BPD's billet FICM

6.0Powerjoke · Feb 2, 2013

BPD 58v here and it definitely improved my cold starts.

Their customer service is top notch as well!

Fordguy100 · Feb 2, 2013

Less stiction with my BPD 6 phase FICM at 58v

strokin6L · Feb 3, 2013

well, i got the BPD FICM bolted down to the other half. I now have a BPD FICM with ID FICM tuning. However i didn't even start the truck to see how it does. That's tomorrow's job.

Mdub707 · Feb 4, 2013

To me the 58V would be just advantageous as rev-x, so if your injectors are already in great shape you may not notice as much, but if you have a ton of stiction it seems like the extra voltage would move the spool valves easier.

strokin6L · Feb 4, 2013

well i started the truck up just a little bit ago. I was really suprised with what i noticed. Now before with the factory FICM and ID's mild FICM tuning, it started really good in the cold. Especially after sitting in the cold for over a week without being started and starting it with only one cycle of the glow plugs. So now i started it with the BPD 58v FICM with ID's mild FICM tuning. It had sat unstarted for about a week in the cold. Again i only gave it one cycle of the glow plugs. When it fired it had the romps REALLY bad. I've never had my truck idle this bad in the cold. I let it romp for a bout a minute then kicked it on high idle. I left it on high idle for about 10 min. After i switched it back to normal idle...romps were gone. So far the BPD made my truck idle worse in the cold.:shrug:

TooMuch03 · Feb 4, 2013

Sounds like how my truck was, sometimes still does act. When I was running and Atlas 80 FICM with my current and previous injectors, it would behave that way, until the truck warmed up or if it jumped up to about 1500 rpm. I have switched to a stock FICM and that got rid of a lot of it, but it will still occasionally do it, if its really cold, probably more to do with 150% nozzles. My theory is that when the ECM advances the fueling tables during cold operation, the more aggressive FICM tuning combines with the larger nozzles to over-advance, for lack of a better term, causing the truck to romp as you described it (I think that is a good way to describe it). When I added the FICM tune, I started having the same issue. Getting rid of the FICM tune got rid of most of it, I still may need an slightly adjusted FICM or ECM tune for cold starts with the larger nozzles. In your case, you switched from a 48v to 58v FICM, the greater voltage should advance the timing slightly, essentially making your FICM tune more aggressive. Just a theory of course.

strokin6L · Feb 4, 2013

Intersting Adam. I'll try starting it again in a couple hours to see what it does again.

strokin6L · Feb 4, 2013

if it continues to have the romps at 58v I'll cut the other wire which will turn it back to 48v.

weekendwarriorfsw32 · Feb 4, 2013

I have the 58V bullet proof FICM and it has help a lot with cold starts and over all running. No romps to speak of yet.

strokin6L · Feb 4, 2013

i started the truck again. oil and coolant temps were 40* and there were no romps. I'll let it sit overnight and start again tomorrow and see.

Mdub707 · Feb 5, 2013

I can get what you guys are talking about by simply removing one of my old program 7 pin FICM's and put a newer 4 pin on. The old 7 pins I have, clearly have different programming on them. The injectors buzz way faster at initial key on and always run quieter and smoother on first start up.

To add to that, I have some FICM's that test at 48V across the board, but will barely keep an idle going and sometimes sound like they cut out to 4 cylinders. I literally can't even start the truck in the cold without being plugged in with some of them.

I think the programming plays a huge role on them, not just the tuning, but how they were programmed from the factory. I think the rollback tuning is a great idea for these things.

The same 7 pins that idle smooth on my truck, also make it feel like there is way more throttle response. Anything under 1/2 throttle gets the truck moving way easier than the 4 pins.

Also, FWIW, when I start my truck in the ice cold after it's been sitting a while, I don't go off the WTS light, since that's independent of the glow plugs anyways, I actually listen for the injectors buzzing. I will let them buzz through a completely cycle, then turn the key off and on again and let them buzz for a second cycle to sort of pre-warm the spool valves. This has always proven to me to have much smoother start ups.

05wh250 · Feb 5, 2013

So what's better the 4 pin or the 7 pin?

strokin6L · Feb 5, 2013

from what i heard from a ford tech is that the 4 pin is better, but really...they both fail. So i really don't think one is really better than the other.

SICKS LITER · Feb 5, 2013

7 pin and 4 pin can be programmed with all the same calibrations. the 7 pins came in 03 and early 04 trucks so typically you will find them with 03 calibrations

Mdub707 · Feb 5, 2013

Exactly, my point wasn't to make it seem like the 4 or 7 pin is better, my point was some of the older programming was better, which in theory should be able to be put on either unit.

With that said... I see a good mix of failures from 4 and 7 pins. My favorites are the reman units that aren't even 3 years old that need repair already, some Ford, some Internationals... they all fail.

I just happen to have some old 7 pins with old programming, you wouldn't believe the difference in the way the truck starts and runs between some of them. I had one guy I gave a 7 pin to just so he could use his truck while I fixed his 4 pin. He called me up and told me he thought something was wrong with his truck because of how quiet it was idling. haha

SICKS LITER · Feb 5, 2013

Mdub707 said:
Exactly, my point wasn't to make it seem like the 4 or 7 pin is better, my point was some of the older programming was better, which in theory should be able to be put on either unit.

With that said... I see a good mix of failures from 4 and 7 pins. My favorites are the reman units that aren't even 3 years old that need repair already, some Ford, some Internationals... they all fail.

I just happen to have some old 7 pins with old programming, you wouldn't believe the difference in the way the truck starts and runs between some of them. I had one guy I gave a 7 pin to just so he could use his truck while I fixed his 4 pin. He called me up and told me he thought something was wrong with his truck because of how quiet it was idling. haha

the 03 programming isnt neccesarily better than the later stuff, there are good and bad ficm calibrations for all years. the "best" from each will all net the same rwhp. i actually prefer the drivability of the 05+ ficm calibrations over the 03/04.

Mdub707 · Feb 6, 2013

In my experience they are, but it's hard for me to say since I'm not sure which calibration is which, I don't exactly look to see either, I just happen to find that a lot of the older 03ish era 7 pin FICM's (with whatever programming is on them at the time) seem to work much better in my truck. Drivability seems great with the older ones, so much less effort to get the truck going. After driving with one of my favorite 7 pins, if I put the 4 pin on it's like I'm driving around dragging an anchor. I think this is why most of the tuners seem to say that you'll notice more of an increase with FICM tuning on the newer FICM's and the older one's are not as abrupt. Again though, to your point, you can put any calibration on any FICM, so it's kind of a moot point.

SICKS LITER · Feb 7, 2013

the tip in and part throttle is stronger on the 03/04 stuff. but also makes the truck more smokey. i prefer linear throttle response. i just put together a late 04 6 speed truck for a customer, with innovatives aggressive street or xtreme street the truck dumped soot taking off and at tip in under 2000rpms. using the php gryphon i changed the ficm tune from 04 economy to 05 economy. much cleaner and smoother driving truck, power was awesome.

Mdub707 · Feb 8, 2013

Interesting. I haven't really noticed a change in smoke output between the different one's I've used, but I've played with a tuned FICM and video taped it on the dyno and the tuned FICM's seem to fuel harder up top.