Would someone recommend a soldering iron. Size or temp. rating. Would a soldering gun that is 180 watt be recommended. I haven't soldered before, but have a few radios laying around that I will practice on.

Thanks,

____________________________________
2004 F350 6.0L 4x4 CC LB KR
Coolant filter
High idle
fog light fix
Always bright overhead
cat delete

 

I've done LOTS of soldering.
As far as a recommended soldering iron, I know more watts equals a higher quality solder joint.

The unit I use is a Hakko 936. Tip temperatures upwards of 900 degrees F.

The quicker you can 'liquify' the solder the better. Excess temperatures for prolonged periods can [and will] degrade many electronic components.

It's probably not justifiable for most guys to buy a Hakko unit. But rest assured you get what you pay for in soldering equipment.

 

Thank you for the tip. I had read somewhere that hotter was better. Thanks again for confirming it.

 

For the work on the FICM power converter board I have used a $12.00 - 50 watt iron with a conical point( but I have been soldering for over 35 years). Though I would recommend a quality temp controlled iron for $60 - $100. On this board the soldering required is on the large inductors and also small SMD chip resistors both of which have different heating requirements. The chip resistors have lower heating requirements while the inductors have a higher heating requirement.

Your solder gun with 180 watts has to much heat and probably to large of a tip for the chip resistors but coud work fine for soldering the inductors.

Also given this links reported problems with original soldering on the FICM power converter board, one might consider solder wicking the original solder off and reapplying silver solder(96/4) due to its higher melting point, higher physical strength and lower electrical resistance.

 

If the readers have not realized at this point, the FICM power converter board can be tested and validated separated and disconnected from the main processor board.

On the four terminal version of this board, two of the terminals are ground (neg battery 12V), another is the positive (12V) term and the fourth is the positive 48V as referenced to ground. Now all that one needs to do is apply 12V (using an external power supply i.e. a battery charger capable of 20 amps) to the appropriate terms and also apply selected load rsistors to the 48V to simulate the injector loading which will validate proper operation. By varing load resistance and battery voltage ( esp at a lower battery voltage i.e. 11V) one can determine how effective their power converter is performing in a controlled environment. Just that simple, there would be no guessing about the 48 V operation before reassembly and reinstalling the FICM unit. Be aware to use care when testing in this manner, considering that the 48 Volts is exposed and present on the board can be lethal!
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Note that I have examined two FICM units and have not found the poor solder conditions as reported by others on this link. The only curiousity I have found is that there appears to be some oxidation on the circuit board pads under the mounting screw heads. This oxidation could present a poor electical connection esp for the 4 terminals connecting the power converter to the processor board. I have clean these pads using a pink pearl eraser, any remaining residue was removed by using alcohol on a swab. Finally I applied to the screw pads a minimal film of a product called Ox-Gard from GB which is normally used to prevent oxidation on electrical connections. Also note my current flash is the OEM flash which does not include the injection heat programing. One of the sample modules came from my personal ‘05 F350 6.0 L powerstroke with 105K miles which seemed to exhibit some of the symptoms as described in this link but only at temps of -10 and below. The other unit I have no history on ohter then I purchased it on Ebay as a “core only” with the reported P0611 error code. As a side bar, this ebay unit worked just fine in my truck which leads me to believe that some of these seeming FICM associated problems are being miss diagnosed.<o></o>

 

Does anyone know if the FICM or it's equivelant on the 2001 7.3L is simular enough to get the "resistor modification" or voltage increase modification that is possible on the 6.0L?

 

the 7.3 idm runs 110v-115v dc and 15amp already. lots of jucie in the harness with rad tape dont go probing it with a test light.

 

Thanks for the reply Cheezit.

Wow "You can't touch this".
I have a garage mechanic friend who has been wrestling with a customer's cold running stumbling issues and was asking me if the 7.3 injection control module could receive a simular voltage output increase that is possible on the 6.0L FICM. I was telling him about the cold weather performance improvements I was able to attain with the resistor modification. He replaced the control module with no significant improvement to his custmer's cold weather performance.

 

Can you please explain your test procedure in further detail. I have my four terminal board on the bench now. Before possibly wasting time reflowing joints that are fine, I would like to electrically test if possible. Maybe a schematic would be helpful to show where to power with 12VDC and where to ground. How would I apply a load similiar to in vehicle environment? I assume I am checking output voltage on the terminal closeset to the drivers side of the vehicle?

 

i have a 06 model F 6.0 liter. i am having the problem of it is hard to crank. then when it cranks it acts like it is flooding out and runs ruff until it warms up, about 10 mins. i carried it to the ford dealership and they told me the ficm was bad. i read in here how to check it. when i turn the key on i get 46 volts. when i hold the meter to the screw and have somebody turn the key on and let the glow plugs cycle i get 46 volts. when i have them try and crank it i get 46 volts. i also checked the screw next to it where i have 12 volts. when i crank it i get nor smoke till it cranks and it is a gray and black smoke till it warms up. could there be some other problem with the ficm or did i just get a bad diagnosis. is there anything else i should check. also the weather here today is 70 - 75 degrees and the truck cranked better then when it is cold

 

I have a 2005 Ex which has and is showing the described "typical" symptoms Exactly.

In addition i had these same symptoms two years ago, resulting in injectors and other parts and eventually the FICM being replaced under warranty.

I also have had electrical problems which coincide with the rough start/idle no power till warm then run perfectly all day syndrome.

So I am nearly positive my current FICM is bad. I plan to follow the procedure as shown and was wondering if there is any further info since the last posts kinda hint at something.

Also is standard rosin-core solder OK to use?

Thanks.

john
www.roenation.com

 

Nothing new from me and rosin core is what I used.

 

Thank you for the bump on this thread.

I guess I'll be getting my old college physics books out of moth *****, esp. if it's going to save me some good coin.

I think it was gearloose1 who said we drive computers that happen to have diesel engines attached.

 

I followed the good Dr's test procedure this morning. And thank You very much Dr Quad for your great stuff you have gone to the trouble to share.

Anyway, had the wife turn the key to run, volyage went to 34 for a few seconds, then to 48 and stayed there.

I had her cycle on/off a few times and it would then momentarily, as she
first turned the key, read 38 then quickly go to 48 and stay there.

I had her start it, then immediately checked while running, it was 45.

So there you have it, i guess it is ok?

I am kinda bummed, because I would love to have fixed this thing.

john
www.roenation.com

 

For those with the urge to modify their FICM or even just check operation you can find more information in the following web link:
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http://www.thedieselgarage.com/forums/showthread.php?t=90798
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For those that are experiencing Dc to Dc converter voltages variation lower then 46V- 48V during during the initil glow plug cycle, start or running conditions most likely have problems with their FICM. Even if it is a momentary drop. Electronics which have been exposed to vibration, and repeated hot and cold thermal cycling are known to develop “intermittent” conditions.
<o></o>
The service bulletins have documented several areas of chaffing to the FICM wiring harness which should be checked before suspecting any problem with the FICM. Chaffing of this type could cause premature damage with latent failure of FICM components. Some members have suggested tin whiskers as a failure mode or extreme temps as an accelerating factor . Of the four FICM I have personally examined none seemed to suffer from high temp problems when cycling the glow plugs within the normal one cycle (multiple re-cycling the glow plugs with a cold engine may cause the FICM to start heating up). No tin whiskers were evident and generally tin whiskers are non issues unless dealing with pure tin platings and are minimized by conformal coatings i.e. as used on these boards. Due to the low voltage rating of some of the components I am of the belief that high voltage transients (i.e. loads dumps, etc) are behind some of the failures.These transients are more prone to cause problems on vehicles with WEAK batteries and/or defective alternators.
<o></o>
When testing the FICM voltage several things need to be kept in mind, the maximum current draw from the 48V converter will be at cold start temps (initial start up). This is when the FICM will need to supply 30+ amps. And this is when everyone generally reports lower voltages because a defective converter can not meet the injector current demands. As the engine warms up the current reduces to a much lower level, at normal operating temps the current will be around 3 amps at idle. The other mode when the current demand on the current increases is as the RPM increases where at around 4000 rpm the current draw will be about 12 amps. So based on current draw, the time when problems will show is cold start and high RPM. This is when you are more then likely to see problems. Testing the voltage at operating temps and Idle is only one mode to test for proper voltage, one also needs to check cold buzz mode voltage and also the high RPM voltage. The average current draw at idle starts high cold and slowly tapers down as the engine warms up.
<o></o>
Personally I found it easier to fully test the DC converter board outside the vehicle in a stand alone mode with the halfs separated. 12 volts is supply to the converter with a 8 ohm 350 watt load connected to the 48 volt terminals. Identification for the terminals can be found on the above link. With this set up the converter will draw about 30 amps from the 12v source and the output voltage will be around 46-48 volts. If one has a variable power supply capable of 50 amp you can reduce the input voltage to around 9V and observe that the Dc converter will draw about 40 amp and still produces 46V under load. This appears to be the limts of the original design (around a 300 watt power converter).
<o></o> If the above testing is performed within the limits of a normal glow plug cycle one will not notice any over heating of the converter components.
NOTE: that the voltages involved CAN BE LEATHAL and USE OF PRECAUTIONS IS MANDATORY TO AVOID PERSONAL INJURY AND/OR DEATH!
<o></o>

no more then 47 watts should be needed to touch up the joints, personally I perfer using silver solder as this alloy has a slightly higher melting temp, higher mechanical strength, slightly lower electrical resistance and the alloy is less likely to promote tin wiskers.