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Sorry to re-open an old thread. Not sure if my problem is related to fpdm or not. 2006 5.4 90k miles, in Utah. I recently started having a problem where my truck lacks power on the lower end of rpm's to mid rpm's. When I am trying to get up to speed relatively quickly it starts somewhat normal and then boggs down until getting to pretty high rpm's then starts to accelerate more like normal but still not completely. I just noticed this after having my truck go through the car wash. I also had this happen a couple months ago after driving in a bad rain storm. It lasted a week or so and then seemed to work fine. Now its back since I had a car wash that sprayed the undercarriage today. I pulled the fpdm off and there was some corrosion but not cracked or open from what I could see and no water was on it. Any ideas what it could be? Can there be intermittent problems with the fpdm like I'm experiencing? Would there be anything else that could cause my problem? The water could be a coincidence but it did see to happen right after the car wash.
Yes... If you look at some of the pictures in this post, the FPDM may lose all integrity as it cracks, splits and corrodes.
The biggest part of the job to inspect or replace the FPDM is to lower the spare tire.
After the tire is lowered, there are two bolts holding the FPDM to the truck frame and one wire connector.
If you find the FPDM to be in bad visual condition, you can purchase a replacement on Amazon for about $60, or a local parts house for a little more.
Check it first as it may provide a very easy fix.
Yes... If you look at some of the pictures in this post, the FPDM may lose all integrity as it cracks, splits and corrodes.
The biggest part of the job to inspect or replace the FPDM is to lower the spare tire.
After the tire is lowered, there are two bolts holding the FPDM to the truck frame and one wire connector.
If you find the FPDM to be in bad visual condition, you can purchase a replacement on Amazon for about $60, or a local parts house for a little more.
Check it first as it may provide a very easy fix.
So I took mine off and there was some corrosion, but nothing looked to be cracked or any holes in it. Can they have intermittent problems or will they just completely fail all together? Does a lack of power seem like it could be from the fpdm? It does seem like it lugs down when I give it has and it started right after going through the car wash. Amy other things that water could get in and cause similar problems?
So when I drove the truck today it seemed like the power was back and the problem was pretty much gone. Probably the water dried up from the car wash....??? any other ideas that it could possibly be? I was thinking of just ordering a new FPDM from Amazon but money is tight right now and was thinking if that would be the likely issue or if anyone has any other ideas?
Only about $60 on Amazon. From the issue you had, I would certainly replace it if it were mine.
If money is that tight for now, take it off and paint it with several coats if enamel. May help water proof it. Keep the plug area covered to protect the connection.
I made a fiber gasket to go under mine (still original) to keep it isolated from the frame.
Only about $60 on Amazon. From the issue you had, I would certainly replace it if it were mine.
If money is that tight for now, take it off and paint it with several coats if enamel. May help water proof it. Keep the plug area covered to protect the connection.
I made a fiber gasket to go under mine (still original) to keep it isolated from the frame.
Awesome thank you! I really appreciate the response and help. I am going on a small road trip in 2 weekends, so i'll probably just go ahead and order the new one from amazon to be safe. Before i spent the money i was just curious if there was any other thing that could cause similar problems when wet? I heard the COP's could act funny when wet but likely wouldn't come back to life so to speak after drying, plus it would be a lot more unlikely that water got up there from a car wash, but the undercarriage spray that i had highly concentrated on the back of the truck seems more likely the culprit.
thanks for info replaced fpdm old one had big hole on the back of fpdm.info saved me from taking truck to dealer and getting the run around . thank you for info
Just thought I would post some pics and bring this topic back to the top to keep awareness high and add a little explaining. Bought my '04 about a year ago and had intermittent hard start on cold wet Michigan winters. No idea what it was about then happened across this post because the OP had it in his signature (thanks)! Yes, everyone replace these.
I'm a Ford engineer so I have to be a little careful what I say here but I want to clear the air about this problem and others like it that can anger people. I read how people think this was done on purpose or that it should be covered by the company. Ford as well as all manufacturers NEVER EVER let a failure happen if we know that it is guaranteed like this. We take pride in what we engineer and try to make it the best possible. It does not make sense to have parts fail "on time" as people suggest. The customer is going to be upset and Ford most likely will not see any benefit from it. Many people will not go to a dealer and not use OEM parts such is the case with the Doorman replacement for the FPDM. This was purely an accident. Engineers, no matter how robot-like they act are human and miss things.
There is a system of tests in place to catch problems like this and it did not happen. We do what is called Design Validation or DV testing to make sure the vehicle is ok to ship. This is the same or very similar to all OEMs. At a vehicle level this can take many months to years but was not long enough for this issue to occur. If we tested trucks for 5 years before they were released to public we would come out with a killer solid truck that uses 5 year old technology (not good). In this case it is very hard to replicate the years and years of real world corrosion, temperature changes, humidity changes and miles that are accumulated. Corrosion testing can only catch so much and something like this was over looked.
The problem stems from what is called a "sacrificial anode". Basically the cheap, uncoated pot metal used for the FPDM cast base reacts with the environment and the chassis passes some of its charge and you get accelerated corrosion. This is very common on ocean ships which do this on purpose to keep the ship from rotting as fast and replace the sacrificial part on a regular basis. Cars should not need this as they are not always submerged in salt water, it adds cost and adds weight. You can read an article about it on wiki here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galvanic_anode
The spacer kit bumps this off the frame to stop the charge flow. So why doesn't Ford pay for it? This was touched before and more eloquently stated but there is no benefit for them to do so. The trucks that have this problem are out of warranty and this would cost the company a LOT of money. And frankly they can't afford it. They can't afford the press from issuing a TSB saying they will fix every problem that was missed, they can't afford setting a precedence, and they can't afford the money when there are shareholders and stock analysts looking at how the company is spending money. Saying you will pay for old problems is not good. And I hate to say this but they would not gain anything from it. You have an old truck. They want to take care of the people paying them, the people buying new trucks. Are you not going to buy a new F-150 because your 5,6,7 year old one caused you $56 - $400 dollars in bills? That's a couple tanks of gas.
These issues get fixed in the next updated release or next generation truck and everyone moves on. It sucks for the used truck guys like us but that's just how it is.
And my opinions are not those of Ford at all, just wanted to give a little insight as to what is going on. In any case, here is what I found on mine. Truck was in West Virginia first 6 years of it's life or this would have been much worse. Wire wheeled the whole area and covered in POR-15. Will get to the rest later.
Just thought I would post some pics and bring this topic back to the top to keep awareness high and add a little explaining. Bought my '04 about a year ago and had intermittent hard start on cold wet Michigan winters. No idea what it was about then happened across this post because the OP had it in his signature (thanks)! Yes, everyone replace these.
I'm a Ford engineer so I have to be a little careful what I say here but I want to clear the air about this problem and others like it that can anger people. I read how people think this was done on purpose or that it should be covered by the company. Ford as well as all manufacturers NEVER EVER let a failure happen if we know that it is guaranteed like this. We take pride in what we engineer and try to make it the best possible. It does not make sense to have parts fail "on time" as people suggest. The customer is going to be upset and Ford most likely will not see any benefit from it. Many people will not go to a dealer and not use OEM parts such is the case with the Doorman replacement for the FPDM. This was purely an accident. Engineers, no matter how robot-like they act are human and miss things.
There is a system of tests in place to catch problems like this and it did not happen. We do what is called Design Validation or DV testing to make sure the vehicle is ok to ship. This is the same or very similar to all OEMs. At a vehicle level this can take many months to years but was not long enough for this issue to occur. If we tested trucks for 5 years before they were released to public we would come out with a killer solid truck that uses 5 year old technology (not good). In this case it is very hard to replicate the years and years of real world corrosion, temperature changes, humidity changes and miles that are accumulated. Corrosion testing can only catch so much and something like this was over looked.
The problem stems from what is called a "sacrificial anode". Basically the cheap, uncoated pot metal used for the FPDM cast base reacts with the environment and the chassis passes some of its charge and you get accelerated corrosion. This is very common on ocean ships which do this on purpose to keep the ship from rotting as fast and replace the sacrificial part on a regular basis. Cars should not need this as they are not always submerged in salt water, it adds cost and adds weight. You can read an article about it on wiki here: Galvanic anode - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The spacer kit bumps this off the frame to stop the charge flow. So why doesn't Ford pay for it? This was touched before and more eloquently stated but there is no benefit for them to do so. The trucks that have this problem are out of warranty and this would cost the company a LOT of money. And frankly they can't afford it. They can't afford the press from issuing a TSB saying they will fix every problem that was missed, they can't afford setting a precedence, and they can't afford the money when there are shareholders and stock analysts looking at how the company is spending money. Saying you will pay for old problems is not good. And I hate to say this but they would not gain anything from it. You have an old truck. They want to take care of the people paying them, the people buying new trucks. Are you not going to buy a new F-150 because your 5,6,7 year old one caused you $56 - $400 dollars in bills? That's a couple tanks of gas.
These issues get fixed in the next updated release or next generation truck and everyone moves on. It sucks for the used truck guys like us but that's just how it is.
And my opinions are not those of Ford at all, just wanted to give a little insight as to what is going on. In any case, here is what I found on mine. Truck was in West Virginia first 6 years of it's life or this would have been much worse. Wire wheeled the whole area and covered in POR-15. Will get to the rest later.
Cheeze, thanks for the excellent write up and insight. I would love to hear your thoughts on the spark plug fiasco that is/was going on with the 06 year trucks(not sure which other years were affected but I know my 06 was).
Just checked my 07 with 150,000 miles of Pennsylvania weather and my case is cracked same place as most pictures. Was initially going to make standoffs and undercoat entire setup, but it's going to crumble when I unbolt it, so now just ordering a Dorman on Amazon for $58 with free shipping.
Thanks to the advice of kozal01 and this thread I'll hopefully never be stranded.
06-15-2014, 11:05 PM
