Some electrical problems

[Mckayspencer]

I bought a used 2021 tremor about a month ago and some puzzling electrical problems surfaced not too long after. Every time I turned the truck off, my sync settings and my dash settings would reset. It isn’t a huge deal but it was a little annoying to fix every time I turned the truck on. I took it into a dealership and I thought they fixed the issue but it ended up being a temporary fix. Two weeks after taking it in, all the sync and dash settings started to reset again. I thought, no biggie, I can live with the tiniest of inconveniences, but it turns out; that was just the start of a much bigger problem.
Shortly after those problems resurfaced; my entire instrument cluster blacked out. I turned the truck off and on, nothing. I replaced the fuse, nothing. I forced a hard reset by disconnecting the battery and that got the dash working again. Unfortunately that only proved to be a temporary fix as the dash wasn’t working the next time I got in. For about 2-3 days I was disconnecting the battery and forcing a reset every time I had to drive more than a couple miles. The weird part it that when the dash stops working, some of the infotainment functions do too. I can’t change any settings (time, temp, sound…..) without them resetting a few seconds after I make the changes. After I force a hard reset, the dash and the infotainment system both function perfectly fine.
I took into another shop to have them run diagnostics but they weren’t able to recreate any of the problems I described. They did say that a faulty APIM module could be to blame but that controls the infotainment system, not the dash.
Anyone have any ideas as to what’s causing these problems?

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[GreyAreaRanger]

I’ve heard that a bad battery can cause all sorts of strange issues, perhaps start there?

 

[TJC]

Check your grounds! ALL of them. Here's a couple of short articles with a few examples of what I am talking about.

https://motorweek.org/goss_garage/grounding-problems/
https://hondatheotherside.com/bad-engine-ground/

Digital systems don't like different ground plane variances. They cause all manner of issues. I installed a digital ECU in my Miata. If I turned on the left blinker, the engine would slowly start running richer until the engine flooded! Same thing happened when I turned on the headlights! I moved all the grounds to a single location and ran a cable to the negative terminal. This corrected the problem.

Locate all the grounds, and then thoroughly disconnect each one, clean it and tighten the bolt.

Best of luck!

 

[NotBudule]

This sounds like a job for our resident electrical superhero @airline tech !

 

[seasprite]

Do you have access to a scanner? Seems like a problem like this is either power and grounds or possibly CAN network issue. Sounds like like wiring diagrams and possibly a PICO scope going to be needed for this issue.

 

[DukeCanBuildit]

Previous owner immediately after trading it in…

 

[SigOris]

Previous owner immediately after trading it in…

My thoughts exactly. I’d demand to see the Ford service history.

 

[airline tech]

First, you need to hook up scanner and get any codes while it's blank (IPC)
I have an idea where to check, but first when the IPC is blank do you lose anything else?
Headlights, Wipers, Turn Signals, (Button Control from the Steering Wheel Switches) and background lighting on those switches?

If you hook up scanner, will it power and read codes? while the IPC is blank?

The power feed for the IPC from the BCM Fuse 13, Feeds the IPC, GWM and SWCM, I have a hunch that there is a power or ground loss.
The SYNC data loss may be related or just a software version issue. What SYNC version are you on?

 

[Mckayspencer]

First, you need to hook up scanner and get any codes while it's blank (IPC)
I have an idea where to check, but first when the IPC is blank do you lose anything else?
Headlights, Wipers, Turn Signals, (Button Control from the Steering Wheel Switches) and background lighting on those switches?

If you hook up scanner, will it power and read codes? while the IPC is blank?

The power feed for the IPC from the BCM Fuse 13, Feeds the IPC, GWM and SWCM, I have a hunch that there is a power or ground loss.
The SYNC data loss may be related or just a software version issue. What SYNC version are you on?

When the instrument cluster goes out all other dash related controls still work. Wipers, headlights, blinkers, hazards; even the adaptive cruise control and lane assist. It’s hard to tell they are working because there’s no blinker sounds or icons for those features when they are enabled. I hooked up a scanner the first time the Dash went out. The only code it threw was a faulty fuel level sensor. But I haven’t had any problems with my fuel level before or since my dash went out. And that code hasn’t reappeared since the first time my dash went blank.
After checking for codes the first thing I did was replace the fuse and that didn’t work. I had the battery and alternator checked and they are both fine. I was able to get the dash working again after disconnecting the battery and letting it sit for a minute but it went out again the next day.
My truck currently runs Sync 3.3. From what I can tell some people have had persistent software bugs while operating 3.3 but the tech guy at the dealer looked it over and said everything was normal.

 

[OFC Ranger]

Previous owner immediately after trading it in…

I was amazed when I traded my Ranger in - the sales manager test drove it around the parking lot. Not that I was actively trying to hide anything, but man they could have nit picked my trade in offer down in price if they spent 30 minutes inspecting the truck.

Example: The bed floor was riddled with small surface rust pin spots from having a bed matte installed. They never even bothered to look under the mat, or check obvious high wear areas.

Oh well.

 

[Joeiconic]

Seems like Carvana and similar dealers don’t even inspect the vehicle before picking it up and handing over a check. I can’t imagine they are bothering to fix anything. So, buyer beware.

 

[Muffin1]

I’ve heard that a bad battery can cause all sorts of strange issues, perhaps start there?

Easy to test (go to Advance or Autozone if you don't have a load tester) , along with the grounds like airline tech suggested.

 

[airline tech]

When the instrument cluster goes out all other dash related controls still work. Wipers, headlights, blinkers, hazards; even the adaptive cruise control and lane assist. It’s hard to tell they are working because there’s no blinker sounds or icons for those features when they are enabled. I hooked up a scanner the first time the Dash went out. The only code it threw was a faulty fuel level sensor. But I haven’t had any problems with my fuel level before or since my dash went out. And that code hasn’t reappeared since the first time my dash went blank.
After checking for codes the first thing I did was replace the fuse and that didn’t work. I had the battery and alternator checked and they are both fine. I was able to get the dash working again after disconnecting the battery and letting it sit for a minute but it went out again the next day.
My truck currently runs Sync 3.3. From what I can tell some people have had persistent software bugs while operating 3.3 but the tech guy at the dealer looked it over and said everything was normal.

I am talking the sync version # - like 22251 , I believe is the widely known problem version - with the exact sync issues.
The IPC is separate issue I believe, and it will most likely require some wiring checks to pinpoint, so it’s losing power or ground or it’s on the CAN bus and it is not seeing that the engine is running (Network Issue), this is where a network diagnostic test is needed.
The issue with used - you have no idea what mods have been done and removed for the trade in.
It may be a simple, reseat connector fix.

 

[seasprite]

When the instrument cluster goes out all other dash related controls still work. Wipers, headlights, blinkers, hazards; even the adaptive cruise control and lane assist. It’s hard to tell they are working because there’s no blinker sounds or icons for those features when they are enabled. I hooked up a scanner the first time the Dash went out. The only code it threw was a faulty fuel level sensor. But I haven’t had any problems with my fuel level before or since my dash went out. And that code hasn’t reappeared since the first time my dash went blank.
After checking for codes the first thing I did was replace the fuse and that didn’t work. I had the battery and alternator checked and they are both fine. I was able to get the dash working again after disconnecting the battery and letting it sit for a minute but it went out again the next day.
My truck currently runs Sync 3.3. From what I can tell some people have had persistent software bugs while operating 3.3 but the tech guy at the dealer looked it over and said everything was normal.

What type of scanner do you have? If its just a generic OBD2 scanner, I don't think its going to look at all the modules on the truck. Your going to need something like Forscan to look deep into the system.

 

[puckdodger]

I was amazed when I traded my Ranger in - the sales manager test drove it around the parking lot. Not that I was actively trying to hide anything, but man they could have nit picked my trade in offer down in price if they spent 30 minutes inspecting the truck.

Example: The bed floor was riddled with small surface rust pin spots from having a bed matte installed. They never even bothered to look under the mat, or check obvious high wear areas.

Oh well.

The place I sold my Ranger to, they didn't even move it from where I parked when I pulled into the place. I watched them from the front window. They may have started it to listen to the engine, who knows, and then I thought I was seeing things when they came back in and handed me a check.

OP: I like the idea of checking and cleaning the grounds. Weird problems can stem from poor grounds.

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