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Bad Pcm ?

2K views 5 replies 5 participants last post by  Patrick Feeley 
#1 ·
i have a 95 7.3 powerstroke.today it randomly died when i pulled in my driveway.wouldnt start again would turo over but no fire.the wait to start light wouldnt come on so was thinking maybe pcm is goin bad.but after like 5 min it started again and glow plug light came back on also.and this truck also when driving will die for like a mila second and be fine.does it evrytime i drive but only once and it doesnt die all the way.i was thinkin bad CPS but when the wait to start light doesnt come on points to the pcm? what do you guys think.
 
#3 ·
Usually it won't be the PCM. Does it have a chip? Unplug the fuel heater on the driver's side of the fuel filter bowl. On a 95, it will be the upper wire of the two on the driver's side (the lower is the Water-In-Fuel sensor). The fuel heater wire is a funky spade connector that pulls off straight out from the bowl. Don't damage the part that is on the bowl itself as that will run you about $50 (and you will have to remove the fuel bowl to replace it). Check underhood fuse #22 with a meter as well. Cheers!
 
#5 ·
My '97 did that. I managed to get home before it died once and for all. I tested the electrical system every which way I could. My neighbor is a diesel mechanic and brought his equipment down. He finally said I had a loose wire. I had the truck towed to a local auto electric shop. It took them three hours (at $100 per hour) to find the problem. A previous owner plugged a performance chip into the PCM. The chip went bad and the computer couldn't talk to the other systems. The shop unplugged the chip (3 minutes) and the truck hasn't missed a beat since.

There is a small door on my PCM. They opened it and pulled the chip out. See if you have a chip before you spend a lot of money you don't need to.
 
#6 ·
Yes, I do mean unplug the fuel heater permanently, just make sure that the loose wire won't short on anything. Most folks (including me) don't need it. If you feel you need it or just want to keep it, get the newer SD style element (Dorman 904-210) as it is a better design. X2 on ol' grouch's comment on the chip (that's why I asked if it had one in the beginning). Cheers!
 
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