Thank you sir. I am at Sync 2.3.0 as of March 1st... Will see what happens.
Wifi is not needed at all. It's just a suggestion.
Agreed, but why bother suggesting it if all updates are actually pushed using the TCU?
Same here. Just popped up on my screen. I have automatic updates turned off. SO TEMPTED TO LET OTA DO ITS THING. But that's how I got stuck at 1.7.1 !!
Apparently this works only 50% of teh time at Ferman Ford in Clearwater Florida. My truck has been in the shop for two days for a RECALL and they cannot get it to program properly. They say they have been waiting for a Ford service agent to contact them for help. They had their "IT" guy look at it yesterday and could not get it working. My truck is dead as it sits in the shop. Tomorrow will be day 3.This guide outlines steps to set up your computer and how to update software in your ECU modules using Ford OEM FDRS software
DISCLAIMER: I have updated many modules using the procedure below without any major issues and literally zero failures. That does not mean failure cannot happen. Flashing ECU modules is a dangerous operation. DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK! I will take no responsibility for any damage to your vehicle caused by the below described procedure
Tools you will need:
- Windows PC with 4GB RAM or greater, running Windows 10 or Windows 11
- VCI Interface preferably Mongoose-Plus J2534 (can be purchased from Amazon here)
or as an alternate (budget) solution VXDIAG VCX Nano (can be purchased from Amazon here)
- USB Flash drive 32GB or larger (must be formatted to exFAT)
- 12V Automotive Battery Charger/Maintainer (I used this one from Amazon)
Software you will need:
- Driver software for your VCI interface (steps outlined for each device below)
- Ford Diagnostic & Repair Software (commonly known as FDRS)
Installation and Setting up Mongoose-Plus J2534 interface:
NOTE: Follow the steps below ONLY if you own the Mongoose-Plus J2534 interface
1) Download the OPUS IVS driver for your Mongoose-Plus device from here.
2) Connect your Mongoose-Plus device to your PC and launch the installer. You should be presented by the following screen:
3) Hit Install to start the installation process, when prompted, activate the device!
Installation and Setting up VXDIAG VCX Nano interface:
NOTE: Follow the steps below ONLY if you own the VXDIAG VCX Nano interface
1) Download the latest VX Manager installer from here.
2) Start VX Manager installation, when prompted select PASSTHROUGH - J2534
NOTE: Your AV might flag certain driver files as malware, this is however a false alarm. You may need to add these files to your AV exclusion list in order to complete the installation
View attachment 36917
NOTE: Do not select FORD/MAZDA - IDS. Using this IDS emulation can brick your ECU module during the update process (learned the hard way)
3) Connect VCX Nano device to your PC using the supplied USB cable and launch VX Manager. The tool should recognize the device. If there is a device firmware available, update the device firmware
View attachment 36919
FDRS Software Installation
1) Download and install FDRS software from here. You will need a license to run this software and can be purchased here (2-day FDRS license cost $50)
2) Launch FDRS, you will be prompted to enter the license that you have just purchased.
3) Register an account (if you don't have one) on Motorcraft website here.
4) Log into FDRS using your Motorcraft credentials. Make sure you select Non-Dealer Motorcraft as User Type
5) Connect your VCI device to your truck's ODBII port and connect the USB cable to the PC running FDRS. Once FDRS Device Manager pops up, make sure you select Other Device, in the drop-down dialog:
Select Drew Technologies Inc. - Mongoose-Plus Ford2 if you own the Mongoose-Plus VCI device
Select VXDIAG - J2534 if you own the VCX Nano device
View attachment 36923
After this you should be greeted with this screen, meaning you are ready to go!
The icons at the bottom should be all green with battery voltage shown
Running Network Test (Initial Scan)
WARNING: DO NOT RUN NETWORK SCAN IF YOU OWN VCX NANO DEVICE AS IT WILL CAUSE AS-BUILT DATA CORRUPTION. GO -> HERE <- FOR MORE INFORMATION AND HOW TO PROCEED WITH MODULE SW UPDATE IF YOU OWN THIS DEVICE
NOTE: if you own the Mongoose-Plus device, it is safe to proceed
1) Turn Ignition On, Engine Off
2) Click Read VIN from vehicle
3) Click Go to initiate Network Scan
Once completed a new tab called Toolbox will appear at the top of your FDRS screen:
On the left hand side you will see all modules detected on your truck. The ones that responded positively will be marked green. On the right hand side notice the SW Updates tab. Head over here to see all available SW updates for your modules.
Module SW Update Procedure
WARNING: DO NOT UPDATE THE CCM MODULE USING THE VCX NANO DEVICE. READ APPENDIX V FOR DETAILS
1) Head over to SW Updates tab in the FDRS Toolbox window.
2) If there are updates available, hit the Download button. The tool will download the necessary tools needed for the module update.
3) Once download completes the button turns green with a text "Run".
IMPORTANT: Before you proceed to the next step, connect your truck to external power supply (a good battery charger/maintainer as one listed above will do the job). DO NOT connect the negative (black) charger clamp directly to the battery monitoring sensor, it must be connected to an engine or chassis ground in order to bypass the BMS circuitry (see example here). Do not proceed unless you have solid 12.5V or more showing on your ODBII port.
4) Run the SW Update procedure and follow the on-screen prompts very carefully
Be patient, some modules take long time to update. This is especially true for IPMA module which takes almost 3 hours to complete. Therefore, it is very important to have your truck connected to external power supply (battery charger/maintainer)
NOTICE FOR FORSCAN USERS: FDRS will knock out your recent FORScan changes from your modules you are updating. It reloads your As-Built (AB) data at the end of the SW update procedure. Make sure you back-up your FORScan changes and load them back after you are done with SW updates. By time your FORScan changes get propagated to your AB data set on FORD servers, so this would not be an issue. This would only affect users performing FORScan changes and running module SW udate within short period of time. I am suspecting, that receiving OTA shortly after FORScan changes would have same effect.
If you have any questions or concerns feel free to reach out to me over DM. If I don't reply in time, reach out to other experts including, but not limited to @Jesse-Infotainment , @Bob_Mac, @JEB or @Snakebitten.
Also, I would strongly suggest to follow @Bob_Mac document, outlining the latest updates and shared knowledge related to this process. You can access his guide here.
Do IT!Same here. Just popped up on my screen. I have automatic updates turned off. SO TEMPTED TO LET OTA DO ITS THING. But that's how I got stuck at 1.7.1 !!
And yet.....completely untrained 'civilians' who've never had one class on FDRS can get some gear and a license and never..have ...one...problem... doing ...any...updates. At all.
And that would certainly be me. I read the posts here. Got the equipment and got the job done. No dealer required.And yet.....completely untrained 'civilians' who've never had one class on FDRS can get some gear and a license and never..have ...one...problem... doing ...any...updates. At all.
?
Okay...I'm lost now...you're fully up to date using FDRS...but you think you're missing out on an OTA?
No it’s not than I’m missing out on any as I update manually but it’s not seeing any change whatsoever in PTS on the status of OTAs. One would think that since the truck has moved past 1.7.1 that if a new OTA was pushed and I hadn’t updated manually yet it would have at least tried.Okay...I'm lost now...you're fully up to date using FDRS...but you think you're missing out on an OTA?
Mike
