Brought my 2004 Excursion 6L into a local shop for some upgrades including egr delete and new 4' muffler and oil cooler. So I get a call that he can't use the SCT tuner as he keeps getting an error. (SCT says transmission not flashed to match PCM) Turns out when the ford dealer did a flash of my truck some years ago, they only flashed the PCM but did not do the transmission which he says should have been done at the same time. He says I can't go back to Ford now because they won't do it (egr gone and catalytic converter gone.)
Then he says he went ahead and paid $700 for some license to flash my transmission but his "vcm" is some old Chinese one that is not up to date, he can't do it. He says it will cost a couple thousand to get a new "vcm" and he is not willing to do this. He has his eye on a used one for a couple hundred dollars. So I just have to wait.
I'm confused about the whole issue. He said if he had not told me, the truck would be drivable and I'd never know. I said yes, but I would not have it tuned. One of the reasons for doing this was to improve the gas mileage.
He has had the truck for a month. Anyone with any idea how to get this transmission flash?

 

Welcome to FTE

Go in and talk to a service manager. NOT a service writer.
At a Ford dealer that you like and see if they can help you
and NOT look under the hood. They may charge you
for the update and if they do an update your going
to have to have a talk with your tune writer so the new
strategy can be accounted for. Also if you do take it make sure
that your not tuned at all. In other words returned to stock.

Sean

 

Maybe you could call around to some other shops?

 

Thanks for the replies. It took me so long to even find someone to work on this truck in my town. I finally got a couple of names and chose this place. It is not like I'm going to be able to find another shop easily. The shop will have to be able to flash the truck first in order to at least use the tuner.

I guess you are correct though. One I could leave the truck as it is. Two I could continue looking around for someone to help me flash and tune it. I guess I just have to get my truck from this guy.

He made a good point which really scares me. He said that if he did not tell me, I would never know he was not able to do the work.


Thanks again

 

Your SCT tuner is locked to your truck while it tuned and given that.
You would know the first time you had to return it to stock for any reason.

If the guy is doing a tune and your not getting the tuner I would walk away
from there. If the truck will safely run and drive just have him finnish and
then take to a dealer that you have talked to and get the update done.

BTW don't let him talk you into not leaving an EGR valve in the system.
It will screw up the operatino of the cooling fan and you don't want that.

One other option is there is a Co that does off vehicle programming and
all you do is they send you a tool that you plug in and read the info. You
Email it to them and they Email you back a programming strategy and you
upload that into your truck. AND the BEST part is that your not paying
$2000.00 for it. I think it by these people here Power Hungry Performance - About Us

Sean