Payday is tomorrow, but I'm hoping to have the new toy by this weekend - so I pulled the trigger 24 hours early. My reasons for purchase:

1. Ford charges $250 per hookup, I can use AE as often as I want for one purchase price of $360 from Riffraff Diesel.
2. I wouldn't drop the coin for a hookup unless the truck was hurting and I was out of options. Having my own AE and using it for preventative maintenance as well as troubleshooting can prevent the hurt to begin with.
3. When was the last time you saw a Ford technician driving up a hill with a trailer and their big diagnostic machine wheeling alongside? The AE will allow me to monitor things in real-world conditions. Problems frequently show up then, not in the sterile environment of the service bay. How many of you have had the experience of spending the money for a hookup, only to have inconclusive results and the problem still exists?
4. I can record baseline performance before I repair/mod. This will tell me what repair or mod takes priority and helps me to plan my expenditures. For example, if I learn the truck needs injectors soon, I might not blow my savings on that bigger sound system for the truck or the home.
5. I can record performance after I mod. This is a good way to get hard data as to how effective a repair/mod is - eliminating illusions of money well spent or confirming a good repair/mod with measurable results.

I will be posting my experiences with the AE here so check in once in a while if you are contemplating this purchase, or you already have one and we can collectively share useful information.

 

i'm dig'n #2. Theres a few of us around here..(my town), that we have 7.3'z, andthink, us ponying up the dough, WOULD be a wise investment. I have a laptop that just collecting dust too.

 

I need to go ahead and get one myself. It would be interesting for you to post along the way with your experience. I have so much electronic stuff that I have to update, charge, remember how to use etc. that I have been slow to add to the pile. No question about it, AE is great and like you said it will pay for itself right away.

Keep us posted on the likes and dislikes (if there are any) and maybe it'll get me motivated to go ahead and get one !!!! I'd rep you but am locked up.

 

Awesome. I have been wanting on of these for a while. One of those nice to have tools, hopefully by the end of the year.

 

You will find AE very useful! I have had mine a few years now and use it all the time. I have been lucky to never need it to diagnose problems on my truck, but have used it on several other trucks (Including some of the Brotherhood's trucks).

It is very nice to use it and get to know it on a truck that is running good. You will find you get used to the parameters that are normal, so when you hook up to something broke, it will often stand out.

If you need help with it, feel free to post up! Also take a look at my site I put together on using AE and set-up's for certain tests.

Woodnthings AE Page

 

I still find it hard to believe that some of us dont have it. I waited way to long to get mine a couple years ago, and dont forget since obviously we all get the ford package it is not just limited to our 7.3's I have had it on the wife Navigator, my friends mustang, and his brothers 6.0. Ford package means any ford.

 

Reps sent for the AE page. thank you Ken

 

My Nissan had the SES light come on at 70,001 miles. Although I couldn't pull any codes and info was only minimal without a Nissan bundle I was able to clear the SES light. Saved me a trip to a dealership or mechanic. Hasn't come back on either.

 

Appreciate it! I put that page together to share the information I learned while using AE. I found many people had similar questions and it was far easier to create one single location to store files and how-to's!

If anyone has specific questions or requests on how to use AE, please let me know. I will create more help files to help out!

 

I just received mine last week. Now I just need to copy some walkthroughs on specific tests so I don’t spend all day trying to figure which application to use for the desired result. The only down side to the whole system is that you must have the “security dongle” which is a small thumb drive plugged into the laptop in order for the ford enhanced bundle to work. The main program will function without it but the enhanced info is directly connected to the small thumb drive. Generally on any other program, once the code is entered the system is unlocked but not this one. Not a big deal if you are good at keeping things together but for those that have tendency to misplace things, if you lose the small thumb drive the system will not function.

 

The security dongle must be something new. Mine doesn't have that, Do you have the Bluetooth version?

 

Spot on. I've not utilized my AE nearly enough, but it has already saved me some troubleshooting/diagnostics bucks at the dealership several times.

One more addition to everyone's bookshelf should be, just as Ken (woodnthings) has recommended in other threads, is to get a copy of the Ford 7.3L Powertrain Diagnostics Manual. When mine showed up, after having made the purchase on Ken's recommendation, I scanned through it and there is a huge welath of information on how to go about diagnosing our engines, and when coupled with AE.... simply invaluable!!

Here's a link to where I purchased my manual from, which was the lowest priced location I could find...

Ford 2002 7.3L Powerstroke Diesel - Powertrain Control / Emissions Diagnosis Service Manual - Softcover (Part # FCS1210602B)

Link... 2002 Ford Truck Van SUV Repair Factory Manuals & CDs

I've also purchased the Factory Wiring Diagram Manual for day-to-day issues (which Ken has posted online in his long list of resources) and the 4r100 Transmission Manual for future reference.

 

woodnthings;

Not sure of a Bluetooth version. I ordered the AE from Riffraff and I do not remember a selection of a Bluetooth application. The disk loads the basic program on the laptop then you insert the “security dongle” into the USB port and enter the security code that is provided. This unlocks the Ford bundle and everything works fine. When you remove the security dongle, the Ford bundle is no longer active and you only have access to the basic functions of the AE. When I plugged the security dongle back in, the Ford bundle re-appeared.

 

The security dongle is a neat way to manage upgrades and force our hands at purchasing annual subscriptions if we want to stay "current". Used to be that if you just downloaded the recent update, and kept doing that, you could avoid purchasing a year's subscription and still have your system completely up-to-date.

Now, with the dongle, if your software version doesn't "match up" with your dongle's hardware code... you probably cannot run the enhanced bundle without either downgrading back to the earlier version of the software or purchasing the right to use the updated software on an annual basis

Don't get me wrong, now, I'm not complaining about what AE has done with this. Even though I am not thrilled with being forced to pay for updates, it is completely within the rights of AE to require it.

 

Same here. I received the AE about a month ago and mine has the"dang dongle" also.