Hey @miesk5 ... Any advice?

 

Usually if a scanner won't connect, there is a problem with the PCM.

 

check fuse to cigarette lighter. might not be getting power

 

Yo RHSC69,
Welcome!
Was battery disconnected or codes cleared with your scanner or both before the tests?
"The PCM stores information about vehicle operating conditions and uses this information to compensate for component tolerances. When an emission related component is replaced, Keep Alive Memory (KAM) should be cleared to erase the information stored by the PCM from the original component.
To clear KAM: Disconnect the negative side of the battery for a minimum of five minutes.
After KAM has been cleared, the vehicle may exhibit certain driveability concerns. It will be necessary to drive the vehicle 10 miles or more to allow the processor to relearn values for optimum driveability and performance. (Distance is dependent on the vehicle application.)" by Ford

by Actron

OBDII Drive Cycle @ Ford Motor Company Driving Cycle

Following from New York DMV;
"What Causes a "Not-Ready" Report?
Causes of a "not ready" report:

• Recent vehicle repairs in which diagnostic trouble codes have been cleared with a OBDII scan tool; or,
• if the battery had been recently disconnected or replaced; or,
• if the vehicle's computer requires a software update; or,
• ➡a pending problem has not yet illuminated the "check engine" light.

➡If above isn't a factor, contact your city or county motor vehicle department and state the issue.


Here is applicable info from Wisconsin;
"What Causes A Vehicle Not To Communicate?
There are several factors that can cause non-communications. Some of the most common causes are:
o Damaged Data Link Connector (DLC): The data link connector (DLC) is damaged or has been tampered with and the connection to the on-board diagnostic (OBD) computer is not possible. For example, the DLC may be broken or melted, the DLC is used to power up an accessory, ➡ or something is plugged into the DLC.
o Blown Fuse: If the vehicle fails to communicate, check the fuses for the cigarette lighter. On most vehicle makes and models, the system on the vehicle that communicates with the test equipment gets its power from the same circuit as the cigarette lighter. If the cigarette lighter fuse is burned out, the vehicle will not communicate with the test equipment during the OBD inspection. The fuse is faulty if it is dark inside like the inside of a blown light bulb or if the electrical wires within the fuse are burnt apart and not connected.
➡o Improperly Installed Aftermarket Systems: Some installers of aftermarket systems, such as radios, security systems, navigation systems, etc. are tapping into the wiring harness of the DLC, or OBD port to power the radio or other aftermarket devices. This is considered tampering and may cause the vehicle to be unable to establish communication with the test equipment during the OBD inspection.
What Should I Do?
o Check your vehicle’s cigarette lighter fuse and replace it if it is blown.
➡o Check the wiring on any installed aftermarket system should be checked to ensure there is no interference with the on-board diagnostic (OBD) computer or the battery.
o Contact your dealership or repair facility and have a diagnostic analysis performed with an OBD generic scan tool, connected to the data link connector (DLC) under the dash, not under the hood.
o Check all recalls, technical service bulletins (TSBs), and extended warranties related to the emission control system and the OBD computer. Contact your dealership or repair facility and have them research for the above using your vehicle identification number (VIN).

➡ Speak to a manager, located in the office area of this facility, to discuss the options for you, including the eligibility for 30-day extensions or 30-day temporary plates."
■□■

➡ASAP, find out if speed control recall work, if equipped was completed @ Recalls Look-up by VIN (Vehicle Identification Number); or @ Welcome to Ford Owner | Official Ford Owner Site; or ... have VIN ready. While there, see most Ford dealer maintenance/repairs done @ any dealership nation-wide.
"Summary: ON CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS, PASSENGER VEHICLES, SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, AND MOTOR HOMES CHASSIS, THE SPEED CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCH MAY, UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS, LEAK INTERNALLY AND THEN OVERHEAT, SMOKE, OR BURN. THIS COULD RESULT IN AN UNDERHOOD FIRE."
To confirm current status, use this guide by jowens1126 @ 93 & 94-96 Cruise Control Recalls Repair
Note that the 93 recall is different than the 94-96 recall.

For any Bronco questions or to chat about it's planned modifications, it's better to post each seperately in Noobie Bronco Tech Questions. Flame free zone. This will get more attention and you can build up your post count to get into other sections such as Bronco and Ford Parts/Accessories (75 posts required to participate due to scammers who preyed on our members.).

To save you time and for better responses, please fill out your Bronco info with location, year, engine size, transmission type, transfer case type (manual or electric shift), locking hub type (automatic or manual) info & major mods such as a Lift, etc. .
Bronco info is now able to be put under your user name.
Click your profile button in the top right and go to account settings.

On that first page, named Account Details,
View attachment 154412

scroll down to "Vehicle Info" and type in up to 100 characters.
Now you can simply enter your information in the text editor and click save.
□
See Baba Looey's Favorite FSB Links (lots and lots of tech links)

Here's the 1996 Bronco/F-Series Workshop Manual partial

96 Bronco Owner's Guide, Maintenance Schedules & Parts and Accessories by Ford @ Owner Manuals | fleet.ford.com

96 Bronco Dealer Brochure @ 1996 Ford Bronco Technical Info pictures, videos, and sounds | SuperMotors.net ... scroll down

96 Bronco Quick Tips Brochure Excerpts & some Eddie Bauer options @ 1983 Ford Bronco 96 EB Bronco Brochures pictures, videos, and sounds | SuperMotors.net

Register to see most Ford dealer maintenance/repairs done @ any dealership nation-wide @ Welcome to Ford Owner | Official Ford Owner Site .

See our Sites' FAQs, includes for example:
How To Save (Bookmark) Threads Or Posts
How To Search The Site
What is the Difference Between the Showcase and Gallery

Try to find time to participate and vote in our current Full-Size of the Month Contest & later in the year, Full-Size of the Year Contest @ Voting
You will get ideas by those competing. See the prizes!
Al

 

Blown Fuse: If the vehicle fails to communicate, check the fuses for the cigarette lighter. On most vehicle makes and models, the system on the vehicle that communicates with the test equipment gets its power from the same circuit as the cigarette lighter. If the cigarette lighter fuse is burned out, the vehicle will not communicate with the test equipment during the OBD inspection. The fuse is faulty if it is dark inside like the inside of a blown light bulb or if the electrical wires within the fuse are burnt apart and not connected.

The above was the cause of an OBDII issue I had with my van. Found a coin from the ashtray had gotten inside the lighter socket (because that's where I put my fast-food change) and it had blown the fuse --no OBDII socket action for DEQ until that was located, removed and fuse replaced.

 

Thanks for your input, like I had said, my Accutron scan tool connects and reads all status monitors 7 to be exact and it also has a mode to tell if it will pass the state I/M test. But when you hook up the state I/M machine it attempts to connect and than times out. I have tested the connector and looked for damaged pins all looks good. I have power on pin 16 and ground on pins 4 & 5. see attached

​ Does My Car Have OBD-II? All cars and light trucks built and sold in the United States after January 1, 1996 were required to be OBD II equipped. In general, this means all 1996 model year cars and light trucks are compliant, even if built in late 1995. Two factors will show if your vehicle is definitely OBD II equipped: 1) There will be an OBD II connector as shown below, and 2) There will be a note on a sticker or nameplate under the hood: "OBD II compliant". The Connector Pin 2 - J1850 Bus+ Pin 4 - Chassis Ground Pin 5 - Signal Ground Pin 6 - CAN High (J-2284) Pin 7 - ISO 9141-2 K Line Pin 10 - J1850 Bus Pin 14 - CAN Low (J-2284) Pin 15 - ISO 9141-2 L Line Pin 16 - Battery Power Where is the connector located? The connector must be located within three feet of the driver and must not require any tools to be revealed. Look under the dash and behind ashtrays. The Five Flavors of OBD II While the parameters, or readings, required by OBD II regulations are uniform, the auto manufacturers had some latitude in the communications protocol they used to transmit those readings to scanners. Naturally, each felt they had the one true way, so we have five different OBD II communications protocols in use. The big scanner consoles costing thousands of dollars include the decoding software and firmware for all five protocols in their units, making them universal. Less expensive units, for home or small shop use, are usually customized for a specific communications protocol. Be sure the scanner you are using suits the protocol of your car. What Communications Protocol does my vehicle use? As a rule of thumb, GM cars and light trucks use SAE J1850 VPW (Variable Pulse Width Modulation). Chrysler products and all European and most Asian imports use ISO 9141 or KWP2000 circuitry. Fords use SAE J1850 PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) communication patterns. All 2008 and newer model year vehicles use CAN. There are some variations among captive imports such as the Cadillac Catera, a German Opel derivative, which uses the European ISO 9141 protocol. If you have first hand knowledge of other such variations, please send them in and, together, we can build a more complete listing. On 1996 and later vehicles, you can tell which protocol is used by examining the OBD II connector: J1850 VPW --The connector should have metallic contacts in pins 2, 4, 5, and 16, but not 10. ISO 9141-2/KWP2000 --The connector should have metallic contacts in pins 4, 5, 7, 15, and 16. J1850 PWM --The connector should have metallic contacts in pins 2, 4, 5, 10, and 16. CAN --The connector should have metallic contacts in pins 4, 5, 6, 14 and 16. If your vehicle has this style connector, but doesn't have these pins populated, you probably have a pre-OBDII vehicle. To add some confusion, even having the connector with the contacts shown above is not a guarantee of OBD II compliance. This style connector has been seen on some pre-1996 vehicles which were not OBD II compliant.

my system is a J1850PWM

I tried a Snapon scan tool and it wouldn't communicate either

 

This all started 4 years ago, one I/M station told me that the state made updates to their software. So I have had to take it right to the county testing facility for the last 3 years, but now they are telling me I have to get it fixed because they won't cut me a certificate anymore. I am at a loss as why it worked and now it won't, and why it reads on one scanner and not the other.

 

I ran into this a few times... it’s actually not a fault of your rig... it’s the firmware updates to the scan tools... we ended up reverting a scan tool back to pre-2008 to use on pre CAN BUS OBD II systems. The only way I can think to fix the problem yourself is to go to ford and see if they can do a firmware update to your ECU. Otherwise it’s the tools fault.

 

Thanks I'll give that a try!!

 

Yo RH,
I checked the 96 Bronco Technical Service Bulletins, however no applicable bulletins are listed. Here's one for the PC that appeared close for but doesn't apply to your issue;

"PCM - REPROGRAMMING OUT OF VEHICLE
Article No. 99-4-3 03/08/99
FORD:
1994-97 THUNDERBIRD
1994-99 MUSTANG
1995-99 CROWN VICTORIA
1996-97 PROBE
1996-99 CONTOUR, ESCORT, TAURUS

LINCOLN-MERCURY:
1994-97 COUGAR
1995-99 CONTINENTAL, GRAND MARQUIS, TOWN CAR
1996-98 MARK VIII
1996-99 MYSTIQUE, SABLE, TRACER
1999 COUGAR

LIGHT TRUCK:
1994-97 F SUPER DUTY, F-250 HD, F-350
1995-99 ECONOLINE, RANGER, WINDSTAR
1996 BRONCO
1996-97 AEROSTAR
1996-99 EXPLORER, F-150, F-250 LD
1997-99 EXPEDITION, MOUNTAINEER
1998-99 NAVIGATOR
1999 SUPER DUTY F SERIES

This TSB article is being republished in its entirety to update the affected vehicles and to include an Application Chart for the affected vehicles.

ISSUE
The Federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has mandated that all aftermarket service centers shall be able to either reprogram Powertrain Control Modules (PCMs) or obtain reasonably priced, timely PCM programming services at dealerships. Ford has released an out-of-vehicle EEC V reprogramming cable to support this requirement. Also, PCMs are reprogrammable to update calibration levels or to reprogram a common hardware type to a new calibration in order to fill a service need without ordering a new PCM.

Open In New TabZoom/Print


ACTION
Refer to the Application Chart in this article to use the new 15- to 104-Pin Flash Cable to handle all necessary out-of-vehicle programming of EEC V modules in the vehicles listed. This may allow added flexibility in servicing aftermarket and fleet accounts as well as provide the ability to have modules updated to new calibrations through the Parts Department instead of ordering new parts.

Currently, EEC V modules must be installed in a vehicle to reprogram a new calibration in the module. An aftermarket service center may bring a module to a dealership for a calibration update or may request an updated calibration be installed to a new service part. The EPA regulations require "reasonably priced, timely service" be provided by the dealer. The new 15- to 104-Pin Flash Cable works with the New Generation Star (NGS) Tester to provide the capability to reprogram a calibration on a PCM out of the vehicle.

The 15- to 104-Pin Flash Cable connects between the NGS Tester and PCM 104-pin connector. The proper calibration must be downloaded to the Data Transfer Card through Service Bay Technical System (SBTS). Once the card is inserted into the NGS Tester and the cable is connected, follow the calibration download instructions displayed on the NGS screen.
The 15- to 104-Pin Flash Cable (007-00587) can be ordered from Rotunda by calling 1-800-ROTUNDA.
OTHER APPLICABLE ARTICLES: NONE
SUPERSEDES: 98-26-3
WARRANTY STATUS: INFORMATION ONLY
OASIS CODES: 203000, 206000, 290000, 690000, 698298
••
As a last resort, have it scanned at a local Ford dealership.​

 

Thanks,

Slimpartywagon and Miesk5, i have figured out that you guys are correct in your thinking, I checked my scan tool to see what level it is on and low and behold it is 2007 software so I am thinking that something changed in 2008 that my PCM software can't read or the new version can't read mine. I have a buddy of mine who works at a Ford Dealership checking to see if they can find any PCM updates. Thanks for all of you and your help.

RHSC69

 

What changed in 2007 to 2008 was the mandated hardware upgrade on the ECU, and what the ECU has to be able to control. You should be able to take your rig into the dealership and have them just flash your ECU... give them the TSB Numer “
PCM - REPROGRAMMING OUT OF VEHICLE
Article No. 99-4-3 03/08/99” I’ve sent hundreds of cars to the Ford Dealership here over the years for this flash. It only takes about 30 minutes to an hour depending if they have the file on hand or have to download the firmware from the Ford archives. Only once did I hear of a customer taking more than a day and that was because he also had a bad circuit board that needed repaired before the flash could be installed. And since your scanner works and others don’t, it’s safe to assume your ECU is fine, just lacking the Firmware Update.

 

Thank you< Thank you, Thank you.

This has been kicking my ass for 4 years and all I really had to do was join this community and get the answer. The really shitty thing is that I have been a automotive parts manager for over 40 years and it took me this long to figure it out. Thanks for all the help

RHSC69

 

@RHSC69 did you end up getting the ECU flashed?

 

So I went to Ford Dealership today and they tried to do a ECU flash and reprogram and their Ford computer won't communicate and also their county emission machine wouldn't. But one of their tech's tried his hand held scan tool like my Accutron and it communicates just fine. So they sent me home and are going to contact Ford and see what they can find out. So now i'm back to square one.

 

Not Yet one of my buddies at Ford dealership has been off, should hear back from him today.

I'll let you know when I get it done.

Thanks

 

I have no clue... I always sent our customers to Ford that had these problems as I was told (like I told you) that Ford could fix it with a firmware update. I wonder if there is a newer ECU that you could use... other than that, I don’t have any ideas. Has “Ford” gotten back to you yet? Do you want me to check with my local Ford friends and see what suggestions they may have?

 

I haven't heard back from Ford, if you wouldn't mind asking some of your Ford people, I'd appreciate it