This article covers 2003-2007 6.0L Power Stroke Diesel trucks, and explains how FICM programming can increase or restore performance and fuel economy.

By Ken Payne

Have you ever taken your 2003-2004 Power Stroke to a Ford dealership for simple service such as an oil change and left with the distinct feeling the truck had less power, and/or seen a dramatic loss in mileage?  Or, you have a 2005-2007 model and your friend’s 2004 has more power?  Well, you’re not imagining this… it's real.

First, let me start off by explaining what happened to me.  I have a 2004 F250 King Ranch 4x4 Super Duty with the 6.0L Power Stroke diesel engine.  In stock form the truck averaged 13-14 mpg in the city and 15-16 mpg on the highway.  After custom tuning the long term results have been around 14-15 mpg city and just a bit over 19 mpg highway verified with a Scangauge II.  I took my truck into the dealership for one of the “works” maintenance intervals the owner’s manual recommends every 25,000 miles.  After picking up the truck it was immediately apparent there was something different.  Throttle response was poor.

I took it back and they said they applied a Ford recommended computer update.  I asked them to restore it and they said they could only apply “forward” not “backward” changes.  I know that’s not true, but it was obvious they were going to dig in their heels about this one (and it’s the last time I’ve ever been back to that dealer).  So, I was stuck with the bad throttle response and soon found out that wasn’t the worst of it.  Over the next few of days I noticed the truck’s mileage had dropped dramatically.  I was averaging about 9 mpg in the city, and 14-15 mpg on the highway.  If I really babied the throttle I managed to squeeze an extra 1 mpg out of the engine.  My anger and frustration mounted: I’d been hit with the dreaded FICM update from Ford. 

What do I mean by FICM, updates, etc.?  Is it some sort of secret code?  No, your Power Stroke has basically two computers which control the engine and transmission.  The first is the PCM (Powertrain Control Module).  It is the heart of your truck, reading data from sensors, driver input, etc. and translating this to transmission and engine control.  The second computer is the FICM (Fuel Injection Control Module).  It receives data from the PCM telling it how to control the injectors.

When Ford updated the 6.0L Power Stroke diesel in 2005 the FICM had programming changes made which limited the range of injector control the PCM could command the FICM do to.  Think of it as a “rev limiter” for fuel injectors.  This limited maximum power gains from aftermarket tuners and reduced both throttle response and mileage.  Ford also introduced updated FICM tuning for 2003-2004 models which essentially gave it the same lousy performance and mileage.  All of this was done due to the head gaskets and problems Ford was having with the Power Stroke.  Unfortunately, it also screws up power and economy in the process, especially for those of us who have updated the head bolts on their truck, or don’t run massive amounts of power so the head gaskets aren’t a concern.

The solution to this problem is FICM reprogramming.  Only a handful of companies offer this valuable service.  Power Hungry Performance, founded by one of the pioneers in the tuning industry, is just such a company. Bill Cohron is a calibration and software engineer who has worked for both Superchips and Edge Products.  He was part of the team of engineers who developed Edge’s Evolution programmer.  For now, FICM reprogramming requires that you send PHP your FICM and they send it back with the updated tuning.  This is because using a hand-held tuner adapted for FICM reprogramming isn’t cost effect since FICM reprogramming tends to be a one time event.

Bill lives nearby and is a familiar “virtual face” around Ford-trucks.com so I gave him a call to see if he was interested in showing everyone what can be accomplished with FICM reprogramming.  We met up for an afternoon of lunch, chatting about the automotive industry in general and most importantly, getting my truck’s lower performance and mileage back to previous levels.

The first thing Bill did was connect the PCM to his laptop using a special “pass through” device.  For customers who ship their FICM, it is connected it so a “bench PCM” and programmed without it having to be installed in a truck.

Next, he uses his software to identify the current FICM programming, selects the new FICM file and makes changes as necessary.  The final step is writing this back out to the FICM.

The results were dramatic and immediately positive.  We took it out for a test drive and with a stock PCM tune the throttle response was much better.  The fuel economy display (often called the “lie-o-meter”) showed the type of city mileage I hadn’t seen from the truck in a while.  I don’t believe in relying on the fuel economy display unless you’ve verified its accuracy with a manual mileage log.  On some vehicles it is fairly accurate while on others it can give mileage results which are so optimistic it's humorous.  FTE forum participants have seen enough “hey, my truck is getting 25 mpg!” threads to know the displayed numbers can be bogus.

When I arrived home I immediately retuned the truck with a mileage tune which had been useless after the Ford dealer updated the FICM.  I then took it to fill up the tank.  I’ve since logged the mileage with my Scangauge II (it has proven to be very accurate on my truck) and the numbers are similar to what they were before the dealership put their hands on my truck:  14.6 mpg city and 18.7 hwy mpg.  These results are short term, over the course of a week’s worth of driving but my Scangauge II doesn’t lie.  I expect my long term results to be similar if not better.

If you can give up the use of your truck for a few days to ship out the FICM, or you live in the metro Atlanta area it's definitely worth giving Power Hungry Performance a call.  If you must, pay for overnight shipping and get a cheap rental car for a couple of days.  It's definitely worth it as your truck will pay back dividends in both power and economy.  Put that smile back on your face when you floor the throttle and keep those dollars in your wallet… get your FICM reprogrammed!

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For more information about FICM reprogramming please visit Power Hungry Performance on the web at www.powerhungryperformance.com or call them directly at 678-963-9913.

(Copyright 2008 Ken Payne, All Rights Reserved. This article is used by Internet Brands, Inc. with permission - no license is given beyond this permission and may be revoked by Ken Payne.)

If your company is interested in sponsoring a product or service for this project truck please contact Ken Payne: ftsservice@gmail.com