START HERE: New FORScan user education

Dunrollin said:

Are you sure the engine has an oil pressure sensor? I am only aware of the pressure switch near the oil filter.

I added a gauge on my 2013 F150 using a pancake style device at the oil filter. I doubt this is possible on the 3.0 diesel. I added a mechanical gauge using a tap on the pressure switch, fairly easy to do with the space available but I have never heard of any other method.

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• URL link is from targeted e-mail (previous purchase) so unsure if it'll work for everyone
• Looks like all OBDLink products are marked down 20%:
  • OBDLink MX+: $99.95 marked down to $79.95
  • OBDLink LX: $59.95 marked down to $47.95
  • OBDLink EX: $49.95 marked down to $39.95
    

Dunrollin said:

@navyR113 Yes, a cheap switch for oil pressure. In both my trucks it seems Ford has them set for 10 psi. Sure wish they would have put in a true oil sender. Way back in the Crown Vic days they did use a sender but had the dash board convert the signal to the same type of display we have, but if you wanted to you could make it work as a oil pressure sender.

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jmperlik said:

We have had a few questions recently from new owners interested in learning about FORScan, and found that we have a few posts in random threads that can help, but not really a dedicated FORScan thread that new owners can reference. I did start an earlier thread on FORScan Adapter recommendations back at the end of 2018 that got corrupted and the admins could not recover, so probably the most comprehensive thread we had on choosing a FORScan adapter no longer exists.

There is a ton of information out on the FORScan website and on other F150 forums, but both are almost too much information (= think lips around a firehose)

I know that all three (3) Super Moderators here (@wreedsvt, @kdjapser and myself) have all figured out how to do FORScan programming, but all three of us also work in the IT industry and aren't afraid of a computer. I know when I initially went out to the FORScan website, the number for choices for H/W (Hardware) adapters and S/W (Software) applications was over-whelming and took me even some time to sort out what should work and what won't. I would have loved if there was a single thread that said: "Here's exactly what you need to do and is guaranteed to work..."

I also know we have some older owners who may or may not be tech-savvy, and for anyone who is not, I can understand how trying to figure out what you need is near impossible without someone explaining what combination of H/W and S/W actually works together and how to use FORScan for monitoring and/or programming once you have everything installed.

I am starting a new "sticky" thread here to hopefully demystify what you need from a H/W and S/W perspective in order to do FORScan monitoring and programming. These are my notes and documentation on what combinations are currently working for me and how to use FORScan for basic monitoring and programming.

I am going to add posts to this thread on the following topics:

• H/W requirements
• S/W requirements
• FORScan Installation
• Using FORScan for Monitoring
• Using FORScan for Programming
• FORscan F150 spreadsheet

My recommendations/notes can be found following the JMP tag

This is my first pass and I'm looking for some feedback on if these instructions helped or how they can be improved.

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Dunrollin said:

Welcome CaptJ great to have you join us. Also great to have another 2018 here.

I wouldn't worry about your as builts, as long as you make a record of the as built and the changes you make. It is obviously working OK with your as builts so worst case is you can go back to that.

I was reading another forum where the poster did a Saturday night drinking forscan session and really balled things up, and of course he had no record of where he started. I think you can down load the factory as builts somewhere but you shouldn't need them. Unless you do the changes late Saturday night.

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Capt J said:

Lol. Thx I’ll try to avoid the “Saturday night” Forscan dates. Love my 2018. Ruby Red and crew cab. Lariat edition.

So I did log everything. I’m getting ready to try my next mod. What also threw me was the “titles” on the spreadsheet above each section. Some didn’t seem applicable to what I thought I was going to change. Just gonna take my time and I’ll def ask if I can’t figure it out.

This Forum is priceless if you own the diesel. I’m probably going to get the Green Diesel Upgrade soon as well.

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