The Ford 6.0L Powerstroke PCM (Powertrain Control Module) and FICM (Fuel Injection Control Module) are critical components in managing the engine's performance and fueling. Calibrations for these modules are intrinsically linked and finely tuned to optimize fuel delivery, timing, and other parameters to ensure efficient and reliable operation of the engine.

 

The majority of the authority for the engine calibration is in the PCM, while the FICM does the actual work of opening the injectors through an electronic device called a driver. The driver can be considered a high-current switch that has no moving parts. The FICM also internally generates the 48 volts that the 6.0L HEUI system uses.

 

Here's a brief overview of what each module does:

 

PCM (Powertrain Control Module): This module controls various aspects of the engine's operation, including fuel injection timing, air-fuel ratio, turbocharger boost pressure, and more. It collects data from various sensors throughout the engine and adjusts settings accordingly to optimize performance and emissions.

 

 

FICM (Fuel Injection Control Module): The FICM is responsible for controlling the fuel injectors. It regulates the timing and duration of fuel injection pulses to each cylinder based on inputs from the PCM and various engine sensors. This ensures proper fuel delivery for combustion.

 

The FICM is a fully capable ECU for an International engine. It has the ability to operate the engine independent of the Ford ECU.

So, when the Ford ECU is programmed, it sends requests to the FICM based off of information like mass fuel desired, rpm, icp, and other information. The FICM ultimately has the final say. The keys to the fueling castle, if you will. 

 

In the FICM, each individual injector is controlled with four driver inputs.  There are high- and low-side drivers to open and close the coil of each injector. On later 6.0L engines, the low-side driver is actually shared among four injectors. This means an injector short to ground on one of the low-side drivers could produce four different cylinder error codes. The first ('03) engines had an individual low-side driver for each injector.