Ford Bulletin re:2015-2018 mustangs 8 inch Sync upgrades.anyone with issues?

[Jimm]

Was discussing with a local Ford dealer about having my 4 inch base (I have a 2016 trackpack gt350) Sync radio upgraded with Infotainment's 8 inch touch screen kit and the showed me a bulletin from Ford (see attatched) stating issues have been experienced with the electronics by some customers doing this upgrade. I dont know if these issues were with the installation, using the wrong or aftermarket parts/harness but wanted to know if anyone has had isdues long term with the infotainment kit which states they use OEM parts. Sorry if been covered. The threads I pulled described results right after intallation.

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[mkonrad]

So you have an OEM suggesting not to do a retrofit, while providing vague warnings about what might go wrong. I wish they’d just put up some useful information instead of the old “it’s out of warranty” scare.

Besides, if you did it their way in 2016 you’d have a tech pack, and you would have swapped the diff cooler and tranny. Frankly, I’d rather take my chances with the nav update. Smarter people than I, already have.

 

[JAJ]

The challenge with this upgrade, which I've had for a long time now, is that it's not limited to just the infotainment system. Ford bundled the big display with dual automatic climate control. So, when you install the new bezel for the bigger display, you get new heater controls as well. However, your car was originally equipped with manual heater controls, so it doesn't have the various sensors and actuators needed for the dual automatic system to work properly. For all that, it works pretty well, but I doubt it's up to Ford's standards. And you can't get it up to Ford's standards without replacing the entire heater housing in the dashboard including the wiring harness.

 

[Jimm]

What issues have come up with the climate controls? The dealer said they had another customer that did a similar upgrade (do not know if it was Infotainment's system or not) and the AC shut off for long periods and could not be turned back on. Issue stopped when they returned it to the base radio set up.

 

[mkonrad]

And unfortunately despite the scare tactic, I believe the diagnosis. If you leave a presence pin floating, a body module or climate module could behave unpredictably.

Its cracking me up to read about someone who got heater controls they didn’t want while I have the 8” and put in Sparco seats and am stuck with heater controls I can’t remove. Some days I wish we could all go back to a 1990s bangin Alpine car stereo.

 

[Jimm]

Can you not operate the climate controls manually from the touchscreen?

And unfortunately despite the scare tactic, I believe the diagnosis. If you leave a presence pin floating, a body module or climate module could behave unpredictably.

Its cracking me up to read about someone who got heater controls they didn’t want while I have the 8” and put in Sparco seats and am stuck with heater controls I can’t remove. Some days I wish we could all go back to a 1990s bangin Alpine car stereo.

 

[JAJ]

I like my automatic climate controls. With the missing sensors, they're not as precise as they could be and without the missing actuator, they're not dual. But let me be clear: they're a big improvement from manual.

 

[Jimm]

So no real issues with normal day to day function? What do you notice that isnt quite right. Honestly as long as it functions as well as the base unit I am ok with it.

 

[JAJ]

The biggest issue is the missing sun load sensor. If you're driving in the sun and the settings are just right, it'll keep on pumping the same amount of cooling into the cabin when you drive out of the sun. You have to adjust that change manually.

I'm ok with this...

 

[Jimm]

The biggest issue is the missing sun load sensor. If you're driving in the sun and the settings are just right, it'll keep on pumping the same amount of cooling into the cabin when you drive out of the sun. You have to adjust that change manually.

I'm ok with this...

Where is the sun load sensor usually located?

 

[JAJ]

It's the pyramid shaped sensor that's dead center on the dashboard at the foot of the windshield. There are two versions of the sensor - the manual heater version has the sensor that controls the automatic headlight on/off. The wiring harness for that sensor has two wires. The automatic climate control version has the headlight control plus two additional sensors that tell the climate control about sun load on the driver and the passenger separately. The wiring harness for that version has four wires. The two versions are identical mechanically.

 

[Jimm]

The Evap core is being replaced under warranty. They have to remove the dash to do it...was thinking I could get the sensor replaced at the same time. Anything else i could deal with to make it work better?

It's the pyramid shaped sensor that's dead center on the dashboard at the foot of the windshield. There are two versions of the sensor - the manual heater version has the sensor that controls the automatic headlight on/off. The wiring harness for that sensor has two wires. The automatic climate control version has the headlight control plus two additional sensors that tell the climate control about sun load on the driver and the passenger separately. The wiring harness for that version has four wires. The two versions are identical mechanically.

 

[JAJ]

There are two air temp sensors as well - one in the upper dash vent plenum and one in the floor vent plenum. The dealer parts system shows where they go.

None of the wiring for any of these is in the TP wiring harness so it has to be added.

 

[Jimm]

Which harness is the TP? Are the connectors availble or would they need to be spliced in (in which case I am out)?

 

[JAJ]

You need to get the connector pigtails and run new wires in the dash to connect all this stuff. The wiring is not in the factory harness.

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