NAV system Gripes
#21
12-30-2005, 01:48 PM
Re: NAV system Gripes
"Warning"
This Modification Could Void Your Warranty!!
I did the modification will be later attaching a .pdf file with picts that show the detail of the main work that needs to be done.
This Modification Could Void Your Warranty!!
I did the modification will be later attaching a .pdf file with picts that show the detail of the main work that needs to be done.
OK – I think I have at least one good answer to the problem of not being able to access the ‘Points of Interest’ (POI) while you are moving.
Thanks to John – ‘gpsman1’ (here) and ‘GPS man’ on the ‘Yahoo hybrid_ford_escape’ forum, for taking the time and patience to give me his answer to the problem. Plus a few others from the Yahoo forum.
Let me start out in saying it does take pulling the unit, cutting a wire and placing a switch in line. The signal that the unit is using to detect motion has to be interrupted.
- You can remove the NAV/Radio unit using a radio removal tool that should be available at most auto parts or even WalMart. They are two (2) "U" shaped brackets with barbs on the end. Insert the "U" shaped keys into the holes as shown (push till they click into place). While pushing (pressing) the keys outward, pull and the unit should slide forward and out of the dash. Image of Unit with Removal Tools
- Once you have the unit out, you can rest it on the shift lever so you can look at, and work on the unit. Image of Unit Resting On Shift Leve<
- You need to locate the VSS (Vehicle Speed Sensor) wire (gray with black stripes) that sends the speed signal to the unit. By interrupting this signal you fool the unit into thinking it is sitting still. There are about 5 different wiring harnesses going into the unit. Looking at the unit resting on the shifter the harness/plug you are looking for will be on the right front (closest to you on the right). It will be a 22 pin Black harness that has only 3 wires going into it, the gray with black stripes wire on the top right closest to you will be the VSS (Close-Up Image of harness/plug). The other 2 are a Brown/Purple and a Black/Purple. Image of Back of Unit Identifying VSS Wire
- This is the wire you have to cut and splice with some 20 - 18 AWG wires long enough to reach where you will mount the switch. The three wires that are going into the plug are wrapped with tape so you will have to use a sharp knife etc to cut this back far enough to leave about 1 1/2" to 2" of wire coming out of the plug before to the splice cut, plus enough room to splice the other end. It is best to use small wire nuts to secure the splice but in a clinch wrap each splice with a generous portion of electrical tape.
- Route the two splice wires to where you will be mounting the switch. If you are going to place them where I did (Image of Button Placement) it is easiest to twist the wires together, for strength, and feed them from the bottom up to the opening in the dash.
- For a professional installation look:
- From GPSman - You can easily press out this blank black square, (from the back forward when your radio is out) and mount a similar sized switch to the "set" button, and place it in the already die-cut hole. NO DRILLINGREQUIRED.
- You can just drill a small hole in an inconspicuous place on the passenger side and mount it there. I found one at Radio Shack, a SPST Rocker Switch - rectangular with small white 'ON' mark that worked and looked very good. Close-Up Image of Switch<
- Re-install the unit and you are done.
Answer from GPSman : I can confirm that the break in the VSS wire DOES NOT affect your instant or average Fuel Economy. I drove around all day today with the button off, and fuel economy, both instant and average adjusted normally. (12.23.05)
After doing the modification I can concur his observations. I have driven with and without the switch on and there is ‘NO’ interruption of the instant or average FE – plus you can also access the ‘Plan’ and ‘Pan’ feature that is not grayed out. Image showing NAV with POI showing as available @ 30 MPH.
There is one draw back. During the time the signal is interrupted the GPS unit thinks it is in the same place that you were when you hit the switch to Off and then back On - so your displayed position will not change during this time. If you do frequent turns in the city, the system updates quickly. If you are going down a long, straight highway, the system takes a few minutes to notice you are not in the right space on the map and do a correction update.
There are a couple of things you can do to get back on track. You can by ejecting the NAV CD and re-inserting will force an immediate re-locate, plus the POI you just searched for will be in your recent places list, so you will not need to "pause" the system again, or just wait a while and it will finally get back on track.
There are quite a number of ways to mount the switch – I used the one from Radio Shack. I put lug type plugs on the end that would be going to the switch and twisted the two 18 AWG wires to give stiffness for threading them up from the passenger side of the cover. Drilled a 3/4" hole in the upper back portion of the cover insert the switch and it looks great.
Last edited by VietVet'67; 12-31-2005 at 11:06 PM. Reason: Updated
#22
12-31-2005, 06:52 PM
Re: NAV system Gripes
Originally Posted by Wolfman
I have a huge NAV system gripe. My trip to Colorado made a great acid test of the accuracy of the system. This is because I literally drive the route without a map, I've made this trip so often. The NAV system insisted that I needed to drive through Albequerque, NM., despite repeated attempts to tell the system that this was indeed 300 miles FARTHER than the actual trip distance, which isn't on any unknown roads, even in the "low detail" areas. Only when it could no longer find any other podunk little roads along the trip to turn me off of the actual route, did it finally give up, and route the correct one. My Garmin routes this trip flawlessly, and I don't even have to screw with those stupid CD's, as it has the entire U.S. map loaded into it's CF card. By the time I got home, I gave Fords "NAV" system an "F". If it wasn't for the fact that the thing was forced on me to get the hybrid computer, I would just a soon not have the NAV system at all.
Just this past summer we took a trip from Atlanta to Williamsburg, DC, NYC and back. Put the address for each hotel and POI along the way and were guided to the front door each time. When we were leaving from NYC I just hit the 'Home' button and didn't look at a map once. I am a map nut so I was checking things along the way up and the NAV system took the best route each time. We would have never gotten thru the DC and NYC roads without it. Never tried to turn us onto a one-way street and one of the best things I liked was say when we came up on a multi route exit, it would tell us to 'stay in the right/left lane' even if the split were multiple.
I know that NAVTEQ makes the map data CDs that are supplied with the FEH, and they are probably the biggest supplier of map data out their. If you look at 'Google Maps' it says data by NAVTEQ. The operating system software for the NAV unit is outsourced by Ford to another company. It would say (after looking at the NAVTEQ site) that NAVTEQ are also the ones that have the software on the CDs to compute the route plans in the system.
I just went to their page that shows a demo (Everyday Navigation) and from what I gathered there that this is true. So it is probably a NAVTEQ problem and not Ford.
Last edited by VietVet'67; 12-31-2005 at 07:06 PM.
#23
01-03-2006, 03:16 PM
Re: NAV system Gripes
I've been having some strange NAV system issues lately as well. It keeps reseting itself either right when I turn the truck on or randomly as I'm driving.
The screen will go blank, show some type of distorted image then return to the 'Ford Escape Hybrid' logo page then back to the radio. I suppose I need to have the dealer take a look at it.
Anyone else having this happen?
The screen will go blank, show some type of distorted image then return to the 'Ford Escape Hybrid' logo page then back to the radio. I suppose I need to have the dealer take a look at it.
Anyone else having this happen?
#24
01-03-2006, 07:59 PM
Re: NAV system Gripes
Originally Posted by tom.arthur
I've been having some strange NAV system issues lately as well. It keeps reseting itself either right when I turn the truck on or randomly as I'm driving.
The screen will go blank, show some type of distorted image then return to the 'Ford Escape Hybrid' logo page then back to the radio. I suppose I need to have the dealer take a look at it.
Anyone else having this happen?
The screen will go blank, show some type of distorted image then return to the 'Ford Escape Hybrid' logo page then back to the radio. I suppose I need to have the dealer take a look at it.
Anyone else having this happen?
Take a look at what I had posted under "Nav system rebooted", could be the same thing. Some type electrical RF (could be Low or Micro Freq) that is getting into the unit and causing this to happen. I get the something with the screen going either blank, scrambled or just a bunch of pixels, the logo comes up then back to the screen I was on. See if you are in basically the same location or if the basic same signaling device is close by.
Let me know. Phillip
Last edited by VietVet'67; 01-04-2006 at 02:44 PM. Reason: Fixed Link
#26
01-04-2006, 12:39 AM
Re: NAV system Gripes
Thanks for your reply! It seems strange to me that this one device is especially susceptible to RF interference. I would hope that the product would be protected well enough that things like cell phone towers and power lines wouldn't effect it. Regarding the temperature, it has been cold here in Southern California...so that might be to blame as well.
basically, I have no idea what is going on!
basically, I have no idea what is going on!
#27
01-04-2006, 06:41 AM
Re: NAV system Gripes
Originally Posted by stevewa
Happens most often when it's cold. I suspect there's something thermal going on at least in my case...
Originally Posted by tom.arthur
Thanks for your reply! It seems strange to me that this one device is especially susceptible to RF interference. I would hope that the product would be protected well enough that things like cell phone towers and power lines wouldn't effect it. Regarding the temperature, it has been cold here in Southern California...so that might be to blame as well.
basically, I have no idea what is going on!
basically, I have no idea what is going on!
I also gave thought to the temp thing but that theory doesn't seem to hold. Just this morning I went a totally different route going to work (but still crossing the same railroad bridge with who know what near by) and it did the blank-out thing again. I had gone a different route to up my FE and that way took me about 2 miles longer getting to the bridge so the system should have been warmer than usual. The temp was about 42 deg (probably warmer than the other times it happened). Think I will drive down to see Gary in Jupiter, FL (where it is warm) and see if it happens there
#28
01-04-2006, 06:00 PM
Re: NAV system Gripes
It happen again today...not really sure why. I turned the car on and it did the normal startup and then seemed to crash and restart again. Weather was around 75 degrees here today and dry.
#29
01-04-2006, 07:53 PM
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Re: NAV system Gripes
Originally Posted by tom.arthur
It seems strange to me that this one device is especially susceptible to RF interference. I would hope that the product would be protected well enough that things like cell phone towers and power lines wouldn't effect it.
You can build in lots of shielding around a component to prevent RFI (radio frequency interference), but truth of the matter is there's always going to be something out there that will be powerful enough to bleed through.
As far as the navigation system goes, keep a record of where it keeps resetting. If you notice a pattern, look around and see what large pieces of electronics are nearby.
Or, perhaps the problem is within your vehicle?
