Ford introduced the 6.0-liter Power Stroke V-8 in 2003, as a new and purportedly better replacement for the 7.3. Both engines used electronic fuel injection, but while the 1994-2003 7.3 was controlled by an injector control module, or ICM, the new 6.0L engine used a new unit called the fuel injection control module, or FICM. All 6.0L Power Stroke engines built from 2003 until 2010 use a FICM, but not all FICMs are the same. Ford used both four-pin and seven-pin designs; the differences are internal, however, and both types will work on any 6.0L Power Stroke.
The FICM has been a source of problems for owners of the 6.0. The most common complaints involve hard starting and poor cold-weather starting. Other issues that can be traced back to a cranky FICM are loss of power, excessive smoking (of the engine, not the driver), rough idle, and, of course, not starting at all. If you have experienced these problems with your 6.0L Ford, it could mean you have a weak or failing FICM module. The obvious solution is a replacement FICM from Ford, but they’re expensive and prone to the exact same problems, as Ford has never altered the design.
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