2011 CS PCM removal

[Tom M]

I'll be removing my PCM to send in to Becker in NJ for repair as it's been determined that the brightness won't change because something in the PCM unit is defective. The good news is the selling dealer is going to cover at least 1/2 the cost of the repair. So, along those lines I've got 2 questions.

1. How do I actually remove the unit (I'm guessing just remove the bezel trim with a  trim tool and then remove a few screws)
2. Can I drive the car while the PCM is out for repair without any issues? (The local dealer thought it might throw a few error codes but that it should drive fine, but he wasn't positive)

Becker says depending on what the problem is they may need to completely wipe the data which would mean the unit would need to be reprogrammed to the VIN. The dealer said they'd never done one but it shouldn't be any different than if they had to order a replacement unit so he figures it would only be an hour or so of a tech's time if that's needed. Hopefully it's just a flex cable as the Becker person said the PCM 3.x units don't suffer from solder issues and the screen seems fine ot then not responding to the brightness changes.

 

What's weird is the display has changed brightness from when I brought the car home and it does do the day/night changes but it's still not adjustable by using the PCM settings.

[Loren]

1. Switch off ignition and remove ignition key.

2. Use a plastic spatula to carefully unclip the covering frame, starting from the bottom left and right.

 

 

3. Unscrew the four fastening screws.

4. Carefully pull out the PCM unit.

 

 

5. Press lock on antenna connectors 1, 2, 3, 4 and pull off antenna line.

6. Release central connector for PCM 5 , fold up release (arrow) and remove connector from PCM.

 

 

7. If the PCM unit has to be replaced and a telephone control unit is installed:

 

 

[Tom M]

Thanks Loren.

 

Since you didn't mention it is it safe to assume there's no issues with driving the vehicle with the PCM out.

[Loren]

I would bundle and cover the electrical connectors so they can not touch chassis ground.

[Tom M]

Loren, I'm getting ready to pull this out but it doesn't seem like there's any place to really remove the trim starting at the bottom as it wraps underneath on the 958. I can certainly start at the top but don't want to risk damaging any of the clips in case they're sensitive to the order of removal.

 

The more I research it seems like I may need to remove the vents to gain access to the mounting screws as the trim seems like it's fixed the the PCM. If that's the case I guess I need to know how to remove the vents if that's the case.

 

UPDATE:

Looks like I need to make/buy a set of Ford radio removal tools to remove the vents and that will allow access to the screws holding the PCM. I found instructions as part of the NAV-TV backup camera installation.

Edited March 12, 2015 by Tom M