2014 BS and Chat Thread!

[RCCUMMINS89]

That's a fricken cool pic man.

[dazedandconfused]

I love that picture Ike.

[DMan1198]

Look at that last post of his....looks like it.

That's what I was thinking too.

I'm glad you guys are safe. That picture is really cool Ike.

On a side note I got a manifold blanket for either The Roo Hunter or brownie. It looks nice, and I'll find out if it helps at all whenever those trucks are running

[cmann250]

So have you started bleeding car yellow yet Caleb?

Look at that last post of his....looks like it.

Not really. The Cat controls are so backwards. It still makes me mad wen I'm running something. One of the truck drivers showed me how to switch the excavators to "farmer controls", meaning Deere controls, and now everything makes sense. The best way to ruin yourself on a particular brand is to see want goes wrong day in and day out.

The one thing I've noticed is all the emissions trucks in for service in the 2 truck bays. I'll do everything I can to avoid owning one of them Our new Cat T660 truck needed a whole new fuel system at 5000 miles. Injectors and all. I think the ol' W9 with a C15 under the hood will stick around a while longer

[ellis93]

So the rev-x,65$ for 8ozs, miracle juice did some good but the cold running was still pretty bad on the 6.0 ford I have. Come to find out the ficm/idm has an issue as well. It's so bad now the truck will fire up and instantly die like you switched the key off.
The only upside to this is now I actually have some dang codes to diagnose with,instead of blindly guessing. I also found the driver board for the module rebuilt for 145$,or the whole thing for 300$ exchanged and programmed to the latest and greatest ford update. I think I'll just buy the board and motor on.

I will say this, I really like the truck. "WHEN" it runs decent,it has some power to it. Even with 200k on the clock it'll turn these 265 mud tires over on pavement with ease.

I can see where the ferd crowd could like these trucks......when they run

[PToombs]

Ellis, the key to the FICMs is to up the voltage they put out, it makes them work better. I don't know all the details but a friend of mine was rebuilding them and upping them to 40 volts? I could be wrong on that number but I know his truck ran great when he put one in.

Ellis, look here, http://www.upstatebombers.com/post/6-0- ... 1268106011

[ellis93]

Can't Pete,wants me to register to see the top secret squirrel stuff.

From what I have read tho,seems that 52volts is the money shot. Also they run them up to 58 but some say that it's hard on the injectors. The one I'm looking into is suppose to push 52.

[cmann250]

Those 6.0Ls may have power, but I can't believe they are that torquey being a small V8.

I recently found out that 2 guys at work have Ramchargers. The lead tech has a nice black one and a road tech has another that I've not seen. Both are 318/autos. The second one is supposedly getting a 440 in the near future.

[RumbleFish]

Found the ramcharger bumper at the upull Ive been wanting for a long time (never mind the fact the one I already own is on my dads RC and he wont give it up). Last weekend was 50% off too. Not only is the truck sitting in a nasty puddle, but the damn hardware is rusted and I cant get it off

[PToombs]

So register! I'll approve you. Maybe.

[PToombs]

I apologize to everybody, yell at Ellis for this.


I'm sure some of you are familiar with the FICM (fuel injection control module) on the 6.0's and that they fail on a somewhat common basis. This module is mounted on top of the drivers side valve cover, and essentially takes 12V from your battery and bumps it to 48V to fire your injectors. It is programmed by Ford and you can even get them individually tuned (this is aside from your regular PCM/ECM/TCM tuning from a handheld device like an SCT). The issue is the low amount of solder used during assembly. The FICM see's constant heat cycles and vibration due to being mounted where it is. This coupled with the low amount of solder leads to faulty connections on the circuit boards. When they get weak and start dying, you may or may not get a check engine light with a code (more often, not). They are VERY simple to test.

The first sign of a failing FICM is an odd injector "buzz" noise when you first turn the key (provided you have the newer flashes from Ford, I'd be surprised if someone didn't have the newer flashes). The old flashes the injectors buzzed when you shut the truck off, newer they buzz when you first turn the key to start it. If the buzzing sounds inconsistent or weak, you probably have a failing FICM. Other codes you may get are numerous injector codes at once, especially on one bank. So if you get injector codes for 1,3,5,7, there is probably an issue with the FICM, not the injectors.

Testing procedure copied from PSN:

How to check your FICM for proper voltage output.
(Perform this check when the engine is completely cold.)


1. Remove the two bolts that hold the coolant reservoir to the cowl and push the reservoir out of the way forward and to your right. You do not need to disconnect any of the hoses.
2. On top of the FICM is a small cover held on by two #20 Torx screws; remove these two screws and pry the cover off.
3. On 2003 and early 2004 trucks, you will see 7 screw heads under the cover. On 2004 and later trucks you will see 4 screws.

4 screw FICM

4. Take a multi-meter set on DC volts and connect the ground lead to battery negative, and with the key ON measure the voltage at the screw on your right—closest to the driver’s side fender. Do not let the probe short against the case! The voltage should be right at 48 volts. Anything between 47 and 49 is good.
5. Have an assistant cycle the key and measure the voltage during the initial key-on buzz test. Voltage should not drop below 46 volts.
6. Next measure the voltage while cranking the engine. If voltage stays at or above 45-46 volts, the FICM is fine. Abnormally low battery voltage can give a false low FICM voltage reading, so make sure your batteries are good.

The procedure is the same for FICM’s with 7 screws, except that you will be checking voltage at a different screw, as shown in this picture.

7 screw FICM
If the voltage is above 46 volts in all the tests, your FICM is in excellent condition. If it is between 36 and 45 volts its OK, but not great. If it is between 25 and 35 volts, you have serious FICM problems.

I want to add that you should also check voltage with the truck physically running as well, I had a FICM that tested fine during key on engine off, and fine when cranking, but once the truck fired it gradually started dropping voltage.

This is literally a 10 minute process, you need a buddy, a multi-meter, and 2 beers (both for you if you're selfish, or one for you and one for your buddy).

So, where am I going with this?........

If you find your FICM is failing, your options are:
Ford, NEW FICM: ~$900-$1100
Ford, Half shell: ~$450
Swamps 48V repair: ~$750 (includes $350 core charge)
Swamps can also do 58V hot upgrades, and tuning, and you do get a good deal of "extras" with this job, they will include a data sheet of your voltages and a 1 year warranty.

A new option? SEND IT TO ME! I have messed around with some FICM's, and have tested/verified/repaired them quite successfully. I am actually driving around on a "dead" FICM I purchased and then fixed. Holding strong at 48.3V right now. I will take your bad FICM, put it on my truck, test it and verify it is indeed bad, and then will do my best to fix it. If it doesn't work, there is no charge to you and you've lost nothing but maybe a day or two. If it works, great!

$200 including return shipping (if it needs to be shipped)
Thanks,
Mike

[ellis93]

Thanks Mr Pete

[dazedandconfused]

The 6.0 are a running sob when they are right and empty but with a load on them they pull like a small block gasser.

[DMan1198]

Apparently the way you up the voltage on a ficm is with a different resistor. I know someone who bumped it to 62 volts.

On another note I raced a tuned 6.4 powerstroke today. By the time we hit the speed limit I'd put nearly my full truck length on him

[PToombs]

No prob Ellis. If you want Mikes number let me know, I'm sure he'll fix it for you if you want.