Unable to Read VIN?

[mattwood440]

I have an i2 that came with a Procharger kit I bought in 2016 for my 2015 Mustang. I finally wanted a custom tune and the shop I chose utilized a different brand tuner so they unmarried my i2. I successfully updated the i2 software. Now when I connect it to my car it shows 91 and 93 Easy Tunes and several tunes under Advanced Tunes including multiple JLT, Roush, and Steeda ones.

However, I just tried connecting it to an 04 Excursion V10 and it said it was unable to read the VIN. It gave me the option to enter the VIN manually. I selected that option which brought up a "please wait" screen which stayed that way for several minutes. Then it asked if the key was on, which it was. So I selected yes and the please wait screen came on again and stayed that way for over 5 minutes before I gave up.

Should it have worked? Attached is the info file. The tunes folder is empty. Thanks.

[mikel]

not uncommon for some early trucks like the excursion to not have a VIN programmed, the device needs to see the vin to figure out what it is.

[mattwood440]

Can I manually enter the VIN? Is it normal for the tuner to be in "please wait" mode for several minutes?

[mikel]

it should prompt you to enter the VIN, no? In the tune menu?
If so, you can enter it, and it will cache that and decode it to determine how to see the calibration ID, then it will determine if its supported.
If the cal is supported, it will read the backup then when you load the tune it will write the VIN you entered initially and from there it will always have a VIN.
If the cal is not supported at all, it will say so. If the cal needs to be updated, it will also say so, which will require updating then coming back to the truck and reentering the VIN as its only cached for the power cycle.


Thanks

[mattwood440]

it should prompt you to enter the VIN, no? In the tune menu?
If so, you can enter it, and it will cache that and decode it to determine how to see the calibration ID, then it will determine if its supported.
If the cal is supported, it will read the backup then when you load the tune it will write the VIN you entered initially and from there it will always have a VIN.
If the cal is not supported at all, it will say so. If the cal needs to be updated, it will also say so, which will require updating then coming back to the truck and reentering the VIN as its only cached for the power cycle.


Thanks

No, it will not allow me to enter a VIN. It asks for it, then goes to a Please Wait screen for approx 5 minutes and then times out. I called you guys this morning. The tech believes there is an (unknown) communication issue. The only solution he suggested was to get a dealership to flash the VIN to the pcm. That's more money than we are willing to invest. If you know another way to force my device to allow me to enter a VIN I'm all ears. Otherwise this project ends. Thanks!

[mikel]

can you remove the pcm for a couple days?
We'll put the vin in it for free if you send it here.

[mattwood440]

Unfortunately no. I think that maybe one of the bus pins in the Excursion's OBD2 connector was loose but I can't confirm because the owner decided to move on. However, my i2 read the VIN off a newer Camaro and Cadillac within seconds no problem, so it does work. Thanks for your help anyway!

[mikel]

Unfortunately no. I think that maybe one of the bus pins in the Excursion's OBD2 connector was loose but I can't confirm because the owner decided to move on. However, my i2 read the VIN off a newer Camaro and Cadillac within seconds no problem, so it does work. Thanks for your help anyway!

Yeah, its really only 96-03 Fords where we run into PCMs that never had a VIN programmed to start with