Strange starting...

[dmbrichie]

05 6.0, 79,xxx miles... Seems like now that it is getting colder here in Minnesota in the mornings my truck starts very strange. Truck starts fine but seems to chug, and blow ALOT of black smoke for about a minute until it gets warmed up some... Any thoughts?? I have owned the truck for over 3 years now and never experienced this. Also my garage is fully insulated so it normally stays around 30-40 degrees in there with the heater off, so not very cold at all. Thanks in advance.

[dmbrichie]

nobody??? Come on guys I need an idea here...

[Lilpooh]

Weak or bad FICM, weak batteries. You can test your FICM in about an hour of your time, at least it might help narrow down your problem.

FICM tests

[nylyon]

If your FICM is good, it could be stiction. You can get the most recent flash from Ford, or try a product like Rev-X.

[dmbrichie]

It is the FICM... Today while driving down the highway with my trailer the truck was blowing constant smoke, took it to my mechanic and he pulled the codes. Pulled a code for every injector and also for the FICM. Anybody have an idea on cost for this?? He said the FICM is $800 and my buddy paid about $800 for labor at a Ford dealer a few months ago... Hopefully this will fix my issues...

[howell_jd]

Is your truck under warranty? If not then Swamps Diesel (Swamp's Diesel Performance) is probably a better cost option for the FICM than the dealer ($570 vs. $708.33).

Swamp's Webstore - Custom Electronics

Buy 2005 Ford F-550 Super Duty Parts | FordParts.com

Good luck.

Jonathan

[nylyon]

And there's the repair procedure BUT be aware that if you do that then go with the swamps option, they won't give full core credit.

[howell_jd]

Make sure you check those batteries out too...a very common cause to FICM failure...that and the broken connections in the module that the repair procedure addresses. The batteries need to be load tested not just checked for voltage with a multimeter. You can get the dealer to do it or go to a parts store and they will do it for free. I think they can even check out the alternator too but you may have to coach them if your truck is dual alternator/dual battery set up.

Jonathan