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Ford ECU update that reduces piston slap?

CANTWN4LSN

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I tried to do mine at the Ford dealer I usually go, and they would not do it unless I pay.. as car has no faults. They said some BS that if fault is not present, they are not allowed to do a free update as per the bulletin which I showed...
Just curious if you asked how much they would charge for the update.
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Slo55

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Sunnyvale Ford said they would charge the 1 hour minimum of $215. OUCH!
I went to Campbell Ford Performance and Bob charged for the 1/2 hour it actually took, which was $65 at his rate.
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Tribefan

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Sunnyvale Ford said they would charge the 1 hour minimum of $215. OUCH!
I went to Campbell Ford Performance and Bob charged for the 1/2 hour it actually took, which was $65 at his rate.
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What are your impressions so far?
 

Slo55

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It seems a little smoother while warming up. I do not notice any more torque when cruising in 6th gear.
 

AdamIsAdam

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It seems a little smoother while warming up. I do not notice any more torque when cruising in 6th gear.
Smoother, how?
 

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Slo55

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Feels like both vibration and the radiant sound from the engine are less.
 

torque124

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Just curious if you asked how much they would charge for the update.
I did, they said it would be 100 $ . I decided not to do it, if I pay for it, I'll only do it if I have an issue... Car is fine...
 

torque124

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How did you present your request? Did you go in and state that your active exhaust valves are intermittently working or did you ask for a PCM reflash?

If you go in with a concern that they have to check out, it falls into the “warranty” category and there’s nothing out of pocket (IF you’re within a warranty period or ESP).

You can’t go into Ford and just ask for a recalibration - key words “intermittent active exhaust issue”. :)
No, I told them my car presented the problem in the tech bulletin showed last winter, but as it was stored with the battery removed, it is no longer having that error. I asked them nicely to do it as my car is still under warranty... They said they are not allowed as per the bulletin instructions to flash the PCM if no errors are sticky... I think it's BS, they could have done it as goodwill.

Sunnyvale Ford said they would charge the 1 hour minimum of $215. OUCH!
I went to Campbell Ford Performance and Bob charged for the 1/2 hour it actually took, which was $65 at his rate.
:like:
The thing says 0.4 hours time needed, so why would they quote you an hour.. My dealer said they will honor that time of 0.4 hours and would be about 100 dollars
 
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Spacebird

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I had the software update applied. They did confirm that I previously had the Exhaust Mode Not Available error as apparently this is a warranty claim and Ford foots the bill for the update. Mine was only about $60 per the invoice.

As for the differences: the oil was at 130F when I picked it up so I couldn’t test it cold. Once it warmed up some more there might have been less range where slap occurred, but more testing is required.
 

Cpove

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getting my car back in a bit here but ford refused to do mine. Said the drive modes were working correctly so they wouldnt continue with the pcm update.
 

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Zitrosounds

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I had my car updated with the software due to the fact I have had various valve failures not allowing me to change drive modes. I had the car for three days since and absolutely notice zippo other than I can change driving modes even with the valve sticking lol
 

FastFordNut

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I'm the guy that posted it. Every time I drive the car, I'm surprised by how different it is with that update. I know that piston slap is mechanical, and that it makes no sense, but somehow Ford managed to change something that affects when it happens, and in the 2-3k rev range at light throttle, it's much less invasive. I used to think that I'd eventually have to either trade in the car or do some engine work - it was that annoying. Now it's still there once in a while, but at 30mph in third on a level road, that constant clatter is gone.
But, piston slap aside, the biggest difference is in the way the car drives with the new calibration. Idle is smooth, power delivery and low end torque is completely different - it's punchier and much sharper. It actually drives like a 5.2 liter V8 now. The last time I checked for ECU updates was 2018, so it was released as an upgrade after that. I found out about it from a Service Bulletin about iced-up muffler valves, so I went into IDS module update and there it was. I assume this is the production calibration that went into new cars starting some time after mine was built, so some people with newer cars will already have it and they'll be wondering what I'm talking about
Don't over think it folks. The things today's engineers can do with a modern engine in mind boggling.
I followed @JAJ's lead and went to my dealer for the ECU flash - Simply put put...it exhibited the same improvements as described.
It's not night & day different ...but definitely noticeable and the best part was, the dealer charged me $0 .
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