Bulletproof 6.0L Power Stroke FICM
| Bullet Proof Diesel’s FICM is a power supply side upgrade (the power supply half of the FICM is what fails 99.9 percent of the time) that bolts to the logic board half of your existing FICM. Units start at $495.95 for 48-volt versions, and $695.95 for six-phase versions (which is what we tested). FICMs are available in anodized black or blue, and either a four-pin or seven-pin configuration.
The onset of fall and winter usually ushers in a host of cold-weather problems for 6.0L Power Stroke owners. One well-documented issue that’s often masked during warmer months but surfaces when cooler weather arrives, is fuel injection control module (FICM) failure. The FICM is in charge of sending the precise, 48-volt pulse that each injector solenoid needs in order to fire its respective injector, and when one goes south, the voltage sent to fire the injectors drops. This causes hard starts, poor cold-engine idling, lack of performance, and a decrease in fuel economy. Weak or dying batteries, as well as the 6G alternators found on ’03 to ’07 Super Dutys, are to blame for most FICM failures.
Going a step beyond the external causes of FICM failure, the folks at Bullet Proof Diesel took a closer look at the unit’s internal weak points and came up with a host of improvements. First, the power supply side of the FICM was completely redesigned and fitted with an upgraded circuit board that features much better heat transfer capability. High-quality, military-grade electrical components replace the factory, failure-prone pieces. A billet, anodized-aluminum case with added fins is utilized to better dissipate heat. To further increase durability, Bullet Proof also created the six-phase FICM, which offers two extra phases over its standard four-phase unit. The extra phases share the workload, so the circuits are never overworked. Read on to see our experience with one of the company’s six-phase FICMs.
| In these two overlaid dyno graphs, you can see that a dying FICM definitely leaves horsepower on
the table. In the ’03 Excursion’s case, the fresh, 58-volt FICM picked up 16 hp and 9 lb-ft of peak
torque. Also notice that considerably more horsepower is being made throughout the engine’s
rpm range now, and that the torque curve holds out longer. In addition to the added power, the
Excursion benefits from quicker startups and better throttle response.
