New 2018 PIU

[bmrrwolfe]

New member here and I just purchased a 2018 Explorer PIU (to pickup tomorrow) and look forward to learning some more about and customize it as our new family rig.
I come from Jeep background, and was used to wrenching on TJs and XJs, but most recently drive a 2018 JLUS (4D Wrangler Sahara) as my daily, granted my wife has a 2014 Tauras SEL, this will be my first time really tinkering with a Ford. I have been reading up and have a plan of what I want to tackle right away, but the biggest thing is going to be learning ForScan. I want to the do the following:

Add keyless entry and remote start
Add auto headlights, and add foglights
Swap a civilian console (would love to add the AWD knob, but haven't read enough to know if its possible)
Possibly a full swap of leather, power, heated seats, or just a set of matching gray cloth second and third row
Add factory style tow hitch and wiring
Upgrade to audio, need more research on this one, as some places show there are no speakers in the rear doors, so start there. Currently has factory 4" screen with backup cam and steering wheel controls, when I asked about bluetooth, they were unsure (hoping it is)

Pics to come soon!

 

[peterk9]

Welcome to the Forum.
The AWD knob you are referring to is the Terrain Management System (TMS) knob. ford explorer tms - Google Search
Wil that 2018 be an addition to your 2015 PIU?

Peter

 

[bmrrwolfe]

Welcome to the Forum.
The AWD knob you are referring to is the Terrain Management System (TMS) knob. ford explorer tms - Google Search
Wil that 2018 be an addition to your 2015 PIU?

Peter

Thanks! I fixed my details, as I originally joined the Forum a few month ago doing some research for a 2015 PIU that I was going to get, but to say the least, it was not what I was expecting and passed on that deal.
Added a few pics before I got a chance to clean it up!

New item by Rob B

photos.app.goo.gl

New item by Rob B

photos.app.goo.gl

 

[bmrrwolfe]

Well I learned the PIU has factory Keyless Entry so that is one nice plus, but it appears 2018 is not as easy as the 2011-2015, when it comes to adding remote start, so I may hold off on that project. Also I am assuming it does not have Sync, as if you hit the phone button, it just mutes the music, and the Media button does not do anything. Sounds like swapping in a 8" factory screen is nearly impossible without having Sync, or has anyone been able to do it? I am on the fence about any of the Android aftermarket options, but don't see alot of other options.

I found a set of seats out a 2014, but haven't found if 2011-15 seats fit, or if I need to find a 2016-18? I know the console is different, but can anyone chime in to verify the earlier seats should bolt right in, as long as I grab the third row seat belts, all anchors, and the trim around the spare?

Lastly also found a console out of a 2016 PIU, but it appears to be missing both side trims. I might go check it out as it already setup without the TMS knob and console shift.

 

[Mope]

Well I learned the PIU has factory Keyless Entry so that is one nice plus, but it appears 2018 is not as easy as the 2011-2015, when it comes to adding remote start, so I may hold off on that project. Also I am assuming it does not have Sync, as if you hit the phone button, it just mutes the music, and the Media button does not do anything. Sounds like swapping in a 8" factory screen is nearly impossible without having Sync, or has anyone been able to do it? I am on the fence about any of the Android aftermarket options, but don't see alot of other options.

I found a set of seats out a 2014, but haven't found if 2011-15 seats fit, or if I need to find a 2016-18? I know the console is different, but can anyone chime in to verify the earlier seats should bolt right in, as long as I grab the third row seat belts, all anchors, and the trim around the spare?

Lastly also found a console out of a 2016 PIU, but it appears to be missing both side trims. I might go check it out as it already setup without the TMS knob and console shift.

A little insight from someone 95% done with an interior swap - I pulled all the panels/speakers/seats/etc. from a 2013 for my 2016 PIU swap and everything went in just fine except for the passenger seat airbag/weight sensor. Apparently the 2015- sensor is different from the 2016+.....and I just threw out the original seats last week! So it appears you'll need to either get a 2016+ passenger seat or swap the sensor out of your cloth and into your replacement (I've done it before; not terrible, but hog rings and such aren't always common in most home garages). The 2013 passenger seat throws an 'unexpected hardware' code.
I'll be able to confirm that the sensor swap works on saturday.....hopefully

 

[bmrrwolfe]

A little insight from someone 95% done with an interior swap - I pulled all the panels/speakers/seats/etc. from a 2013 for my 2016 PIU swap and everything went in just fine except for the passenger seat airbag/weight sensor. Apparently the 2015- sensor is different from the 2016+.....and I just threw out the original seats last week! So it appears you'll need to either get a 2016+ passenger seat or swap the sensor out of your cloth and into your replacement (I've done it before; not terrible, but hog rings and such aren't always common in most home garages). The 2013 passenger seat throws an 'unexpected hardware' code.
I'll be able to confirm that the sensor swap works on saturday.....hopefully

Thank you for the info! Did you swap in Leather heated seats by chance? From what I can tell there some modifications to get the wiring for the power drivers seat to work (although already have power on my drivers) and the passenger there is no existing wiring, so you need to wire up power. Heated seats are another story, that sound way too involved.

 

[BrettS.]

I added leather seats from a 14 XLT to my 14 PIU. The driver seat had hot at all times power to move the seat. Plug and play swap. The passenger seat has no power. I ran hot at all times power to the seat and pinned it into the factory harness for seat movement. Grab the plug at the junkyard so you can use the wire pins. The seat heater is a bit more tricky. I did not try to tie it into the factory hvac system. No wires and not sure on re-programming to get to work. Simplest solution is to run ignition power to both seats, reuse the factory heating elements, and wire it up with a relay and hi/low heating switch. There are a ton of them cheap on eBay/Amazon. On low the pads are run in series to provide 6v to each pad and on high the pads are run in parallel to provide 12v for each pad.

 

[Mope]

Thank you for the info! Did you swap in Leather heated seats by chance? From what I can tell there some modifications to get the wiring for the power drivers seat to work (although already have power on my drivers) and the passenger there is no existing wiring, so you need to wire up power. Heated seats are another story, that sound way too involved.

Both my driver and passenger side were plug and play for movement function (the body harness on passenger side had nearly all the pins filled on the plug; I was surprised by that)
Heated Seat: I did get the body side harness and 12" of wiring for both seats from the wreck so that I'd have leads and pins (you could cannibalize your PIU driver seat for wires too, but I prefer not to wreck that until I knew the swapped stuff works as intended) - another thread states that the seat side yellow/blue wire is the heated seat element so I pulled the appropriate size pin/lead from the wrecked harness and installed into my PIU body side plug and then ran wires up to two heated seat switches tied into the PIU accessory plugs in the console area. My switches go where the civilian shifter would have been in the console. Confirming that yellow/blue wire is the heated seat is the 2nd to last thing I need to do this weekend after squaring away my passenger seat airbag sensor. I will report back on both of those projects.

 

[VCFP153]

New member here and I just purchased a 2018 Explorer PIU .

I want to the do the following:

Add keyless entry and remote start
Add auto headlights, and add foglights
Swap a civilian console (would love to add the AWD knob, but haven't read enough to know if its possible)
Possibly a full swap of leather, power, heated seats, or just a set of matching gray cloth second and third row
Add factory style tow hitch and wiring
Upgrade to audio, need more research on this one, as some places show there are no speakers in the rear doors, so start there. Currently has factory 4" screen with backup cam and steering wheel controls, when I asked about bluetooth, they were unsure (hoping it is)

Pics to come soon!

You're not the first (and probably won't be the last), but I do wonder why those of you guys who buy PIUs to basically convert them into civilian models don't just buy civilian models in the first place? Clearly the "luxury" stuff is more important to you than PIU stuff, so why bother with a PIU at all?

 

[BrettS.]

You're not the first (and probably won't be the last), but I do wonder why those of you guys who buy PIUs to basically convert them into civilian models don't just buy civilian models in the first place? Clearly the "luxury" stuff is more important to you than PIU stuff, so why bother with a PIU at all?

For me I purchased a 14 PIU 3.5 EB for $7k, and swapped in an interior from a wrecked 14 XLT for $1k over a weekend. I have the amenities I want, the performance of the Sport, none of the extra crap I don't want, insurance is cheaper, and I paid a fraction of a Sport model. $8k verse $20k. Huge difference!

 

[bmrrwolfe]

You're not the first (and probably won't be the last), but I do wonder why those of you guys who buy PIUs to basically convert them into civilian models don't just buy civilian models in the first place? Clearly the "luxury" stuff is more important to you than PIU stuff, so why bother with a PIU at all?

If I could have found a Civilian 18 AWD with 30K for $8,500 I probably would have, but anything remotely close civilian model was double the price. That being a said I am a fan of the 3.7 over the basic 3.5 (and can't come close to affording a Sport)

 

[VCFP153]

If I could have found a Civilian 18 AWD with 30K for $8,500 I probably would have, but anything remotely close civilian model was double the price. That being a said I am a fan of the 3.7 over the basic 3.5 (and can't come close to affording a Sport)

Fair points.

 

[Mope]

A little insight from someone 95% done with an interior swap - I pulled all the panels/speakers/seats/etc. from a 2013 for my 2016 PIU swap and everything went in just fine except for the passenger seat airbag/weight sensor. Apparently the 2015- sensor is different from the 2016+.....and I just threw out the original seats last week! So it appears you'll need to either get a 2016+ passenger seat or swap the sensor out of your cloth and into your replacement (I've done it before; not terrible, but hog rings and such aren't always common in most home garages). The 2013 passenger seat throws an 'unexpected hardware' code.
I'll be able to confirm that the sensor swap works on saturday.....hopefully

To close this out - bought another 2016 passenger seat and pulled the seat sensor and then transferred it into the 2013 leather seat (you can do this from the bottom without removing the cover and reinstalling - the two front push pins are hard to get in and out but changing how your seat is resting on the bench can relieve pressure in this area). Upon installation, the illuminated code immediately cleared (had thought I'd need to run the passenger calibration in Forscan, but didn't end up needing to). So - confirmed, the 2016+ do need the newer version sensor although I recall them looking the same.

Heated seats - I pulled two pins/wire leads from the police seats and ran them into the appropriate pin location on the body side harness. These leads were extended and then run into the run of the mill amazon heated seat switches which went into my shifter blank slot. It's the yellow/blue wire on both seats. They work, but I probably only have one heated seat temp level done this way, but I didn't have to pull the covers, add aftermarket heat elements, hog ring, reinstall and wire so this saved me a ton of time/energy.

 

[bmrrwolfe]

To close this out - bought another 2016 passenger seat and pulled the seat sensor and then transferred it into the 2013 leather seat (you can do this from the bottom without removing the cover and reinstalling - the two front push pins are hard to get in and out but changing how your seat is resting on the bench can relieve pressure in this area). Upon installation, the illuminated code immediately cleared (had thought I'd need to run the passenger calibration in Forscan, but didn't end up needing to). So - confirmed, the 2016+ do need the newer version sensor although I recall them looking the same.

Heated seats - I pulled two pins/wire leads from the police seats and ran them into the appropriate pin location on the body side harness. These leads were extended and then run into the run of the mill amazon heated seat switches which went into my shifter blank slot. It's the yellow/blue wire on both seats. They work, but I probably only have one heated seat temp level done this way, but I didn't have to pull the covers, add aftermarket heat elements, hog ring, reinstall and wire so this saved me a ton of time/energy.

I appreciate the info! Unfortunately with the stay-at-home order and being an "essential employee" I have not had any time to do any projects other then add a new auto headlight switch and sunload sensor, just need to get into Forscan to enable it. I am hoping to find a local donor that I can grab the full interior of when things get back to normal.

 

[GusPIU]

To close this out - bought another 2016 passenger seat and pulled the seat sensor and then transferred it into the 2013 leather seat (you can do this from the bottom without removing the cover and reinstalling - the two front push pins are hard to get in and out but changing how your seat is resting on the bench can relieve pressure in this area). Upon installation, the illuminated code immediately cleared (had thought I'd need to run the passenger calibration in Forscan, but didn't end up needing to). So - confirmed, the 2016+ do need the newer version sensor although I recall them looking the same.

Heated seats - I pulled two pins/wire leads from the police seats and ran them into the appropriate pin location on the body side harness. These leads were extended and then run into the run of the mill amazon heated seat switches which went into my shifter blank slot. It's the yellow/blue wire on both seats. They work, but I probably only have one heated seat temp level done this way, but I didn't have to pull the covers, add aftermarket heat elements, hog ring, reinstall and wire so this saved me a ton of time/energy.

I believe you can go on Forscan and recalibrate the . I did it once and I didn’t had to replace the water bags sensors. I’m not sure if I did a 2016 to 2013 or the other way around.

I’m glad to see you got it fixed thought.

I have a 2017 with Sport interior, even the 3rd row seat. I am still doing the wiring so they fold correctly.

And looking for next project, can I fit a Sync 3 on it? Haha
Best regards

 

[bmrrwolfe]

I believe you can go on Forscan and recalibrate the . I did it once and I didn’t had to replace the water bags sensors. I’m not sure if I did a 2016 to 2013 or the other way around.

I’m glad to see you got it fixed thought.

I have a 2017 with Sport interior, even the 3rd row seat. I am still doing the wiring so they fold correctly.

And looking for next project, can I fit a Sync 3 on it? Haha
Best regards

Does your 17 PIU have Sync or is it without?? I am dying to put anything in place of the basic 4" without Sync, but can't get any info on getting the factory Sync 3 8" or even going aftermarket. I will definitely be interested in anything you find!

 

[peterk9]

I believe you can go on Forscan and recalibrate the . I did it once and I didn’t had to replace the water bags sensors. I’m not sure if I did a 2016 to 2013 or the other way around.

I’m glad to see you got it fixed thought.

I have a 2017 with Sport interior, even the 3rd row seat. I am still doing the wiring so they fold correctly.

And looking for next project, can I fit a Sync 3 on it? Haha
Best regards

Welcome to the Forum Gus.
The Explorer doesn't have water bag sensors.

Peter

 

[bmrrwolfe]

A little update, I found a full console online for $140 shipped with the brackets. I pulled the shifter out and zip-tied the leather boot for now.
Unfortunately the lid has a little cut in it, that the seller did not mention, and they are pretty expensive to replace, so I am hoping to work something out with the seller as the pictures were clear and did not have any damage.

Very easy swap for anyone considering it. Wiring on the other hand not so much.. My PIU does not have rear air controls,, so I know that will never function, but I am hoping to modify the existing full harness in the console to get the USB ports and cig lighter ports to have power off an ignition source. Since there are 4 plugs that come out of the dash on the PIU the power is right there, but would like to find the male side of one the harnesses to make it cleaner and easy to unplug in the future.

New item by Rob B

photos.app.goo.gl

New item by Rob B

photos.app.goo.gl