First post since I bought my powerstroke. I was looking for some help with some diagnostics.

On my way to work this morning and the truck started chugging like it was wanting to die and had no power, the pedal was to the floor and I was barely moving. I was able to nurse it to a parking space at work and pulled the codes, using the Torque pro. This was what I pulled:

P0284 - Cylinder #8 contribution/balance
P0299 - Underboost
P0611 - FICM
P0401 - EGR
P0671 - Cylinder 1 glow plug

On the way home I didn't even hit 5 miles and started into the same symptoms. So I decided to call for a tow, because my commute is about 60 miles one way. In waiting for the tow truck I disconnected the batteries and reconnected them thinking that it might "reset" something. I started it up and the same thing occurred, so I tried revving it up, and starting it up and shutting it down on and off for about an hour. Thinking I picked up some bad fuel. Drove it for a short distance and found things were getting better. I was able to make it home and pulled the codes again. It came up with these:

P0284
P0603 - Internal Control Mod.
P0611
P1000

Also on the ride home I had excessive amounts of black smoke from the exhaust and found a couple of large drops of oil on the driveway where i normally park, larger than what I normally see.

So my question would be what is the cause of all of this?

A little about the truck. it is a F250 CCSB with about 139xxx miles on the clock. I bought it from my brother when he had it he had the FICM replaced (with the 58V option) and the Bullet proof EGR installed. I replaced the fuel spring with the blue one shortly after I bought it.

Hopefully someone can help me out or at least point me in the right direction as where to look.

Thanks for the help and sorry for the long post.

 

FICM popped up both times. I'd check it first. The 58v upgraded units have been problematic. EGR didn't come back but can cause issues like you describe if it's stuck open. Pulling it and cleaning may be worth a shot. Low boost could be leaking CAC boots, tubes (if you have the plastic one on the cold side) or the cooler it's self. Finally, the contribution/balance code which popped back up could be a clue. That's normally (hopefully) an injector issue.

If you don't have a monitoring device that's where I'd start. Phone apps and the OBDII adapter can be had for around $25 total and opens up a lot of troubleshooting info. ScanGaugeII isn't terribly expensive and works well on our trucks. Cleaning the EGR valve and putting a new set of fuel filters on it may be helpful and rule out a couple of possible issues as well. Being able to watch FICM and turbo related signals could point you in the right direction.

 

Thanks for the response. I ended up taking it to a local shop. They said that they have had nothing but problems with the 58v FICMs, they said that from their experiance they keep killing the injectors. They also tried to do a balance test to see if there are any other bad injectors, but wasn't able to get a good read on it due to the truck being too warm.
So I will probably end up replacing the FICM and the #8 injector, but before I work on the injectors I am going to leave my truck with the shop so they can do a balance test on the truck with it cold. Hopefully they will tell me there is only one bad injector.

So I have read a little about the FICM, just wondering if there is one that give the extra hp without it running at 58v?

Thanks again for the help Rusty

 

There are several options on the FICM. Over the years, ford wrote several software versions and they all behaved a little differently. A company called Power Hungry Performance has written three different versions of software and licensed them through other distributors. The three are (I believe) an eco tune for mileage, Atlas 40hp, and Hurcules 80hp. I have used Ed at FICM repair.com and can vouch for the quality of his work and speed of getting things done. Ed is crazy knowledgable and would be happy to talk (at legnth ) to you if you give him a call. They can install any of the Ford OEM flashes or the PHP flashes I mentioned above. Check the website for the phone number, Ed often answers the phone himself.

As far as repairs, they offer a simple solder repair, solder with component replacement, component upgrades to milspec stuff, and a mechanically stronger solder job with "special" solder. I'm not sure about repairs to the 58v FICM's being returned to 48v configuration as I believe the boards are different.

If you decide to replace or repair your FICM somewhere else, they also off a FICM programmer they can ship to you with software on it you can try. You just leave the version you want in your truck and send the programmer back.

Things can get a little tricky on the FICM tunes if you tow often. They don't alter the PCM or transmission tuning, it's all fuel trims so it's possible to get into high Exhaust Gas Temperatures when under a load for any significant legnth of time, like pulling an RV up a mountain pass or just holding the go pedal to the mat for a long time

Get the FICM sorted first before replacing injectors. Injector issues can clear up when FICM problems are fixed. The Injector could still be a problem but maybe not.

 

This is just a thought, but the ficm voltage has alway stayed around 54-53 volts even with the issues that are currently happening. So my thoughts would be the injectors are going or have gone. My thoughts right now are to just to replace all of the injectors and send the ficm in to get checked, since it has a lifetime warranty. Not that I will go that route but I would be interested in someone else opinion.

Another question would be what is a good injector for replacement?

 

Stay with FORD injectors and only FORD re manufactured injectors. The rest are junk and will cause you pain with having to replace badly rebuilds.

I would wait on buying all new injectors, they are $200+ each, that's $2000 in injectors plus the $200 core charge for each one. As Rusty said, fix the FICM first, then test the injectors and see where you come out.

Here's the code break-down
P0284 - Cylinder #8 contribution/balance Most likely needs a replacement
P0299 - Underboost Turbo needs cleaned from carbon build up
P0611 - FICM Dying FICM
P0401 - EGR EGR delete was done and code wasn't addressed or left
P0671 - Cylinder 1 glow plug It's a glow plug fault, easy fix, not a big concern.

P0603 - Internal Control Mod. You disconnected the batteries, no sweat
P0611 FICM again... death code for this, it's toast and crying for help!
P1000 Drive cycle not complete, from disconnected batteries most likely.

1) Fix the FICM first and foremost!
2) Re-diagnose the injector and replace it if required.
3) Clean the EBP and MAP sensors and see if P0299 comes back
4) Fix the Glow Plug by replacing the module, then the harness and lastly the plug.
5) Remove and clean the turbo if P0299 doesn't clear.

Save $2000 and have a good running truck!

 

Which would be the best course for fixing the ficm:
1. Send it back to where it was orginaly repaired with the warranty? The only drawback for this is I am stuck with the 58v.
2. Look into another place like ficm repair? The drawback with that is the possibility of who ever I send it to they might not touch the previously worked on ficm. I just haven't had an opportunity to talk to anyone about this.

 

Is the warranty extended to you? Most warranties are not covered or extended to anyone except the original purchaser. There is a possibility they only replace the power board. May be worth calling and asking what exactly they will do... since you may be buying injectors soon...

If you send it to Ed, he won't send it back untouched. He has a very good reputation here, is a sponsor and does good work, buying one from Ford is not an option in my opinion. You have a couple choices if you don't send it back for warranty work;

1) Ed does offer the option to send one with a deposit refunded with the return of your old core. Swap in the new one, send the old one back and done. You may have issues with the charging system, why the old one possibly failed and you should check before putting in the new one.

2) You could have the truck repair shop try a loaner for trouble shooting or

3) try any number of places that 1) fix FICMs or 2) buy a replacement. I couldn't tell you where to go, but have heard nothing but good things about Ed's service. But I will tell you... ANY warranty issues caused by faulty charging systems or faulty supplied voltages to the FICM would probably void the warranty.

There are two sides to the FICM, not just the output side that supplies the 58v. It really should be 48v as the 58v power may not be good for injectors. The logical side may be the faulty side and I know that Ed does check the Logic side for proper operations as well. There are lots of guys that have used him, and lots that have not I'm sure. So your about here;

Get warranty work Get whatever Get Ed@FICMrepair.com

I'd call first before choosing anything and in the order I gave, the "whatever" is the shop doing the work to at least talk to them.

 

I don't have experience with a 58v FICM but I seem to remember reading that many gauges don't show the full 58v for some reason. It was sighted as another reason to not get one- because you can't monitor it properly. I think it's possible the FICM is ok but you really need to know for sure before diving into the expense and trouble of replacing injectors.

 

You guys have been a great help on my problems, thanks.
Looks like I will have to make some phone calls.

 

Thanks for the kudos, Rusty! I am humbled yet again.

Okay - some details:

1. We do work on previously worked on units.
2. We can strip the 58V mod off of your FICM.
3. We can load up a performance tune while we have your module to make you absolutely LOVE your 6.0 again.
4. None of our repairs are 'solder only' - we replace the stuff that breaks.
5. Heat damages these modules, typically due to inadequate supply side voltage. PLEASE yank your alternator(s) and have it/them bench tested. Ditto for the batteries.

If you want to talk through the options, give us a call - we're at 515-897-4459. We discuss pros, cons, and everything in between to absolutely ensure that you know precisely what you are getting and hopefully together glean some information on how to prevent you from having this issue ever again.

 

Ed, thanks for the suggestions when I contacted you. I ran my FICM in another truck. I ran it about 15 miles and no codes for the FICM showed up, other than the non-matching vin's. Hopefully I ran it enough miles for something to be read.

Going on the assumption that the FICM is good and my #8 injector is bad, do I just replace that injector, do I replace all 8, or replace just the injectors on the driver side bank?

 

Replace #8 injector, clear codes. Then start working to clear the other codes starting with P0299 by cleaning the sensors EBP, MAP and then the turbo if it doesn't resolve with those being cleaned.

 

Well I replaced the #8 injector and it still runs bad, here are the symptoms:
1. low power (pedal to the floor and barely moving)
2. rough idol (which to be assumed due to the air in the system, but I never cleared up)
3. the VGT was staying at 85% (I am assuming that is closed)
4. it had a high squeal during the high throttle (kind of like the boost was being blocked)
5. a lot of turbo "farting" every time I let the throttle off

The good thing is that it is not blowing smoke, I guess.

In the process of waiting for the injector to arrive I cleaned the EBP tube and MAP. I just replaced the EBP sensor, just to eliminate the any issues with the P0299 code.

I cleared the codes before the test drive and it drove like stated above, for about 11 miles total. Pulled the codes and got a P0470 (exhaust pressure sensor) and P1000. So I will probably put the old EBP sensor back in, which really wasn't that dirty along the tube and MAP.

Any other direction as to why it is running so poorly? How many miles would it take for the rough idol to clear up?

 

I'd check the charging volts, then go after the turbo. There are plenty of turbo cleaning videos out there.Watch them a few times and then go for it. Stanydyne will help on the fuel side for the injectors. Archoil in the crankcase with Motorcraft filters and Delo 10w40 syn. Sounds like the engine needs some maintenance maybe fuel filters too?