I have a K&N air filter and had to remove the tube that goes from the filter to the turbo to do the test.

How bad is 42-43 volts on all three test?

Will I have to soder & how hard is it to do this?

has anyone seen there milage go up after fixing this?

 

42-43 Volts is not too bad and most likely you will not see issues at that voltage. Having said that, Anything under 46 volts is considered bad by ford spec.

If you pull it out and re-solder it will most likely bring you back up to 47-48 volts which can't hurt. Make sure you get the latest flash if you can, and keep on top of those batteries. Low battery voltage and the killer flash are the 2 suspected causes of this problem. I am not going to speculate which of these is for sure the problem, but they are both easy enough to take care of and prevent the problem.

I plan on testing my fuel mileage with camper in tow as soon as I go on my next trip. I have noticed a 1-2 MPG drop over the last 6-8 months and think it was related to my FICM going south. I will let you guys know as soon as I get the results. It certainly is capable of dropping your fuel mileage, so one would assume that repairing it and getting full voltage has a good chance of increasing your fuel mileage.

From my experience with my no-start, once the voltage starts going south, it will keep getting worse until it leaves you in a no start. I think at 42-43 volts you are not close to a no-start yet. Mine was only 16 volts when it was a no-start. But I would resolve this on your time now, so that next winter it doesn't leave you stranded on it's time.

 

Well my truck started fine this morning but it was still 31 degree. it is suppose to colder here over the next couple of days. so we'll see.
Before my truck had the no start issue my mpg dropped almost 3mpg. I havent had much of chance to determine how much it will or has increased yet but i will post if it does.

 

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I have been noticing the MPG drop as well over the last year. I haven't been doing the actually checking at the gas station but have been observing the LCD MPG in the truck. For many years it was around 16.7 but has been indicationg 15.5 for the last year or so.

 

Ok all,

I started the FICM removal and re-solder project today. Man, more challenging than I imagined. Cut the living crap out of myself but finally got it out. Highlu recommend removing the coolant reservoir even if you lose a gallon or two of coolant. That dang thing was in the way every step of the way. Getting the FICM back in is frightening but I'm sure with patience I'll get it done.

One significant set back. One of the middle FICM plastic connector clips broke. Now what? Can these be bought from the dealer and installed in the slot? Getting the proper angle and removing the three connectors was by far the longest part of the project so far. Believe it or not, it took me 3 hours to get the FICM removed.

I seperated the FICM box and removed the portion of the circuit board that requires the soldering. The soldering iron I've had for years did not do the trick so I had to run down to Lowes and purchase another. I went to work reflowing the solder on the 16 joints recommended to resolder. I looked at these joints using a magnifing glass and they all lookded like beautiful smooth tear drop solder joints with the exception of one that appeared to had a crack. Hard to tell.

Here's the part that concerns me. I took my soldering iron and went over each connection spending maybe a minute on each one going in a circle. I was able to reflow the solder but I 'll tell you, I felt like an inept, incompetant nitwit. I did each of the 16 joints and they went from smooth, to looking like the surface of the moon! Is this how others resoldering looked? Would appreciate any thoughts.

Tomorrow, I've reinstall and get back with the readings. Would using only one connector clip on the middle connector be ok?

Thanks..........I'm bushed!!

 

How long do you have to hold the Multi meter on the FICM for the volts to come up to 48 volts?

How hard is it to tear apart that FICM?

I've had the FICM out of my truck once before with no problems. I like to tinker with stuff if its the first time. I took the stock clutch fan off my truck and put two electric fans with a PWM module to turn them on and off, this was in hope's of some fuel economy. haven't seen any thing except 1 mpg. I blocked off the EGR this summer and I beleved my MPG droped for some reason. I'm hoping re-sodering the FICM will bring back that MPG.

 

Since you asked I would offer some thoughts, initially you said that you went over each connection for a minute each to reflow the solder and yet ended with a solder joint which looks like the surface of the moon. This sounds like your iron is too low of a wattage. I used a 50 watt iron with a conical tip and was able to reflow the solder in a couple seconds to a smooth bright finished dome (don't feel bad though since I've been soldering for 35 years). One problem with using a low wattage iron is that it takes too long to heat the solder to reflow which results in overheating the components and the board. On the other hand one can also use to high of a wattage. I would Not recommend using a soldering gun as usually the wattage is to high and the tip too large for SMD PC board work.

Note that this circuit board uses "via" technology. Via's are those small plated thru holes you see all over the board ( kinda like a micro rivet). Each via is vertical electrical connection between different layers of conductors in printed circuit board design. Vias serve two purposes, one is to provide electrical connections as mentioned but also provide thermal relief by carrying heat away from power devices through to the other layers of the board. Over heating a board using via technology may cause them to crack causing a poorer electrical connection and also compromising the heat transfer capabilities of the design.

Personally I believe that too little solder was origianlly used on the joints for the power component connections which are being questioned. Eventually the thermal effects of heating and cooling (expansion and contraction), maybe also a little vibration, leads these minimal solder joints to crack. To help relieve this potential problem using a little more solder then normal would be helpfull. So what you end up with is a joint which looks more like a dome then an cone with a point. Using silver solder (96/4 tin-silver) provides a stronger, higher temp and lower electrical resistance joint then standard solder (tin/lead) esp true for the high current circuits. These soldering supplies are available from any Radio Shack or electrical supply house i.e. Newark, Allied, Mouser, etc.

Some users mention having soldered plumbing before and using flux on their boards. Under NO circumstance use any flux that is intended to be used on plumbing! Use only specific electrical grade solder which should have a flux core(usually rosin) and smaller dia of around .032". When you are finished you can clean the joints using small amounts of 91% isopropl alcohol (available from your local pharmacy) on a swab to remove any residue.

Lastly the brownish/orange goop you may have scraped from the board to remove it from the housing I believe is a general epoxy compound normally used for potting these types of circuits used in automotive environments. If it was removed from around the large inductors and capacitors (they look like small cans), it probably should be replaced to minimize any virbration which could lead to component failure. The smaller chip components i.e. resistors and capacitors, it most likely does not matter.

Note that this power converter board can be tested stand alone and verified to perform correctly before reinstalling in the vehicle if you have some basic tools i.e. 20 amp battery charger, load resistors and a volt meter capable of measuring the involved voltages.

hope this helps.

 

Sorry to hear you had such trouble with removing your FICM, and flowing those joints. I removed and reinstalled mine about 5-6 during the course of my truck being in a no start. I must say the first time was a little slow, but by number six it was a piece of cake. I did not attempt to reflow mine since I only had a 15 watt iron. I took mine to a tv repair shop, and he made it look perfect. I asked him what I owed him and he told me it was on the house. Maybe you should try taking it to a local tv repair shop to try and make those joints look a little better. Dont forget to reflow the resistors, I think there are four of them and shine up those 4 metal circles that are circled in the fix.

The broken clip could cause you a problem for sure. I have heard of running issues when the clip are not snapped in tight on the bottom. I have no idea about the connector, and will let one of the other guys make suggestions on replacing that. Not sure what they would cost from a dealer. Im sure a salvage yard would have one a a very decent price.

 

Thanks alot guys. The testing of the board out of the truck sounds like a great idea. I do have a battey charger capable of charging at 15amps. Do you have the details on how to perform this test?

Also, I think I'll take the advise and try to find a local TV repair or electronic shop.

On the broken clip deal, I wonder if this can actually be replaced?

Thanks guys.

 

Well, good news and really bad news. I went down to Radio Shack and purchased some solder. This was the really small gauge solder wire and I got home and did some experimenting. That was the trick and I was able to solder some really nice smooth practice joints. I went through and added some solder and made what appreared to be nice smooth shiney solder beads on each of the 16 joints a recommended. The re-installation of the FICM went very smoothly and I reinstalled within an hour.

Now the really bad news. Before I hooked the coolant reservoir back in I hooked up my multimeter to the FICM right screw (4 screw type) and then the black to battery ground. I got in the truck and turned the key to the on position. The multimeter read 0.00. I went, "what the F"! Waited for the glow plug light to turn off and cranked it over. No voltage reading and no start at all.

I have no idea. All three of the FICM connectors clicked in and I heard the clicks. I am really bumbed out. Any ideas all?

Thanks

 

I would check that the connection on the ficm wiring is seated all the way. There has been many reports that it is a pain to get them on correctly. I would double check that first.

 

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Thanks. i just double checked the connectors and they all snapped in and apprear flush.

 

Did you get any change on the voltage reading?

 

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Hi,

I got "0" on the multimeter and no start. With my new batteries it cranked like crazy but not even the slightest attempt of ignition..

 

Check your FICM to see if you bent one of the pins when you tried to plug it back in.