2004 E350 FICM main low voltage problem.

I connected my Scan Gauge and measure the FICM main power. As soon as the glow plug lights go off, it takes about 20 seconds to hit 48.5 volts.

Here is a little history of the vehicle: I bought it used and the batteries was dead when I arrived. I knew this. AAA started the vehicle and it ran good.

I charged the batteries with a CTEK 4.3 four weeks ago and never checked the FICM voltage as I was changing the fluids, filters, etc. Decided to load the ScanGuage with all the 6.0 PIDs.

I was taken aback when I noticed the FICM main power 32 volts DC after the glow plug light shut off. It took another 20 seconds to hit 48 volts. I was thinking "Houston, we got a problem." The other 2 voltages seemed fine and were never lower than 11.5 volts.

The batteries are probably toast. Left Coast Diesel load tested batteries when I took the van in for an inspection and said the batteries were good. Not sure how they tested them. I decided this shop was not for me when they offered to drain and fill the coolant with 50/50 without flushing it and offered to change the oil and not use OEM filter.

My friend is the shop manager for a small city and offered to bring over his hand held meter to test the entire electrical system.

I need to find out if it's the alternator, battery, a relay, or something else. The FICM is probably "toast".

I found a few sites online that sell sell circuit boards for under $200. I am not leaning towards this method as they advertise made in the USA. I have to wonder where the parts come from. I can buy Dorman at the local auto parts for the same price. No, I would not buy much of anything branded Dorman. I would consider Dorman branded T-shirts or ash trays.

A few vendor supporters on this forum will rebuild the FICM for around $250 and guarantee their products.

Has anyone seen the lag time of 20 seconds or more before the FICM main power reaches 48.5 volts?

My batteries are located in battery boxes mounted on the frame. I have no clue how to test them. There is a red cap that the tow truck driver used to jump start the vehicle when I was buying it. I connected a volt meter to it and could not get any reading. I must be doing something wrong.

 

weak battery's killed my ficm , I would get it rebuilt rather than new the repair guys make them less likely to fail. I believe they beef up the components that fail. Also check all your connections for corrosion and any bad connections.

 

Yes, I have seen FICM volts "lag".

First noticed mine start at 40v then rise to 48. I would not start the truck until it got to 48v. It slowly got worse, all the way down to 30v then rise to 48v. Checked everything, all connections. Once the engine was warmed up, the volts would stay at 48v on every start up the rest of the day.

Sent it off to Ed at FICMRepair.com. All was good.

 

To load test your E-series batteries, it is generally the same process as the F series. You have to first charge them, then disconnect them, and then test them individually.

I have frame rail mounted batteries also, and it is a pain to get to them (and you have to be careful when you disconnect them). I remove the ground cables (negative cables) first, then the positive cables. As soon as I get a positive cable removed from a terminal, I wrap it in a thick towel to insulate it, and then move it out of the way, and then go to the next cable. Since I have a system of 4 batteries, I have to be even more careful when disconnecting batteries.

When my FICM failed, I got the P0611 code, so I did not see the voltage lag behavior, but clearly a FICM will often times improve its performance as it warms up. To quote Sean above ... I also sent mine to Ed and all is good.


The circuit soldering is poor on the boards from the factory. Most FICM repair services will test the received FICMs (to make sure they are in fact broken), then they simply re-flow the solder as the "fix". There is a component testing process that will identify failed components and any that need it will be replaced. They will normally replace the components with the same quality as was originally in there. They then do a final test on the board to make sure it has in fact been repaired (both the power and the logic side SHOULD BE tested).

I know that FICMrepair.com offers a couple of repair options that use upgraded components (yes, for an upcharge, but the warranty increases). I do not know if that service is offered by others.

The basic repair option's costs are WELL BELOW half of the cost of a remanufactured FICM from Ford / International. The options for installing upgraded components still costs around half that of the remanufactured FICM from Ford / International.
In all cases though, I believe the product is better than what you would get from Ford / International.

When choosing a company to go with, take into account the customer service, the offered warranty, and the reputation for doing good quality repair work. IMO these factors are worth more than shopping for a $50 or even a $100 price difference. I HIGHLY recommend using a vendor that supports the site! A simple replacement of the power supply board or a cheap FICM simply isn't worth it unless you are in an emergency need situation.

 

Time for a repair... it shouldn't do that.

 

Everything that bismic said is spot on. We work on a whole lot of FICMs that have already been "repaired" by some of the reflow shops. As far as I'm aware, us and FICMRepair are the only rebuilders that sponsor this forum. You'll be taken care of very well by either of us. We have modules on the shelf and ready to ship, and we can also load a PHP tune into one if you prefer. All of our FICMs (repair or exchange) come with a 5 year warranty on the whole module (not just the power supply). Please find complete details regarding our service at the following page:

6.0 Powerstroke FICM Repair - FICM Programming Upgrade

Please let me know if you have any questions. We would love to serve you with a repair or replacement FICM.

 

All I know about the FICM is what to look for when monitoring voltage. What is the benefit of upgrading the FICM tuning to one of the PHP tunes you offer? Mine is a 2006 with:

ECU Strategy VXCF9H7
TCU Strategy TQCK0HZ

Thanks in advance - Rich

 

Are you running stock programming in your ECU/TCU? If so, you'll notice a big difference with the PHP tune in your FICM. Most guys running a PHP tune choose the Atlas 40 for decreased turbo lag and better throttle response. I'd love to talk more about the different tunes by phone if you have some time.

 

I had the same thing happen. Sent to Ed Steffan and he said it was good. My FICM voltage would drop from about 30 to around 12. Sometimes it would start and cut out 2 or 3 times. Then run fine the rest of the day. Replaced the FICM power relay and all is good.

Ed

 

Thank you for replying so quickly!

I'm running Tony Wildman's tunes. Mostly the tow tunes.

I'll give you a call this week, I am definitely interested and don't want to trust the stock FICM on a long trip with the 5th wheel.

PM sent - thanks!

 

Not to be the spoiler here but if you are already tuned and add the PHP Atlas 40 as I did, it did not play well. I backed off to Economy and both play nicer together. You need to consider the tuning before adding more in my opinion or let who ever you plan to have tune your truck know what they may be up against.

 

Will do - thanks!

 

You had several good threads on that Ed!!

With the symptoms you experienced when you had the bad relay, did the voltage ever creep back up to 48V?

 

Mark, when I finally recognized the problem my FICM would start out somewhere from 30 to 48 then drop off to almost 0. When Ed Steffan told me my unit was good, the 70 AMP power relay was the only other device between the FICM and the power source that could fail. Never really saw it start low and go high. With the burnt contacts in the relay, the voltage will be high initially and as the unit starts to draw current the voltage will drop provided the contact resistance remains constant. Poor contact low voltage. Good contact high voltage. It would go from low to high if the initial contact was good and got better as the current draw increased, which is possible. The arcing across the pitted portion of the contact could produce better contact but only deteriorates the contacts more. My contacts were both pitted and burnt. No clean contact possible. So it was a crap shoot for sufficient contact every time I turned on the key. Finally, it died and would not start. Dumb luck, I cycled the key about 6 times attempting to start each time and it started on number 6.

My initial indication of the failing power relay actually happened about 2 years before I had to fix it. The indication was the glow plug light would come on after start up and the truck may or may not stall. After restart the truck would start and run fine the rest of the day. This was more prevalent in the winter time. If I started the truck and let it warm up, that would significantly reduce the stalling and restart attempts.

Hope this helps and sorry for the long answer to your original question.

Ed

 

My van is bone stock-no tunes. When I get the FICM repaired, I would like one of the PHP tunes if will increase performance without hurting anything. I am used to driving 4 cylinder vehicles-this is my first V8 since my '73 Buick Regal. It already has more power than anything I have owned.