Guys, I ran a search over on the Superduty forum for replacing a bad backup sensor, and the only applicable hit I got pointed to a different pn than what's in my truck. I have a bad rear right outside sensor, and I've pulled the bad sensor to get the pn off it. The pn is 4F23-15K859-AA, GEN.3.6 RB, 10/09/13. All the hits for this pn on ebay say this pn is only for 2011 and earlier trucks. Normally pn's are unique, but I wanted to check on here to make sure there aren't different generations of these sensors using the same pn.

I can buy 4 new sensors on ebay for $20-$30, which is a lot cheaper than what Ford wants for their OEM sensors.

Since this forum covers 2011 and up Superduty trucks, I was interested in knowing who of you have gone down this path too.

Thanks

 

I have a flaky backup sensor in my '13. It tends to tell me something is behind me when it's cold out. I ordered one off of Amazon after searching for "Ford OEM Backup Sensor for Super Duty" and received 4F23-15K859-AA B6/10/12 G1. I haven't installed it yet but did crawl underneath and take a peek, it looks the same as what's installed. Now that it's warmer out, I'll probably wait until it starts acting up again before I install the new one.

 

I have replaced the right outside sensor with this from Amazon:


There were other sensors available on Amazon, but the vendors said they weren't for my 2014 even though they listed the exact same part number. This Amazon sensor was shown as the right sensor for my 2014, and it was the same pn. Some of the feedback said this sensor had less range than the oem sensors, and others said it worked fine. The listing's description said their sensor is, " designed to meet or exceed OE specifications in form, fit and function". So I figured I'd return it if the performance wasn't up to par, but at the same time I'm only talking about $11.88 with free shipping on Prime.

After I installed the sensor, I checked the performance by backing up to my garage door straight on, angled right, and angled left. The sensor triggered the yellow warning indication at exactly the same distance that the oe sensor did on the left side. Distance was 31" from sensor to garage door. So all is well again, and the repair was both easy and cheap. Hopefully the sensor lasts.

 

I bought 4 off ebay and 3 were defective. I bought two others from Amazon and they worked. I also have a 2013

back up sensors on amazon

 

That's why I ended up staying away from ebay sensors. I ended up reading reports like yours that said the quality of the sensors was not reliable. I did take a look at the sensors that you bought, and it was one of those Amazon sensor listings that said the sensor was only good for trucks up to 2011. Glad it worked for you. Did you verify the trigger distance of your new sensors versus the original sensors?

 

How did you know which one was giving you false readings? I have one that does the same thing and is extremely annoying.

 

There's a couple of ways. If you have a sensor that's completely failed, then set your parking brake, turn your ignition key to the on position (don't start the truck), put the truck in reverse, and go listen to each sensor. Put your ear right down by the sensor, and the ones that are working will emit a sort of clicking sound. The dead one(s) won't make any sound.

The other way is to experiment backing up to an object, and look for the visual indications on the Nav screen. I was able to see that the right outside sensor was never detecting anything.

 

 

They had the same part number as the ones I removed, I didn't check the accuracy, I was just happy to not see the check parking aid every time I started the truck

 

I got curious about whether there might be a way to test a bad sensor, and I pulled the bad part out of the trash in my shop to do some continuity measurements on it. I wondered if the measurements when compared to a good one would show any difference. Nope! The sensor has three pins, and I did 2 continuity checks between each combination of pins. The reason I did 2 checks is I changed the polarity of the leads for the 2nd measurement, which does make a difference in the reading you get. But in the end, the bad sensor's measurements were the same as a good OEM sensor's measurements. (I pulled one from my truck to check.)

 

 

And there's some capacitive action in there too. One junction was 14k one direction and open the other. However, the other two junctions measured open one direction and 15k increasing to 30k the other direction. It acted like a circuit was being charged by my meter's battery, and once fully charged, it sat at a steady 30k resistance.