What my Ford Mechanic Said

I am just back from the Ford garage with a new FICM, and I had a chance to talk a little with a man who seems to be a very good diesel mechanic. Couple of things jumped out at me. First, he said he had never seen a FICM last for 220,000 miles. I wonder if he might just have been trying to make me feel good. Anybody gone longer than that on a FICM? Second, he pretty obviously didn't like my coolant filter and my choice of Delo ELC. He said it was foaming, and since air bubbles do not cool the engine, that hot spots might develop. He made a pretty strong plea for a complete coolant flush and Ford Gold. My coolant is only a week old, and I am staying with it. But just to be as safe as possible, is there a safe anti-foaming agent available that is compatible with Delo ELC? This work was a new FICM and replacement of the leaking little orange EGR cooler hose. It was a BOAT job: Bust Out Another Thousand.

The orange egr cooler hose, isn't that an old design? Haven't then been replaced with the blue jobs?

FICM's do die quite frequently. You definitely got charged a lot for that, probably right around $1k just for the FICM job I'm guessing. Sucks that it will probably happen again too. Next time send it to someone like Swamps.

The FICM was $860 and the labor was $432. Live and learn I guess. Is there a better engine monitor than ScanGauge II? Is $150 a good price?

Auto Engunity I like mine a lot.

What could He possibly find wrong with a coolant filter ?
I hope the mechanic put in the new blue hose ?

Yes, the new hose is the blue one. He said filters don't do as much as we think they do. OK, I know it's a bypass filter, so it can't possibly filter all the coolant every pass through the engine. I told him to look on any of the websites and find a picture of a cut open coolant filter. Made a believer out of me. He said I had to go back to Ford Gold at least 3 times. I think that's the Company line. BTW, after driving 8 miles and sitting for 10 minutes, there are no bubbles in my coolant. I doubt there are any bubbles at 16 PSI.

The foaming could be caused by contamination of the coolant with VC9 (or restore) if you didn't get it all flushed out with distilled water.

$432 for ficm install?! that thing is plug n play son! coulda done that one yourself.

I have 246k on my factory ficm.

FirstSixOh said:

BTW, after driving 8 miles and sitting for 10 minutes, there are no bubbles in my coolant. I doubt there are any bubbles at 16 PSI.

Click to expand...

You better hope the pressure is not going up to 16 psi
The normal operating pressure is around 5 - 7 psi

Jeez that lobor is insane. I removed and installed mine in the yard standing on a bucket in less than 20 min. Mine went at 120k miles It takes less than that too see if its bad. BTW I am a commision based technician but not for FORD. That is highway robbery on labor

they have to program the FICM so that and some labor but still a tad High IMHO

I didn't have to program mine I sent it out for repair. Cost 250 dollars with a 3 year warranty. FEdex overnight and got it back the next day for 30 extra bucks shipping

you most likely popped up a U code by not flashing new FICM to communicate with the rest of the truck....

That labor is pretty high.

DO NOT go back to the Ford Gold... Its junk. We changed our drums over to the RED Prestone ELC....

lol....foaming the coolant....good one....maybe its foaming from blown headgaskets..lol

I have never seen coolant actually foam.

cooalnt foams badly with VC9 still in the system, but the only time Ive ever seen it foam is when draining and it splashes in the drain pan

CTC DEEZUL said:

you most likely popped up a U code by not flashing new FICM to communicate with the rest of the truck....

That labor is pretty high.

DO NOT go back to the Ford Gold... Its junk. We changed our drums over to the RED Prestone ELC....

Click to expand...

Why is Gold junk? I have used Gold in two trucks with lots of miles on them and with the EGR systems intact and never had a coolant related issue.. I do flush the system every 50K..

people say the silicates are the cause of the oil cooler blockage
and the maintenance schedule is like 100k so you may have solved the issue?
IDK? my cooler was replaced at 60k

We had a discussion on PSN on this subject.. IDK, Gold works for me.. Could very well be the fact that I flush it every 50K.. :shrug:

Honestly, who flushes their coolant every 50k let alone once every other year?

I bring it up to customers all the time and they think its like brake fluid or power steering fluid and just ignore it...

I dont like the gold. thats why I put the ELC in their trucks, cause I now their not going flush it... and I have seen the ELC last a hell of alot longer than gold