Intermittent Diagnostic Techniques: Notes

WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2013 Ford F-550 Super Duty, 2013 Ford F-450 Super Duty, 2013 Ford F-350 Super Duty, and 2013 Ford F-250 Super Duty. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.

Intermittent diagnostic techniques help find and isolate the root cause of intermittent concerns associated with the PCM. The material is organized to help find the concern and carry out the repair. There are examples illustrating the diagnostic techniques. The process of finding and isolating an intermittent concern starts with recreating a concern symptom, accumulating PCM data, comparing that data to typical values, and analyzing the results.

Before proceeding, make sure that:

Customary mechanical system tests and inspections do not reveal a problem. Mechanical component problems can make a PCM system react abnormally.
Review the Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs) and OASIS messages, if available.
The Quick Test and associated pinpoint tests have been completed without finding a concern, and the symptom is still occurring.