[MK3] Upgrading instrument cluster

[Steevo25]

You can quite happily swap an instrument cluster in a MK3 Focus. There are settings in the IPC, but they are for turning certain features on and off on the actual IPC and can be accessed with Forscan.

There are no vehicle specific parameters or security in the IPC or VIN details. 

The IPC does, however, contain a backup copy of the BCM config but this is just a backup and doesn't affect the functionality of the vehicle. You can use Forscan to copy the BCM to the IPC backup but that will not make any difference to your issue. 

I would suspect that your issue is compatibility. You have put a MK3.5 steering wheel on an early MK3 car.

Even if you have replaced the clock spring,there is no guarantee the wiring beyond that is correct for that particular clock spring.

Even a same year MK3 can have different wiring loom versions depending where and when the car was built. 

Even if the wiring is there, the buttons do not control the trip functions directly, they tell the BCM. Your BCM is an early version so probably does not understand what the signals from the buttons are telling it. 

It may be the case that you simply cannot get the combination working without changing over parts such as the dash wiring loom and/or BCM. 

[shawstvs1]

OK

Thanks for the info

I'll look into what I might be able to do

[shawstvs1]

7 minutes ago, Steevo25 said:

You can quite happily swap an instrument cluster in a MK3 Focus. There are settings in the IPC, but they are for turning certain features on and off on the actual IPC and can be accessed with Forscan.

There are no vehicle specific parameters or security in the IPC or VIN details. 

The IPC does, however, contain a backup copy of the BCM config but this is just a backup and doesn't affect the functionality of the vehicle. You can use Forscan to copy the BCM to the IPC backup but that will not make any difference to your issue. 

I would suspect that your issue is compatibility. You have put a MK3.5 steering wheel on an early MK3 car.

Even if you have replaced the clock spring,there is no guarantee the wiring beyond that is correct for that particular clock spring.

Even a same year MK3 can have different wiring loom versions depending where and when the car was built. 

Even if the wiring is there, the buttons do not control the trip functions directly, they tell the BCM. Your BCM is an early version so probably does not understand what the signals from the buttons are telling it. 

It may be the case that you simply cannot get the combination working without changing over parts such as the dash wiring loom and/or BCM. 

I think I have watched too many you tube vids which are very simplistic and skip important things like compatibility issues or actual programming needed

Thanks for replies

[Steevo25]

Unfortunately, as I have discovered over time from modding my own car, two identical vehicles are not necessarily identical.

Depending what factory the car came out of, what original options it had, and even availability of wiring looms at the time it was built could mean it is different. 

For example, some cars have all the wiring for parking sensors even though they were not fitted, and others of the same year and specifications don't have the wiring already there for parking sensors. 

The late MK3 cars had a lot put in prior to the release of the MK3.5 so many of the MK3.5 changes work straight away on those cars but they won't work on cars a year or so older. Many late MK3 cars had the same model of BCM fitted that the MK3.5 had so they are easy changes. 

A 2011 car is fairly early so will have original versions of the BCM and firmware and simply will not understand the signals that later uprated parts send. 

[shawstvs1]

Makes sense 

Back to original cluster maybe or is there any other way around maybe mk3.5 cluster with mods?

Cheers 

[Steevo25]

If you put a MK3.5 cluster in you will gain a digital speedo but will lose the following at a minimum. 

Parking sensor beeps if you have parking sensors. 

Dash and button dimming functionality. 

Again, BCM is too old to support the features. 

If you replace the BCM, then you will have to have all your keys/immobiliser reprogrammed by Ford or equivalent specialist or the car will not start. 

[shawstvs1]

OK

Should have checked on forum before committing to upgrade. I upgraded to Sync 3 and thought I could do the same easily with cluster/steeting wheel

Thanks for all the advice makes it clear to see issues 

Nice one👍

 

[shawstvs1]

On 4/6/2023 at 10:08 PM, Steevo25 said:

If you put a MK3.5 cluster in you will gain a digital speedo but will lose the following at a minimum. 

Parking sensor beeps if you have parking sensors. 

Dash and button dimming functionality. 

Again, BCM is too old to support the features. 

If you replace the BCM, then you will have to have all your keys/immobiliser reprogrammed by Ford or equivalent specialist or the car will not start. 

I'm OK with left buttons not controlling IPC but it is stuck counting mileage 

Is there anyway at all just to change the screen to the 4 box split at least if that is there forever I have multi info or any other screen option

Cheers

[shawstvs1]

On 3/21/2021 at 3:51 PM, JPW said:

Great work. Is it worth swapping for an MK3.5 BCM (plug and play) and then you can always swap back...

My left trip computer buttons don't work after steering wheel mk3.5 upgrade, I'm ok without them but IPC is stuck counting mileage 

Is there anyway at all just to change the screen to the 4 box split at least if that is there forever I have multi info? Forscan?

Cheers

[ZeljkoC]

Done few rides with the car and new cluster and im pretty amazed how good looking this item is., but..

for what i see i now have in C-max mk2 2014 a mk3.5 cluster and digital speedo, which is awesome, but the big issue is an analog speed gauge..

calibrated i think corectly, in test mode all ok, but when im doing 50km/h it shows 80km/k on cluster and 50 on digital...

everything else is ok, temperature ok, fuel ok, rpm ok....only the speed is not ok

What did i miss??

[ZeljkoC]

Find out that my previous 'new' cluster was messed around and flashed with wrong eprom, sorted this is now working like it should...flashed with mk3.5 software to have digital speedo and lost parking sound..

I found an mk3.5 pam from cmax that is working, but i cant get rid of two errors...

i really don't find info what AS BUILD need to look like to be working...

the old pam didn't have as built..

 

any idea??

Steevo you' re the man....

[dontpannic]

I just found this bumped thread and wanted to check if my summary is correct.

MK3 and MK3.5 clusters are identical apart from the firmware

Parking:

Early MK3 with MK3.5 cluster/software and MK3 PAM will lose parking sensor beeps

Early MK3 with MK3.5 cluster/software and MK3.5 PAM will work as expected

 

Dimmer:

Early MK3 with MK3.5 cluster/software will lose dimming ability

Late MK3 with MK3.5 cluster/software may keep dimming ability

 

Additional queries...

For those who have done a Sync 3 upgrade on a MK3, we obviously get the bright white cluster screen - is this resolved with a MK3.5 cluster/software?

 

My car is a late 2012/early 2013 MK3 Tit-X with Sync 3. If I replace the PAM with a MK3.5 one and update the instrument cluster firmware to the latest available am I likely to lose any functionality? SAPP will still function on a MK3.5 PAM with 10 sensors as it did before?

[ZeljkoC]

I have updated my IPC with latest mk3.5 software, replaced PAM with a mk3.5 ( pn F1ET-15K866-BF ) and updated to latest software with Forscan ( don't have UCDS ) , have just 4 rear sensors and 6 in front so total of 10...if i just leave the as built as is ( new PAM is from a c-max like mine is ) then i have an error that 2 rear sensors are missing, if i change as built to 10 sensors, the rear are working, the front shows me red exclamation point on display..

for what i see Forscan update files by part number, so i need to figure what files to force into it to work...

and then see what will work and what won't