Rick Ohnsman
Active Member
The internet is a wealth of information. The problem is... you never know --what-- information is correct.
I wanted to see if I could adjust the threshold sensitivity of my Autolamp mirror on my '03 ST XLT so that the headlights would come on in cloudy weather, not just when it was totally dark. I posted this thread..
http://www.mysporttrac.com/shared/msgboard9e.asp?BOARDNAME=MSG&VIEW=1113626&SUB=1113647&sitename=mysporttrac
The suggestion by Dan Long seemed most promising and so, armed with a paper clip, I attempted the adjustment. The lights came on as he indicated, but the system did not seem to adjust anything. It was no different when I was done.
I later found this post in an Explorer (though not ST specific) site -
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=192491
Reading down, you will see one guy said he'd had the dealer enable the DTR function in the computer menu. Made sense, so today when I was at my dealer for an oil change, I asked the service department. They were clueless (though they often are at this dealer - Lithia Ford of Boise... sigh...)
Trial and error has shown me that the sensor involved (there are three on this mirror) is the one sandwiched between the mirror mount and the windshield. Sliding a business card in there does indeed cause the headlights to come on. So... I'm gonna try the tint solution. (I'll let you know what I come up with.)
But the real point of this post is to ask if we have any bona fide Ford techs that visit this site? Someone with some --real-- knowledge (and a collection of service manuals) could save many of us time. money, and frustration going the trial and error route. But then I suppose that would take money out of someone's pocket huh?
So many "fixes" only require a few knowledgable button presses though. I don't mind paying for real "wrench work," but having to pay for a few simple programming steps irks me. And that's if you can even find a service department with a clue... :wacko:
I wanted to see if I could adjust the threshold sensitivity of my Autolamp mirror on my '03 ST XLT so that the headlights would come on in cloudy weather, not just when it was totally dark. I posted this thread..
http://www.mysporttrac.com/shared/msgboard9e.asp?BOARDNAME=MSG&VIEW=1113626&SUB=1113647&sitename=mysporttrac
The suggestion by Dan Long seemed most promising and so, armed with a paper clip, I attempted the adjustment. The lights came on as he indicated, but the system did not seem to adjust anything. It was no different when I was done.
I later found this post in an Explorer (though not ST specific) site -
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=192491
Reading down, you will see one guy said he'd had the dealer enable the DTR function in the computer menu. Made sense, so today when I was at my dealer for an oil change, I asked the service department. They were clueless (though they often are at this dealer - Lithia Ford of Boise... sigh...)
Trial and error has shown me that the sensor involved (there are three on this mirror) is the one sandwiched between the mirror mount and the windshield. Sliding a business card in there does indeed cause the headlights to come on. So... I'm gonna try the tint solution. (I'll let you know what I come up with.)
But the real point of this post is to ask if we have any bona fide Ford techs that visit this site? Someone with some --real-- knowledge (and a collection of service manuals) could save many of us time. money, and frustration going the trial and error route. But then I suppose that would take money out of someone's pocket huh?
So many "fixes" only require a few knowledgable button presses though. I don't mind paying for real "wrench work," but having to pay for a few simple programming steps irks me. And that's if you can even find a service department with a clue... :wacko:
Last edited by a moderator: