Back to the 2020 FX4 Salvage Rebuild

[TJC]

Curious, the older instructions didn't mention that and at one time (long ago) I thought they were set to 2". Will lowering them from 3" to 2" increase the stiffness of the strut substantially?

Appreciate the info. Your truck is coming into focus real nice!

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[XionUAV]

Curious, the older instructions didn't mention that and at one time (long ago) I thought they were set to 2". Will lowering them from 3" to 2" increase the stiffness of the strut substantially?

Appreciate the info. Your truck is coming into focus real nice!

If anything, lowering the collar would unload the spring more so it should actually be slightly softer, although I doubt it would be that noticeable. The Eibach's have longer springs compared to the stock ones. My goal was about 2 1/2" total lift up front, which is why I turned the collars down 2 turns.

Also got the BDS 1" lift shackles installed along with the rear shocks, and vacuumed and tweezered out a crap-load of long, white dog hair and grit from everywhere. The interior was a serious mess in part to my friends at the body shop who apparently left the driver window down while they were working on it. The interior, mostly on the driver side, was covered in dirt and sanding dust. Looks substantially better now. It will get one more cleaning after the new windshield is installed.

 

[TJC]

You're correct. Sometimes I surprise myself at how stupid I can be! Of course you are lengthening the spring releasing spring load. Thanks. 8 turns gets you to 1.5" of lift.

6 gets you to 1 7/8" of lift
5 gets you to 2 1/16" of lift

Thanks for screwing my head back on straight.

 

[XionUAV]

Busy Ranger morning. Got it insured last night and went to a local place for the emissions first thing. I knew it wouldn't pass because the ECU wasn't ready. Needs some more driving time. But I wanted the paperwork to show a cop I was in the registration process if necessary. Otherwise the March of 2023 purchase date would look seriously suspicious.

Next it went to a recommended auto body shop in a nearby town recommended by a local shop that said their frame rack was a little too small for the truck. The recommended shop specializes in frames. They have the highest ratings I've seen for any body shop in the area. Didn't even know they existed until today. The owner was super nice and very knowledgeable. We talked for quite a while and he looked over the Ranger thoroughly. He agreed that it was unfortunate the work hadn't been done to a higher standard. The quality of the end result would have without question been substantially higher, and my personal experience much better with these guys.

Anyway, he said that to properly correct the angle of the driver side front frame rail will require grinding off the welds on the sides and bottom where it was attached, moving the rail up slightly to where it should be then welding it back in place. That may affect the alignment of the fender slightly so that's going to be interesting.

Next was the glass shop. New windshield and camera alignment will total about $600. Appointment is for tomorrow morning.

So how does it drive? Fairly well. I've been very ginger with it so far listening and feeling for anything odd. A few clunky shifts but nothing horrible. My eyeball alignment is pretty good. I'll have an official alignment done after final height adjustments. I'm good with the front height overall but the driver side does seem to be slightly lower than the passenger side.

It's smooth on the highway even running on year and a half old fuel. Very slight tire imbalance but nothing major.

Only thing I'm not sure about is a minor shudder starting out from a stop through first gear. Can't tell if its the drive-train or the mud tires. Again, nothing major.

It will probably be two weeks or more until the body shop can work on the frame rail. In the meantime I put the bumper on as to not attract unwanted attention. The driving lights are just cheap floods. I'd like some real fog lights that have a horizontal cutoff so they can be used with oncoming traffic. Only ones I've found and like so far are the OEM version on the F150. Would have to make custom mounts for those, though.

Other thing I was surprised about is no on-screen navigation, not even when using Android Auto. Just a compass shows up on screen. Haven't investigated that enough to figure it out yet but I really like our VW where a map on the phone is mirrored to the screen. At least I got it figured out enough to listen to an audio book. Was also surprised there isn't a garage door opener. Guess that's reserved for the Lariat.

Grill is a bit shiny compared to everything else. Could use a coat of something matte. Maybe even the bed liner spray. Thinking about a black textured bug guard as well.

 

[TJC]

It looks marvelous. That minor shudder is the 2 piece Ford driveshaft letting you know it is there. A Tom Wood's single piece drive will correct it, if you find it offensive.

Mine shuddered at low speed and very badly at >75mph. I've had the one piece shaft on now for 15K miles and the truck is smooth as silk.

 

[shovelhd]

A 2020 XLT should have Sync3 and thus Android Auto. Try a master reset to get it back to OEM, then update via Wifi and configure.

 

[Big Blue]

A 2020 XLT should have Sync3 and thus Android Auto. Try a master reset to get it back to OEM, then update via Wifi and configure.

Yes, Android Auto should have popped up with the map on the left 2/3s of the screen as soon as you plugged your phone in. Agree on the master reset to get everything back to factory. You will need to download the latest version and install it via USB stick, it won't update via WIFI. Or you can go to Cyanlabs.com and use their Syn3updater app. I use it. Make sure to get the latest version 3.4.23188.

 

[XionUAV]

WOOHOO! Good enough to pass emissions.

Took it out tonight to adjust the headlights. Not bad for $300 DRLs. Low beams look pretty good. High beams are decently bright but leave a bit of a darker section between low and high. Can always supplement with good driving lights if it ever bothers me enough. Definitely not up to the xenon's in my Touareg for instance. But a pair of those are two grand so I'm good with these.

As mentioned previously, I've been fairly gentle driving it making sure everything is working ok. Tonight I got on the throttle a bit getting onto a local highway and was surprised at the acceleration. Better than expected. One thing about boosted motors that never gets old is that mid-range pull. That's one reason I've kept my high-mileage Audi Q5. It's like a big boosted go cart with a hatch and AT tires. It's just fun to drive. Would be more fun with a 6-spd manual, but this isn't a perfect world.

 

[XionUAV]

It looks marvelous. That minor shudder is the 2 piece Ford driveshaft letting you know it is there. A Tom Wood's single piece drive will correct it, if you find it offensive.

Mine shuddered at low speed and very badly at >75mph. I've had the one piece shaft on now for 15K miles and the truck is smooth as silk.

Thank you. It will be good to get the bumper rail squared away so the red tow hook loops and skid plate can go on. That will complete the bulldog front end.

The shudder I'm feeling is barely perceptible and only from a standing start through first gear to maybe 10 mph. I'm just super sensitive to vibrations and noises that don't sound normal. It could be the drive shaft or the big lugs on the tires. Either way it isn't anything that concerns me at this point. Good info on the driveshaft, though. I'll definitely keep that in mind.

 

[XionUAV]

Yes, Android Auto should have popped up with the map on the left 2/3s of the screen as soon as you plugged your phone in. Agree on the master reset to get everything back to factory. You will need to download the latest version and install it via USB stick, it won't update via WIFI. Or you can go to Cyanlabs.com and use their Syn3updater app. I use it. Make sure to get the latest version 3.4.23188.

Good info. Thank you.

I did updates over WiFi but one of the files seemed to be taking an excessive amount of time to download, or it stopped downloading. I aborted the process. Other information I read online said that Ford Pass was required to pass nav info from the phone to Android Auto.

A master reset sounds in order so I'll research that.

FYI, the website is Cyanlabs.net.

 

[shovelhd]

Updates via wifi take a very long time. It's "normal". You should not need Ford Pass. I don't have it and updates work fine. The master reset is in settings on the Sync3 screen.

There were two main reasons I ended up with a Ranger Lariat. First are the LED headlamps. I have low vision and these are mandatory. The other is that it's a turbo motor. I've been driving them for so long now I don't want to give it up.

 

[DukeCanBuildit]

It looks like the finish line is in sight. The tires, flares, and bumper look great. Good luck over the next week or so while you get things buttoned down.

 

[XionUAV]

Looks like I have a downgraded infotainment unit. No navigation. Tried to upload an update with a map and got an error. It appears that if I want full Android Auto and navigation then I'll have to upgrade to something else.

 

[XionUAV]

Updates via wifi take a very long time. It's "normal". You should not need Ford Pass. I don't have it and updates work fine. The master reset is in settings on the Sync3 screen.

There were two main reasons I ended up with a Ranger Lariat. First are the LED headlamps. I have low vision and these are mandatory. The other is that it's a turbo motor. I've been driving them for so long now I don't want to give it up.

Found the reset quickly and discovered the super slow WiFi upload after being more patient. As noted, it appears I have a downgraded unit so I'll have to install something different to get full nav and Android Auto.

 

[Big Blue]

Looks like I have a downgraded infotainment unit. No navigation. Tried to upload an update with a map and got an error. It appears that if I want full Android Auto and navigation then I'll have to upgrade to something else.

OK, that is the normal 8" SYNC screen. Have you plugged your phone in to one of the USB ports in the console cubby hole? The 5G Rangers do not have wireless AA, so you must plug your phone in, and only the ones down in the cubby work for it. I do not have factory NAV on my XLT but AA works great.

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