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Everything posted by fbov
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It's a feature of the new forum SW. I'm on other forums that do more than a URL when it's another forum page. It looks like they find a picture to grab your eye. My link in the "Whose thinking of buying an Escape" only had one picture to grab. Frank, who's at 15 miles and holding for clear weather
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Just started a new thread to talk about... New and old; Old and new. Starts tomorrow. Frank
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It's not the sea change from RWD Volvo to C-Max... in fact, they're very similar if you lift the C-Max about 6"! I'll get keys tomorrow. Frank
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That car looks familiar... I'll be removing that grill block tomorrow morning, one last time. Frank
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And while it's all true, my Hybrid behaves a little differently. Two things are missing. - cold start is a little different - I also see changes in EV available (blue outline) that an Energi may not display. When cold (not run for many hours), the car starts in EV (we agree about S0) but when the ICE starts (S1a), I see time-dependent S1a, not the temperature-dependent behavior he describes. For the first ~20 seconds of ICE operation, it's full EV propulsion with no ICE torque contributing. Engine sounds as he describes. The trick is that it's the same duration every time, between ICE start and ICE RPM rise. Winter-Summer, it's always 20 sec. It can't be thermal criteria; the time would vary. This commenced with 15E03 PCM update. He mentions the 2013 update, and there was a second in 2014, but Ford wasn't done until 2015. Second, I find the Hybrid's EV Available display behaves like there are thermal criteria. The blue outline is initially limited to 1-bar EV on cold days. If you can drive with EV under the 1-bar limit, the ICE will soon start to keep itself warm. This sounds a lot like S1b criteria, an intermediate level where some EV is allowed. After a little more engine run, the bar starts normal behavior with a 2-bar max. That sounds like Stage 2. Of course, none of this may be evident above 0 F. In fact there's some really odd behavior if you get below zero... Paul already chimed in; this is one reason I wanted to order a car. Here in Rochester, it should be a noticeable benefit. Of course, this January's 10F warmer than average... but that's normal! There's still two weeks left to even things out, and I'm cheating by picking up an Escape Hybrid on Saturday, our last day above freezing. I expect a corollary to the Astronomer's Curse; new cars like new telescopes always chase the nice weather away! Have fun, Frank
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Welcome! It looks like you've done your research, and no offense taken regarding earlier model years. They are what they are, and all the goodness (and Sync3 I think) is there in your 2016. Coming from a Fit EV, you've already seen most of the unique EV behavior. No reason to expect short life; several folks are north of 200K with no reduction in performance or reliability. May you enjoy a long and happy relationship! Frank
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Nor are you likely to. It would be corporate suicide to admit you're selling cars with a known, major defect. Frank
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Welcome! You're in for a treat; this is a great commuting car, especially in temperate climates. No guilt sitting in traffic; your engine's not running. An early member, Jus-a-Cmax, was a mileage leader due to his long slow commute. Look at Paul's thread's (ptjones) on technique and car set up for best efficiency. Tire pressure and ethanol make a difference. Have fun, Frank
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Be fair, Paul, you got a warranty replacement around 100K as I recall! The car is solid, and the IDL data shows excellent reliability. Service is a short list; the only "big ticket" item besides the tranny was tires. Frank
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Ding, ding, ding. How does the driver get heat in the winter when the ICE is off? Reduced range in winter is the Energi's corollary to poor mileage in Hybrids. Frank
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My understanding is that Ford used a bad batch of bearings, which fail by allowing the main shaft to shift laterally, causing severe gear wear and eventually wearing through the case. The bearing was too deep to replace economically. Ford took a software approach to minimize load on start-up. My car is 100% EV when started cold; no ICE torque for the first 20 seconds. I assume that's to allow oil pressure to build and fully lube the bearing before applying ICE torque. As to probability of failure... Once upon a time, Idaho National Laboratories was testing electric vehicles to 160K miles. 2013 model year C-Max Hybrid and Energi were among the 30 vehicles tested. https://avt.inl.gov/vehicle-type/all-powertrain-architecture - 3 of 4 Hybrids replaced transmission at 90K, 110K, 116K. The fourth made 170K before end of test. It was one of two cars with consecutive VINs, implying that "good" trannys were being made alongside "bad" ones. VINs range from 528xxx to 535xxx, implying a lot of suspect production. - 0 of 4 Energis replaced transmissions. 1 was removed at 30K, the other three made 150-160K without tranny failure. Energi has an extra circulation pump to make up for long stretches of ICE off. This is a small sample, but it's large enough to say that transmissions are a high failure rate item, >>10% in some 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid production. With a 10/2012 build date, and a 506xxx VIN, I can understand why my trade-in value dropped 25% in 18 months. It reflects my lack of faith. Have fun, Frank, who is thankful to have options.
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10/2012 build date here. Fully expect I have a hand grenade, so I'm trading it in before it blows, even at 66K miles. Absent the tranny issue, I'd be good for years more... but it's not absent, and mine's a likely candidate. I just missed the last of the new, 2018 C-Max, but this way, I get a block heater (2020 Escape hybrid). I highly recommend Plus 3's advice. Frank
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This sounds like an introduction, so welcome from Bushnell's Basin! First thing, what tires are on the 2016, and what's their pressure? What did you have on the 2013? Second, have you verified that it's up to date for all recalls and service programs? There's a government web site that uses your VIN to check. Third, who's your servicing dealer? Have fun, Frank
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I'll let you know what they tell me, although I'm unlikely to try Carplay. I am hoping there's a way to remove the wireless charging pad, if I get one. The warnings about metals heating up and damage to magnetic strips in credit cards and parking stubs seem realistic, given what's involved. Plus, my phone can't use it, and has a multi-day battery, regardless. Customization started at the block heater, so no worries mate!. HAve fun, Frank
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BMS working may be one reason I still have my original 12v battery. Frank, with fingers crossed.
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Found out last night that one with a block heater and my name on it will be delivered to the dealer next Friday. I'll tell you more soon. Kudos to Ford for training salesmen; some of it stuck. Frank
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That's not as uncommon as you might think. I also suspect something was lost in translation. There are three directions to wheel alignment, camber, toe and caster (if the wheel turns). It's likely that one or more is adjustable, and one that isn't adjustable is out of spec. Toe is commonly adjustable because it has strong effect on handling and tire wear. Camber is not. Look at your alignment report to see what's off. HAve fun, Frank
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Dramatic Change in Brakes
fbov replied to BuffaloTony's topic in Brakes, Chassis, Park Assist & Suspension
Look for a PM. Frank- 10 replies
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Everything died on 2013 c-max hybrid. Help with numbers?
fbov replied to OneMom's topic in 2013 Ford C-MAX Hybrid
I guess you might find it if you looked... Here's my route altitude profile, about 30' difference in altitude. Years ago, I posted answers to a lot of your questions. It's a rural route, 30 MPH avg. speed over 15.5 miles with a 45 top speed limit with about a dozen stop signs and half that many stop lights. All data from the dash. Here's some Summer data showing 15% ethanol vs. no ethanol effect, and an accidental reduction in tire pressure. This one is a timeline, with a temperature as a trendline. It shows little variation. There's a lot more in my database, but the neat stuff comes from the diagnostic port. Several forum posters have used small port modules that transmit data to a smart phone app. This gets you into engineering data... real-time readouts from all the sensors and settings. I'm no expert, perhaps someone else will chime in. HAve fun, Frank -
Dramatic Change in Brakes
fbov replied to BuffaloTony's topic in Brakes, Chassis, Park Assist & Suspension
Well... if you're actually in Buffalo, I can suggest a dealer in Rochester...- 10 replies
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Everything died on 2013 c-max hybrid. Help with numbers?
fbov replied to OneMom's topic in 2013 Ford C-MAX Hybrid
Welcome! Once upon a time, I commuted to work, and recorded mileage for many trips. There is a strong temperature effect on mileage, so I did my comparisons by looking at trendlines of MPG vs. ambient temperature. Here's one for fuel; ethanol hurts your mileage if you're hypermiling. It's not worth the cost, but some of us like seeing big number and months between fuel stops. At least in Summer.... And there is a downward dip in the otherwise linear trend line if you get cold enough. Yup. I leave my heat set at 64 and park in the sun in the winter. I have found EV becomes available sequentially. I get a 1-bar threshold at first, and it will go a while before ICE kicks in if you're careful. A little ICE run later, I get the normal 2-bar threshold and engine temp is up to the mark. (I use My View to show tach and engine coolant temp). Have fun, Frank -
Dramatic Change in Brakes
fbov replied to BuffaloTony's topic in Brakes, Chassis, Park Assist & Suspension
Or... it could be the ABS/TCS/RSC system. Folks are familiar with ABS, anti-lock braking system. Your car also has TCS, traction control system, and RSC rollover stability control. Both of these use the ABS system, one to brake a spinning drive wheel, the other to brake when it thinks you're in a skid and might rollover. Mine died spectacularly when I hit a pothole... in 2104, on an October 2012 build date. Early RSC had issues; blowing it out got me to the head of the line. Or you might have damaged parts of the hydraulic system by braking very hard when there was no traction. Your description sounds a lot like what I got after bleeding brakes manually. You could move the pedal down farther, pushing the master cylinder seals into the rust part of the bore. Brakes were fine as long as you hit them hard enough for the damaged seals to close up. Pedal would drop waiting at a light. Both are dealer-only items, if only for diagnostics. Do you have a good, qualified C-max Ford service center nearby? Have fun, Frank- 10 replies
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Too bad we can't trade chassis; I'll likely trade mine in with the original 12v battery and the original tranny. Love the car, but in the 18 months between trying to purchase the last 2018 C-Max, and succeeding with a 2020 Escape, the trade-in value dropped 25% at 65K miles. Frank
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Welcome! The forum will be an even greater resource for you when the Energi side is fully available. You may not be aware that the C-max forums, hybrid and plug-in, went dark a few weeks ago, and we're all grateful to have them back. Very grateful. With your background, you'll understand the message of this chart. When driving, think in terms of where energy's going and how to preserve what you can't replenish. Although you may want to update battery size, don't... in hybrid mode, we both have the same size HVB. In your EV modes, it's more like there's a second fuel tank in the 6.2KWh of battery capacity you can't recharge while driving. The interesting issue with the plug-in involves keeping it fully charged. Li-ion batteries don't like heat or high charge levels. Keeping the car fully charged in a hot garage is not a good thing. Here's a great battery resource. This is the home page, the most popular is "How to prolong life of Li-ion batteries." https://batteryuniversity.com/ Have fun, Frank
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Some of us also want cargo space. I came to the C-max after decades driving Volvo wagons. The telescopes must fit; smaller is not an option. And Paul, you get lots more improvement than that... but in MPGe. Have fun, Frank