Intermittent Diagnostic Techniques: Notes

WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2012 Ford Pickup, 2012 Ford F550 Super Duty, 2012 Ford F450 Super Duty, and 2012 Ford Cab & Chassis. 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 powertrain control module (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.