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Powertrain Control Module Reprogramming


CLTEcoBoost

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So, I noticed on the Ford Owner site today that I have a Field Service Action for the above.  FSA Number 19B37.  '17 Fusion 1.5L Turbo.  Not sure why it needs reprogramming.  And what can I expect after it is reprogrammed (loss of radio stations/settings/Sync3 preferences, etc)?. Not planning on going in for a few weeks yet.  Thanks.

Edited by CLTEcoBoost
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3 hours ago, CLTEcoBoost said:

So, I noticed on the Ford Owner site today that I have a Field Service Action for the above.  FSA Number 19B37.  '17 Fusion 1.5L Turbo.  Not sure why it needs reprogramming.  And what can I expect after it is reprogrammed (loss of radio stations/settings/Sync3 preferences, etc)?. Not planning on going in for a few weeks yet.  Thanks.

 

Hi CLTE. The PCM has nothing to do with the SYNC/infotainment systems. As the acronym implies, it involves the powertrain. I have seen anecdotal discussions that it addresses an overheating issue.

 

Not sure with the Fusion, but assume it is possible you could lose programmed stations if they need to disconnect the battery.

 

Good luck.

Edited by bbf2530
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I just discovered this discussion on the internet: 

The whole discussion is not in the above box, so click on the link.  This is ONLY an issue with Fusion and Escape EcoBoosts.  It is to "correct" the cylinder coolant leak issue discussed in some other threads.  My concern is now not with any reprogramming (that would be more of an issue if it was the BCM and not the PCM), but that it takes 5 hours?

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4 hours ago, CLTEcoBoost said:

I just discovered this discussion on the internet: 

The whole discussion is not in the above box, so click on the link.  This is ONLY an issue with Fusion and Escape EcoBoosts.  It is to "correct" the cylinder coolant leak issue discussed in some other threads.  My concern is now not with any reprogramming (that would be more of an issue if it was the BCM and not the PCM), but that it takes 5 hours?

The PCM reprogram reduces the possibility for headgasket failure. This takes about a half hour if Ford's servers cooperate. The coolant pressure test is only performed if the vehicle exhibits any of the indicators of headgasket failure. THAT is the "5 hours". This should catch some of them that are on their way out already. WHY are you so hung up on the time it takes? 

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2 hours ago, YT90SC said:

The PCM reprogram reduces the possibility for headgasket failure. This takes about a half hour if Ford's servers cooperate. The coolant pressure test is only performed if the vehicle exhibits any of the indicators of headgasket failure. THAT is the "5 hours". This should catch some of them that are on their way out already. WHY are you so hung up on the time it takes? 

Because I (and many others) have a lot of things I could be doing with 5 hours other than sitting around a dealership.  My dealership isn't close to where I live, so a loaner would be another pain.  No way will mine exhibit headgasket failure (bought as a leftover and under 10K miles), so I'll be happy with 30 minutes.  An oil change takes 2 1/2 hours usually, so 3 hours.  Better than 7 1/2.

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1 hour ago, CLTEcoBoost said:

Because I (and many others) have a lot of things I could be doing with 5 hours other than sitting around a dealership.  My dealership isn't close to where I live, so a loaner would be another pain.  No way will mine exhibit headgasket failure (bought as a leftover and under 10K miles), so I'll be happy with 30 minutes.  An oil change takes 2 1/2 hours usually, so 3 hours.  Better than 7 1/2.

 

I'm not sure what you're so worked up about. If the re-programming helps eliminate even 25% of the engine failures, Ford will save hundreds of thousands of dollars, and minimized inconvenience to a lot of Fusion/Escape owners.  My advice to you is, occasionally check the coolant level in the overflow tank, and if it stays full, you don't have a problem, and no need to go thru the 5-hour test.  However, if all of a sudden the level drops considerably, take it in and get the leak-down test done.  Mine suffered no driveablity problems, and threw no codes, before the low coolant level was discovered.

 

You've mentioned your dealer is far away. Isn't there one closer that you could go to?  The dealer who provided the excellent service on my Escape is not the one I purchased it from.

 

Or, trade it in for the Toyota you've talked about.

 

HRG

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2 hours ago, CLTEcoBoost said:

Because I (and many others) have a lot of things I could be doing with 5 hours other than sitting around a dealership.  My dealership isn't close to where I live, so a loaner would be another pain.  No way will mine exhibit headgasket failure (bought as a leftover and under 10K miles), so I'll be happy with 30 minutes.  An oil change takes 2 1/2 hours usually, so 3 hours.  Better than 7 1/2.

HRG is right, easy things an owner can monitor are low/out of coolant, runs rough at first start, smoke, or coolant that smells "burnt". Later stages of failure will bring #2 or #3 spark plug seized in the head, immediate pressure rise in the cooling system at startup, intermittent/reduced/no cabin heat and MIL illumination with DTCs. Although, sometimes the MIL pops on first and RUNTIME and ECT freeze frame data are both extremely low. Most owners don't worry or notice any of them at all until it either doesn't have cabin heat or the MIL comes on. 95% of the time the pressure test is not needed anyway, it is just final confirmation of the failure.

 

There is literally NO guarantee that you don't have issues, even at low miles. I've seen them starting to show signs at your mileage. Let the servicing tech do his job as per the FSA wether it needs it or not. It is best to catch the failure in warranty as a minor inconvenience now and have Ford pay, rather than a 6009 that will cost you thousands later.

 

Most of the time, we insist on doing the pressure test portion overnight so the tech doesn't have his bay tied up during work hours. If it needs further testing or repair, take the loaner. It's free, that is what they are there for. You don't have to go home if it is indeed so far away. Go to a movie, BassPro, the mall, run your errands you have been putting off, or do literally anything else other than sit in the waiting room.

 

A final thought. I am in no way a violent person, but I would throat punch my writer if I had a 'waiter' for the coolant testing phase of this repair. You don't need the stress of being there and I don't want to put you through it anymore than you want it. I don't need the pressure of having you there. It makes NO sense.     

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13 hours ago, YT90SC said:

HRG is right, easy things an owner can monitor are low/out of coolant, runs rough at first start, smoke, or coolant that smells "burnt". Later stages of failure will bring #2 or #3 spark plug seized in the head, immediate pressure rise in the cooling system at startup, intermittent/reduced/no cabin heat and MIL illumination with DTCs. Although, sometimes the MIL pops on first and RUNTIME and ECT freeze frame data are both extremely low. Most owners don't worry or notice any of them at all until it either doesn't have cabin heat or the MIL comes on. 95% of the time the pressure test is not needed anyway, it is just final confirmation of the failure.

 

There is literally NO guarantee that you don't have issues, even at low miles. I've seen them starting to show signs at your mileage. Let the servicing tech do his job as per the FSA wether it needs it or not. It is best to catch the failure in warranty as a minor inconvenience now and have Ford pay, rather than a 6009 that will cost you thousands later.

 

Most of the time, we insist on doing the pressure test portion overnight so the tech doesn't have his bay tied up during work hours. If it needs further testing or repair, take the loaner. It's free, that is what they are there for. You don't have to go home if it is indeed so far away. Go to a movie, BassPro, the mall, run your errands you have been putting off, or do literally anything else other than sit in the waiting room.

 

A final thought. I am in no way a violent person, but I would throat punch my writer if I had a 'waiter' for the coolant testing phase of this repair. You don't need the stress of being there and I don't want to put you through it anymore than you want it. I don't need the pressure of having you there. It makes NO sense.     

Valid and helpful points.

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15 hours ago, HotRunrGuy said:

 

I'm not sure what you're so worked up about. If the re-programming helps eliminate even 25% of the engine failures, Ford will save hundreds of thousands of dollars, and minimized inconvenience to a lot of Fusion/Escape owners.  My advice to you is, occasionally check the coolant level in the overflow tank, and if it stays full, you don't have a problem, and no need to go thru the 5-hour test.  However, if all of a sudden the level drops considerably, take it in and get the leak-down test done.  Mine suffered no driveablity problems, and threw no codes, before the low coolant level was discovered.

 

You've mentioned your dealer is far away. Isn't there one closer that you could go to?  The dealer who provided the excellent service on my Escape is not the one I purchased it from.

 

Or, trade it in for the Toyota you've talked about.

 

HRG

Well, the issue has to do with Charlotte, NC's rapid and obnoxious growth rate and near-Atlanta style traffic.  My closest dealer has a terrible rep (confirmed by many other owners; more interested in his sports teams than his many dealerships).  I took the Fusion there for its first oil change and they summarily "lost" the car for 4 hours.  When I pulled up, not a service writer in sight.  The place I take the Fusion to now has HORRIBLE traffic and isn't close to home (about 12 miles).  I bought the car even farther away - about 25 miles; no way.  It's shocking how lame Ford service is, generally, compared to Chevy service that I dealt with for 20 years prior.  But I don't want another Chevy right now.  Truth be told, due to massive sedan depreciation, my car is probably upside down on the loan and I only have 18 months to go until its paid for, so no "Toyota" until then.  I'll heed your and others advice and take it in next month.  I can drive the other car (a Chevy, ironically) more right now, since the other half is in Africa doing annual missionary work (and why I have no one to drop me off/pick me up).  I'm just tired with car companies putting out new stuff like crazy these days and the quality lapses that result.  Toyota seems the only manufacturer that can handle it.  I'm shocked you're not mad as hell.

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2 hours ago, CLTEcoBoost said:

 I'm shocked you're not mad as hell.

 

I've spent a lifetime in manufacturing & engineering, I understand that "stuff" happens. In retrospect, although I've whined about the experience, I'm not sure how Ford and this dealership could have handled this much better. Once they knew that they needed to keep the vehicle for the 5-hour test, a loaner was offered and kept for the extent of the repair.

 

As far as oil changes, I tend to be the first in line at their Quick Lube facility on Saturday mornings, and am always out within an hour. Usually with a free car wash too, if it needs it.

 

Regarding your Charlotte metropolitan area, it's rough population of 2.7 mil pales to my Chicagoland area, currently at 9.5 mil, or even Atlanta with 6.5 mil.  The dealer I used is 6 miles (10 minutes) away, 1 of 3 within that 6 mile radius.

 

Sorry, can't relate to the up-side down status of your loan. My vehicles are fully paid off within 2-3 months of purchase, after taking advantage of the financing incentives offered at time of purchase. Cash is king in my world.

 

Once again, keep an eye on the coolant level, get the FSA done, and hopefully enjoy your Fusion for years to come.

 

HRG

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  • 2 weeks later...

Being super busy lately, I just read through all of the posts from the last 2 weeks on the Escape site regarding this issue. 

 

I also received Fords letter on January 17, one day after I made an appointment to take the car in.  The earliest I could be scheduled for is this coming Thursday, January 30.  Seems the service departments at all dealerships are swamped.  The letter specifically talks about the 1.5L EcoBoost.  Says nothing about the 2.0L.  Advises me to expect about 4 hours total  (and I'm having "The Works" as well), so am bringing a new novel to read.  I'll advise after Thursday.

 

P.S.  Ford's name is being dragged through the mud, again.  Everyone I've told about this plans to run as far away from Ford as possible.  Just in case, good thing GM is now offering me extra $ through my GM Card, ahem.

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On 1/11/2020 at 2:06 PM, HotRunrGuy said:

Or, trade it in for the Toyota you've talked about.

 

What?!?!? If he did that, he would no longer have any reason to come here and bitch endlessly about Ford.

Quote

@CLTEcoBoost 


  Just in case, good thing GM is now offering me extra $ through my GM Card, ahem.

 

Guess the plans to buy a Toyota fell through?? <ahem>

Edited by twintornados
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20 minutes ago, twintornados said:

 

What?!?!? If he did that, he would no longer have any reason to come here and bitch endlessly about Ford.

 

Guess the plans to buy a Toyota fell through?? <ahem>

I'm leaning toward a compact CUV, in which case I'd go with an Equinox.  The Toyota RAV4 doesn't appeal to me as much and discounts are tiny, whereas you can get a Camry, being a sedan of course, for a decent (but not great) price.  Toyota just got hit with a massive recall this past week, so no brand is safe any longer.

 

This site clearly is home  to a ton of Ford employees/super fan boys and I'm not thrilled.  I think my complaints about Ford are 100% justified.  The public seems to agree.  The new Escape, which I think is laughable, already has $5,000 cash back.  Must be selling like hotcakes (not).

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On 1/26/2020 at 6:52 PM, akirby said:


It’s only $2500.   Go troll somewhere else.

Dealers here in Charlotte are offering '20 Escape SEs for $5000 off sticker.

I'm NOT  a troll.  I went through this for years with a GM forum overpopulated by employees and super fan boys so this is ironic.  This site is helpful with the technical stuff, but for like owners with sympathetic ears, not a chance.  The good news is that I've found another one where we can bitch and moan together (and they're discussing this very issue at great length) and not be trashed by the Ford die hards, so, yes, I'm outta here.  Bye bye arseholes.

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1 hour ago, CLTEcoBoost said:

Dealers here in Charlotte are offering '20 Escape SEs for $5000 off sticker.

I'm NOT  a troll.  I went through this for years with a GM forum overpopulated by employees and super fan boys so this is ironic.  This site is helpful with the technical stuff, but for like owners with sympathetic ears, not a chance.  The good news is that I've found another one where we can bitch and moan together (and they're discussing this very issue at great length) and not be trashed by the Ford die hards, so, yes, I'm outta here.  Bye bye arseholes.

 

$5K off sticker is NOT the same as $5K cash back.   It's $2500 cash back and a $2500 dealer discount.  You can ALWAYS get the $2500 dealer discount - that's just normal pricing.  Whereas if there was a $5K rebate the discount would be $7500.

 

Enjoy all that confirmation bias bitching and moaning with the other negatards.  We won't miss you.

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On 1/11/2020 at 1:45 PM, YT90SC said:

HRG is right, easy things an owner can monitor are low/out of coolant, runs rough at first start, smoke, or coolant that smells "burnt". Later stages of failure will bring #2 or #3 spark plug seized in the head, immediate pressure rise in the cooling system at startup, intermittent/reduced/no cabin heat and MIL illumination with DTCs. Although, sometimes the MIL pops on first and RUNTIME and ECT freeze frame data are both extremely low. Most owners don't worry or notice any of them at all until it either doesn't have cabin heat or the MIL comes on. 95% of the time the pressure test is not needed anyway, it is just final confirmation of the failure.

 

There is literally NO guarantee that you don't have issues, even at low miles. I've seen them starting to show signs at your mileage. Let the servicing tech do his job as per the FSA wether it needs it or not. It is best to catch the failure in warranty as a minor inconvenience now and have Ford pay, rather than a 6009 that will cost you thousands later.

 

Most of the time, we insist on doing the pressure test portion overnight so the tech doesn't have his bay tied up during work hours. If it needs further testing or repair, take the loaner. It's free, that is what they are there for. You don't have to go home if it is indeed so far away. Go to a movie, BassPro, the mall, run your errands you have been putting off, or do literally anything else other than sit in the waiting room.

 

A final thought. I am in no way a violent person, but I would throat punch my writer if I had a 'waiter' for the coolant testing phase of this repair. You don't need the stress of being there and I don't want to put you through it anymore than you want it. I don't need the pressure of having you there. It makes NO sense.     

 

I know the FSA only specifically deals with the 1.5s, but have the 1.6 engines exhibited this failure as well?  I've got a '14 with the 1.6 with 47k miles.  No rough idle, smoke, or burnt coolant smell, but I did get a low coolant warning about two months ago (added coolant - no issues since), so I'm wondering if I should have it checked out.

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2 hours ago, lukemullen said:

 

I know the FSA only specifically deals with the 1.5s, but have the 1.6 engines exhibited this failure as well?  I've got a '14 with the 1.6 with 47k miles.  No rough idle, smoke, or burnt coolant smell, but I did get a low coolant warning about two months ago (added coolant - no issues since), so I'm wondering if I should have it checked out.

 

Don't seem to see as many failures, no. Water pumps and the myriad of connections on the hoses are places to look on the 1.6. Waterpumps are especially hard to catch because they will often not hit the ground. Run your finger on the inside of the pump pulley. If it is gooey, most likely needs a pump. There are a couple unnecessary heater hose connections between the engine and battery, above the transmission. They like to leak too. The nice thing is Orange coolant streaks and leaves residue when it dries. 

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