The Complete DIY Guide to Updating Your Mach-E with FDRS

[ProximusAl]

Been a while since I plugged FDRS in and was surprised to find just OBCC and HVAC on my 21J1.

Updated...no dramas

P.S: I should add, I'm glad they were small updates because some silly person forgot to actually turn the 50A PSU on, even after hooking it all up

LVB now on a charge

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[LeanneL]

So I updated a ton of modules yesterday and had a bit of learning paired with excitement and swearing like a trucker. I still have 2 left, but due to the time required, will wait until my new power supplies arrive. I also drilled the access holes (much to my husbands dismay) which turned out awesome, just waiting for the plugs to arrive tomorrow.

My learning:
- ensure your power supply can do what it needs to do and is functioning properly! I have now ordered 2 x PL2320's due to this issue. Watching your batter drop to 7 volts and knowing you cannot do anything mid flash is terrifying!
- even when you end up with crazy DTCs that won't go away, sometimes re-booting your laptop, clearing cache and trying again fixes them, other times turning the car off and walking away for 15 and then trying again fixes them.
- the people on this forum (rugedraw and Mike G helped alot!) are amazing, knowledgeable and willing to support if you need it!

Now hoping that ford will finally push GWM, APIM and TCU to my car so I can get real updates, not the piddly ones as my car has had zero updates since new a year ago!

 

[21st Century Pony]

So I updated a ton of modules yesterday and had a bit of learning paired with excitement and swearing like a trucker. I still have 2 left, but due to the time required, will wait until my new power supplies arrive. I also drilled the access holes (much to my husbands dismay) which turned out awesome, just waiting for the plugs to arrive tomorrow.

My learning:
- ensure your power supply can do what it needs to do and is functioning properly! I have now ordered 2 x PL2320's due to this issue. Watching your batter drop to 7 volts and knowing you cannot do anything mid flash is terrifying!
- even when you end up with crazy DTCs that won't go away, sometimes re-booting your laptop, clearing cache and trying again fixes them, other times turning the car off and walking away for 15 and then trying again fixes them.
- the people on this forum (rugedraw and Mike G helped alot!) are amazing, knowledgeable and willing to support if you need it!

Now hoping that ford will finally push GWM, APIM and TCU to my car so I can get real updates, not the piddly ones as my car has had zero updates since new a year ago!

7 Volts... oh my my my

 

[LeanneL]

7 Volts... oh my my my

Yeah.... my reaction was not fun. I was sweating bullets!

 

[BigMach-E]

Yeah.... my reaction was not fun. I was sweating bullets!

Yeah, I feel this. One of my PL2320s took a dive in the middle of my last round. I still went through with my IPMA update with only the single 20 A PL2320 functional, sagged all the way to 7.4 V, sketchy as hell, and my experience may have stopped me from running updates again, it was so nerve wracking. But! My car is now fully up to date, and it feels like a completely different car in a good way! The suspension feels better, the throttle mapping feels better, BC disengages way less, the center stack is way quicker and more responsive, and the stereo sounds better. It’s amazing what Ford did with this software. Kudos to Ford.

 

[LeanneL]

Yeah, I feel this. One of my PL2320s took a dive in the middle of my last round. I still went through with my IPMA update with only the single 20 A PL2320 functional, sagged all the way to 7.4 V, sketchy as hell, and my experience may have stopped me from running updates again, it was so nerve wracking. But! My car is now fully up to date, and it feels like a completely different car in a good way! The suspension feels better, the throttle mapping feels better, BC disengages way less, the center stack is way quicker and more responsive, and the stereo sounds better. It’s amazing what Ford did with this software. Kudos to Ford.

That experience made me order a 45 amp power supply, don’t want to mess with piggy backing the 2 lol.

 

[azerik]

I had never done one of the really long ones before and like you always sat in the car waiting to push the next button, I sometimes felt like I was part of the tv show Lost.

Imagine how the Ford tech feels. 1 computer 9 MME's wanting updates and thats just monday.

body roll, suspension and maybe even the throttle mapping seem improved.

I'm looking for that suspension geometry update still lol.

 

[kdonnel]

That experience made me order a 45 amp power supply, don’t want to mess with piggy backing the 2 lol.

This one works great and is much cheaper, 1/4 the price, than some of the recommended power supply.

This
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07ZPB55NM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
paired with
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09PBBQ1QY?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

When I started the PSCM/IPMA the battery in FDRS said 13.3 and when I finished over 3 hours later it said 13.3.

 

[BigMach-E]

Imagine how the Ford tech feels. 1 computer 9 MME's wanting updates and thats just monday.

I'm looking for that suspension geometry update still lol.

Are you saying there isn’t a suspension geometry update? I’m not sure if there is or isn’t one, but the GTPE definitely feels different around corners fully up to date.

 

[markboris]

Are you saying there isn’t a suspension geometry update? I’m not sure if there is or isn’t one, but the GTPE definitely feels different around corners fully up to date.

I have not noticed a suspension change but then I am constantly changing tires, springs, sway bars, etc. If there would be a suspension change, I would think it would be a VDM update since that is the module that controls the shocks and there has not been one of those that I know of. In both my Focus RS and GT500 I changed out the VDM module to an aftermarket one (DSC Sport) and tuned the shocks the way I wanted them. Unfortunately that company has no interest in working on the Mach-E. I asked them over 2 years ago and again last year. That is what we really need is a customer configurable module for this car but don't think we will ever get it.

 

[BigMach-E]

I have not noticed a suspension change but then I am constantly changing tires, springs, sway bars, etc. If there would be a suspension change, I would think it would be a VDM update since that is the module that controls the shocks and there has not been one of those that I know of. In both my Focus RS and GT500 I changed out the VDM module to an aftermarket one (DSC Sport) and tuned the shocks the way I wanted them. Unfortunately that company has no interest in working on the Mach-E. I asked them over 2 years ago and again last year. That is what we really need is a customer configurable module for this car but don't think we will ever get it.

I did the BCM calibration at the end, any chance that could be what I am feeling?

 

[markboris]

I did the BCM calibration at the end, any chance that could be what I am feeling?

I mean it is possible I guess. I just know the VDM controls the actions of the shocks. Maybe the BCM also has something to do with them in the Mach-E but it doesn't in the other cars I've had.

 

[markboris]

I mean it is possible I guess. I just know the VDM controls the actions of the shocks. Maybe the BCM also has something to do with them in the Mach-E but it doesn't in the other cars I've had.

In checking with the repair manual, doesn't look like the BCM controls any functions of the shocks. It controls the ABS, drive modes and some other things that have to do with the VDM but not directly related to the suspension tuning like the VDM does.

 

[Snakebitten]

Have the Forscan gurus mapped out the VDM module's Asbuilt yet?

They eventually did for the F150 CCD suspension. And I was able to increase the value for "mass" at each corner in an effort to get the damping curve in Normal mode to increase in the direction that Sport mode felt like. Of course that caused Sport mode to move to in the same direction. (firmer)

Also, Ford has the CCD suspension on the F150 to fault to maximum damping. So if you desire to experience just how much "range" the OEM active shocks have you can simply unplug one and all 4 default to max. (exactly the opposite of the Raptor, which defaults to minimum damping with a fault)

Does anyone have any relative information on the GTPE Magnaride? I'm far happier with the OEM damping curve on the GTPE than I am with the CCD on the Powerboost. But it would be fun messing around a little to see if there's any low hanging fruit.

 

[Snakebitten]

If you monitor all the PIDs in the active suspension F150 VDM module, they are mostly reporting the geometry taking place at all 4 corners. The PCM is running the algorithm against those geometric values and simply increasing/decreasing the millivolts sent to the shock valve controls.
So I would imagine that a PCM module update could very well alter the code that is analyzing the VDM feedback?

I'm only guessing, based on what I have been able to discern on the truck. Again, maybe Ford's Magnaride is a different animal altogether.

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