Looks like your DVOM you want it set to DCA 200m. You should be okay with anything under 30mA (or 0.03 A)...anything more than 50 mA (0.05 A)...then you have an excessive draw. As stated pull fuses one at a time...but dont replace until all finished, otherwise you can wake stuff back up. Good luck.

 

Thanks! Where should I plug my leads into the multimeter?

 

Anyone explored giving the FICM its own dedicated power supply?

i.e. a regulated, battery backed up, power supply that is immune to voltage fluctuations in the rest of the truck?

 

It appears from the photo...your black goes in the COMmon port (bottom) and the read goes in the VOhmsmA (middle) port...since your testing for less than 200 mA.

 

You know...I was thinking the same thing...but you said it first...so you get the patent. I agree...sounds like you're on to something of a winner with that thinking gearloose.

 

I thank all the Forum members that help us come to the same conclusion.

Right now, my current thinking is that it is an absolutely ridiculous thing to subject the FICM and the other electronics that are delicate to the surges / flux from the starting battery subsystems.

Electronics need a steady voltage and current.

That simply cannot be had out of starting batteries.

It must have its own dedicated battery, and dedicated regulated power supply.


I need a good Electrical Engineer to help us out here.



What we need data wise is:

A) Power requirments of FICM.

idle, maximum, typical load, load profile.

Then, what we need is to basically cut the existing power supply, and paste in a dedicated power supply in between (with a emergency bypass back to vehicle power).

Current thinking is to put the power supply in a very safe, climate controlled place inside cab --- eg under passenger seat.

Then have the usual bells and whistle alarms on the power supply (under volt, etc.).

A small e.g. AGM type battery with capacity 200 to 300% in excess of the FICM demands for both peak and a reserve capacity of 1 hour or more.

This module will be charged from the alternator when it is running.

Power flows from this to a regulator that completely isolate the circuit from the vehicle system.

Filters out all surges, spikes, etc.

 

Yes, I have thought of this too, in fact, I thought about pulling the entire FICM out of the engine compartments altogether as well once. In terms of adding a seperate power supply ? I don't think that's probably necessary. The solution I think is to use the power supply that is in the FICM as is BUT it has to be one that hasn't been damaged by that stupid inductive heat strategy. This is what is killing the FICM's. If you research International's rate of FICM failures it may as well be ZERO. This is entirely to do with that ridiculous idea of heating the injectors up with the inductive heat strategy, and that's a Ford solution ( patch ) to keep them from fixing the real problem.. However that said, a seperate battery or series of large capacitors that can keep the power up during the cranking/glow plug/ starting phase would probably be a really big improvement because that would make the power supply in the FICM much happier and consistant. Once you remove the aggressive inductive heat strategy, you solve the need for the high current demand the FICM is doing now ( given it has the second last FICM flash ). I understand from two sources, including Ford directly, they have seriously turned down their inductive heat strategy in the latest FLASH, so it's about 1/5 as aggressive as it once was ( saving FICM's ). Now if they would only admit that they wrecked all of our FICM's and send out new units free of charge, that would be great, but hey, since when does anyone take responsibility for anything they do anymore !!

 

cabinman...very well said.

 

To implement this strategy, all it takes is to know the voltage / current / operating time requirements of the FICM, then size a battery about 5X to 4X the demand required for safety margin.

Then run a battery isolator to the regular charging system to ensure that the battery is charged once the glow plug / starter system draw is done and the alternator produces normal voltages again.

Very simple.

 

I thought about mentioning that to the dealer when they confirmed the FICM was dead. Don't know where that would have gotten me, though. After all, I paid $100 for that flash last Sept. for them to kill my FICM and cost me an additional $1000? Doesn't seem fair, huh?

 

It's almost that simple only it would depend on the strategy that is loaded into each persons FICM. If they have the latest strategy, they don't need much at all because the amperage draw is much lower than before. I spoke to Bill at PowerHungry who has seen the strategies and has also seen the loads imposed by the aggressive strategy and I seem to recall him saying he was shocked when he saw it was pulling about 70 ( maybe 90 ) amps for a couple minutes! ( that would explain why my inductive coil was cooked when I opened my FICM )
The new one I think only pulls 1/3 of that or less and for a much shorter time. I suppose you could overbuild it to assume the worst but you have to size relays, wire and batteries to work together and to run 70 amps for a couple minutes, you're going to have to be really careful of fusing this wire, locating it with no possibilities of chafing ( or boom/arc welder ) if it's going through a firewall for example and also a relay or isolator that can handle this current. I guess it would be better to have the light inductive heat strategy Flashed into the truck first. Then build it so it's an additional power source to this system directed only to the FICM, rather than a switched stand alone. The trick would be also to have the supply wire to the FICM have a one way gate on it so the additional power doesn't back flow to support the starting features. I'd love to see Ford disable the darn daytime headlights during the ign. on key setting and only turn them on once it's running. That doesn't help during starting when it's 20 below zero and the batteries are already down . I have bought a battery isolator and am mounting a full size battery on the frame rail but haven't decided the final installation just yet in terms how connections.

As a side note question, has anyone seen these super small new starting batteries for cars and such ? They're supposed to be like those old large rectangular batteries you screwed directly to the handle to power those giant flashlights of yesteryear.. One of those might be the ticket because it's supposed to be small but yet provide a whallop for it's size.

 

I disconnected my Daytime Running Lights.

Solved a ton of problems.

See my DRL thread or electrical problems thread.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/9...ml#post8241267

 

My truck is commercial, so it's needs inspections. No EGR delete, or headlight mods or anything.. I am jealous of you guys sometimes !!!

 

Listen bud.

The disconnection takes 10 minutes if you are all thumbs.

Reconnection of DRL is 5 minutes.

It is worth it... take my word for it.

 

I am on it like a Fat kid on a smartie ! If only the EGR delete was that easy and reversible because truthfully, I am more worried about that going sideways on my at some point.