Ficm tuner

Twan · Nov 28, 2012

I just got my power hungry ficm tuner, and was woundering if it will let me put the stock ficm tune back in, or if I can only change from his preset tunes, thanks.

HOOV3R · Nov 28, 2012

It retains your stock tune and it can put it back. Its works kinda like an SCT does if that helps.

Twan · Nov 28, 2012

Thanks, that's what I needed to know.

a2elvis · Nov 28, 2012

Did you purchase the FICM tuner outright? If so then you can return it to stock at any time.

I know they offer kinda a loaner program then obviously you would be stuck with the tune you chose.

Twan · Nov 28, 2012

I bought it out right.

HOOV3R · Nov 28, 2012

If you bought the gryphon, you'll be fine.

Lilpooh · Nov 28, 2012

They are also VIN locked once you put the tune in your FICM, just like the SCT. However, once you return your truck back to stock FICM tune, you can load it onto a buddies truck for him to try out. You can do this as many times as you want.

a2elvis · Nov 28, 2012

Twan said:
I bought it out right.

Sweet me too!! I love the FICM tuner. I do have to keep it on the lower HP level otherwise it gets HOT... EGT's I mean

webb06 · Nov 28, 2012

who all makes a FICM tuner? i know innovative does..and the one y'all are discussing right now. who makes the best?

08straightpiped · Nov 28, 2012

I'm curious about ficm tuning also? Is there really advantages to doing it?

07powerstroke91 · Nov 28, 2012

Most people say it greatly increases the throttle response/driveability. I'm kind of hesitant because with the loaner you have no way of returning to stock, but at the same time I don't want to pay $400 to buy it for only a 40 hp gain. I guess if you want the 80 hp or higher tune then it might be worth more to you.

Pizza pig · Nov 28, 2012

there is a lot of misconception within the tuning, these results are based off of the stock ecm file. 40h increase with the stock ecm file, if the ecm is already tuned youre not ging to see a 40hp gain. You will gain power in different areas in the power band, but thats about it. I dont recommend anything more than a mild ficm flash, because the high hp ficm tunes just add pw in areas where is uneeded and causes excess of smoke and heat, this is especially true in trucks with a larger nozzle than stock.

If your ecm is tuned I would run the economy flash.

C-TANE · Dec 4, 2012

Just got my ECM Tuner from innovative. They were having a cyber monday sale for $250... They told me they might put them at $250 every monday until Christmas. After reading post explaining how they work by Eric and others with feedback, it seems they work the best on mild tunes but, have great throttle input responce no-matter what tune you're running. I'm gonna test mine this weekend (if I don't fall off the roof hangin lights...).

riest:

KingRanch6.0L · Dec 4, 2012

Looking forward to getting mine soon!!

07powerstroke91 · Dec 4, 2012

C-TANE said:
Just got my ECM Tuner from innovative. They were having a cyber monday sale for $250... They told me they might put them at $250 every monday until Christmas. After reading post explaining how they work by Eric and others with feedback, it seems they work the best on mild tunes but, have great throttle input responce no-matter what tune you're running. I'm gonna test mine this weekend (if I don't fall off the roof hangin lights...). riest:

What do you mean by mild tunes? I thought there was only one option on their programmer, which adds around 25 hp.

Pizza pig · Dec 4, 2012

you have to ask about their mild or race ficm files, they're device is preloaded with their moderate flash. And yes you will get most out of mild ficm tuning with bigger tunes or larger nozzles.

strokin6L · Dec 4, 2012

ID has mild, moderate and race FICM tuning. I ran both the moderate and mild FICM tuning and didn't notice a difference between the two.

C-TANE · Dec 18, 2012

Sorry for the abiguous statement. What I meant was that the FICM tuner (pre-loaded) from ID feedback is that you will see the most significant gains added alone to stock tuning or paired with mild ECM programming. Guys that are running hot or custom tunes are saying the gains are minimal and are seeing higher EGT's. I have loaded my FICM tune into my X paired with IDP SC3 running the canned street tune (factory programming).
The throttle response is great!!! It totally takes away that first 3/8th inch of nothingness in the pedal. I haven't seen an improvement in fuel economy yet but, I haven't tested it on a road trip. One thing I did observe is that after turning my key on and off for 25 minutes un-loading, loading, and re-loading programming my X spewed out blue smoke for the first quarter mile.:ford:

C-TANE · Jan 2, 2013

Ok guys, I have had my IDP FICM tuning loaded into my wife's excursion psd 6.0 since the friday before christmas. Lets start off with the pro's and con's. I drove the X to work on friday so I could load the FICM tune and play around with it on my 65 mile drive home. You have to return to stock if you have an SCT or other programmer. Once in stock mode, remove the FICM relay and load the file. After loading the FICM I had to then re-load the ECM tuning from my SCT (Took a good 20 minutes). Time to start it up... Was in the mid 60's outside. started right up noticed some cold start knocking and a good amount of smoke coming out of the exhaust (un-burnt diesel). I thought maybe it was just excess fuel from cycling the key on and off for the last 30 minutes un-loading and loading the tuning. As soon as I pressed on the excellerator I noticed that the 3/8" of nothingness was gone from the pedal (nice). Response was noticeably different even leaving the parking lot. By the time I got to the interstate engine coolant temp was up to 150*. Take off and getting to freeway speed was quick and smooth. I can't explain how nice it is to have the pedal work from the second you press on it...
Now, here is where I'm gonna get into the my experiance with this FICM tuning. Next morning (45*) we got all the kids ready to go. As normal the first thing I do when walking out is start the X and let her warm up a little while everyone fights over who is sitting where. Right away I new I was gonna have a problem. The engine fired right up but sounded like it started without the glow plugs. It was knocking very loud, a little pre-det, missing pretty good, and laying down a smoke screen that only a soldier could appreciate! Doors are wide open and the kids that where getting in are now coughing and trying to get out... NO JOKE HERE!!! Wife tells them to go back inside and then ask me, "whats wrong" (knowing about the $250 tuner I had just bought)? I'm sure some of you guys know the look and attitude I was getting. I asked her to go inside while I returned the FICM to stock. She walked away and I started the process of returning the ECM to stock so I could return the FICM to stock. While I was waiting I checked my email to see if the guys @IDP had got back to me about the smoke I saw the day before (no response). Thats ok, I figured it was late on friday night and they might not have seen it yet. So, I got the ECM back to stock and plugged in the FICM tuner. WHAT, NO RETURN TO STOCK OPTION!!! You have to be kidding me! I checked every single listing on the programmer and nothing... Only upload file... Damn, this sucks! I called IDP but, no answer and recording keeps on going in circles...
I put everything away, closed the hood and started it back up. Same as described above but, now, a PISSED off wife too

Everybody got in and I tried to explain what was going on to her. She is very understanding of my madness so, she let it go and started teasing me (good sign). As we drove down our street we layed down a smoke screen that reminded one nieghbor of his day on Omaha Beach... The rough running sucker smoothed out as the coolant temp got above 125*. At 150* everything was back to normal. IDP did not get back to me until the day after christmas. So, yes, in case your wondering we had to go thru the knock/smoke process every day until then... It was a running joke by then, with one of the boys hanging his head out the window yelling, "the british are coming, the british are coming" when the engine was cold. :morons: IDP let me know that there is not a "return to stock" option but, they could send me a tune that will install inductive heating But, I will not see the same performance gains??? (I was un-aware that billowing smoke added RWHP!):wtf:
If that wasn't enough to piss off a saint check this out, they sent me a link to superchips update web site... Are you serious! Not even a tune but, just a link to a sight where I have to register, wait for approval, then troll around and try to find the right tune

wned: NOT EVEN RIGHT.
As of today, I still do not have the proper FICM tune to stop the rattle trap smoke and knock and more so I'm wondering how much actual performance I will end up with... Buyer BEWARE and believe me I will post an update as soon as this gets resolved. I just hope that I didn't pay $250 for that 3/8" worth of pedal

oke:

Pizza pig · Jan 2, 2013

You need injectors, the lack if moderate inductive heating in the ficm strategy is making stiction (sticking spool valves) more apparent. The ficm tune is not really the problem.

Thank ford for masking an issue by adding inductive heating.