forscan newbie: wont save changes. wont read DTC codes. why?

charwest

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i thought i was doing it right. apparently not. maybe someone who knows what they are doing could read this and tell me where i got off course.

i have forscan, the recommended OBD-EX dongle, and a windows laptop. first time i logged in everything looked good. got a rundown of the modules with no errors and no error codes. i saved copies of all stock as-built modules.

then i went into the 'easy' (non hex) modules for BdyCM and enabled dark mode and bambi mode. i dont think i pressed the 'write' button because i didnt know i had to. i also tried to disable seatbelt alarms. disconnected and called it a day.

as luck would have it, we were due for an oil change and my wife takes it to the dealer at this point while im at work. they say looks good for its 'first checkup'. no mention of weirdness per wife.

then this evening i go in to see if bambi mode works in the dark. nope. so i load up forscan to check out the modules and see whether those changes were still enabled.

1) this time after connecting i get many errors, and two error codes. two odd sounding lighting errors (maybe someone knows what they mean?). and most of the modules get an error saying 'cant read DTC codes' for those modules. didnt do that last time. any idea what this means?

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2) i load up the BdyCM modules (non hex version again) and dark car and bambi arent enabled. this time i enable them, and definitely press the 'write' button. i dont think i did this last time. then after pressing 'write' it runs for a few seconds and throws an error and stops. any idea what im doing wrong here?

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wish there was better documentation for this thing. i had really hoped it was going to be easier than this.

thanks~
tony

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Bproctor

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Does your odb reader have a switch on it? I have started with the switch in the wrong position and encountered issues like the picture you posted. When that happens I would flip the switch and start over, no more issues. If it doesn't have a switch then I suspect your reader may have issues. Just guessing.
 
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charwest

charwest

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Does your odb reader have a switch on it? I have started with the switch in the wrong position and encountered issues like the picture you posted. When that happens I would flip the switch and start over, no more issues. If it doesn't have a switch then I suspect your reader may have issues. Just guessing.
no switch. it is the “recommended” reader by the forscan site and one of the touted benefits was no need for switching
 

jss81258

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You could have a poor connection when you plug your adapter in. It should be a little difficult to remove. I usually reach behind the port with my fingers, have the heel of my hand against the adapter, then squeeze.
 
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charwest

charwest

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You could have a poor connection when you plug your adapter in. It should be a little difficult to remove. I usually reach behind the port with my fingers, have the heel of my hand against the adapter, then squeeze.
alright! optimistic that it might be something simple i tried wiggling and shoving. no change. but then i realized hunting for basic fixes that i needed to advance the key one more click. now that the key is in the correct position it reads all the modules and allows me to write changes. thank you for your advice.

the two codes remain that i dont understand.

DTC code one regards puddle lights. i dont have puddle lights. or at least i dont think so- arent these a upgraded trim option? we have the XL.

DTC code two regards 'high stop lamp control, suspect incorrect bulb'. is this regarding the third brake light at the top of the rear cab? if so, thats interesting. i removed that bulb so it woudlnt light up anymore, with the cargo bay bulbs, as they are hidden behind the topper. curious if that is the case. i dont want to take the topper off to replace the bulb just to see if it fixes it. it doesnt trigger any engine codes on the dash so as long as that is the p roblem i can happily ignore.
 


Big Blue

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First question was your ignition in the on position the second time or just in accessory? I've found that with it in accessory it won't read some modules. Evidently they don't all power up in accessory. Might also be the issue with write error. Just thoughts. :idea:
 

Big Blue

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First question was your ignition in the on position the second time or just in accessory? I've found that with it in accessory it won't read some modules. Evidently they don't all power up in accessory. Might also be the issue with write error. Just thoughts. :idea:
Sorry for stating what you already found out, missed your last post. On the first DTC yes puddle lamps are only on Lariat. Not sure why you are getting it. As far as the CHMSL DTC yes that is probably because you removed the light. Because your cap is blocking it, your cap should have one that needs to be tied into this. The bulbs out of the cargo lights not a problem. Whoever installed your cap should have done the tie in as a CHMSL is required in the US.
 
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charwest

charwest

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Sorry for stating what you already found out, missed your last post. On the first DTC yes puddle lamps are only on Lariat. Not sure why you are getting it. As far as the CHMSL DTC yes that is probably because you removed the light. Because your cap is blocking it, your cap should have one that needs to be tied into this. The bulbs out of the cargo lights not a problem. Whoever installed your cap should have done the tie in as a CHMSL is required in the US.
we have the tie in. ie: new third brake in cap. it works as expected. sounds like our codes are innocent bystanders. thanks for the help!
 

cfhgarza

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If the bed topper uses LED bulbs it's going to throw a code. Or it could have come when you were doing the install and just needs to be cleared. The puddle lights is weird but Forscan can cause some odd DTC that just need to be cleared
You may need to do a firmware update on the OBD adapter to get all functions.
 
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charwest

charwest

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If the bed topper uses LED bulbs it's going to throw a code.
You may need to do a firmware update on the OBD adapter to get all functions.
yes it’s LED.

but thankfully no codes show up in dash so i don’t have to spend time worrying about it unless i’m in forscan.
 

jss81258

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yes it’s LED.

but thankfully no codes show up in dash so i don’t have to spend time worrying about it unless i’m in forscan.
I'd bet on the code being thrown for no bulb.

I've had 2 different soft tops, and both had LED high mount brake lights. Both were wired in from the truck bed brake light circuit as per the instructions that came with them.

I wouldn't go all the way to the cab high mount brake light if I didn't have to.
 

Big Blue

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If the bed topper uses LED bulbs it's going to throw a code. Or it could have come when you were doing the install and just needs to be cleared. The puddle lights is weird but Forscan can cause some odd DTC that just need to be cleared
You may need to do a firmware update on the OBD adapter to get all functions.
I agree on the LED issue for the brake light DTC. May need a resistor if that keeps coming back after being cleared. This could also be an issue if you have the Ford trailer brake controller installed.
The puddle liked code may also be tied to removing the cargo light bulbs. I seem to remember seeing somewhere that they run through the same module. I pulled the bulbs from mine because I don't use them and didn't like them coming on every time I opened a door and needing to time out. Have to fire up Forscan and see if my XLT is throwing that code.
 
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charwest

charwest

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cool beans

for the record, these are referring to codes B12C2 and B1115. (i’m putting the numbers in text in addition to the photos) so that forum searches will bring this post op for future ranger brethren. )
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