When you aren’t getting 48-volts to the injector coils you get: hard starts, rough idle, loss of power, poor drivability, and excessive smoke out the tailpipe-and in cold weather each of those symptoms will be amplified. What a Failing FICM Looks and Sounds Like Voltage supplied from the FICM to the injectors should be at least 45-48 volts with the key on, while cranking the engine and when the engine is running (note that 45 volts is the bare minimum allowed according to Ford). Always check the condition of the FICM with an appropriate scan tool before replacing an injector. What’s worse is that some folks misdiagnose a failing FICM for a bad injector. Unfortunately, when the batteries don’t supply at least 12.6 volts to the FICM, its delicate internal circuitry is damaged. For any other vehicle on planet earth, simply replacing the batteries or alternator and going on your way would be the norm. What Happensĭying batteries, an alternator than can no longer recharge the batteries or a combination of both are a FICM’s worst nightmare. As a result of the inaccurate operation of the injector coil, the injector’s spool valve may not allow the appropriate amount of high-pressure oil into the injector, thereby hindering performance. When voltage begins to drop off, the coils start to operate on a delay, causing injector misfires, rough engine operation, or excessive smoke. In order for the injector to open at the right time and inject fuel for the correct duration, the FICM must send optimal voltage to the injector coil, which (as we already mentioned) is 48 volts. Hard-starting is almost always the first sign of an ailing FICM. In the 6.0L’s case, the FICM sends a 48-volt, 20-amp pulse to the injector coil, the coil being what allows the spool valve to open and allow high-pressure oil to activate the fuel side of the HEUI injector. If an IDM is as unfamiliar to you as a FICM, the gist of it is that these modules take their orders from the powertrain control module (PCM is what Ford calls its ECM) and calculate the start of injection and injector duration.
#High voltage 7.3 injector driver module driver#
The 6.0L Power Stroke’s fuel injection control module (FICM) is similar in functionality to the injector driver module (IDM) on the 7.3L Power Stroke. Unfortunately, by the time you notice the FICM is on its way out, it’s too late… Below, we’ll explain exactly what the FICM’s role is on the 6.0L Power Stroke, why it fails and how you can prevent it from dying. And with the FICM being required to pull off the 6.0L’s precise injection events, performance suffers considerably when this vital module heads south. This can be mind-blowing for those who are new to the 6.0L Power Stroke, but it’s true. Believe it or not, weak batteries damage the FICM’s internal circuitry. Much like a plugged oil cooler, where failure slowly creeps up on an unsuspecting truck owner, fuel injection control module (FICM) failure is also rampant on the 6.0L Power Stroke.