Hi, Im Luis from Mexico.

I am new on this forum but already very old to car forums, and older having Fords. I have an 1985 Mercury Cougar, an 96 Explorer , a 2010 focus and a 2001 F150 XL V6, Manual gearbox. This last vehicle its what im going to talk now.

Dad bought new in Nov 00, ordered the very, very ,very basic model (V6, M5OD-Manual, bench seat) so no radio, no ac (installed aftermarket one in 2001),nothing electric, well, you get the idea. I always liked this truck so i bought from him ten years ago and started to drive every now and then. It does the job adecuate for its size and MPG is decent. From then, i started to add more and more amenities, like 60/40 split seat, electric windows, bull bar, fog lamps and so on. It still requires a lot of paint work, but at least the mecanical part is sorted out, for a vehicle of its age.

I always wondered with my non-tach cluster, how to install and aftermarket one, but i did find a little expensive and didnt like an 8000 rpm redline (the truck barely revs over 4500) so , the obvious choice was a factory one. Started researching a lot and found at other post how PATS was involved to start the vehicle and the Hibryd Electronic Cluster wont turn on fuel injectors if the keys arent recognized.

It was known this process involves going to the dealer with both clusters (original and junykyard one) , remove original, put junkyard, dealer plug VMC IDS and hopefully a capable technician will charge an hour of labor. It is viable in the US, but practically impossible here in mexico to look to such an old vehicle like mine.

So i went to Forscan forum and read and reread tons and tons of threads, and some youtube videos, but could not find anything specrifically for my truck, so, i decided to buy the the needed things for the swap:

Parts List:

*I was able to find a F150 2002 cluster with tach in good working condition.
*USB interface VGATE Vlinker (amazon, 35 bucks)
*Forscan Sofwtare extended licence. Its free for the first 2 months registering. This is absolutely needed for PATS programming.
*TWO WORKING KEYS with your vehicle. You will save a lot of headaches if before doing this, you have 2 good known working keys woth your vehicle. I had the original ones, but i ordered 2 (chinesse ones form Keyless Option/didnt worked, more from that later..) So, if you had one working key, its better to go to a locksmith to get another good brand key . Sttratec keys are the best as far i know, but i couldnt find these in my country.
*A Laptop with Ms Windows 7/8/8.1/10
*Better your car battery its in good working order. You can be at least half an hour with the ignition in the ON position, so be sure to have a good batt voltage (over 12.0 volts) if not, its recommended to use a battery charger during the process. I did mine only on car battery own power.

From this point , USE AT YOUR OWN RISK!

So, after a few weeks, i had a ton of hardware and software at my hands, so, i installed Forscan, registered to Extended Licence.

Installed Vgate Vlkinker Usb and the corresponding drivers at the Laptop. In the box it states clearly how to install, really easy if you ask me.

SI, i went to my truck, lit cluster to grab a pic for the last time (and register Odometer reading, as far i know forscan doesnt not modify odometer, mine was in Kilometers, new one was in miles, no problem in mexico).

Installed Junkyard cluster, plug the two conectors and put in the ON position to check if the cluster works. It appeared to be working. To make absolutely sure your junkyard cluster its working before any process, you can doHEC TEST mode; so with the key in the OFF position, press the SELECT/RESET button on the cluster for at least 7 seconds and turn the ignition to ON, the digital odometer will read TEST, and you can toogle with different values pressing the SELECT/RESET button. One of the test lits all bulbs and moves all needle ranges, so you can know if the cluster its Ok.

Needless to say, i was tempted to RUN the engine, but obvious with the THEFT light blinking steadily mean the engine will not start. Its the PATS doing its JOB. (it didnt run anyway)

Well, at this point with the key in the ON position, fire FORSCAN SOFTWARE and wait CONNECT to the vehicle. If everything worked, you will have all your modules loaded. From there, i used SERVICES and PROCEDURES TAB (the one with the wrench) and select PATS PROGRAMMING option. It will display a window with important information, read it and press OK. It will display another window with options. Select "ERASE AND PROGRAM KEYS" . It will take about 12 minutes (its a timed access) so have a book handy or listen some tunes in your cellphone while its ready. It will display the progress in the bottom bar. 12 minutes later, it will prompt you with another window; IGNITION KEY ERASE, it will ask for at least 2 PATS keys. Press YES.

Follow the procedure as stated in the Window:
"You must now program minimun 2 keys. Key programming Procedure:
-Please turn the ignition OFF
-Cycle key 1 in the ignition from OFF to RUN for at least 6 seconds
-WITHIN 5 CECONDS after the keys removal: CYcle key 2 in the ignition from OFF to RUN for at least 6 seconds.
-Repeat last step if a third por fourth key needs to be programmed.

Two keys have now been programmed"

PRESS OK.

At this point you will be tempted (again...) to run your car . It wont work, it requires another step, so be patient, it will be worth it.

So with the FORSCAN software, go to SERVICES PROCEDURES (remember the one woth the wrench) and go again to PATS Programming. Again, another windows will prompt you , stating the number of keys the cluster already knows , but now you need to do a MODULE INITIALIZATION. HEC and PCM doesnt match but module initialization will fix this. Press OK. Again, 12 minutes timed access, continue with the book you were reading or the songs you were listening. Once its completed it will says:

"Module Initialization
Please Perform the following actions within 5 seconds:
-Set ignition switch to OFF (Position 0)
-Set the ignition switch ro ON

and press OK"

So, press OK.

Now, at this time, you can try with one of your keys to put the ignition but not run, you will notice the THEFT light lits 3 seconds and turns off. So start your vehicle and voila! now you have completed your cluster swap keeping the PATS feature and the stock look cluster.

In case you need a video, this ressembles almost all the process i used:


FOOT NOTES

*Cheap keys will make your experience miserable. Before doing this swap and if you have only one key, get a sttratec key or dealer key or one recommended by your local locksmith. The vast majority of errors come because cheap clones come with clone RFIDS , being different from reputable sources which have unique RFIDS. HEC Cluster wont differentiate clone keys and all the process will fail. I bought two KeylessOption brand from amazon and made them cut, and programmed via factory option (having 2 original keys) with my stock non tach cluster, only one worked, the fourth didnt (you can program as high as 8 keys for a single vehicle). When i installed the junkyard cluster, i used my two original keys first and 3 and 4 key the chinesse ones, and none of them worked. So you are adviced.

*All the hardware and software involved cost me like 100-125 usd including cluster (15 for FORSCAN, 35 Vlinker, 25 uselesskeys, 45 junyardcluster, etc) I researched for weeks, but i got it right at the first time, i got lucky.

*99-03 F150, Expedition and Navigator Cluster MIGHT WORK.

I considered to write this (excuse my english, not my primary language) because i know how much we appreciate our trucks and i could not find the exact info i needed, so i only signed up in this forum for this thread for future reference for everybody.

Thanks for reading, Greeetings from Mexico.

 

Here some pics of yesterday night before taking the original non tach cluster, and the ones with the tach cluster working as expected.

 

Wow! Reads like you really got an education doing this job! Congratulations! Looked like a low km vehicle according to the first photo. That truck should last a long time.
And a hearty welcome to the forum!

 

Thank you Sir! I hope this small thread help somebody in the future. Yes , dad bought new, i am in the process of painting it to return it to its former glory! Hahahha! I know its a V6 truck old truck, but i like it! I will post pics of its current state and when finished!

 

My son had his wedding at an extremely nice hotel in Puerto Vallarta. We went out on a boat to see the whales. Nice place from the little I saw.

 

THANK You, Luis! Everything in one post, not spread over days and pages...!