Oh interesting. Mine had two larger plugs on both the Sync 1 and Sync 3 ACMs, was just plug and play with the harness.

The smaller plug for the subwoofer isn't connected on mine. I keep meaning to see if I can find the loom and a sub but can't find the loom or a pinout for it.

Hi 

Just curious if this is still possible now there is no access to ford etis ? I am doing this in January but I'm a bit hesitant now.

Many thanks for any pointers 

Merry Christmas 🥂

On 12/14/2024 at 12:55 PM, Daz665 said:

Hi 

Just curious if this is still possible now there is no access to ford etis ? I am doing this in January but I'm a bit hesitant now.

Many thanks for any pointers 

Merry Christmas 🥂

Re read the thread and found the answer 🤦 FFS 😂🤣 

Just going back to this, some of us have been missing the dynamic lines when parking on the reverse camera after the Sync 3 retrofit. 
 

With heartfelt thanks to Brett Griffin and tonileistner over on the Cyanlabs community, I have them back!

https://community.cyanlabs.net/t/missing-parking-lines-and-dynamic-guidelines/15689/69

The secret sauce is in the ASBUILT data for the IPMB module. 

Hi all, I completed the upgrade from Sync 1 to Sync 3 in my 2013 Focus ST but am having trouble with my USB port and I think its to do with the programming.

Can I just check, on the Sync 'about' screen in settings, it shows the original VIN number for my car, and not the one i used to update the software via ForScan.  I think this might be where my issues lie, but can anyone confirm if their systems show the old VIN or the new one before I start playing?

For more info, everything is working for me, except the USB port, meaning when I plug my phone in for carplay nothing happens.  I did buy one of the new ports, and do have the blue led glow. so i know the two power leads are working.

Thanks

The VIN displayed is the one for your car, I think it pulls it from the BCM.

Which version of Sync 3 is running on your unit? It's possible it just needs the software update to 2.1+ to enable CarPlay.

Hello,

Today I end up my journey(almost) with upgrading from Sync 1.1(with nav) to Sync 3(with nav + camera). 

1. First mistake was that i bought from China harness for Mondeo and even connectors to HVAC are the same pinout are not... Luckily I managed to get a diagram for the Focus MR11 somewhere on the forum, and I deduced that the idea was to get MS-CAM from there instead of ODB connector. In Focus MS-CAN is on C2(white connector) pins: 19: MS_CAN_LOW ; 18: MS_CAN_HIGH. Then I became a little suspicious about the adaptation harness, and I found that according to the diagram there was originally a microphone on pins 3 and 4, which turned out to be a mistake and apparently there is a difference between MR11 and MR13? Nevertheless i lost whole day checking every connection. 
2. This caused another interesting effect, inserting the probe to check the MS-CAN connection with the previously mentioned HVAC and APIM, as it turned out later, I bent the pin on the CAN-L connector, which caused the air conditioning to go crazy, and later it wouldn't turn on at all. Thinking that I had damaged the air conditioning module, I took it apart and reverse engineered it and it turned out that the LDO is controlled by the CAN trancreciver with the INH output (aka. inhibit), so if the module has no communication, even the display doesn't turn on... Another two days lost, but I'm attaching photos if anyone is curious what's inside.
3. I wasn't sure if the original GPS antenna would work (I've heard such statements), I installed a Chinese antenna, which turned out to be a complete mistake, the navigation worked sometimes, sometimes it didn't, sometimes it reported an error but still worked, a total lottery... After changing to the original connector, everything works as it should, you only have to remove the wire from the harness because otherwise it is too short to connect it, and it is also quite difficult to unplug it because it comes out at an upward angle - a flat screwdriver is useful then you can press the lock and pull it back.
4. Next, there was the issue of voice control/phone calling. At start I think that error was caused by mounting postlift basic ACM. I watch many videos where guys in US program ACM, but i see only one 727-01-01 reg. Then I switch back to my basic prelift ACM and I don't see even that. if you are looking for missing registers in ACM EU you better stop because I didn't find anything. So I figured out that all the settings according to the author of this thread's post are in BCM.. I wasn't convinced about the focus program, I read a lot of unfavorable opinions that in versions with a lot of equipment it can mess up. However, changing the BCMii settings available in Forscan does not bring any results so i stuck about weekend checking every thing again with oscilloscope and figuring out that wires are ok and I don't have signal on SYNC ALARM+/- line. So I back to Forscan i check again all APIM and BCM configurations. I was about to give up and as a last resort I decided to switch to Engerrniering level 2 (not used variables) and bingo!!! I will add my BCM configuration in attachment. 
5. Adding rear camera was straightforward but i disassembly all left side of interior(my car is left LHD), I didn't measure the cable, but according to the seller it was 6m and that was enough for me to touch, 10cm less and it would be too little. Photos of how the cable is routed are in the link, I tried to go as close to the factory harness as possible.
6. I decided to convert the factory unused button next to the auto-park button to a locking function. Button is fully functional, you just need to cut off the legs that block it from being pressed. I also added a red LED to signal closing and an N-mos transistor controlled from the closing signal to bypass the backlight diode so that the colors do not mix. Effect is fantastic! Pin 4 is for not used switch, Pin 1 is for not used LED. I didn't use it because I thought it would work without cutting the silicone insert, so I soldered the diode next to the diode, unfortunately the backlight didn't look good then. In the future, you can solder the LED in its place and cut the silicone insert right away.
7. Last thing to be done is automated park assist i will try to enable flank-guard. 

 

Link to pictures if anyone still interested in this topic: Onedrive.

WF0LXXGCBLCY61285_APIM_20250406_185421_abt.txt bcm_last_06042025_1853_cct.txt

Hello,

I have a ford focus mk3 with the 10 speaker radio, i couldnt find any ACM that have the fitting adapter for this cable. Do you need some sort off conector?

Good morning,

 

I am finally getting round to upgrading to sync 3 in my 2014 Focus.  (Currently Sync 1)

 

Before I get started I have a couple of questions:

 

The GPS module in my car (Titanium Navigator) - I see in here there are mixed messages about if this can be retained and used in the Sync 3 upgrade instead of adding a 3rd party module in the dash.  I have Nav and Emergency Assistance.  One person here said that the GPS could be used and then elsewhere I have been told that this is not the case.  Any definitive answers on this?

 

Also,  I currently have the 9 speaker setup and I believe my "new" ACM is a 6 speaker.  For the moment I am looking to retain the centre speaker so was thinking about retaining my existing ACM.  I have read on here that the TMC function does not work in this scenario.  Has anybody else had this and is there a way to make it work?  Can the firmware on the existing ACM be updated?  Any benefits for the new / old ACM.

 

I am sure I will have more questions once I get the installation started.  This forum has been a real help so far deciding to finally take the leap.  Thanks for all of your input.

On 7/8/2025 at 5:42 AM, SW-S said:

Good morning,

 

I am finally getting round to upgrading to sync 3 in my 2014 Focus.  (Currently Sync 1)

 

Before I get started I have a couple of questions:

 

The GPS module in my car (Titanium Navigator) - I see in here there are mixed messages about if this can be retained and used in the Sync 3 upgrade instead of adding a 3rd party module in the dash.  I have Nav and Emergency Assistance.  One person here said that the GPS could be used and then elsewhere I have been told that this is not the case.  Any definitive answers on this?

 

Also,  I currently have the 9 speaker setup and I believe my "new" ACM is a 6 speaker.  For the moment I am looking to retain the centre speaker so was thinking about retaining my existing ACM.  I have read on here that the TMC function does not work in this scenario.  Has anybody else had this and is there a way to make it work?  Can the firmware on the existing ACM be updated?  Any benefits for the new / old ACM.

 

I am sure I will have more questions once I get the installation started.  This forum has been a real help so far deciding to finally take the leap.  Thanks for all of your input.

You can use the existing GPS module in the car, just plug the blue cable from the old FCDIM to the new APIM.

Most "new" ACM's are 6 speaker. You can reuse your existing ACM but as you say you will lose TMC traffic information in the factory navigation. There's no firmware update for this, it is a hardware limitation of the older ACM not pumping the TMC data to the APIM in the correct format. No other pros or cons, everything else will work as before (just no TMC).

3 hours ago, dontpannic said:

You can use the existing GPS module in the car, just plug the blue cable from the old FCDIM to the new APIM.

Most "new" ACM's are 6 speaker. You can reuse your existing ACM but as you say you will lose TMC traffic information in the factory navigation. There's no firmware update for this, it is a hardware limitation of the older ACM not pumping the TMC data to the APIM in the correct format. No other pros or cons, everything else will work as before (just no TMC).

Thanks for this. Turns out tmc was working on my old acm but the new one sounds better.

 

I now have no parking sensor display. It's not a rear camera just the graphic that shows up, or it doesn't in this case. The parking sensors beep but no grapahic display 

1 hour ago, SW-S said:

Thanks for this. Turns out tmc was working on my old acm but the new one sounds better.

 

I now have no parking sensor display. It's not a rear camera just the graphic that shows up, or it doesn't in this case. The parking sensors beep but no grapahic display 

Turns out I should just read this thread and I can get it to work.  Parking sensor graphic is back and works great

 

I have a DTC Code linked to the APIM to do with configuration. Is this normal because what I have done or is there something missing  that I need to change?

 

APIM - U2101 : 00 : 0B is the DTC

Yeah, that DTC is normal, the coding of the new ACM doesn't match the central car config (number of speakers / type of sound system, probably) but this can't be fixed as Euro spec ACM's can't be coded. It doesn't affect functionality 🙂

1 hour ago, dontpannic said:

Yeah, that DTC is normal, the coding of the new ACM doesn't match the central car config (number of speakers / type of sound system, probably) but this can't be fixed as Euro spec ACM's can't be coded. It doesn't affect functionality 🙂

Thanks  very much. All sorted now I think. Upgrade completed 😎 

On 7/9/2025 at 4:32 PM, SW-S said:

Thanks  very much. All sorted now I think. Upgrade completed 😎 

 

So much better isn't it!

I'm new to the forum but have been reading for months. Please keep up the good work.

I live in Australia and have a Ford Focus ST built in Oct 2012. On reading a lot of threads on this forum, I noticed 2 threads in particular. The first was "BVC to Sync 3 conversion" and the second was "Sync 1 to Sync 3 conversion". I noticed they are very similar but with slight differences. I want to build a harness for my car from one of these threads, but I don't know which one is right for my car. I have a steering wheel that looks like it would be BVC, but my oem ACM has 2 large plugs on the back and are already populated with connectors making me think it might be Sync 1. Can someone please confirm which it might be and then I will commence with making a harness. 

Edited July 29, 2025Jul 29 by focust7788
Added some relevant text

Hnm, interesting.

 

You have BVC as indicated by the separate volume stalk on the right side of the steering wheel. Some ACMs did have two plugs as late 2012 was the cut over to Sync 1 so some cars got BVC and some got Sync 1. But those ACMs are still an older model and need replacing. Follow the BVC to Sync 3 guide as is and should be good 👍

However, to be 100% sure, take a look at the name of the Bluetooth connection your phone picks up from the car. If it says Sync, you have Sync 1, but if it says Ford Audio that's BVC.

 

You should also see the word Sync on your radio screen when in the menus if it's Sync 1.

5 hours ago, JPW said:

However, to be 100% sure, take a look at the name of the Bluetooth connection your phone picks up from the car. If it says Sync, you have Sync 1, but if it says Ford Audio that's BVC

The Bluetooth connection on my phone says "Sync" and all the manuals that come with the car also say "Sync" (I didn't even think of that ). It was just the steering wheel that threw me off. If it is sync 1, I believe I can make a harness from your documentation. The only question I have is, I see a member called Rowan makes a plug and play harness for sync 1. Do you know where he tapped into the MS-CAN- and MS-CAN+ instead of going to the OBD2. I would love to not have to cut any existing wiring if possible.

19 hours ago, focust7788 said:

The Bluetooth connection on my phone says "Sync" and all the manuals that come with the car also say "Sync" (I didn't even think of that ). It was just the steering wheel that threw me off. If it is sync 1, I believe I can make a harness from your documentation. The only question I have is, I see a member called Rowan makes a plug and play harness for sync 1. Do you know where he tapped into the MS-CAN- and MS-CAN+ instead of going to the OBD2. I would love to not have to cut any existing wiring if possible.

you have sync1, you can get it from climate panel (if you have dual climate control) or you can get it obd2, what i did was use a obd2 splitter and spliced into that wiring to avoid cutting into it.

 

Also if i recall correctly you actually don't need MS-CAN, focus mk3 facelift without climate control actually didn't have MS-CAN wiring there, i noticed that after doing some camera installs.

You only need HS-CAN (for programming) and MM-CAN for turning on the stereo, obviously you'll need power and ground.

MS-CAN would be used for controlling climate control panel and i don't recall it actually communicating with anything else that's required but it has been a while since i've done this upgrade.

 

also the chinese have actually started to make good harnesses, you could just purchase this harness as it's a sync1 to sync3 harness and i've had multiple people come to me saying it works. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006356770462.html
This harness does work on focus mk3 and it's way cheaper than what i ever could make, then again i used OEM connectors and OEM pins, while they use knock off chinese connectors but i don't make harnesses anymore and no way i'd ever do it that cheap.

 

I don't know why the chinese harnesses always have that modification on the ACM, since the modification can easily done on the APIM.

4 hours ago, Rowan112 said:

what i did was use a obd2 splitter and spliced into that wiring to avoid cutting into it

Thanks for the information about the OBD2 splitter. I think that's the way to go. If I was to get the chinese harness you suggested, do I still follow the Fakra connection sequence stated in this conversion instructions? i.e blue fakra to gps on apim and black fakra from old fdcim to acm? 

9 hours ago, focust7788 said:

Thanks for the information about the OBD2 splitter. I think that's the way to go. If I was to get the chinese harness you suggested, do I still follow the Fakra connection sequence stated in this conversion instructions? i.e blue fakra to gps on apim and black fakra from old fdcim to acm? 

yes

Will order harness and see how I go.

 

Thanks to all the people that helped.

 

 

I notice in the list of parts to buy to do sync 3 conversion, the usb hub is a single usb port. Do you suggest only a single port, or can you run dual ports?

On 8/2/2025 at 4:28 AM, focust7788 said:

I notice in the list of parts to buy to do sync 3 conversion, the usb hub is a single usb port. Do you suggest only a single port, or can you run dual ports?

if it's a pre-facelift then you can run a dual usb port

1 hour ago, Rowan112 said:

if it's a pre-facelift then you can run a dual usb port

Mine is a 2012 LW MKII Focus ST