Uconnect update failures

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William Hastings

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All these members having updates fail and toast the 8.4 system, and FCA not picking up the tab for a replacement when Uconnect is causing it. Does anyone know if the 4g cellular can be disabled without screwing the system up?
Can the shark fin be unplugged and radio still function? I know you would also loose Sirius Xm, but i wont pay for it anymore anyway. I know theres members here pretty intimate with these systems
 

SitKneelBend

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All these members having updates fail and toast the 8.4 system, and FCA not picking up the tab for a replacement when Uconnect is causing it. Does anyone know if the 4g cellular can be disabled without screwing the system up?
Can the shark fin be unplugged and radio still function? I know you would also loose Sirius Xm, but i wont pay for it anymore anyway. I know theres members here pretty intimate with these systems
The purple plug on the back will unplug the cellular antenna. Unlike the older 8.4 radios the new ones don't give a 911 error message when not connected. This will not completely remove cellular connectivity though, but it "might" reduce the likelihood of an OTA leaving you with a brick...

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Treburkulosis

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I knock on wood havent had any issues with my Charger. It has the 8.4. My wifes Pacifica also has it, and sometime acts up. Black screen or no sound. It usually corrects itself. Its done it maybe 3 times. I know in her SRX Cadillac the whole touchscreen went out. Cadillac replaced it no questions asked. I really hope my Charger doesn't do it. Her van is leased, so I am not worried about it. They have taken care of some software updates on the electric doors and transmission. I complain about having just a basic CD player in my 12, but its never acted up lol.
 

SitKneelBend

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I actually just had mine open to add a heat shield for the screen and decided to see what might happen if I just disconnect the cellular antenna internally. No errors pop up unless you actually try to use the SOS features (which fail). I think I'll leave it like this for extra insurance.

Thanks for making me think about it. I'll post pictures of what to disconnect when I have it out again to replace the thermal pads...b1e586cb2673f01ff14efa798a815441.jpg

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The difference between the shark fin antenna & the older puck style is;

The shark fin has AM/FM, satellite radio, GPS & uconnect all in one antenna
The Puck style has AM/FM, satellite radio & uconnect in the antenna on the roof, there is a second antenna under the dash board , but above the radio for the GPS
 

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The difference between the shark fin antenna & the older puck style is;

The shark fin has AM/FM, satellite radio, GPS & uconnect all in one antenna
The Puck style has AM/FM, satellite radio & uconnect in the antenna on the roof, there is a second antenna under the dash board , but above the radio for the GPS
You may be thinking of a different model vehicle. The only difference between the two is the sharkfin has cellular. Neither have AM/FM, that's an antenna mounted on the fender.

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GTyankee

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That could very well be true with most Rams

I believe the latest Rams don't have the fender antenna

Most Rams sold for use in Canada, mostly just have the puck type antenna

On my old 2009 Ram, i just had the puck type antenna, i had cellular,

The GPS antenna was under the dashboard

Cellular worked good in the USA & along the Canadian side of the border, like in Toronto, but not up past Barrie
 

SitKneelBend

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That could very well be true with most Rams

I believe the latest Rams don't have the fender antenna

Most Rams sold for use in Canada, mostly just have the puck type antenna

On my old 2009 Ram, i just had the puck type antenna, i had cellular,

The GPS antenna was under the dashboard

Cellular worked good in the USA & along the Canadian side of the border, like in Toronto, but not up past Barrie
Ah, I see. We were speaking specifically about the newer 8.4" radios that came in 2013+ trucks. Thank you for the clarification...

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William Hastings

William Hastings

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Very curious to see how it goes with it disconnected for awhile, thanks for being the guinea pig here, my only concern is that im still under warranty and have 8yr maxcare plan i dont want to void. Just got done reading your posts about delaminating screens and knew you had the knowledge about these head units. Just had a sub installed, sounds amazing, last thing i want is for Uconnect to screw up the sound again or worse brick the radio with a **** update
 

SitKneelBend

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Very curious to see how it goes with it disconnected for awhile, thanks for being the guinea pig here, my only concern is that im still under warranty and have 8yr maxcare plan i dont want to void. Just got done reading your posts about delaminating screens and knew you had the knowledge about these head units. Just had a sub installed, sounds amazing, last thing i want is for Uconnect to screw up the sound again or worse brick the radio with a **** update
The good thing is there are no tamper seals and these radios are very easy to open.

Another forum member sold me a UAQ for parts so I feel obligated to pay it forward by seeing what all can be fixed (and I like to tinker). I'll post an update after a week or so but so far, it appears that antenna being disconnected is completely transparent unless you actually use UConnect features...

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SitKneelBend

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Very curious to see how it goes with it disconnected for awhile, thanks for being the guinea pig here, my only concern is that im still under warranty and have 8yr maxcare plan i dont want to void. Just got done reading your posts about delaminating screens and knew you had the knowledge about these head units. Just had a sub installed, sounds amazing, last thing i want is for Uconnect to screw up the sound again or worse brick the radio with a **** update
Here is the antenna to disconnect from the inside...

a36ebccdb52d026df9ed680b2c3976a6.jpg

I wrapped it in electrical tape so it wouldn't touch anything I didn't want it to. I'll likely reconnect it before doing any manual firmware updates just in case. Drove for hours today without error...

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Toddbigboytruck

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That could very well be true with most Rams

I believe the latest Rams don't have the fender antenna

Most Rams sold for use in Canada, mostly just have the puck type antenna

On my old 2009 Ram, i just had the puck type antenna, i had cellular,

The GPS antenna was under the dashboard

Cellular worked good in the USA & along the Canadian side of the border, like in Toronto, but not up past Barrie
I have drive my ram to NWT and never has any issues the whole trip. All the Rams I have seen have in Ontario have the shank fin style

mine upgraded with some issues hat to restart the truck twice. But got it to work

DD8A8FDC-ED10-4EE1-94E1-3525699640FA.jpeg

1326DCD6-AAF6-4C0A-B461-D79A44750ADF.jpeg
 

GTyankee

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I think it strange that when they sent an update to my 2009 Ram, there was always a message to ask if i was able to download or postpone the update.

With my 2016, i have never seen any messages similar to that, i have had this truck since January 2016

Both radios were the premium Navigation radios
 

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Mine just updated over the air - it did give me the option to schedule the update but I stupidly just did it when the message came up. Some weird stuff just after the update - my heated seats and steering wheel would turn off very quickly (seems to be ok now) - and hours later I came out to the truck and the lights were on (they are always on auto and that never happened in the year+ I have had the truck) - I don't even know if these things are connected to the update .... 2019 Ram 1500 Classic

was hoping it would fix Android Auto - where it only shows the first song I play, then stays on that screen while any other songs play....
 

SitKneelBend

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Very curious to see how it goes with it disconnected for awhile, thanks for being the guinea pig here, my only concern is that im still under warranty and have 8yr maxcare plan i dont want to void. Just got done reading your posts about delaminating screens and knew you had the knowledge about these head units. Just had a sub installed, sounds amazing, last thing i want is for Uconnect to screw up the sound again or worse brick the radio with a **** update
Still good and I still haven't received an OTA update. I think it's safe to say that its not not working...

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SitKneelBend

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Do the OTA updates only happen if you have the shark fin antenna?
No, all of the newer 8.4" 2018+ radios in question can receive OTAs regardless of antenna shape.

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FWB-Gator

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No, all of the newer 8.4" 2018+ radios in question can receive OTAs regardless of antenna shape.

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Interesting! Thanks @SitKneelBend. I assumed OTAs required 4G and didn't think the pucks had that.

One other question. I have a 2015 1500 Big Horn with an RA2. I plan to upgrade to the UAQ. When you visit the UConnect update site, you just enter your VIN. I assume that site will still think I have an RA2 after I switch to the UAQ? That's why I wondered about the OTA. Also, for things relevant to my radio, will I say I have a 2018 in the future, instead of 2016?

I really appreciate the insights here. This is a bit confusing.
 

SitKneelBend

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Interesting! Thanks @SitKneelBend. I assumed OTAs required 4G and didn't think the pucks had that.

One other question. I have a 2015 1500 Big Horn with an RA2. I plan to upgrade to the UAQ. When you visit the UConnect update site, you just enter your VIN. I assume that site will still think I have an RA2 after I switch to the UAQ? That's why I wondered about the OTA. Also, for things relevant to my radio, will I say I have a 2018 in the future, instead of 2016?

I really appreciate the insights here. This is a bit confusing.
Yes if you're UAQ is 2018 then that is the relevant info regarding this (for the most part). You'll need the VIN of the donor vehicle for the UAQ to get the right firmware updates for it from the UConnect site. Be advised, that site often says up-to-date even if your radio has outdated firmware.

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FWB-Gator

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Yes if you're UAQ is 2018 then that is the relevant info regarding this (for the most part). You'll need the VIN of the donor vehicle for the UAQ to get the right firmware updates for it from the UConnect site. Be advised, that site often says up-to-date even if your radio has outdated firmware.

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Thanks, I really appreciate the response. My UAQ unit actually has a "manufacture date" of Nov 2020. I was just thinking that I keep seeing UAQ's referred to as "2018 radios". I probably misunderstood that part.
 
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