the dealer told me a new FICM would cost about $1,000. dealer prices are always huge.

ive seen them advertised for a 1/3rd of that, but people replied that "was too good to be true"

so with all the concerns about the FICMs, how much would a replacement cost ?



also, at 90K miles, what little things can a guy do to his 6.0 to improve reliability / performance?

last... i might want to use a tuner finally... 75-100 Ft lbs of torque would be nice to help with my bigger dump trailer.

thanks !

 

SCT for the tuner. FICM can be had a lot cheaper--check Swamps Diesel. Coolant filter is a definite MUST and way heap for the benefit factor.

 

The FICM should be covered by the emissions warranty. Mine was anyway.

 

IMHO, if you get an "aftermarket" repaired FICM, watch for this:

A) under no circumstances get one that has been played around by a hobbyist and ended up on ebay.

Buy only from people you know or trust - or get one off a wreck at a junk yard that you know.

B) Do not buy the "over voltage" "hot" FICMs under any circumstances.

There are lots of people claiming their "mods" greatly improve performance... take it with all the salt under Lake Ontario.

C) Get your existing one done under warranty - it is the best deal going and you get a certified reman from Ford.

 

What is it that makes you believe you need a FICM? Are you having performance issues?

 

I would recommend swamps diesel. They sell for $300. Although mine has only been in for 2 months now, Swamps told me my FICM will no longer have issues related to the inductive heating flash. Apparently they replace the substandard components with parts that are designed to handle the increased current. I guess only time will tell. They do offer a 1 year warranty as well.

 

Emmissions warranty 8 years or 80,000 miles...so that won't work for him. Did the dealer tell you that you had a failing FICM or have you checked it yourself?

 

gearloose1...are you referring to the Swamps deal that changes the internal components and increases from 48v to 58v...I've not heard anyone say they're bad....what are you hearing?

 

I am not going to discuss any one company's products.

But yes, I have a categorical "do not buy" recommendation based on what I know of the mod.

Discussion of that topic will just cause fights that are not helpful ---

even though I regard the above as a public service to everyone here - including people like you who might buy it and then regret it later.

You can see this thread and see for yourself:

Swamps Diesel Hot FICM Tests - TheDieselGarage.com

 

As always..thanks for the info.

 

gearloose, have you heard of any issues with the standard 48v fix from swamps?

 

None reported on this forum that I know of.

But that is a standard solder reflow job.

If there are parts replaced, that is a whole different ball game because replacement parts can take a long time to fail.


Previously, I have posted on why automobile grade electronic components are just not normally available "off the shelf".

Just because they have a part number and a spec sheet that goes with it that is "better" does not mean it is automotive grade.

In order to get auto grade components, you got to be in the "biz".

 

Swamps told me they do not just reflow. They do indeed replace the known faulty components even if they have not gone bad.

 

Then you are putting your hands in their ability to source, test, and validate the performance of the parts they are using over the life of the FICM, and not just until their warranty expires.


It may be a non-issue. But I have been around electronics component purchasing managers long enough to know things are never the same when purchased off "distribution" than when it comes via a regular standing order.



Oh... I am sure the "known faulty" parts worked for quite a while before they failed, too.


In electronics, the rule of thumb is if it works for 90 days (continuous), it is likely to work for 5 or more years (to the Mean Time To Failure for your average electronics box).


Hint: look up my posts on capacitor failures, tin whiskering, thermal failure, etc.


Good luck.

 

hey everyone, i dont know that my FICM is bad or anything, i was just asking out of curiosity.

a friend of mine is going to clean the EGR valve, and probably test the FICM just to be sure, and go over a couple other things. he says that Fords recommended turn over time is 3-5 seconds before the 6.0 should fire, so my truck fits into that recommended time... but he also says that it shouldnt take that long in his opinion so im going to get his thoughts on why my truck has started to crank over longer before starting.