TransitConnectHacking

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Reprogramming the lighting on my 2018 Ford Transit Connect

I recently purchased a brand new 2018 Ford Transit Connect Wagon. I love this vehicle: it's basically the only minimal minivan you can currently buy in the US. Seats 7, plenty of cargo space, and a complete lack of the ridiculous features you find on the Odyssey or the Sienna.

However, one thing that annoyed me was the way the lights worked. Every time you open a door, all the exterior lights (except for the headlights) would come on, and stay on for several minutes (or until the doors were locked).

I get that this is probably a safety feature, but one reason I bought my van was to go camping, and you don't want all your car lights coming on every time you open a door. Thus, I started researching how to fix this.

I quickly found references on the internet to 'dark mode' - a secret Ford setting that would disable both exterior and internal lights coming on when a door was opened. I figured that would be the answer, so I took my van in to the local dealership and asked them to set dark mode. No luck - they gave it a try and said they couldn't figure it out.

Next step: fix it on my own. I knew about Forscan, the free software you can you use to change settings on Ford vehicles. Some people on the Transit Connect forum had reported some success with this, but there weren't any detailed instructions. So here we are.

Supplies

You're going to need three things for this project. First, you need a windows laptop. I actually didn't have one so I picked up a used one on ebay for $150. Second, you will need the free Forscan software. Finally, you need a usb obd2 adapter. I used this one. Note that generic obd2 adapters may not work. Also note that yoou want an obd2 adapter with a HS/MS switch (more on that later).

Setup

First, install Forscan on your laptop. You will need to follow the instructions to get a free Forscan license (basically you make an account on the forum, wait to get verified, and use this form. I'm not 100% sure but I think a license is required to do any programming of your car with Forscan. Note that the license is good for a couple months.

Turn the ignition in your vehicle to 'off'.

Connect the OBD2 adapter to the OBD2 port on your TC (it's right under the steering wheel) and plug the other end in to a usb port on your laptop.

Note that you need to be in a garage or somewhere where you can get on wifi - Forscan will need to download a driver later on in the process.

Launch Forscan on your laptop.

Set the switch on the obd2 adapter to HS.

Turn the ignition to 'on'.

Click the 'vehicle and interface information' icon in Forscan:

Then, click the connect button:

Forscan should now begin talking to your TC, via the obd port. After a few moments, Forscan will ask you to move the obd2 adapter switch to the 'MS' position.

What are MS and HS? They stand for Medium Speed and High Speed. Some devices on the canbus (the network all the computer modules in your TC connect to) have 'medium speed' connections, and some have 'high speed' connections. The switch on the obd2 adapter allows it to switch between these two speeds to communicate with all the available computer modules in your vehicle.

Forscan may ask a few other questions, such as whether to save the vehicle as a new profile. Say yes to this, it will make things slightly faster in the future.

At this point, Forscan has determined what capabilities the computer systems in your vehicle have, and you should see a screen similar to this:

Indicating that Forscan has successfully inventoried your vehicle.

Now, you are ready to enter the programming interface to actually make changes.

Forscan Programming

Under the 'Configuration and Programming' page, you will see a list of all the modules that Forscan has discovered on your vehicle. Select 'BodyCM Central Configuration (Main):

Then, click the 'Run Service Procedure' button:

At this point you will see a warning that changing settings on your vehicle with Forscan can cause problems. Just click ok on that. Next, a screen will pop up saying that Forscan needs to download a driver from the internet. This is the point where you actually need an internet connection.

If that all works ok, you are done with 'BodyCM Central Configuration (Main). Click on the 'Configuration and Programming' tab on top to get back to the list of modules.