jdbob

The microphones are connected to the module that drives the speakers, so turning off the audio system might just turn off some of the other modules (there are several) but leave the speaker amplifier module on. On the other hand, just because it looks like things are off doesn't actually mean that they are. For instance it's typical that when turning off a TV satellite receiver that the only thing that will go off is the display and power LED, the rest stays powered.

"The DACMC is a digital signal processor that consists of an internal analog/digital converter, amplifier, and tone generator. The DACMC operates with the ignition in RUN, ACC, or OFF. Active noise control functions only operate with the ignition in RUN." ..... "The DACMC receives engine rotation speed data and active noise control microphone input signals and calculates the targeted frequency needed to cancel engine noise within the passenger compartment. The DACMC outputs the engine noise cancellation frequency to all audio system speakers, except the instrument panel center speaker (if equipped), as fluctuating AC voltage." So it uses the audio system's speakers and amplifiers.

I wonder if Ford is next...

Sealing just keeps the water from escaping. By draining I don't mean draining the water out, I mean draining the charge down. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead–acid_battery#Sulfation_and_desulfation

Huh? The 12V battery in the C-Max is a run-of-the-mill lead acid battery. Lead acid batteries have never liked being drained down as far as I know - it causes sulfation.

This documents might have some hints: http://www.motorcraftservice.com/content/pdf/2013_CMAX_Modifer_Guide.pdf

Have you read this thread? http://fordcmaxhybridforum.com/topic/343-snow-tires-and-wheels/

That's what is called an "indirect" measurement, and our cars do not do that. Our cars use a "direct" measurement so there is indeed a battery operated pressure sensor (and radio transmitter) in each tire. That's why they cost $50 or so each.

Did you open the door to remove the drive? That would be one explanation. Another is that when you removed the drive that causes different code to be executed in the APIM, at that point maybe it finally figured out it wasn't supposed to be on in the first place.

You have cause and effect reversed. The LED flashing just indicates that the APIM is reading from the thumb drive even though the APIM is supposed to have gone to sleep. The thumb drive can't tell the APIM to do anything, the APIM is in control. I had one instance where the APIM did not shut down. Opening the door (which starts a bunch of stuff up, including the APIM) and then closing the door again resulted in the APIM shutting down normally after 30 seconds or so. The APIM software works 99.9% of the time but sometimes it just doesn't do what it supposed to do.

What does the LED have to do with anything? All it does is make the thumb drive draw slightly more current when it is powered. The point I was making is that once the car is turned off the APIM should turn off in all cases - which will result in power being turned off to the USB sockets, regardless of what is plugged in. Apparently Ford hasn't figured out how to make the APIM shut off 100% of the time. Since it's running Microsoft Automotive OS maybe working 100% of the time is too much to expect.

About thumb drives not drawing power. Actually, there should be no reason for a customer to remove anything plugged into a USB port. Those ports are powered by the APIM (Auxiliary Protocol Interface Module) which is what runs SYNC. When the car is powered off it should always shut down regardless of what might be plugged into a USB port.

Someone at Ford is quite delusional ;)

Gas is sold by the liter in New Zealand, no doubt in Australia too.

I hang mine behind the front passenger seat using the headrest posts. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0027QWNGO/ref=pe_309540_26725410_item

From the owners manual: "SYNC is capable of hosting nearly any digital media player including: iPod®, Zune™, Plays from device players, and most USB drives. SYNC also supports audio formats, such as MP3, WMA, WAV and ACC." Doesn't sound like FLAC is supported.

In the document http://www.motorcraftservice.com/vdirs/diagnostics/pdf/OBDSM1402_HEV.pdf some systems have a 12V battery range of 11.0V to 18.0V while others have a range of 6.0V to 19.0V. What does that mean? I have no idea.

Too bad there isn't a locking mechanism built into the socket in the car. I know on the Tesla (at least the European ones that can use a standard Type 2 Mennekes plug) there is a solenoid that locks the charging connector to the car until you unlock it from the touchscreen or from the key fob. I'm not sure if other European cars have the same feature or not. Having to put a padlock on the connector is pretty hokey.

Crank it up to 300V like ours and I'll be impressed. Still have a conventional 12V system like ours. I remember the electronics trade magazines back in the 90's (or was it the 80's?) were full of articles about autos going to a 36V system for everything. Guess that never happened. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/motoring/news/article.cfm?c_id=9&objectid=11314532

It's probably not what is plugged into the USB port that is the problem but the computer that supplies the power to those USB ports, in this case the infotainment computer. If the USB ports have power that means the infotainment computer is on. And that computer is networked to other computers so maybe they get left on as well. Thats the problem with intermittent faults, it's very difficult to figure out what is going on when it happens and difficult to reproduce if it's taken to the dealer.

Of course people leave stuff plugged into the USB port everyday without problem. I always have a USB flash drive with music there all the time. Knowing that the infotainment computer (which powers those USB ports) is running Microsoft software, I also made up a plug with a LED that sticks out a bit from the center console so I can tell if the computer shut off or not. I check it just before I leave my garage and it did get stuck on one time. I don't know what it was doing but after 5 minutes of waiting I got bored (plus it was winter) and opened the door and closed it again. At that point it shut down like it normally does a half minute or so after closing the door. If it wasn't so bloody cold I would have left it for longer to see what happens.

There have been TSB's about the 12V battery. They made some changes in the software in the charger(s) to be more aggressive, especially during cold temperatures. I noticed that after I took my car in for software updates that the battery voltage tends to be higher and that when plugged in it often spends more time just charging the 12V battery. Note: The Hybrid has one way to charge the 12V battery - the DC/DC converter charges it from the HVB. The Energi has an extra charger - an AC/DC converter that charges the battery from the AC charge cable. Each has it's own computer of course....

I see two problems. First is if the battery isn't fully charged on a regular basis sulfation can occur, especially if the battery is left discharged which is common for cars sitting at dealerships. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead–acid_battery#Sulfation_and_desulfation Second is a problem with one or more computers in the car failing to shutdown (go to sleep) or possibly waking up when they shouldn't be. Computers like the infotainment system are fairly powerful and could drain the battery overnight, just like leaving your lights on. Others may not take much power themselves but control electrical equipment that does. Having a sulfated battery just makes it worse since the battery is holding less energy to begin with. I've had two instances of a drained battery that I think I've narrowed down to the cell phone modem in my Energi. It appears that after being driven in locations with the correct cell phone coverage (AT&T 2G Data) and then returning here to the middle of nowhere that it doesn't shut off. I removed it earlier this year and will have a chance to test my theory next month when I get back from a trip to California. But this is the Hybrid forum so this problem isn't relevant since there is no cell phone modem in the Hybrid C-Max.

I believe it's because they have poorer low-end torque. But since the electric motor has excellent low-end torque it won't be missed so it's fine for a hybrid.