I posted here approximately a week ago about a customer's 2004 6.0 PSD that we have been working on. A week ago it was barely running after we isntalled an EGR delete kit and was pitching a code for injector 8. The front most connector pigtail to the FICM was cracked (common issue with the 6.0) so we decided to replace the wiring harness. Seeing as you can't just find the pigtail we had to spend $400 on the entire harness. We got done and it will crank and sound like it wants to start but it just will not fire. It will not start at all now. It is pitching codes for injectors 2,3,5 and 8 now. We are thinking that it is/was a combination of the connector pigtail (which we just replaced) AND the FICM. We called the dealer and they always have about 15 on hand because they do sell alot of them. What are your guys' thoughts on this? Does anyone sell an aftermarket one? Our cost on the FICM from the dealer is about $500 and we're trying to save the customer some money. Any input is appreciated!
BEFORE you shell out the money for a FICM, recheck your work. If you are now getting hard faults specifically for cylinders #2, 3, 5 & 8 you need to check your wiring connector to the FICM's middle connector carefully. This would be C1388B as listed in Ford's PC/ED. The connector closest to firewall (C1388A) is for the wiring the cylinders #1, 4, 6 & 7, and the connector closest to the front of the vehicle (C1388C) is for various grounds and FICM CAN + and CAN- just to name a few circuits. I put money on it, that either this connector is not properly latched to the FICM and/or the connector is damaged/broken. The story you describe, sounds EXACTLY like a situation I ran into, not too long ago where an independent shop replaced a FICM on a truck, not knowing it needed to be programmed using IDS upon replacement. When the truck arrived (on a tow truck) at my doorstep, I proceeded to program the newly installed FICM only to have it running on four of the eight cylinders. Upon closer inspection, it turned out that the installing tech got a little too aggressive with the FICM's middle connector and damaged it, necessitating its replacement.
Thats why I keep telling everyone with a no start or injection codes to check the wireing before condeming anything. Too many times we have found it to be loose connectors or damaged pins.
We checked and rechecked everything. The owner of the shop is 7.3 PSD certified (I know that they're different, but he does have experience with some newer diesels) and he even went through it and couldn't find anything wrong. But we don't have a good 6.0 PSD tech anymore so we figured that for the customer's best interest we are sending it to a Ford dealership for their evaluation and they're going to take over from here. The guy that I spoke with on the phone from the dealer said it sounds like an FICM issue as well but they would like to take a look at it as well before any more money gets spent. We're a smaller, rural, local shop and we do deal with a lot of diesels because we're in ranch and farm country but sometimes it's better to admit defeat before we end up costing the customer an arm and a leg. I appreciate everyone's input and will keep you guys updated as I find out more.
The very fact that you mention specifically cylinders 2, 3, 5 & 8 being dead in your post is what lead me to advising you check that middle connector on the FICM because that is the very connector that services those four cylinders. My next step would've been to run an injector buzz self-test paying particular attention to the four cylinders in question. If no mechanical clicking noise was heard from those very four injectors, I would then have plugged in my home-made "noid light" into the injector connectors one by one, to compare the brightness which I assume would've lead to those four cylinders not lighting up at which point would lead to a problem with the circuit(s) or the FICM (not as likely, but still a possibility).
To verify the FICM is functioning, you simply need to access the three FICM voltage PIDs (FICM_L, FICM_M and FICM_V). FICM_L and FICM_V should be reading at or around battery voltage (approximately 12 to 14 volts). FICM_M is the most important of the three. If it decreases to any less than 45 volts it will set a P0611 FICM performance DTC, at which point it needs to be replaced. Optimum FICM_M voltage readings are between 47.5 to 49 volts.
Yeah I thought something was a little funny given that a whole bank was dead but I wasn't going to touch it. I know my limits with diesels and diagnosing stuff like this isn't my forte. The truck was taken to the dealer tonight. We ran a buzz test and everything seemed normal to us.
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