I plan to do some minor intake and exhuast modifications to my V6 2006 Mustang. I've noticed a lot of parts mention it does or does not require system reflashing.

What is system reflashing?
Why is it needed?
How is a reflash done?
What happens if I don't do it?

I thank you all in advance.

 

Whenever you add a modification that essentially brings in more air to the engine it can mess with the Air to Fuel Ratio of your stang. The reflash is needed to correct the A/F ratio so you aren't running to lean, which can cause damage to the engine. The reflash is either done by a Dyno Tune or a hand held tuner, however the best way to make sure the A/F ratio is safe is to put it on an actual dyno machine. The other way to do it is when you buy your mods including the handheld tuner, the company you buy it from will ask what mods you have so they can create a tune that will compensate for the A/F changes. This isn't the most accurate way of doing it, but many do it and it's fine.

Others will have more detail, but I hope this helps.

 

As you add more and more intake and exhaust (less exhaust than intake) mods your AF ratio will get more and more out of whack. With simple stuff like a CAI or a bigger TB it's not usually an issue but when you start stacking one new part on another you really do need to take it to a dyno and have the AF checked through a full throttle run. The worst case if you don't have it done is you may be really really lean and not know it and you could smoke a piston, burn a valve, get lots of pinging (pinging is called the death rattle for a reason). The tune that mail order and dyno tuners put on your ECU via the flashing operation adjusts your fuel curve, timing and in some cases shift points and cooling fan start temps. It's all designed to work together to give you good power and good driveability without risking engine damage.

 

Ahhh, understood. Very good information, thank you again.