Also, don’t hesitate to ask us any questions that we may be able to assist you with. Let us know if you found any errors, typos or other embarrassing blunders within our article.
If so, please take a moment to recommend us on Facebook, share this on your social media or buy us a cup of coffee. We hope this article was informative and at least a little entertaining. We thank this automotive shop for their continued business patronage and interesting challenges. What a sound and what a feeling to have something dead return to the land of the living. Turning the key on the Van, she revved right up and came back to life.
Didn’t know we were dealing with the Postal Service or DMV! Back to programming the 2005 Ford VanĪfter downgrading to v113.01 it no longer forced us to upgrade and permitted us to program the vehicles’ on-board computer without issue. We thought this interesting since the Ford IDS support staff member informed us that version 113.01 had been removed from the server and that there was no other way to obtain a copy.
By replacing the 114.01 with 113.01 in the URL we were able to initiate the download of the needed downgrade. We discovered that by downloading version 114.01 it would reveal the download file path. Luckily, they have poor website authentication. We informed the Ford IDS support staff member of this fact, but he left us high and dry. We had no such restore point or previously downloaded version. Recall that this automotive shop only updated when forced to do so.
The support staff member refused to provide us with an alternative link and informed us that we should have downloaded it previously or use the Windows System Restore to go back to just before the update.
The only issue is that it was removed from the software download website that they provide. We contacted the Ford IDS support line and were told that we had to downgrade to version 113. Now, the IDS software just hangs and crashes just before initiating the PCM programming sequence. This helped narrow down the issue since they were using the IDS software to program other vehicles without issue, until it updated. The day prior, their IDS software forced them to upgrade to the latest version (v114.02). We were hired today to help troubleshoot the failure to program a 2005 Ford Van’s internal computer (PCM) using IDS and a VCM. This is what recently happened to this local automotive shop.
Some simply refuse to update until they are forced, by the software, to do so. Customer Satisfaction Program 13N03.īut what happens when this device fails, or more commonly, the IDS software fails? Automotive shops and even dealerships around the country know that updating their IDS software is a gamble. REF: Customer Satisfaction Program 13B17 Throttle Body PCM Calibration Update dated May 13, 2014. Ford and Lincoln Dealers SUBJECT: Customer Satisfaction Program 13B17 – Supplement #1 Certain 2009 through 2012 Model Year Fusion, Milan, Escape and Mariner Vehicles Throttle Body PCM Calibration Update.
IDS is software runs on a standard Windows based laptop, and utilizes the Vehicle Communication Module (VCM), VCM II and Vehicle Measurement Module (VMM). The Ford Integrated Diagnostic System (IDS) is the only equipment that provides complete diagnostic coverage of current and future Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles in North America. We recently assisted a local automotive repair company in Naples, Florida with their Ford IDS software.