Need Help w/ Installing Paddle Shifter Setup!

[Hatchback Jim]

Hey there everyone! I need help somethin' fierce! Been a lurker for quite some time, but now it was time to make an account and ask. First post, so here it goes!

I've been doing basic addons to my 2024 eco 'stang (trunk spoiler, carbon fiber side mirrors, rubber floor mats, etc). Now I decided to get bold and try adding paddle shifters to my car. I only have the base model eco Mustang, and from what people on these forums have said about adding them, there IS success. However, I have hit a snag and I am really hoping I didn't just make a $600 mistake ($450 for wheel + $175 for professional install). I bought the Dark Horse steering wheel from CJ Pony Parts, and as confirmed on here and other forums, it has identical connectors across trims. The shop that did the install even put my base model left side switches in and that all works fine (no adaptive cruise). Anyway, onto the FORScan stuff. The changes in FORScan all worked. Changed code in the PCM: worked. Changed code in the IPC: worked. However, the paddles do not register inputs (and it did not register shifts in D mode straight out of the box like people have experienced). And it does not register shifts in the new M mode after making these changes.

Strangely, within the IPC module, the Continuous Gear Display was already active (the line where it is changed from C to E). It was already on E so that started displaying right away after I changed the previous two codes. What do I do now? Am I screwed? I had seen others say the shifters were inoperable once it was installed as well, but I could have sworn I saw a post in here somewhere that said they got it working despite them initially not registering inputs.

I found someone mention in passing that something may have to be changed in the SCCM module as well, but I could not find any concrete answer as to what needs to be changed in the SCCM (if at all). On the spreadsheet, all I see are switch commands for wipers and the like in the SCCM; nothing for paddles.

I hope someone in here can chime in if they were in the same situation that I am experiencing. Did anyone get their paddles working after the DH wheel was installed, but were initially not working? Obviously it would be dope as hell to have these paddles work, but I suppose I can live with dead paddles if this ultimately won't work. The steering wheel is really nice so at least that is a positive. I have dumped too much money into this already and I am not about to find a base GT wheel on ebay to try, even if that is what I have to do to get the paddles working. Perhaps in another year I could come back and do this again, but if it can be done with the Dark Horse wheel, I want to get it working.

Can anyone shed light on this? Any help would be amazing, especially from those that actually got it working in their base eco's. HELP!

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[jbrnigan]

See my post # 13 -

https://www.mustang7g.com/forums/th...-being-intimidated-by-it.172900/#post-3453739

I made the listed changes before changing the steering wheel, and the paddles worked (plug n play) immediately. Also gear display worked. It sounds like your paddles DO NOT work?? If so, what comes to mind is the DH wheel you purchased is set up for adap. cruise and heat which you don't have on your EB. Shouldn't matter, but ... or maybe changing the switches from your base wheel to the DH might have some effect.

 

[Hatchback Jim]

See my post # 13 -

https://www.mustang7g.com/forums/th...-being-intimidated-by-it.172900/#post-3453739

I made the listed changes before changing the steering wheel, and the paddles worked (plug n play) immediately. Also gear display worked. It sounds like your paddles DO NOT work?? If so, what comes to mind is the DH wheel you purchased is set up for adap. cruise and heat which you don't have on your EB. Shouldn't matter, but ... or maybe changing the switches from your base wheel to the DH might have some effect.

Interesting. Thanks for the link and response. I will use it as a reference when try it again.

Making the changes before installing the wheel may have made a difference in my case, but I can't revert back now, and I don't trust myself to take the airbag off to test this. From vids I saw on YouTube, one guy in particular swapped it first then made the changes in FORScan and it worked. Methinks it shouldn't matter which way it is installed, but who knows. I am not an expert at this.

And yes, the paddles DO NOT make shift changes in both D and M modes, both before AND after the code changes. Also, as I understand it, the infotainment and drive mode switches on the wheel are interchangeable, which explains why my cruise control and drive mode selection still works, so clearly there isn't an incompatibility there. The only wire that is not connected is the heated steering since I did not choose that when I ordered the car.

Again, with the paddles not reading inputs, this is what's got me worried that I just dumped 600+ bucks down the drain. I double-checked my changes in FORScan and it is all correct based on guides and posts I followed.

Within FORScan, it even shows under the non as-built PCM module that my car is "Select Shift equipped," which should be the only thing needed for the shifters to work. I can't find where I saw this, but somebody mentioned that they were helping a friend install a paddle shifter wheel as well and they had no input from the paddles, but were able to get it working by connecting a cable under the dash on the driver's side inside the car, but they never specific what the frick this cable looks like or where it goes. They said it worked after this was connected. Wish they would have elaborated on that.

I still feel like there has to be a way within FORScan to get the shifters detected by the car, but I wouldn't know where to look. "Shift by Wire" was an option under the non as-built IPC module and I enabled it for the giggles and it did nothing. Other than that, I cannot find any other place in FORScan that relates to the paddles.

 

[Hatchback Jim]

So... update:

Went back and forth via DM with someone and tried the FORScan codes all over again. Annnnd... still not working. This time I tried loading the PCM module into the live data screen and found entries for SST_U and SST_D for the +- switches (paddles I assume). When I engage the paddles, nothing changes on the live data. They both read as "HIGH" in capital letters (only accessory power was on, not sure if I need ignition on to make a difference though).

What does this mean? I assume the car knows paddles are there, but it doesn't read inputs. This leads me to believe there must be some kind of wiring missing for paddle inputs. What would I need to get these working? I'd be willing to buy a part for the steering column if this is what I need, but if that isn't a plug-n-play solution, I won't do it myself. If a custom shop would know how to do this, I'd pay up for it.

Just feel like I don't have much choice anymore. The Dark Horse steering wheel is really nice and I will keep it, this just pains me to think the paddles won't work. :/

 

[roket]

the paddle shifters are nothing more than switches that complete a circuit, which signal the PCM to request an upshift or downshift. if it's saying "HIGH", my first assumption is that something is happening where both switches are completing the circuit, even if not pressed. i would double check any and all wiring to make absolutely sure there's not a fault somewhere else. here's some wiring stuff that may help.

 

[Hatchback Jim]

the paddle shifters are nothing more than switches that complete a circuit, which signal the PCM to request an upshift or downshift. if it's saying "HIGH", my first assumption is that something is happening where both switches are completing the circuit, even if not pressed. i would double check any and all wiring to make absolutely sure there's not a fault somewhere else. here's some wiring stuff that may help.

These electrical charts are going to scramble my brain a bit. lol

How would I identify a fault? How would I test it? I was trying to find diagrams of the steering column wiring or something similar, so thanks for posting this. Also, is that connector in the charts the data cable under the airbag assembly? All my steering wheel switches work like they did before. They all function as expected, but I take it these are probably separate from the paddles?

Chat GPT also assumes its a fault of some kind too, but where would I fix it? Short of checking the connections, I don't have a way to remove the wheel and connect it again. I am a newb at this stuff so bear with me. Based off this, one of two things could be occurring.

Either this fault is due to a bad connection somewhere, or it is due to missing the required pins in the clock spring to complete the ground. Not sure which one to believe, as people HAVE successfully got it working even when the paddles initially didn't register.

If its the latter, that would be mighty sneaky of Ford to alter the clock spring pins per trim. Seems like a waste of time and money to have so many variants of clock springs per trim, but who knows.

I haven't given up on the possibility that this can still work, but I may shelf this for now and revisit this another time. Anyone is still free to give their 00.02 on this.

 

[jbrnigan]

You are at a big disadvantage in trouboleshooting your problem, by not being able or willing to do the mechanical exchange of the steering wheel. It took me longer to do the Forscan changes than to swap wheels. Anyway, you probably watched the following video, and if so, at aprox the 6:50 mark, the video specifically references that a GT wheel with paddle shifters should have exactly the same switch configuration as the wheel being replaced or it "may" not work. If that's the case, you needd a GT wheel without adapt cruise and heat. I know you have a box full of dough already tied up in your project, but, if it were me, I would reinstall the original wheel and reset all of your modules back to "as built". Find a new home for your "new" DH wheel, locate a compatible / matching GT wheel and start over.


these guy did exactly what you are trying to do - adding paddle shifters to a non PP, base Ecoboost .....It seems to me, that if you do what they did, you should get the same result ......

 

[ValhallaNitePony]

I did this swap in my car, with a GT premium wheel rather than DH. I can tell you the software changes have nothing to do with whether the paddles function in regular drive mode, they are plug-and-play for drive mode, so if they aren't working there you have a hardware issue of some kind. I would pull the air bag and take a look first.

 

[Hatchback Jim]

You are at a big disadvantage in trouboleshooting your problem, by not being able or willing to do the mechanical exchange of the steering wheel. It took me longer to do the Forscan changes than to swap wheels. Anyway, you probably watched the following video, and if so, at aprox the 6:50 mark, the video specifically references that a GT wheel with paddle shifters should have exactly the same switch configuration as the wheel being replaced or it "may" not work. If that's the case, you needd a GT wheel without adapt cruise and heat. I know you have a box full of dough already tied up in your project, but, if it were me, I would reinstall the original wheel and reset all of your modules back to "as built". Find a new home for your "new" DH wheel, locate a compatible / matching GT wheel and start over.


these guy did exactly what you are trying to do - adding paddle shifters to a non PP, base Ecoboost .....It seems to me, that if you do what they did, you should get the same result ......

I may very well start over and get a base wheel. I actually was going to go with a base GT wheel orignally because of the recommendation from that video. I watched it, so I know what you mean. The reason I settled on the Dark Horse wheel is because it's brand new, and as I looked through ebay listings, the sellers wanted about the same price for a base GT steering wheel! Not to mention, many wheels had scuffs, cracked media buttons, and tears in the leather, which I obviously don't want.

Another reason is because all those steering wheels were most likely from Mustangs that had accidents, and I value my safety. So Dark Horse wheel it was! Folks in this very forum reported success in swapping with it, so I had confidence it could work for me too. I am sure you understand my line of thinking.

I will have to wait for a decent base GT wheel to show up that is verified to be functional and doesn't look like crap. I either do that or continue to test the Dark Horse wheel.

 

[Hatchback Jim]

I did this swap in my car, with a GT premium wheel rather than DH. I can tell you the software changes have nothing to do with whether the paddles function in regular drive mode, they are plug-and-play for drive mode, so if they aren't working there you have a hardware issue of some kind. I would pull the air bag and take a look first.

That was my next guess. I was leaning towards a hardware problem too. What would I look for if I attempt to take the airbag off? Loose connection? An unplugged cable? That's probably obvious. Other than the non-functioning heated wheel cable, everything should be plugged in as you would expect, but then again we can assume it should just work.

Everything set on the software side of things should allow this to work, so that leaves a wiring problem or the connector lacks pins for the paddles to function. Something. However, I spent around 2 hours last night trying to find close ups of the clock spring and steering wheel connectors to see if there is a difference, and they look identical in the pictures. Well... people have already confirmed they are identical across trims, at least that is my assumption based on what I found online. Just trying to make sure I am not going crazy. LOL

In hindsight I probably should have played it safe and gone with a base GT wheel, but when I saw the Dark Horse wheel for the same as one taken of a wreaked 'stang, I opted for the new one for obvious reasons, coupled with the fact that people in this forum reported that it worked.

Thanks for your input. I feel like the more I hear, the fuller picture I can draw to narrow down my problem.

 

[jbrnigan]

..... At aprox the 13:00 sec mark in the video, he references the fact that the internal connectors might not be the same between the DH wheel and your base wheel because of the left side switch differences ......

It's possibe that whoever swapped your wheels did not make all of the connections, or made the connections without confirming that the the wire colors and pin connections were the same. I mean, a switch is a switch is a switch, but, it needs to be connected correctly to the vehicle. Pop off the air bag and compare the wire harnesses between the two wheels. If you determine or confirm the guys in the video were correct, that you need a base GT wheel for the paddles to work .... get a GT wheel and swap over all of the GT switches and wire harnesses to your new DH wheel.

 

[Hatchback Jim]

..... At aprox the 13:00 sec mark in the video, he references the fact that the internal connectors might not be the same between the DH wheel and your base wheel because of the left side switch differences ......

It's possibe that whoever swapped your wheels did not make all of the connections, or made the connections without confirming that the the wire colors and pin connections were the same. I mean, a switch is a switch is a switch, but, it needs to be connected correctly to the vehicle. Pop off the air bag and compare the wire harnesses between the two wheels. If you determine or confirm the guys in the video were correct, that you need a base GT wheel for the paddles to work .... get a GT wheel and swap over all of the GT switches and wire harnesses to your new DH wheel.

The shop that did it for me had taken my base switches on the left side and put it on the Dark Horse wheel, so that part is the same. They didn't call me saying the switches were dead or that they had problems, but they did complete the work in about 1 hour, so I suppose they could have lazily thrown it together. The switches work as expected though; drive modes, cruise control, etc. I assume the media switches/buttons on the right side are identical, but at this point I guess anything is possible. They only swapped the left side switches.

I am starting to get a nagging feeling that I should have gone with a base GT wheel from the start, but I thought it was ridiculous that the take offs from wreaked cars were just as much as a brand new one, and I had worried about the potential for other things to be wrong with the take offs.

Last thing I want is my steering wheel to fail to deploy the airbag or somehow malfunction while driving. My life isn't worth it for working paddles, which is why I ended up with the new DH wheel.

But I still really want paddles! LOL

 

[jbrnigan]

My life isn't worth it for working paddles, which is why I ended up with the new DH wheel.
But I still really want paddles! LOL

Well ... you have a new DH wheel, your life is saved and your paddles don't work .... You have watched an install video that references TWICE that a DH wheel "might" not work on your base Ecoboost, but, their install of a GT wheel DID. IF, you still, really want paddles and follow their install routine with a GT wheel, you will likely get your paddles. You will also likely be the the "go to" source on the net to confirm that a DH wheel won't work on a base Ecoboost steering wheel swap good luck

 

[Kaleza]

Well ... you have a new DH wheel, your life is saved and your paddles don't work .... You have watched an install video that references TWICE that a DH wheel "might" not work on your base Ecoboost, but, their install of a GT wheel DID. IF, you still, really want paddles and follow their install routine with a GT wheel, you will likely get your paddles. You will also likely be the the "go to" source on the net to confirm that a DH wheel won't work on a base Ecoboost steering wheel swap good luck

Dh wheel definitely works on ecoboost, when i had eco i did the swap myself and everything worked perfectly

 

[jbrnigan]

Dh wheel definitely works on ecoboost, when i had eco i did the swap myself and everything worked perfectly

Did you read this thread from the beginning?? There is no dispute that a DH wheel will retrofit to an Ecoboost ... perhaps you can explain how you got your DH wheel (w/ adapt cruise and heat) to work on a BASE model Ecoboost without those features ... unless you also had those premium features on your Ecoboost, and didn't need to swap over the left side function buttons .......

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