Guide - 13/14 MFT 8in screen to Sync 3 with Android Auto/Carplay
02-21-2017, 01:06 PM
#1
Guide - 13/14 MFT 8in screen to Sync 3 with Android Auto/Carplay
Introduction
I’ve recently completed this swap and noticed that while the information is out there, it is somewhat scattered, which is making it difficult to find easily and in one place. I was able to complete this project with the help of nerdh3rd, Livinitup (15+ forums), and several other contributors. They and some others are the pioneers of this project and they deserve all of the credit.
If you are not comfortable using Forscan and changing the values in the APIM to make this work, this project probably isn’t for you, or you are going to need to find someone willing to sell you a programed unit, or near you that has the capability to program it, Dealers will most likely not touch this and I wouldn’t ask. It is a pretty simple procedure and you will most likely need to make a few adjustments to make sure that you get the correct options for your truck even if you get it programmed. There are a ton of resources in this thread of livinitup which should guide you through out this. You will need to do a little research on Forscan and get comfortable with it, otherwise you will most likely run in to issues later on that will be confusing/aggravating. It is pretty simple, but there is a lot of information about it. DO YOUR RESEARCH before you purchase parts and save the headache, I cannot stress this enough. There are chances that you could screw your truck up if you are not careful and I’m not responsible if you do, this is just my experience with this project, and this is at your own risk.
If you find yourself hating MFT like many of us and long for sync 3 with Android Auto/Carplay you are in luck, you are able to swap in the components from a sync 3 system. I’ve got a 14 Limited, so I already had the 8in screen.
It is also possible to do this if you have the 4.2 in screen, but you will have to buy or make a harness as well as swap some pins around, and buy a bezel with the correct controls for you application, if this is you, then you should go to this thread to get the information that you need.
If you have an 11/12 F-150, the swap is possible, but it requires a ton of work, including swapping the entire interior, bezels, several harnesses, plus the sync 3 equipment, I believe the costs are significant. I believe there are at least two people who have done the interior swap and said it cost roughly $1500-$2000 for just that part, not including the Sync 3 parts.
If you have the 8in screen already then the costs are very reasonable and you only need the parts listed below, read on.
I also didn’t take any pictures because I was really excited and wanted to get it installed ASAP. So my words will have to do here.
Parts list/Requirements:
Forscan with Extended License
Bluetooth Dongle (Example and one I purchased – )
Tablet/laptop to run Forscan on, must be windows 7/10 to be able to make the adjustments/programming. Android/IOS devices can’t make these changes.
Sync 3 APIM W/ or W/O Nav and 2.2 firmware (or be prepared to update/flash the firmware yourself) (Note – you can’t add NAV to these units like MFT, so if you buy an APIM without NAV you can’t just flash it in, you will have to replace the APIM. If you are planning to only use Car play/Android Auto’s NAV, you can just purchase the APIM without NAV and you are all set, I recommend the unit with NAV, but that is my preference)
Sync 3 Screen (required, this is capacitive vs the resistive screen you already have) (keep in mind that you will probably have to drill out your f150’s existing brackets to fit the different holes of the sync 3 screen depending on what model it came from, I had to and it added about 20 minutes to the job once I decided to do it, I did sit there contemplating whether I wanted to move forward with it, I almost bailed on the project, but I moved forward and I’m glad I did. There may be some screens that you don’t have to drill out brackets for, but I can’t tell you what models they are from)
Media Module/USB Port Upgrade – Part # USB Hub with White LED - GJ7Z-19A387-B or USB Hub with Blue LED - HC3Z-19A387-B (This is required for Car play but not for Android Auto, I’m still using the original 14’s usb ports which works for AA, but there is a caveat, more below)
Updated harness – Part # WPT1239 pigtail - Ford P/N CU2Z-14S411-AA
Media Module Bezel – Part # USB Hub bezel adapter - GC3Z-19C149-A
)
My total cost for this was less than $850 for everything, but yours will vary depending on where you get your equipment, you can find APIM/Screens on ebay or the 15+ fs section usually has a few. I also already had the MS Surface that I used. I’m not listing part numbers for the screen and APIM as there are many different ones and we don’t know what they correspond to, so it’s not worth listing them up here.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Forscan Part 1 – Get familiar with it
Before you get your parts, I recommend getting familiar with Forscan as you will be using this later, unless you bought a preprogrammed unit. You should also get an As Built file for your truck, If you already have Forscan and haven’t made any changes, you can do it there by saving it, otherwise you can go the Motorcraft site (https://www.motorcraftservice.com/AsBuilt) you will be asked to enter your country then redirected to a different site, just paste the link back in and you will be good to go. Get your VIN, input it in, hit the button, download the As Built file and note its location, you will want this in case you mess up later on.
You will also want to find a 16+ f150 or Flex that has sync 3 and ideally the options you have on your truck to try to copy values from, I used ebay to find these and it worked out well, but you can also use this spreadsheet to adjust your APIM settings. Keep in mind that the last two digits in the values are the checksum and are recalculated every time you make a change, don’t focus on these, you may get an error that it is wrong, but if you click ok, it will calculate the check sum and it should be fine. This means that you only need to worry about the first 10 digits (Ex: 7D0-01-01 is an APIM address – the value will look like XXXX-XXXX-XXXX, replace the X’s with your values. The last two XX are the Check Sum value and will recalculate every time.) (Also note that the spreadsheet isn’t gospel, it is pretty solid, but there are still things that are being updated all the time.)
I recommend that you use the As Built comparer tool at this link to compare the different As Built files.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Disassembly
Once you have purchased all of the required parts you are ready for install you are ready to disassemble
and it worked out well. Once you have your apart, remove the screen/APIM and compare to the new sync 3 unit, you will have to decide if you need to drill your brackets, but this is a good time to plug in your unit and power it on and make sure it works if you haven’t already.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Installation
I drilled my brackets since they didn’t line up on the new screen, I made sure to note their orientation on the MFT screen and how far they stuck out, then I measured the hole locations and how they would line up and drilled two small holes and mounted them to the screen, it was a little nerve wracking for a moment, and I almost backed out and returned my stuff, but it wound up being really easy and I can still use them on the MFT screen if I need to go back.
With that done I was ready to install the screen in my truck, I mounted the GPS antenna behind my glove box for easy access then connected it to the APIM, then connected the other harness and USB from MFT and mounted the screen up. I reassembled the truck in reverse order to the video and powered on the truck. Everything lights up and functioned reasonably well minus my missing options, now it’s time for USB ports and programming.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I’ve recently completed this swap and noticed that while the information is out there, it is somewhat scattered, which is making it difficult to find easily and in one place. I was able to complete this project with the help of nerdh3rd, Livinitup (15+ forums), and several other contributors. They and some others are the pioneers of this project and they deserve all of the credit.
If you are not comfortable using Forscan and changing the values in the APIM to make this work, this project probably isn’t for you, or you are going to need to find someone willing to sell you a programed unit, or near you that has the capability to program it, Dealers will most likely not touch this and I wouldn’t ask. It is a pretty simple procedure and you will most likely need to make a few adjustments to make sure that you get the correct options for your truck even if you get it programmed. There are a ton of resources in this thread of livinitup which should guide you through out this. You will need to do a little research on Forscan and get comfortable with it, otherwise you will most likely run in to issues later on that will be confusing/aggravating. It is pretty simple, but there is a lot of information about it. DO YOUR RESEARCH before you purchase parts and save the headache, I cannot stress this enough. There are chances that you could screw your truck up if you are not careful and I’m not responsible if you do, this is just my experience with this project, and this is at your own risk.
If you find yourself hating MFT like many of us and long for sync 3 with Android Auto/Carplay you are in luck, you are able to swap in the components from a sync 3 system. I’ve got a 14 Limited, so I already had the 8in screen.
It is also possible to do this if you have the 4.2 in screen, but you will have to buy or make a harness as well as swap some pins around, and buy a bezel with the correct controls for you application, if this is you, then you should go to this thread to get the information that you need.
If you have an 11/12 F-150, the swap is possible, but it requires a ton of work, including swapping the entire interior, bezels, several harnesses, plus the sync 3 equipment, I believe the costs are significant. I believe there are at least two people who have done the interior swap and said it cost roughly $1500-$2000 for just that part, not including the Sync 3 parts.
If you have the 8in screen already then the costs are very reasonable and you only need the parts listed below, read on.
I also didn’t take any pictures because I was really excited and wanted to get it installed ASAP. So my words will have to do here.
Parts list/Requirements:
Forscan with Extended License
Bluetooth Dongle (Example and one I purchased – )
Tablet/laptop to run Forscan on, must be windows 7/10 to be able to make the adjustments/programming. Android/IOS devices can’t make these changes.
Sync 3 APIM W/ or W/O Nav and 2.2 firmware (or be prepared to update/flash the firmware yourself) (Note – you can’t add NAV to these units like MFT, so if you buy an APIM without NAV you can’t just flash it in, you will have to replace the APIM. If you are planning to only use Car play/Android Auto’s NAV, you can just purchase the APIM without NAV and you are all set, I recommend the unit with NAV, but that is my preference)
Sync 3 Screen (required, this is capacitive vs the resistive screen you already have) (keep in mind that you will probably have to drill out your f150’s existing brackets to fit the different holes of the sync 3 screen depending on what model it came from, I had to and it added about 20 minutes to the job once I decided to do it, I did sit there contemplating whether I wanted to move forward with it, I almost bailed on the project, but I moved forward and I’m glad I did. There may be some screens that you don’t have to drill out brackets for, but I can’t tell you what models they are from)
Media Module/USB Port Upgrade – Part # USB Hub with White LED - GJ7Z-19A387-B or USB Hub with Blue LED - HC3Z-19A387-B (This is required for Car play but not for Android Auto, I’m still using the original 14’s usb ports which works for AA, but there is a caveat, more below)
Updated harness – Part # WPT1239 pigtail - Ford P/N CU2Z-14S411-AA
Media Module Bezel – Part # USB Hub bezel adapter - GC3Z-19C149-A
)
My total cost for this was less than $850 for everything, but yours will vary depending on where you get your equipment, you can find APIM/Screens on ebay or the 15+ fs section usually has a few. I also already had the MS Surface that I used. I’m not listing part numbers for the screen and APIM as there are many different ones and we don’t know what they correspond to, so it’s not worth listing them up here.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Forscan Part 1 – Get familiar with it
Before you get your parts, I recommend getting familiar with Forscan as you will be using this later, unless you bought a preprogrammed unit. You should also get an As Built file for your truck, If you already have Forscan and haven’t made any changes, you can do it there by saving it, otherwise you can go the Motorcraft site (https://www.motorcraftservice.com/AsBuilt) you will be asked to enter your country then redirected to a different site, just paste the link back in and you will be good to go. Get your VIN, input it in, hit the button, download the As Built file and note its location, you will want this in case you mess up later on.
You will also want to find a 16+ f150 or Flex that has sync 3 and ideally the options you have on your truck to try to copy values from, I used ebay to find these and it worked out well, but you can also use this spreadsheet to adjust your APIM settings. Keep in mind that the last two digits in the values are the checksum and are recalculated every time you make a change, don’t focus on these, you may get an error that it is wrong, but if you click ok, it will calculate the check sum and it should be fine. This means that you only need to worry about the first 10 digits (Ex: 7D0-01-01 is an APIM address – the value will look like XXXX-XXXX-XXXX, replace the X’s with your values. The last two XX are the Check Sum value and will recalculate every time.) (Also note that the spreadsheet isn’t gospel, it is pretty solid, but there are still things that are being updated all the time.)
I recommend that you use the As Built comparer tool at this link to compare the different As Built files.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Disassembly
Once you have purchased all of the required parts you are ready for install you are ready to disassemble
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Installation
I drilled my brackets since they didn’t line up on the new screen, I made sure to note their orientation on the MFT screen and how far they stuck out, then I measured the hole locations and how they would line up and drilled two small holes and mounted them to the screen, it was a little nerve wracking for a moment, and I almost backed out and returned my stuff, but it wound up being really easy and I can still use them on the MFT screen if I need to go back.
With that done I was ready to install the screen in my truck, I mounted the GPS antenna behind my glove box for easy access then connected it to the APIM, then connected the other harness and USB from MFT and mounted the screen up. I reassembled the truck in reverse order to the video and powered on the truck. Everything lights up and functioned reasonably well minus my missing options, now it’s time for USB ports and programming.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Last edited by frestylmotox01; 02-21-2017 at 01:14 PM.
The following 2 users liked this post by frestylmotox01:
Field_Strong (02-03-2020),
paintballdude05 (02-21-2017)
02-21-2017, 01:06 PM
#2
USB Port
I haven’t changed my USB port yet, I’m using AA and it works fine with the existing unit in my Center Console, I will be changing it out, but haven’t need to yet. Also note that if you don’t change it, that whenever you make Forscan changes, you will get a notice that the usb port is wrong or something to that effect, you can hit ok, and it won’t come back again till you make more adjustments with Forscan. You will need the updated module, harness, and bezel. Sync 3 doesn’t use the RCA’s and SD card slot. The procedure looks like you will remove the existing module, connect the USB cable that is already there, then use the new harness you purchased, tapping pins 1 and 4 to power on the previous harness, for more detail, please reference this thread, I will update this once I’ve completed it.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Forscan Part 2 - Programming
Forscan is the last part of this, You will want to make sure that you have a backup of your As Built data, if you have already made adjustments with Forscan to your truck and are happy with where it is at, then you should save a copy of it, this way you can always go back to it should you have an issue. As mentioned earlier, you will want As Built data from a newer vehicle that comes with sync 3 that has similar options to get you started, then just make a few adjustments here and there to get it perfect, if you have an XLT don’t use As Built from a Limited as your options will vary a lot and you will need to make a lot of adjustments.
When I booted mine up, it didn’t have the climate tab at all, was missing the heated and cooled seats on the home screen, and didn’t have sirius listed. I used the As Built data from a 17 flex limited that appeared to have all my options and then some. I changed my APIM data in Forscan to reference these and only had to make two small changes to the first APIM column in Forscan.
After loading your APIM data from the newer vehicles As Built, you should write them and then when prompted, turn you ignition off, remove the key, open your door, close your door and make sure that the unit is entirely powered off, I had an issue with not waiting long enough for the unit to power off and my changes didn’t all take effect. You may have to make many adjustments, but using the spreadsheet referenced earlier, you should be able to make yours work for your options.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Profit?
After using it for roughly two weeks, I’m super happy with my decision, Sync 3 Is worlds better than MFT even without Android Auto and Car play. It is very responsive and just works better. This was 100% totally worth it and I’m glad I did this. I have 0 regrets.
I hope that this helps clear up some of the information regarding this swap for people. Feel free to add information to this and if it’s valuable I’ll edit it in to the post. Thanks to anyone who helped me get mine going, this was a well needed upgrade and wouldn’t have been possible without many other members.
I haven’t changed my USB port yet, I’m using AA and it works fine with the existing unit in my Center Console, I will be changing it out, but haven’t need to yet. Also note that if you don’t change it, that whenever you make Forscan changes, you will get a notice that the usb port is wrong or something to that effect, you can hit ok, and it won’t come back again till you make more adjustments with Forscan. You will need the updated module, harness, and bezel. Sync 3 doesn’t use the RCA’s and SD card slot. The procedure looks like you will remove the existing module, connect the USB cable that is already there, then use the new harness you purchased, tapping pins 1 and 4 to power on the previous harness, for more detail, please reference this thread, I will update this once I’ve completed it.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Forscan Part 2 - Programming
Forscan is the last part of this, You will want to make sure that you have a backup of your As Built data, if you have already made adjustments with Forscan to your truck and are happy with where it is at, then you should save a copy of it, this way you can always go back to it should you have an issue. As mentioned earlier, you will want As Built data from a newer vehicle that comes with sync 3 that has similar options to get you started, then just make a few adjustments here and there to get it perfect, if you have an XLT don’t use As Built from a Limited as your options will vary a lot and you will need to make a lot of adjustments.
When I booted mine up, it didn’t have the climate tab at all, was missing the heated and cooled seats on the home screen, and didn’t have sirius listed. I used the As Built data from a 17 flex limited that appeared to have all my options and then some. I changed my APIM data in Forscan to reference these and only had to make two small changes to the first APIM column in Forscan.
After loading your APIM data from the newer vehicles As Built, you should write them and then when prompted, turn you ignition off, remove the key, open your door, close your door and make sure that the unit is entirely powered off, I had an issue with not waiting long enough for the unit to power off and my changes didn’t all take effect. You may have to make many adjustments, but using the spreadsheet referenced earlier, you should be able to make yours work for your options.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Profit?
After using it for roughly two weeks, I’m super happy with my decision, Sync 3 Is worlds better than MFT even without Android Auto and Car play. It is very responsive and just works better. This was 100% totally worth it and I’m glad I did this. I have 0 regrets.
I hope that this helps clear up some of the information regarding this swap for people. Feel free to add information to this and if it’s valuable I’ll edit it in to the post. Thanks to anyone who helped me get mine going, this was a well needed upgrade and wouldn’t have been possible without many other members.
Last edited by frestylmotox01; 02-21-2017 at 01:15 PM.
The following 3 users liked this post by frestylmotox01:
