I bought my truck used (2022 F350 with Sync 3). The carfax indicates the radio was replaced prior to the purchase. Current version is 3.0.18093. I have had several issues, such as being unable to cycle between the five camera views, unable to configure pro-trailer backup assist, clock will not save, radio stations wont save, compass/GPS dont work (truck still thinks it’s at the dealer), etc. I decided to upgrade to 3.4, but I ran into a new issue when using the interrogator. I loaded the interrogator results into the CyanLabs as-built decoder, and then checked all of the parameters. To my surprise, I found a plethora of values that DO NOT match my vehicle. Here are the descrepancies that were obvious:
Ignition type says “push button” (vehicle has an old-school key)
Climate front zone says “dual” (vehicle is single zone climate)
Start/Stop says “start/stop” (vehicle does NOT have start/stop)
ECALL message strategy says “European” (Vehicle was manufactured for the USA/NA)
Ambient lighting says available (vehicle does NOT have ambient lighting)
Door keypad code says “not available” (vehicle DOES have keypad)
Fuel type says “gasoline” (vehicle is a diesel)
Front camera says “unavailable” (vehicle HAS a front camera)
Vehicle style says “SUV/CUV” (vehicle is a pickup truck)
360 camera view says “not available” (vehicle has 5 cameras with 360 view, which does actually work)
Hill start assist says “OFF” (vehicle does have hill-start assist and it functions correctly)
Park brake type says “electronic” (vehicle park brake type is Mechanical floor pedal)
MyKey settings says “unavailable” (vehicle does have MyKey)
Trailer backup assist says “unavailable” (vehicle does have trailer backup assist, but it doesnt work)
CHMSL camera says “disabled” (vehicle does have CHMSL camera)
Aux camera says “disabled” (vehicle has five total cameras)
Cross traffic alert says "disabled (vehicle does have cross-traffic alert, and is funcitonal)
Hotspot capable modem says “enabled” (touchscreen does not indicate a serial number for the modem)
Vehicle format says “CD533” (vehicle is NOT a sedan)
BT vehicle nameplate ID says “Ford Taurus” (vehicle is a F350).
Trailer backup assist 2 says “not available” (vehicle is equipped with trailer backup assist)
Considering that the carfax says the “radio” was replaced, I am assuming the CyanLabs decoder is correct and the APIM was incorrectly programmed at the dealer.
Thoughts? FWIW, the warranty I purchased does not cover electronics, so this is on me
SYNC Region: NA
Navigation Variant: Nav
Manufacturer Year: Unknown
Install Type: Unknown
Old SYNC Version: 3.0.18093
New SYNC Version: 3.0.18093
Do you have a error message, if so what is it?
No Errors
I do suspect that you may have issues with some of the AB info loading as the calibration on the APIM is probally older and may not accept some of the values. Either way what you can load will get most everything working.
Thanks, Bill. I downloaded the as-built file and used abParse.com to explore the data. Strangely, it says the vehicle is a 3.5 Liter (it’s actually a 6.7 Liter), so I am concerned that something isnt quite right with the as built data. Also, when I click on the “errors” tab is says there is no information for the PCM module nor the CCC module. I’m not sure what to make of this. Is it possible that the dealership updated the as built file with bad information when they replaced the APIM?
Hard to say what the dealership may have done. Or they bought it from an auction and only God knows what the previous owner did that got it sent there.
Not sure what modules you compared but I would just load the Ford AB data back on and that should solve most your problems. Dont trust what people think the values would be on those sheets. Ford knows what it needsa to be. Much easier to troubleshoot than as opposed to everything right now. It will drive you nuts trying to figure out what happened.
Keep in mind that the AB decoder isn’t gospel, just like the modules database here and the ForScan easy buttons.
To the Ford software engineering team the 3.5L & 6.7L may have the same base control structure. FDRS knows which it actually has since it taps into Ford’s cloud servers and adjusts appropriately.
Thanks, Bill. Right now i’m of the mindset to leave well enough alone. My cameras work now so I’m probably not going to mess with a 3.0 → 3.4 Sync upgrade, because I am afraid of bricking the APIM. Previously when I was creating the upgrade file, I got some notices in the Syn3updater that said a 3.0 → 3.4 upgrade would not work, and i’m guessing it’s because the APIM is an older, cheaper model. I wish my GPS/maps would work, but I also received conflicting info on whether or not the APIM is a Navigation APIM. Now that I think of it, if I were to pull the APIM from the truck, would there be any stickers/labels that might help clear up the confusion?
FORScan will tell you what you need to know about the APIM as far as upgrading it to Sync 3.4, just look at the module configuration tab next to the logging tab. You will find the APIM part number which you can compare with the hardware database here.
Keep in mind that using any asbuilt database, even FDRS, IDS, or other that there may be production changes and differences between model years and models, and sub-models. There is no master database per se. The correct asbuilt for your vehicle will be the original version of the OEM asbuilt. This is not necessarily what you can download from Ford Service, as this can be updated anytime the vehicle is connected to the Ford online service system. The update may not agree with the OEM asbuilt file. You should review your OEM asbuilt file to determine the software and hardware your vehicle was equipped from the factory and proceed from there.
Yup, As I thought, Someone has swapped the APIM for a J series Nav. The person clearly did not know how to get the AB values right.
Looks like this is an XLT and those still came with Sync 3. They did not get Sync 4 till the Lariat version. Based on the Factory AB it did have Nav so it did come with the 8” screen.
It would have had an L series APIM in it so it’s not the original. The calibrations would be different so the AB values wouldnot line up past the 07 blocks. It did have values in the 08 blocks so unless you get a K series with the right calibration or above APIM some of the features will never work.
So the used-car Stealership screwed me, what a surprise. Lol.
Let me chew on this tonight and I’ll get back to you tomorrow. Right now dinner and high school football playoffs have my attention span extremely narrow. This POS truck will have to wait
In all truthfulness they probably didn’t know what version of Sync the truck came with or the right hardware version of the APIM, they more than likely got it off auction.
Quite a few of the dealer techs may not even notice its not the right version at first glance, they see the Ford logo come up and its a Sync 3 screen. Partially this is due to Ford keeping 3.0 in some 2019(s) like the Escape, while others like the 2019 Fusion went to 3.4.x on the first Sync update, and others got Sync4
