch you hair with running vehicle. Tie it back maybe. I've seen what can happen. Love all your vids, wonderful presentation and respect your ability. AWESOME!
Meow soundtrack when mentioning the toasted cats, that's attention to details right there 😂
Your tenacity is your superpower.
Great video - Its a cross between an Agatha Christie mystery and hot-rodding
It's fun learning new stuff. I'm glad you had the chance.
You are amazing! Your passion for this is something more of us need in our daily lives.
Glad to see the Danger Ranger back. And Jimmy with the technical support!
Great video, Sarah. This video is a testimonial to how far electronic engine control has evolved. It makes complete sense to upgrade to modern electronics that can be monitored and tuned. Looking forward to seeing how the final result turns out.
Amazing technical and troubleshooting skills, very impressive.
Quickly becoming my favorite channel!
Really tremendous video.......I'm impressed that this newer technology is available for older vehicles..... you're doing a super job!!
Hi Sarah, I would happily miss an episode just to hear your comments while doing a tune, a source of humour, I'm sure.
Highly instructive to show what happens in the world of laptops, connectors, and tuning.
Damn, Charlie is a wizard. So glad you have him as a resource.
You'll get it figured out.
I would LOVE to watch a series of you learning to tune!
When the temps here in the wintertime get below 20 degrees my 94 runs super rich as well until the system goes into closed loop. Hope the next episode comes up with a simple cure. The check engine light comes on as well.
Old capacitors can be a real drag. One of my hobbies is restoring vintage radios and test equipment. Some of those old capacitors used oil-impregnated paper as the dielectric and encased everything in a cardboard tube dipped in wax. Their failure mode can (literally) be explosion!
Saw this truck going down my street a few weeks after you finished it
10:24 Lacuna Coil reference. Love it Sarah - LC is one of my favorite bands! I've seen them every time they've come through Denver in the last 15 years!
I love how you dive right in the deep end and get your knowledge on. You're bad-ass.
Wow massive change of that old Beatle!
Your perseverance is amazing. I feel your frustration as I have chased 90's electrical gremlins in a 4.3 transplant. Always learn something from your videos. Thanks
Thats why I like your way Sarah. You made everything to know how it work. Nice. Triple thumb up!!! or more for you!!!!
For a fleeting moment - I thought the box was donuts to celebrate 😂
The Ranger looks great
Sarah, keep going. Keep going equites to new learning. New learning is where the world is going and this puts you on top. THX for the videos, I really enjoy them.
That truck is ridiculously clean
Really cool stuff, I'm glad you showed us all of this, it's looking promising!
That was very interesting. Great job figuring it all out. Great lookin truck. Colonel Chip
Awesome technical video… I just bought a 1998 Single Cab Step Side/Style Side with the 2.5L… my kids and I are swapping out the 2.5L for the 4.0V6 SOHC… Your videos are Awesome!
I'm always down for Grandma's Ranger.
It was my favorite RUclips project, just ahead of Matt's Off-road Recovery restoring Ed's Golden Nugget.
This is so cool to see a MS install. I built a Megasquirt from a kit, learned how to solder and installed in a 80's VW rabbit. massive learning curve. the Microsquirt was out of my price range but considering time is money, it's the better way to go.
That became an expensive truck. What a pity. Its a nice looking rig. You did an awesome job. I am glad I was here to see it
I like to see that you're adamant to learn about tuning... That's awesome!!
That is so cool to have your grandmother's truck. A nice truck at that.
Fascinating Sarah
I think we should have a Charlie life size cut out on hand for days he’s unavailable. He’s earned a spot
ive got a 97 ranger that seems to be having similar issues to your truck. i actually did a megasquirt on a toyota that i turbo'd about 10 years ago. might have to look more into this and start another project. whats nice now is that the megasquirts can come with factory connectors. i had to make a jumper harness when i did mine by tearing apart a spare ecu and harness for the plugs.
Great video! Yes electrical components do have a shelf life and everything today is computer controlled....
Hey Sarah. Just thought I'd say that your issue sounds like a power steering pump switch issue that I had, because on my 1992, the power steering switch, with the wheel at lock, is supposed to bump idle RPM so that getting into and out of tight, slow spaces is easier.
I'm wondering if you have a bad A/C control switch or relay in the A/C power system.
Tuning is always tricky. Thankfully though you e got resources available to you. No worries. You’ll get her running better and smoother than the old school ECU. 👍🏻😎
You are just friggen dreamy. All that and mechanically inclined. Great entertainment. Thank ya much.
P.S. That black outfit really works for you.
Interesting! I recently inherited a 94 ranger with 4.0 too. Since I got it , it was really struggling. Finally determined the PCM had the leaky capacitors. They will eventually go bad on all of them. Then it goes into limp home mode and performance really suffers. Eventually I did get a rebuilt one that worked perfectly. After that mine ran like a champ!!!!! But it was really hard to find.
Yeah, so many hack job “rebuilds” out there. Most of them are likely bad pcbs
@@BillySBC nah, it's like saying "3 pints of month old milk and they're all mouldy! What are the chances?". 90s caps deteriorate, pretty much 100% of the time, often corroding a chunk of the board as well meaning you have to solder on jumper cables across the board. On top of that they'll be other potential snags, such as dry solders and other component failures. Fortunately you can normally just work through any issue until it works, and most components on the board will be generic.
@@stuartgreenshields5591 I get where your coming from. I was working on these things when they were new, and they were garbage then. One thing is for certain, they did not get any better with age. Far from it.
Hi Sarah, I am so impressed with you, You are a very intelligent young Lady. I appreciate your desire to achieve perfection with everything you do. I thank you for sharing these videos with us. I have watched and enjoyed everyone of them.
Sarah , you are absolutely brilliant!! Another great video ! Thank you ❤
Awesome video, loved the explanations. Charlie is amazing
Outstanding Video I went through similar experience with a 98 Corvette LS1 when i put in a 2001 PCM and had to repin two connectors of 150 pins each then restart via security protocol. When the engine fired I ran out into the street about 10PM screaming "ITS ALIVE!!!!" and my neighbor yells out "Yeah we heard it start!, No go to bed!".
I never thought we would hear Sarah talking about a MegaSquirt. I mean, ya know, because of the OEM thing, not the other reason.
So love this truck and your touch you've given it.
Every project is more and more interesting! I learn so much from watching your work. Thanks.
I can't believe what you have done with that truck. It is entirely brand new looking. It's a time machine!
A MF'ing Ford Ranger !!!!
Watched this video with extreme interest! I have my Gramps 1987 Ranger, fully original factory gleaming glory, that currently has zero issues other than a radius bushing squeak. I never knew such option existed, and will look into this as a back up if the OEM ECU fails!
I had one of these with stick shift and two wheel drive. I used giant slabs of marble countertops that were the cuts from a place next to the auto body shop I worked at. Loved that little truck and did pretty well in the winter with the bed loaded. and yes Sarah your channel still rocks.
You got this!! I know you will bone up on things and have it under control. Keep at it, and I can't wait to see the Ranger running like a top. Until next time... Wrench safe.
I'm glad youre working on the problem, i was wondering what happened to the Ranger ☺
Hi Sarah! Loved the ranger series and many other’s of yours. I actually wanted to recommend a friend use a product you used on the upper fender plastic to condition and restore color. Would you mind sharing?
Like - @11:45 - Yesterday was a great success. That's Sarah -n- Tuned Winning Learning... Gracias Jimmy Oaks Gracias Fabricobbler. 👍
Thankyou Sarah for making learning fun.
I'm not qualified in any way to comment on your work.
But I will say, I really get a kick out of the yellow pointy finger thingy.