New PTU, better performance?

[ExPlat]

I'm puzzled. I've always felt that the normal and WOT driving performance of my Platinum was not quite up to par and sometimes even sluggish, especially in the last year or so. This car has had the battery disconnected numerous times for repairs or other reasons but this last time was when the new PTU was installed.

The battery was disconnected for 5 days and the car has now learned how I like to drive, just like all the other times. The difference this time is the car feels 'quick' and eager to accelerate, actually fast - this is new.
Could the PTU's demise have affected the performance and driveability as it slowly ground itself into a steaming pile of iron? With all the talk of under filled PTU's and mine failing at less than 30k miles, maybe it was affecting the way it ran overall? The MPG's are about the same now though.

Any ideas?

Either way, I am happy to report that the car seems to be peppier than in the past, long may it be so...

 

[Will1122]

An unhealthy PTU would definitely sap your car of power. The easiest way I can think of to measure, would be to drive in a consistent way, and measure your fuel economy over a couple tanks of gas. Obviously you're not going to put the old PTU back in, but highly doubt there is a memory of your driving style in the computer.

 

[613GT500]

It's just a placebo affect, after experiencing issues with a failed component, that has since been replaced with a new one.

 

[ExPlat]

An unhealthy PTU would definitely sap your car of power. The easiest way I can think of to measure, would be to drive in a consistent way, and measure your fuel economy over a couple tanks of gas. Obviously you're not going to put the old PTU back in, but highly doubt there is a memory of your driving style in the computer.View attachment 167011

Strangely, my gas mileage has gone down a little bit, the car is so frisky that pushing on the go pedal is fun now.

It's just a placebo affect, after experiencing issues with a failed component, that has since been replaced with a new one.

Hahaha, you may be right. I've wanted this car to run well so, in between repairs, it does.

Placebo effect for Explorer owners: Also called the placebo response. A Explorer owners condition simply improves because the person has the expectation that a car repair will be helpful. Expectation plays a potent role in the placebo effect. The more a person believes their Explorer is going to run better after a repair, the more likely it is that they will experience a benefit.

 

[peterk9]

......, but highly doubt there is a memory of your driving style in the computer.View attachment 167011

There is. When the battery is disconnected, there are a few things that have to relearn your driving style. From your Manual;
Because your vehicle’s engine is
electronically-controlled by a computer,
some engine control settings are
maintained by power from the low voltage
battery. Some engine computer settings,
like the idle trim and fuel trim strategy,
optimize the driveability and performance
of the engine..............................................
...........................When a technician disconnects
and connects the low voltage battery, these
settings are erased.

Peter

 

[Odrapnew]

I never really understood why the transmission "learned driving style."
I can understand the transmission fine tuning shifting based on sensor feedback(like an engine), but not from how a person drives.

After many miles of driving, I wouldn't expect my transmission to act any differently if I drive it light footed vs. heavy footed most of the time when driven under same conditions.

Example: If I drive light footed most times and decide one time to hammer it, I wouldn't expect that to be any different than normal heavy foot and hammering it.
Same goes for the opposite. If I drive heavy foot most of the time, I would expect if I decided to go easy, it would react similar to light footed(all the time) driving.

What I would expect are shifts to improve based on situation. Light throttle should be lower rpm and smooth shifts. Heavy throttle should be higher rpm and firmer shifts. Medium throttle would be in between(and the infinite positions in between). Obviously the terrain selector and/or tow/haul mode, but those are separate from learning.

Now, the fine tuning may take longer depending on driving style. I wouldn't expect my light foot driving transmission to work optimally under heavy throttle until it saw those loads enough. Same goes the opposite. If I'm heavy throttle most of the time, I would expect the light throttle shifting to take longer to optimize.

Maybe I'm thinking this wrong or don't fully understand the transmission "learning driving style."

 

[peterk9]

The transmission adaptive learning is no longer mentioned in the 2016+ Manuals although I've been told on here that it still does it. I'm guessing it picks up on shift patterns.

Peter

 

[thefranchise713]

Shift scheduling changes based on the driver's aggression/lax driving, which I presume can equate to a performance benefit, but also impacts shift quality (firm vs. gentle shifts).

 

[Odrapnew]

Sorry this is going off topic.

Think about older auto trannys that we mechanical. You drive with 1/4 throttle, trans shifts low and light. 1/2 throttle, higher rpm and firmer shifts. WOT, high rpm and firmer shifts.

Electronic transmission, should be similar regardless of daily driving styles. What may change is the smoothness or firmness of the shifts as it learns gets feedback from sensors, not specifically how a person drives.

Guess I'm thinking of how an engine tune changes and applying that to a transmission. It has a base tune, but as you drive, it optimizes parameters for best performance for the situation. The engine tune doesn't change depending on driving style, but it optimizes different parameters at different rates.

 

[Mbrooks420]

Sorry this is going off topic.

Think about older auto trannys that we mechanical. You drive with 1/4 throttle, trans shifts low and light. 1/2 throttle, higher rpm and firmer shifts. WOT, high rpm and firmer shifts.

Electronic transmission, should be similar regardless of daily driving styles. What may change is the smoothness or firmness of the shifts as it learns gets feedback from sensors, not specifically how a person drives.

Guess I'm thinking of how an engine tune changes and applying that to a transmission. It has a base tune, but as you drive, it optimizes parameters for best performance for the situation. The engine tune doesn't change depending on driving style, but it optimizes different parameters at different rates.

They very much adapt to your driving style. They’ve been doing this with electronic controlled transmissions for years. People typically use the gas pedal very differently, and the transmission learns how you downshift, and upshift based on load and pedal position. If two people with very different driving styles swapped cars it’d seem different to them, and it’d adapt to them after some time.

 

[ExPlat]

I didn't mention the transmission relearning my driving style, just that the car had relearned my driving style, I was just speaking from past experience with this car and battery disconnects. Now however, on page 289 of my Owner's Manual I see the 'resetting' fuel trim and idle mentioned and seriously doubt the Dealer's service tech went through this procedure before returning it to me. I suppose that by me driving the car, without knowing why, it 'relearned the idle and fuel trim'. I'm still just guessing though.

FTA:
Because your vehicle’s engine is electronically-controlled by a computer, some engine control settings are maintained by power from the low voltage battery. Some engine computer settings, like the idle trim and fuel trim strategy, optimize the driveability and performance of the engine. Some other computer settings, like the clock and radio station presets, are also maintained in memory by power from the low voltage battery. When a technician disconnects and connects the low voltage battery, these settings are erased. Complete the following procedure in order to restore the settings:

1. With the vehicle at a complete stop, set the parking brake.
2. Shift into park (P).
3. Switch off all accessories.
4. Fully press the brake pedal and start the vehicle.

1. Run the engine until it reaches normal operating temperature. While the engine is warming up, complete the following: Reset the clock. See Audio System (page 352). Reset the power windows bounce-back feature. See Windows and Mirrors (page 87). Reset the radio station presets. See Audio System (page 352).
2. Allow the engine to idle for at least one minute. If the engine turns off, press the accelerator pedal to start the engine.
3. While the engine is running, press the brake pedal and shift into neutral (N).
4. Allow the engine to run for at least one minute by pressing on the accelerator pedal.
5. Drive the vehicle at least 12 mi (20 km) to completely relearn the idle and fuel trim strategy.