Hello all! I'll get right to it. Last year (March 2020) I bought my father's 2014 F150 King Ranch V6 twin turbo. Has about 112,000 miles. He never had a problem except the AC motor went out and had it replaced some years ago. Anyway, 2 months ago I hop in the truck and it won't start. No check engine light or codes. It would crank and crank and crank but not start. Found out it could be a bad Fuel Pump Control Module (FPCM). Sure enough, ordered the $40 Dorman one from Amazon and it fixed the problem. That was the first week of January this year. About a month later, early February this year, same thing. Truck would not start but crank and crank. So I ordered the more expensive $90 FPCM from our local auto shop (also a Dorman product) and that fixed the problem again. I thought I was good to go. So Monday a week ago, when we got blasted with the snow, I tried starting the truck and now the same exact issue is happening again. It cranks like a house'afire but just not getting gas. I figure if I were to replace the FPCM AGAIN, that would probably fix it....for a few weeks. When I disconnect the negative battery cable and then reconnect it, there is a sound coming from the front fuze box area, a slight hum like the relay or whatever is kicking on and doing it's job. The fuel pump fuse that some have seen get really hot seems fine. No discoloration or corrosion or anything. It just seems like, again, it is a bad FPCM. The harness that connects to the FPCM also seems fine, nothing out of the ordinary. If I need to order a few of them and keep them on hand, and replace them every month when they go bad, I will. $40 a month and 5-10 minutes of that simple replacement won't kill me, but it sure would be a pain to deal with every 3-4 weeks, not to mention an extra $500 a year.

A few things that could be relevant, I don't know. The gas gauge sometimes reads wrong. Sometimes I start the truck and it says empty, but there is in reality a half tank or what have you. After a few minutes of driving, the gauge will slowly come back to the proper reading. And our driveway is on an incline. I back the truck up the driveway when I get home, so the front is slightly lower than the rear. I have started the truck from the driveway with VERY little gas in the tank, but I just wanted to share that in case it's a clue. Dad said he never had an issue with the gas gauge. I am wondering if reversing my truck up the slanted driveway has any part in my problem. But then why all of a sudden after 9 months of not having an issue?

I would like to get to the bottom of the problem and if y'all have any ideas, I would really appreciate it. -Stuart Davenport San Antonio, TX \

I am about to remove both positive and negative cables from the battery and just unplug and replug the FPCM, and then reconnect the battery to see what happens. I will update the thread in a bit.

Your help is MUCH APPRECIATED!!!!

 

So disconnecting and reconnecting the battery cables as well as the FPCM did nothing. I guess I'll order another for the time being. This will be the 3rd. I cannot find another manufacturer other than Dorman.

 

Any codes?

 

Having the nose of the truck down will make it harder to pump gas due to the location of the pump. If you have to park like this, probably shouldn't let it get below 1/4-1/3 of a tank. That probably explains your gauge issue.

If you can find a Motorcraft module, that would be better than Dorman.

Wiring could also be the problem. Sometimes corrosion is hard to find, may have to pull back some tape or insulation near the connectors to find it.

 

I would do the fuse fix anyway, just to be sure its not part of the problem.

 

"Wiring could also be the problem. Sometimes corrosion is hard to find, may have to pull back some tape or insulation near the connectors to find it."
I would check for bad/dirty grounds back in the fuel pump area. In my experience when gauges, lights etc start doing crazy things its generally a bad or dirty ground connection.

 

Hello,

Ironically, I just had to replace my module yesterday. 127k miles and just died on the spot. 15 minute swap and back on the road. I did purchase the fuse kit in case that was a problem too but didn’t have to use it yesterday. I plan on installing the kit mod as preventative measure just so I am not stranded with that issue down the line.

I have read in a couple of forums that using the Ford OEM part is more reliable. I went with OEM and got it for $50. Friend works at parts department. However, when researching I found OEM on Fords parts website for $75. Just didn’t have to buy that one since had a source. I only paid $25 for the OEM fuse kit and it comes with instructions.

As noted above, even if fuse doesn’t look bad I would do the kit mod. At minimum, change the fuse to ensure it’s not blown and you just can’t tell.

Good luck! It’s an inconvenient pain in the ****!

Trey

 

I was going to wait to reply until I changed out the FPCM but UPS is running late, and y'all have been so kind to reply so quickly.

At first, no codes. No check engine light. However, after cranking the engine over and over trying to get it to start I did get the light and some codes. One is a misfire code, P0300 but that I am 99.9% sure is because of the fuel system issue. It (my scanner app) even says that this code could be tripped because of a fuel supply issue. It is not a cylinder that is misfiring on its own, but rather no fuel is getting to the cylinders. The other two are P0627 (fuel pump "A" control circuit/on) and P0230 (ECM detected fault in fuel pump circuit). But I am HOPING that this is just another bad FPCM, which to my limited knowledge would explain those codes. I'll know when it get the new one, hopefully by this evening.

What is the fuse kit? Is that a kit that essentially bypasses the FPCM? I think I read that somewhere while researching, would love to know more about it, if I have my facts right. The little 20 amp fuse in the engine fuse box panel is A-OK. Relay seems to work fine. I even pulled the relay and fuse for a few hours and reinstalled, but truck did not start.

Wiring all seems legit. No corrosion that I can see, but of course hard to tell with insulation. It just looks normal. I also checked the ground on the FPCM just to be sure, it's all clean and looks good.

I will also try to find OEM part instead of replacing it over and over with Dorman parts. Last I checked online I couldn't find a Motorcraft part. I'll dig more.

 

Fuse Relocation Kit
Have you checked the Fuel Pump Relay, It gives you the same symptoms as the FPCM. Mine went bad and I change it with the Trailer Battery charge relay and everything was good.

 

Fuse kit moves F27 fuse that feeds control module to a different location in fuse box. The TSB that was out has the kit information. Do a search for it on the forums and you will find the kit part number and pictures. Even instructions. Also look on you tube for the kit install videos. There are several out there. Some better than others.

They are both available from dealer or the Ford parts website. Plus other places.

Good luck and just make sure you have 22 volts at the connector of the FPDM and that will tell if fuse and socket is good for now. Install the kit later when she is running and you have time for preventative measures