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Black screen of death on navigation screen, after attempting software update

11K views 11 replies 4 participants last post by  Lothar 
#1 ·
For my 2014 Mustang GT Premium, I ordered the navigation system map update (several months ago), for my SYNC with Navigation system. I never got around to installing it until today, so I have no idea if it it still the current version...

The update package came with 4 DVD's that are loaded into the car's CD player slot. The first two discs are to update the navigation system software, which the instructions say to do first. Then the map update DVD's are to be installed.

I started the procedure as instructed, loading the first of the software update DVDs. The DVD loaded into the slot, but nothing happened--none of the described messages appeared on my screen, stating that the update was commencing.

So after a couple of minutes, I ejected the DVD, and then tried to reinsert it. It now wouldn't feed into the slot at all. The screen just kept giving me messages saying something about the disc being unreadable, even though the disc was no longer even loaded.

After a few attempts, accompanied by my pressing the "eject" button a few times, the screen went black. Not completely black--there was a faint glow like a dim backlight, so it was apparently still getting power.

Then I shut off the car, and I started hearing some intermittent mechanical whirring sounds that sounded like they were coming from the DVD/CD player, as if the CD player was trying to feed or play a disc that wasn't there.

I now have no access to any of my car's functions that use the nav screen... the climate controls, backup camera, stereo system (I can't even get the radio to turn on), navigation functions and map, etc.

I then found the fuse for the nav system, pulled it, and this stopped the whirring and killed the screen's backlight. I inspected the fuse, and it was definitely still good.

After a couple of minutes, I put the fuse back in, and the whirring sound and screen backlight came back on.

This could not have happened at a worse time, as I am partway through a cross-country move to my new home. I have no time for leaving the car at a dealer, and it is now out of warranty anyway. I desperately need access to my climate controls, since I am going to be traveling across the northern USA and Rocky Mountains in potentially very cold weather.

Does anybody have any suggestions for a way to reset the navigation system, without being able to access the touchscreen? Or does this sound like a problem that a reset would not fix?
 
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#2 ·
Just a WAG, but is sounds like you hosed the Firmware. You might try disconnecting the battery for about 20 minutes (same idea as the fuse, but the NAV is tied into several systems) just for kicks and see if that helps.

I would call Ford's Sync help number and ask how to recover from a failed update (I've called before when needing help with updates) but I don't have the number off hand. Hopefully you won't have to buy a Garmin in the mean time.
 
#3 ·
Don't know if this will be a help to you,but I did the same update on my friends 2011 Shelby GT 500,I put the battery charger on her battery before starting and during the entire download,everything went as the instructions stated, and the system works perfectly with NO problems,she even took the Mustang from Ft Myers Fl to Indy, for the 40th MCA anniversary.
 
G
#4 ·
OK, this is what I want you to try.......

WE 1st have to get your "Sat-Nav" into The "Good-O'l" ENGINEERING MODE!....(From here we (You WILL be able to Troubleshoot EVERY Part of the "Sync" Systen! ; )

So what I want you to do is to #)1 Start Car....Then I want You to "PUSH AND HOLD" (At excactly the SAME TIME, BOTH THE #3 AND THE #6 Buttons at the exact Same Time!......Do NOT be alarmed if you hear VERY LOAD BEEPS+TONES! As this WILL verify that you have successfully Entered the Sat-Navs "Enginering-Testing-And TROUBLESHOOTING Both the Navigations Software, AND the actual Systems "Hardware" : ).......

Now even if your New Software somehow "Corrupted" the System, You WILL get a Screen with various (I think there is about 10 Different "Command Prompts", Give or take.) Such as, "Check System For DTC's" (Which stands for, Diagnostic Trouble Codes)......Now provided that your screen IS AND REMAINS to display all of these "Check Options " (There IS THE ABILTY "Choice" to "Check The Whole System For ANY Type of Error's)........Lets just hope tha NEW Update was maybe pulled Out of the Player before it was Finnished Uploading the Latest "Firmware".........

If this indeed turns out to be what is. Going on here......Well then, from where you are, (In FoMoCo's (Secret! Sync Engineering Modual) Well We should be able to "Reset To Factory Parametors, With 1 of these Buttons!:grin:..........(I Myself, have Not been in the Engineering Module for quite some time!:| But I can assure you that WE WILL GET YOUR System up and running in a mater of Minutes!:wink:

Just to remind you! When you do hit the 3 AND 6 KEYS, the very 1st test is the "Microphone and Speaker TESTS!......So do not be alarmed by the noise.......

Try what I suggested, and get back to me.......This way I can Explain all of the other Options, Such as how to see how many Satilights , that your car is using, and EVEN YOUR ALTITUDE ABOVE SEA LEVEL (In feet) and how high the Satilights are you are connected to IN MILES ABOVE THE EARTH!..........

As I stated, YOU Will be able to even CHECK YOUR SCREEN COLORS, AND TOUCHSCREEN INTEGRITY, Amongst other cool things!

Make SURE that you try and get back to US

Sean
 
#5 ·
Thanks for the replies, guys. I just finished my cross-country drive, with no working nav system or stereo the whole way.

I have some additional info to pass along now:

At some point during my trip, my nav system turned back on again when I started my car. When that happened, everything was working fine: navigation, stereo, climate controls, address book entries, etc. While it was on, I tried the system diagnostics mode that you described, Sean. I could see a long list of diagnostic codes for various communications failures. I cleared all the codes, turned off my radio, then turned it back on again.

I assume the firmware must still be okay, or it wouldn't have started up again like that.

I think I may have figured out what caused this big mess in the first place. While the nav system was on, I noticed that there was a CD that I had left in the player and forgotten all about. It started to play, which is why I noticed that it was in there. So when I had tried to install the navigation software update, I had inserted the DVD into the single-CD changer with a disc already in the slot. Oddly, it did feed, despite there already being a disc in the player.

This is the Shaker audio system (not the Shaker Pro) that came with my 2014 GT Premium's navigation system.

I think trying to load two discs into the single-disc player broke the mechanism. When I tried to switch to CD mode on my stereo, it just gave me an error message saying "Mechanism Error."

I keep hearing that whirring noise that I mentioned in my OP, which keeps running every few seconds and will not stop. I've had to pull the stereo's fuse to prevent it from killing my battery overnight.

What I don't understand is, why would a broken CD mechanism cause my entire nav system to go down?

Anyway, the nav system worked fine until I shut off my car. Then, when I went to start it up again, the screen was black again. rage-smiley.gif

The original CD that had been sitting in the stereo is still in there. I was able to eject the navigation update DVD, but not the old CD. I am wondering if there is any way to get that CD out, and if so, if that would clear whatever problem is causing the nav system to crash?

I haven't tried disconnecting the battery for 20 minutes yet, per crjackson2134's suggestion. I did disconnect if for about 5 minutes the other day, before I read his post. I will try disconnecting it for longer. If the CD mechanism is physically broken though, then I don't know if this would help anything.

Any other suggestions would be most appreciated!
 
#6 ·
I haven't tried disconnecting the battery for 20 minutes yet, per crjackson2134's suggestion. I did disconnect if for about 5 minutes the other day, before I read his post. I will try disconnecting it for longer. If the CD mechanism is physically broken though, then I don't know if this would help anything.

Any other suggestions would be most appreciated!
It sounds like you have determined that CD is physically jammed in there. I don't think that a 20 minute battery disconnect would be of any benefit for this situation.
 
G
#7 ·
OK, Lother......Sounds like you are contemplating going to the 'Ol Tool Box, And grabbing the Hammer!:surprise:......I say this only because.....Well Things like this make Me Make Steam Shoot Out Of My Ears!!:frown: .....

Now, 1st Question....Did you get "All of those DTC Codes BEFORE You Did the "On Demand Test" (The 1st Option located in the Engineering (Test) Module?......If Not, then what did the Codes Say?.......#2) If you dont remember, then go back in and Start by Choosing the 1st Test Option, "On Demend Test" and see if it Passes or Fails this "All Inclusive System Test!.......IF It indeed Passes this Test, Well then you should have NO issues!......But just for Shites and Giggles, I want you to go to the (2nd Row) and Run the DVD Mechanism Test!......See what happens here, as if THIS test fails, Well then, THIS just Might br PART of the Problem!........But THEN I want you to Choose the Very Next Test! Which Is "Display Test" And with THIS Particular Test has a few Manual Tests within, That You Perform, such as "Color Tests" and the Actual "Touch-Screen" Finger Pad placement test........

NOW!...I am NOT trying to be a wise guy here!.....Because I HAVE Done this Myself (Without Realizing It!) .......Have you Double Checked to Make Sure That You DID NOT Shut the Display Off By hitting the (Hard Button) that is Marked DSP.?:surprise: Believe Me, I along with Many others have done this by accident, and My buddy Even took his Stang. to Ford!.....To find out that he shut it off himself:laugh2:



Sean.
 
#8 ·
Thanks so much for continuing to troubleshoot this problem with me, Sean! Your help is so much appreciated. Yes, this problem is certainly infuriating me.

To answer your questions...

I only wrote down one of the DTC codes, before I cleared them. It said, "U016200: Lost Communication with NAV display module." The rest of the dozen or so codes were all similar to that, beginning with "Lost Communication with..." followed by some system name.

I did run the "On Demand Test," and the "All Inclusive System Test," and they both passed.

I also ran the "DVD Mechanism Test," and that passed too. That result, I don't understand, because the DVD mechanism is obviously malfunctioning. I still can't get that old CD to eject, and it keeps making that whirring mechanical sound coming from the DVD mechanism, as if it is trying to eject or load that CD.

I ran all of those tests the other day, during that one day when my screen was back alive. It's been down ever since, so I'm not sure when I'll be able to run them again, if ever.

I didn't run the Display Test, unfortunately.

The thing that started this whole fiasco in the first place was my attempting to load a DVD when there was already a CD in the single-disc drive, so I can only imagine that the stuck CD (or broken CD loading mechanism) is somehow causing all of these problems... though I can't imagine how.

As for the DSP button, I made myself a note to check that next time I am in my car... though I doubt that this is the problem, because it's not just that my screen is blank. My stereo won't turn on either, and that doesn't require the screen to be on, I don't think. Also, when I press the voice button on my steering wheel, I don't get any voice prompts. So the whole SYNC system appears to be down, not just the display.

Any suggestions for how to get that stuck CD out of the drive? I tried peeking in there with a flashlight, but I can't see anything because there's some sort of dust curtain in the way. I also tried manipulating a credit card into the slot, trying to get it underneath the stuck CD, but I wasn't making any progress without being able to see the CD.

I can't help but think that if I am able to get that CD out, then the nav system might come back to life.

Lothar
 
#9 ·
I just wanted to post a resolution I came up with for this problem...

I found this website with various tricks for trying to remove a stuck CD. Nothing there worked. I tried using a plastic shim with some Gorilla Tape wrapped around it, but I couldn't get it to grab onto the stuck CD.

Then I tried removing the tape and just using the shim itself to wiggle around inside the CD loading slot, trying to get it underneath the stuck CD. I knew I was in the right spot when the CD mechanism's whining started to change pitch. Then, suddenly, I hit the right spot. The CD ejected, and my Navigation screen popped back to life!

I still can't for the life of me figure out why a stuck CD would cause my entire SYNC system to go down.

I'm also debating now whether I should ever risk using that CD player again. I'm not sure if the mechanism is permanently broken, or if the disc was simply temporarily lodged in there in an awkward way. The CD did eject nice and smoothly when it finally came out. You should have seen all the circular scrape marks on the bottom of that CD though.

Anyway, thanks for all the suggestions, guys.

Lothar
 
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#10 ·
Glad you got it resolved,I would try another disk just for peace of mind that everything is ok,I think you might have had a problem disk that your system didn't like, or it could have just been a one time fluke,at least you know how to get a jammed disk out with a little patience. Thanks for letting us all know the outcome of your problem.
5.0 Coyote.:laugh2:
 
#11 ·
Was it a homemade CD that you burned on your computer? I know that there are many on the market that have labels on them so you can write what you burned onto the disc. These labels alter the thickness of the CD enough that they have caused all sorts of problems with factory audio systems from almost every brand. So if you are going to try a new CD, make sure it is store bought or has NO labels attached or have fun doing this a second time!rant3.gifrant3.gifrant3.gifrant3.gifrant3.gif
 
#12 ·
Thanks for the replies, 5.0 Coyote and canderson.

No, this was a store-bought, studio-recorded CD.

What caused the problem (see post #5 above for details) was that I fed a DVD into the player, when this studio CD was already loaded in the player (unknown to me until later). It's a single-disc player.

One would think that there would be a built-in failsafe to prevent this from happening (e.g. a screen message saying, "can't load CD--there is already a disc present"), but apparently not.

I'll try loading some worthless music CD into the player and see if it works now. Hopefully it won't get jammed again, because it was a royal pain to get unjammed.

Lothar
 
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