Isnt the mileage stored within the gauge cluster itself, which is why if you do a swap it has to be programmed and such? That was always my understanding but I found a vehicle on autotrader and asked if the title was clean and they said it was and the vehicle is in great shape but it had somesort of tuning chip and had to be reprogramed and the mileage read zero. They claim to have replaced the cluster with a BRAND NEW unit and without any programming the odometer read 28,000 miles. Sounds kinda fishy but it may be true and the truck is EXACTLY what Im looking for at a great price. So anyways, all you Ford techs, where exactly is the mileage stored.

 

I'm not sure exactly what you mean, who you talked to, or what they meant about the tuning chip???

The mileage is in the cluster. I swapped my cluster to a FX4 and the mileage was the one reported on the new cluster. They almost matched, because I had the new cluster set to the mileage when I bought it, but of course I was not able to match it perfectly, so my truck gained about 50 miles in one second
Also the guy that programmed my FX cluster (he sells hundreds on e-bay) said that the only place the actual mileage was recorded was in the cluster itself.

This is not that unusual. In the old days it was kept only on a small rolling dial, and that sufficed for millions of vehicles for a number of decades.

Equipment to roll the odometer to whatever you want sells for about 500 bucks and any cheap car lot may have one of these devices.
I have actually watched a guy in a car lot programming the mileage back on a Jeep. He wasn't even hiding it. The cars he buys at auction and then reprograms so his buddies sell them in the Rancho Cucamonga area using the Autotrader.

Always get a Carfax, and remember no matter what they tell you, the next buyer will believe the Carfax, not what you tell them...
Chris

 

Alright, thanks Chris. I realize my post was a little confusing but that exactlt the information I was looking for and what I expected. Thanks!