When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
So here's what's on my mind... over the next week or so I am going to be making a comparison/performance video for YouTube (similar to Project Farm) with the 7.3 Powerstroke's ICP sensor as the subject!
• I am curious regarding just how different in quality there is between the 170 dollar MotorCraft one that I purchased from RiffRaff all the way down to one that I got for 10 bucks off ebay. I have 4 others with various costs for a total of 6 sensors.
Basically, I was hoping that some of you might be able to help me with exactly what types of testing/what numbers I should be comparing when testing these sensors. I have ForScan and was planning on recording numbers on start up, while idiling, as well as various points of acceleration. Also was planning on recording how truck is running on the surface level (how it sounds, smoothness of idle, etc). Was also going to notate the effects each sensor had on the IPR's duty cycles.
I am extremely curious to see just how much (or how little) difference there is between a 10 dollar sensor and one that costs x17 as much.
Is there anything else that I should perform/keep track of? Temperatures/pressures/fuel mileage? I will include you as an Executive Producer in the credits when I put video on YouTube.
me too,
I have one of those "Ford Amazon" sensors from Amazon in the glove box, got it a couple days after i bought the truck up in Montana, and had almost 3,000 miles of desert highways to travel before I got home...
never needed it, nor has the engine needed anything period.
runs smooth as butter.
I would say without digging deeper simply watching what values it gives on Forscan isn’t enough for any conclusive information or comparison. Problems forum members have experienced over the years range from undersized connections pins, incorrectly threaded body, passing oil through the sensor or completely failing with in hundreds of miles, and then of course inaccurate voltage readings among other things. Without tearing sensors apart, knowing how to examine the circuits, and maybe watching the signals with a scope I can’t imagine it showing much info. Over the last 20 years forum members have demonstrated through trial and error why aftermarket sensors just don’t work over the long haul on these trucks. The most eventful that comes to mind is about 10 years ago when many purchased ICP sensors off eBay for a great price only to find out within a couple hundred miles they would blow out of the head coating their engine in oil and leaving you on the side of the road.
I thought about doing just such an experiment, but never gave it a go. My plan was to make a manifold so all sensors could be mounted simultaneously. Then you just switch the connector among the ICPs and run it thru the same prescribed paces. Swapping ICPs would get tedious, and more time between tests introduces variables. Better yet would be a switched connector between the ICPs and the harness where you could have all the ICPs connected simultaneously and just switch between the sources on the fly.
Pic below shows the voltage output of the ICP sensor vs measured psi. I took it from Whitemw's excellent 7.3 Quick Reference guide which is linked below.
On edit: this would only test electronic function of the ICP. As Peter mentioned all the other manufacturing factors such as heat tolerance or oil intrusion would not be addressed.
Perhaps all ICP sensors mounted on a test manifold subjected to the same pressure pulses then see which one blows first would be a more illustrative video. You will encounter no end of discussion over what that pressure profile should look like (peak pressure, ranp rate, pulse duration, etc etc) I am sure.
Years ago a member had a random dying problem, finally narrowed it down to driving past the front of a store with an automatic door opener and when he was backing his rv and would talk to his wife on a hand held radio.
replaced the store brand ICP sensor with a motorcraft sensor and the problem was solved.
That's a good point, several cases like that. Dying next to local Sheriff's radio tower etc. So a burst with a nice strong radio added to the testing would be helpful.
I would more so see that being caused by a cps then a icp sensor. Never heard of interference on a icp sensor. But have experienced the interference from the windshield wipers on some cps first hand.
Years ago a member had a random dying problem, finally narrowed it down to driving past the front of a store with an automatic door opener and when he was backing his rv and would talk to his wife on a hand held radio.
replaced the store brand ICP sensor with a motorcraft sensor and the problem was solved.
😲😲 that's bonkers!! You would have thought that even if the ICP completely fried/failed that the PCM would just default, not kill the engine entirely. Interesting!
Maybe instead of trying to get super technical with numbers and performances (which is a tad out of my wheelhouse, shocking as that may be) instead it'll be showcasing the visual differences between a genuine Motorcraft sensor and "ultra genuine pinky promise its OEM would I lie to you??" sensors that are plastered all over eBay.
Of the multitude of sensors I bought, a couple of them were extremely honest and noted that what they were selling was aftermarket and not made by Ford/Motorcraft, but a couple of them had the Ford/Motorcraft packaging in the picture, and are definitely trying to appear like the real deal.
If you guys are bored sometime maybe you'll get a kick out of this... if you go look on eBay for this sensor or something similar, there will be posts with Ford/Motorcraft packaging in the main pictures, but the actual words and/or the blue oval are blurred out. 😂
"Here, honey, here's a great price! The logo of the company is blurred out for some reason but I'm sure that's nothing to be concerned about! Grab me my credit card!"
😲😲 that's bonkers!! You would have thought that even if the ICP completely fried/failed that the PCM would just default, not kill the engine entirely. Interesting!
You’d be amazed at how much trouble EMI can cause. One the major portions of the ground portion of an aircraft test program is EMI/EMC testing. We had one instance where the aircraft’s own radar made the new system we were integrating flip out. Makes one wonder just how safe the “safe zone” behind the nose cone of the plane really is.
