How to reset the basic Sync system

[Douglasf1378]

I have a 2017 Expedition XLT EL. I have the basic Sync system not the Sync 3.
The bluetooth function is no longer working. On my cell or my wife's cell. It has worked fine for the last 2 years until this week. We have both tried to reconnect to not success.

How do you completed reset the basic Sync system? Basically wipe the system clean and start over?

 

[RogerD1959]

Before you do a hard reset of your SYNC 1 System, return it to Ford Factory Defaults, be aware if you do this. Everything SYNC has learned about you will be lost. A lot of people don't totally realize the amount of collateral damage a hard reset can produce. Not physical damage, but all your audio presets will be gone, Navigation data the system has stored and that you have entered will be lost, BT devices other than phones the system has paired with will be lost, All the Wi-Fi data the system has stored will be erased as well. My 2016 Platinum EL had the SYNC 1, or SYNC V 1.0 to start. I upgraded the system myself to SYNC 3, or SYNC V 3.0 and I think that has been updated to SYNC V 3.3 now I just have not had the time to run that update yet. The SYNC system software is upgradable by design, Ford wanted it that way. Upgrading from SYNC V 1.0 to SYNC V 3.0 is worth the time it takes to do so. System functionality is enhanced, Stability is Better, BT and Wi-Fi connectivity is improved. It took me roughly 3 or 4 hours to preform the upgrade at home, or, Ford will do the upgrade/update for you, my dealership wanted $192.50 just for the labor charge to do the work for me, not including parts, the USB Thumb drive being one of the upgrade/update related parts, nah, I set aside a Saturday last late spring, saved my money, and did it myself. The SYNC 1 manual, and part of the vehicle owners manual, has some of the instructions. Fords Pass website has the rest and the downloadable for free software updates. Because you have to bounce around three references to get all the information to run the update, that is part of the reason it takes a while to do it. Think about it, if you want to do this, I am happy to help either here in the forum, or by phone if need be.

I recommend deleting SYNC from each phones list of paired/connected devices. Android, go to Settings > Connections > Bluetooth > delete SYNC from the list of paired devices. On the way back out to the phones main screen, turn the phones Bluetooth off. You will turn it back on after you pretty much complete doing the same thing with the vehicles SYNC system. Soooooooo…..

Go out to your vehicle, start it up, turn on the radio.
Using the Icons along the bottom of the system touchscreen select the phone Icon.




Then the Bluetooth Icon, upper right corner of the phone screen the system is currently in.




After pressing the Bluetooth Icon you will get to the above screen, Bluetooth Devices, press the right arrow > on the tab for the phone you want to delete, in this example I will be deleting the XT1585 phone. That will bring you to the screen below.



The phone/device is identified at the top of the screen, press the trash can button. Which will bring you to the delete conformation screen below.



As you can see above, the system is asking me to confirm deleting the XT1585 phone by answering Yes. Pressing yes will return you to the Bluetooth Devices screen note the XT1585 is no longer listed on that screen. This indicates that you have removed the phone from the system. Repeat the steps above to remove any other phones or devices from the system. When you are done, turn off the radio, shut off the vehicle. Next I will go over putting the phones back into the system.

 

[Black]

Roger,

I don’t think he has that Sync System. He says basic Sync which is the tiny non touch screen.
No WiFi, no nav, no software updates.

It is buried way deep in the options menu for us lowly Sync folks.

Menu
Sync-Media
Media Menu
Advanced

You then can start with
Sync Reboot if that does not work
Factory Defaults if that does not work
NUKE it with the Master Reset option


Sync reboot usually will get it rolling again without reseting any sort of memory.

Sometimes it does not. I have had to do all 3 before.

 

[Douglasf1378]

Roger,

I don’t think he has that Sync System. He says basic Sync which is the tiny non touch screen.
No WiFi, no nav, no software updates.

It is buried way deep in the options menu for us lowly Sync folks.

Menu
Sync-Media
Media Menu
Advanced

You then can start with
Sync Reboot if that does not work
Factory Defaults if that does not work
NUKE it with the Master Reset option


Sync reboot usually will get it rolling again without reseting any sort of memory.

Sometimes it does not. I have had to do all 3 before.

Thanks buddy! And yes, I have the buttons only no touch screen unit

 

[RogerD1959]

I am not being sarcastic, really I am not. Search You Tube! You can even learn how to sew up a cut there! Its got everything! Its what my brother snarked at me over the phone when I called about a residential HIVAC problem. Actually, he was kind of on target, the internet does have just about everything.

 

[Tom Tulloch]

Before you do a hard reset of your SYNC 1 System, return it to Ford Factory Defaults, be aware if you do this. Everything SYNC has learned about you will be lost. A lot of people don't totally realize the amount of collateral damage a hard reset can produce. Not physical damage, but all your audio presets will be gone, Navigation data the system has stored and that you have entered will be lost, BT devices other than phones the system has paired with will be lost, All the Wi-Fi data the system has stored will be erased as well. My 2016 Platinum EL had the SYNC 1, or SYNC V 1.0 to start. I upgraded the system myself to SYNC 3, or SYNC V 3.0 and I think that has been updated to SYNC V 3.3 now I just have not had the time to run that update yet. The SYNC system software is upgradable by design, Ford wanted it that way. Upgrading from SYNC V 1.0 to SYNC V 3.0 is worth the time it takes to do so. System functionality is enhanced, Stability is Better, BT and Wi-Fi connectivity is improved. It took me roughly 3 or 4 hours to preform the upgrade at home, or, Ford will do the upgrade/update for you, my dealership wanted $192.50 just for the labor charge to do the work for me, not including parts, the USB Thumb drive being one of the upgrade/update related parts, nah, I set aside a Saturday last late spring, saved my money, and did it myself. The SYNC 1 manual, and part of the vehicle owners manual, has some of the instructions. Fords Pass website has the rest and the downloadable for free software updates. Because you have to bounce around three references to get all the information to run the update, that is part of the reason it takes a while to do it. Think about it, if you want to do this, I am happy to help either here in the forum, or by phone if need be.

I recommend deleting SYNC from each phones list of paired/connected devices. Android, go to Settings > Connections > Bluetooth > delete SYNC from the list of paired devices. On the way back out to the phones main screen, turn the phones Bluetooth off. You will turn it back on after you pretty much complete doing the same thing with the vehicles SYNC system. Soooooooo…..

Go out to your vehicle, start it up, turn on the radio.
Using the Icons along the bottom of the system touchscreen select the phone Icon.


View attachment 32495

Then the Bluetooth Icon, upper right corner of the phone screen the system is currently in.

View attachment 32496


After pressing the Bluetooth Icon you will get to the above screen, Bluetooth Devices, press the right arrow > on the tab for the phone you want to delete, in this example I will be deleting the XT1585 phone. That will bring you to the screen below.

View attachment 32497

The phone/device is identified at the top of the screen, press the trash can button. Which will bring you to the delete conformation screen below.

View attachment 32498

As you can see above, the system is asking me to confirm deleting the XT1585 phone by answering Yes. Pressing yes will return you to the Bluetooth Devices screen note the XT1585 is no longer listed on that screen. This indicates that you have removed the phone from the system. Repeat the steps above to remove any other phones or devices from the system. When you are done, turn off the radio, shut off the vehicle. Next I will go over putting the phones back into the system.

 

[Tom Tulloch]

Don't stop now Roger. I have a 2017 and need to complete the whole update process!!

 

[RogerD1959]

So Tom, you want to move up to SYNC 3? And you have the pretty much the same center dash set up?

 

[RogerD1959]

Tom, pick up this thread, another user is doing the same thing, I can try and show you both there. There is also a shopping list you may want to check, stuff you will need to do this. Here is the thread,
Ford SYNC Version & Update
dcsang, Yesterday at 10:14 PM

 

[MidwestBoater]

I have a 2016 XLT with the same Sync system as the OP and hit a brick wall because in my menu I can't get past the Sync-Media option.. When I select it, it acts like it's going to take me to that menu for a split second, then it just comes back to the previous menu. I never found a solution. A battery disconnect for a few hours made no difference.

Roger,

I don’t think he has that Sync System. He says basic Sync which is the tiny non touch screen.
No WiFi, no nav, no software updates.

It is buried way deep in the options menu for us lowly Sync folks.

Menu
Sync-Media
Media Menu
Advanced

You then can start with
Sync Reboot if that does not work
Factory Defaults if that does not work
NUKE it with the Master Reset option


Sync reboot usually will get it rolling again without reseting any sort of memory.

Sometimes it does not. I have had to do all 3 before.