-
Featured
- #1
- Joined
- Jun 25, 2021
- Messages
- 7,669
- Reaction Points
- 14,834
- Location
- SE Michigan
- Current Ride
- 22MY F250 Star White Lariat Tremor
- Current Ride #2
- 22MY Winnebago Voyage 2831RB
Happy New Year Forscan users!
I have started to compile a “Best Practices” summary to help with the repeat questions I (and probably others) have received. This is intended to be neither a full tutorial on Forscan nor instructions for any specific changes as there are plenty of other good references already in existence. My hope is that by documenting this it provides some basic guidance to new users and a consistent post to refer back to as people receive their vehicles and want to make updates. I am open to input if there are items I missed that would be helpful and will edit this post accordingly (@ccw @MiTremor906 @SomethingRandom @BroncoHooves @PapaRaptor )
I have started to compile a “Best Practices” summary to help with the repeat questions I (and probably others) have received. This is intended to be neither a full tutorial on Forscan nor instructions for any specific changes as there are plenty of other good references already in existence. My hope is that by documenting this it provides some basic guidance to new users and a consistent post to refer back to as people receive their vehicles and want to make updates. I am open to input if there are items I missed that would be helpful and will edit this post accordingly (@ccw @MiTremor906 @SomethingRandom @BroncoHooves @PapaRaptor )
- Preparation: Before you even take possession of your truck there are things you can do to get ahead of the game and set yourself up for success. These will also serve as good reference tools ongoing if you encounter issues or have questions:
- Once you have a VIN and your vehicle is in production you can access the “As-Built” data from your control modules (more detail on this below). Go to https://www.motorcraftservice.com/AsBuilt and enter your VIN
- The data listed for your vehicle should be copied and saved as a backup just in case!
- Highlight the entire page starting with “Module” at the top and ending with “End of information” at the bottom
- Ctrl-C to copy
- I pasted mine into Excel and selected “Keep Source Formatting” it will look like this, but will be ~835 rows of data.
- Download and take a look at the various summary spreadsheets available:
- 2022 SuperDuty - https://www.fordtremor.com/threads/forscan-for-2022.5886/
- Specific to the changes for this model year, but not fully populated yet
- 2020-21 SuperDuty - https://www.forscan.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=13978
- USE WITH CAUTION FOR 22MY - Good reference as many changes are common for the 22MY SD
- 2021 F150 - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...Nwyqu5v3dgpbluvJcezUItTSVI/edit#gid=364824617
- USE WITH CAUTION FOR 22MY – Good reference as many changes are common for SYNC4 and not yet mapped for the 22MY SD
- 2022 SuperDuty - https://www.fordtremor.com/threads/forscan-for-2022.5886/
- There are many online resources to look at while you are waiting:
- https://forscan.org/ – Good forum for tutorials, answers to many common questions, also where you access/download the software…
- Our own Tremor forum has specific threads for 2020, 2021, and 2022 model years
- Ford Truck Enthusiasts can also be very helpful: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1668884-2022-forscan.html
- YouTube
- Once you have a VIN and your vehicle is in production you can access the “As-Built” data from your control modules (more detail on this below). Go to https://www.motorcraftservice.com/AsBuilt and enter your VIN
- Hardware: You will need two things to execute your dream electronic customization of your truck. A laptop and an OBDII interface adapter.
- Laptop. I use an PC laptop that is probably ~7yrs old but works just fine for this purpose. I updated to Windows 10 but otherwise the specs can be found here if you would like to compare: https://specspro.net/laptops/1250-toshiba-satellite-c55-a5302/
- Adapter. Don’t mess around here and I do not recommend getting one with a Bluetooth interface – wired is the way to go . This is the one recommended by Forscan.org and the one I purchased: https://www.obdlink.com/products/obdlink-ex/?ref=forscan (can also be purchased on Amazon…)
- Software: Pretty straightforward, but I thought it was worth mentioning…
- https://forscan.org/
- I recommend purchasing the extended license as it helps to support the developers of this fine product!
- Check for updates and always run the latest version! This is very important for model years with significant changes like 2022. There has been much improvement from the initial to the current release for our trucks.
- Practice: “Practice does not make perfect, only perfect practice makes perfect” - Vince Lombardi. In this case it helps to just do some trial runs and get familiar with things.
- Once you have your laptop, adapter, and truck (obviously):
- Connect everything up and update/download any drivers (should happen automatically)
- Get familiar with the interface and the key sections in the software
- Open up some modules and look at what is there without changing anything
- Some modules have two distinct ways to access the settings:
- “As-Built” which is the same hexadecimal memory address and settings shown on the Motorcraft site
- “Plain English” which is more conversational – disable, enable, etc
- Not all modules have both. If there is a Plain English version changing this will also change the As-Built
- More detail available in my post here: https://www.fordtremor.com/threads/forscan-for-2022.5886/post-168312
- Once you have your laptop, adapter, and truck (obviously):
- Documentation:
- Use the Motorcraft As-Built info to your advantage:
- The data listed for your VIN should be copied and saved as a backup just in case! (I just got Déjà vu writing this. I wonder why, hmmm… )
- Copying to Excel (or any other program of your choice) allows you to save the initial data, and use it to keep track of any changes you make, like this:
- Document what you change.
- Hand written, Excel, take a picture, whatever works for you
- I have used all methods – just use at least one of them, please!
- Backup in Forscan:
- Save a module BEFORE you make any changes and then save a copy with a different name AFTER you make changes.
- If you are proactive you can makes copies of the most used modules before you start: Body, IPC, APIM
- Use the Motorcraft As-Built info to your advantage:
- Other Thoughts:
- Backup, backup, backup your data. If your are not sure, back it up again!
- Early in a model year the Plain English domain may or may not work as intended. It gets more accurate over time with each updated Forscan release.
- When working in the As-Built module, do not take the entire memory address from someone else's truck without understanding the potential unintended consequences. The settings in a single memory address can (and most of the time do) control multiple functions.
- When in doubt, ask. There are lots of people willing to help on this forum or others. Most questions can be answered quickly before an issue is created and you enter into “what did I just do” mode
Last edited: