Lightning Software Updates using FDRS

[PJnc284]

Oof I didn't like seeing 12.4. I might've had an accident if I saw 9 pop up.

Sponsored

 

[ChrisCon]

Just a heads up -- If you have a TRM update you might want to hold off on it. I woke up this morning to "trailer brake module fault and blind spot fault. Fired up FDRS and it showed my truck couldn't communicate with the TRM module. Ran through the communication tests on FDRS and none worked. Disconnected LVB, reconnected and everything is fine. Since this happened overnight and has never happened before in the 2+years that I have had the truck, I have to assume it was TRM update I did on Sunday.

 

[Mike G]

Just a heads up -- If you have a TRM update you might want to hold off on it. I woke up this morning to "trailer brake module fault and blind spot fault. Fired up FDRS and it showed my truck couldn't communicate with the TRM module. Ran through the communication tests on FDRS and none worked. Disconnected LVB, reconnected and everything is fine. Since this happened overnight and has never happened before in the 2+years that I have had the truck, I have to assume it was TRM update I did on Sunday.

I just did the TRM and TCU this morning (along with re-trying the RFA with predictable results...).

I haven't gotten any warnings yet. But now that I have a 12V battery cutoff switch..if that becomes necessary then it's an easy fix.

 

[rugedraw]

I just did the TRM and TCU this morning (along with re-trying the RFA with predictable results...).

I haven't gotten any warnings yet. But now that I have a 12V battery cutoff switch..if that becomes necessary then it's an easy fix.

I've been thinking about doing this. I have a Naviks HDMI interface module running through my APIM which tends to get locked up in a funky state every now and then and the only way to kick its ass back into gear is disconnecting the battery.

I know there are plenty of ways to do this, but what did you to yours?

 

[shelnian]

I just did the TRM and TCU this morning (along with re-trying the RFA with predictable results...).

I haven't gotten any warnings yet. But now that I have a 12V battery cutoff switch..if that becomes necessary then it's an easy fix.

What cutoff switch did you install?

 

[Mike G]

This one.

I did have to pull the cable retainers out of the battery tray to give me some extra slack. The switch is also a bit offset as you can see to clear the battery access cover.

If I find a better one I'll be changing this one out. I'd like to find one where the input and output posts were closer together so that the cabling wasn't as displaced as it is now. But it does work fine the way it is.

 

[Zprime29]

Amazon currently has a coupon for $75 off any mongoose, expiry is 11 Oct 24

Price used to be $540, it went up a month or two ago. $500 probably as good as it's gonna get. Have they ever had a black Friday/cyber Monday sale on these?

 

[Mike G]

Amazon currently has a coupon for $75 off any mongoose, expiry is 11 Oct 24

Price used to be $540, it went up a month or two ago. $500 probably as good as it's gonna get. Have they ever had a black Friday/cyber Monday sale on these?

camelcamelcamel says the lowest they've ever tracked this on Amazon was $495 on Oct 30, 2021.

 

[sstevetx]

There was a Reddit post asking this 4 years ago and Mongoose said they don't do Black Friday deals. I don't know if that has changed since then. Looking at the Amazon price history they were $495 until mid 2022 when they jumped to $540 (https://3cmls.co/US/B097NHQ7ZW) . Looks like they jumped to $575 around a month ago. Not sure if that was in preparation for this $75 off sale or not. I paid $540 for mine about a year ago on Amazon

EDIT: Quickdraw Mike outcameled me

 

[shelnian]

This one.

I did have to pull the cable retainers out of the battery tray to give me some extra slack. The switch is also a bit offset as you can see to clear the battery access cover.

If I find a better one I'll be changing this one out. I'd like to find one where the input and output posts were closer together so that the cabling wasn't as displaced as it is now. But it does work fine the way it is.

Do you have to install the switch at the battery post or can you get away with disconnecting at the module input and installing something like this https://www.amazon.com/Ampper-Battery-Disconnect-Isolator-Vehicle/dp/B0BZD1KDF8

 

[Mike G]

Do you have to install the switch at the battery post or can you get away with disconnecting at the module input and installing something like this https://www.amazon.com/Ampper-Battery-Disconnect-Isolator-Vehicle/dp/B0BZD1KDF8

You could use that one and disconnect after the sensor I suppose. I don't know if it would make a difference electrically. Might be worth a try. These things thankfully don't cost a lot so experimenting is inexpensive, and I can always use the extras on stuff like my tractor or mower, etc.

 

[rugedraw]

I just ordered this one:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D2K7CV69?psc=1&smid=A3C7OAME0RGX8V&ref_=chk_typ_imgToDp

Has a 20% coupon you can apply, so it cost me $40. It arrives Friday so I'll slap it on on Sunday and report back.

 

[Mike G]

I just ordered this one:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D2K7CV69?psc=1&smid=A3C7OAME0RGX8V&ref_=chk_typ_imgToDp

Has a 20% coupon you can apply, so it cost me $40. It arrives Friday so I'll slap it on on Sunday and report back.

Show off....

 

[Zprime29]

Used points on my Amazon card and took the plunge, mongoose ordered!! OTA's are trickling in again but I'm convinced having this tool on hand is worth it. I'll look to source a power supply later, goal is to enable BC 1.3 (or is it 1.4?) for my holiday trek at the end of the year.

 

[USA414]

Well, this is a really tough first post here, but it seems I may be in a situation where my IPMA might be bricked and am now in need of a service appointment.

Short story on this one is, I was in the process of updating modules back on 9/27 via FDRS and the application crashed on the laptop I was using towards the end of the update, and was therefor never able to push/check final configurations, or collect any data from the module/update and report back. Since that point, my power steering has been finicky, truck has been acting strange (chimes/noises), and after today's round of troubleshooting, I now have a front camera fault, service required message.

Slightly longer version is I performed several other updates without issue before attempting to update the IPMA with two Clore PL2320's, and had no issues with voltage drop until almost half way through the IPMA update where at points it hit the low to mid 9 voltage range. Not sure if this is what made FDRS crash, or simply coincidental.

Fast forward to today, I purchased a more substantial power supply (75 amps) for programming, got a newer/more capable laptop for FDRS, and attempted to perform a PMI on the IPMA which just resulted in a bunch of errors, and now a front camera fault, service required message.

VIN is 1FT6W1EV3NWG02334 for anyone with FDRS who can see the vehicle history/logs.

I've tried just about IPMA related configuration option in FDRS, resetting the the truck by disconnecting 12v power for 30 mins, rebooted the IPMA module in FORScan three times, scanned and reset codes multiple times in FDRS, but still cannot perform a PMI on the IPMA.

Anytime I do, I receive an initial message stating, "The module configuration has failed, Would you like to retry?" followed by "Procedure Unsuccessful - WriteDirectConfig, Exception writing configuration to module" leaving me completely stumped and feeling like I am out of options other than it needing to be seen by the dealer.

Thanks in advance!

Thankfully I was able to get these issues sorted, so I wanted to take a moment and thank @rugedraw @ChrisCon and @Gimme_my_MME for their support.

In addition, there were some important lessons learned on my end which I thought I'd share here:

• Having a capable power supply is essential for larger updates (2x Clore PL2320's won't cut it for larger, more power intensive updates)
• Either something in FDRS or the module update process has changed since I first started down this road in the middle of 2023 with my original FDRS laptop, where you should make sure you have a capable FDRS laptop as defined by Ford.
• Set aside enough time to complete these updates. Over the past week or so, I've created a OneNote notebook for myself which has a preprogramming checklist in terms of installing FDRS laptop preparation, power supply prep and voltage calibration, and in vehicle setup before I start. I've also taken notes on which modules require a flash drive, which take longer to install, those that are more power intensive (which strain the 12v system), and lastly tried to canvas this forum as well as the Mach E forum to ensure specific updates are done in a particular order.

It's hard to say that any of what I mentioned above would have prevented FDRS from initially crashing and the IPMA update from going through, but I certainly feel much more confident now about performing future updates after this crash course!

Sponsored