Starting issues w/6.0
 

Hi all ,
I have a 03 Ford F450 (Towtruck) w/145,000 on the ticker and it's been giving me problems lately an costing me thousands of dollars so I'm turning here for a kick in the right direction on what to do next. The issues I'm having started 2-3 months ago with it just NOT starting and since I have my own mechanics I had them look at it and was told it was the injector computer / no pulse to injectors so they opened computer blew it out an cleaned it and it started an ran for awhile (2 weeks) but had a miss then same thing happened 2 more times then finally since it would never start again took it to a ford dealer .......... 4 days later we get a call saying it was the injector computer (no good) and some sensor plus oil needed to be changed with a estimate of $2100 so I agree an said ok do it then they did it an once it ran it had the miss still so they tell me I need a gas tank ,injectors ,pump and some filters for a est of $6000 I decline the work an used truck to make some money . Couple weeks go by an it always started then 2 weeks ago I go to start it in the morning an it cranked so I made sure injector plugs were secure an apparently the dealer put 3 nylon zip ties on all 3 plugs to hold them in place maybe I don't know an I pushed/wiggled I guess all 3 an bam it started then 2 days later after that an nothing again just cranked so I brought to my shop and had them do the $6000 job ourself and it ran like a dream for few hours an had a minor misfire that came an went then got worse so I parked it that nite woke up for work an it cranked without any luck so I tow it to work and while I cranked it the mechanic played with injector computer harnesses an it fired right up with a misfire and played with the harness while it was running an u could hear misfire come an go so we put it by his stall an killed it then he goes through the plug furthest away from firewall an noticed the pins were sunk in not making a contact which answers why the dealer put nylon straps to hold all wires in place ..... Anyways fixes that issue an still nothing just won't start. Sorry for the love story but we checked fuses , relays and codes were just injector codes so I'm lost any ideas ? The truck ran so good for couple hours :argh:.

Sounds like it started with a dead FICM. They're easy as hell to test, you need a buddy, a multi-meter and two beers, it's a 15 min job including drinking the beers. (Also need an 8mm socket to remove the two bolts holding the coolant tank on the truck, slide it out of the way, then you need the torx bit to remove the little cover/plate on top of the FICM to test. Read this: 6.0's, FICM's and Cold Start Problems - PowerStrokeNation

My guess (just an assumption here) is you had a FICM dying, it's been misdiagnosed by the dealer a few times now, and someone broke the clips holding the plugs to the FICM itself. If that has bad connection, it wont fire injectors. It's sole purpose is to take 12V, turn it into 48V, and fire the injectors with it.

When you're cranking to start and it's not starting is there any smoke coming out of the exhaust? My guess is there is NONE, which means the injectors are not firing, which means you have a bad connection at the FICM, or the FICM is still dying. Blowing it out with shop air wont help a lick, the solder on the boards cracks and they stop working good.

I'm sending you a PM with my number, I can walk you through the test procedure, and if your FICM is still bad, I can fix it for you, (cheaper than swamps charges by far) and I also have a good one here sitting on the bench I can probably swap with you as well if you need the truck ASAP.

If you want to get if fixed yesterday, I'd buy a good working FICM either from the forum, or from Ford (if you're brave enough, they're something like $900), and I'd also get the wire harness that plugs into the FICM. Wire harness' on these trucks are really finicky. A little bit of chaffing or a slight loose connection and they either don't run or run like crap.

I would also think about getting a fuel pressure gauge for the truck too...:c:

No smoke ...... I here fuel pump working an some clicking an buzzing in engine bay. I'm in Chicago if there's any local gurus also I'm responding to my pms now thanks for the responses.

Definitely sounds like a FICM to me. It's either A) a dead FICM B) a bad connection/wire harness C) both.

Update .... Just got her back from dealer an it was a small collapsed hose on turbo inlet and some o-ring busted an laying at some screen an a FPR an/or fuel rail . $1600 was the damage. After I changed injector harness an main harness not to mention injectors , fuel pump , fuel tank . In 2 months $8000 spent on this and I was so close to doing a cummins swap on it lol.:dang:

This right here would have told you the problem without having to bring it in. Every 6.0 on the planet should have a fuel pressure gauge.

I've never seen one of those turbo inlet hoses collapse. Ever.

So true!!