jchunter

Josh, we hardly have moisture at all in Phoenix, Arizona. The water theory is unlikely...

 

Frank, during the delayed ICE starts, the Engine was already warm and cranking - definitely not running or burning fuel. I have counted off the seconds while the dash instruments indicated battery discharge.. The injectors had to be operating during the delayed start. This has been a repeated annoyance, wasting battery charge while accelerating away from red lights. It hasn't happened all the time - just intermittently. It may have been happening just prior to the smoke incident...

If it were oil, where would it come from in an engine with less than 5000 miles? The rings are probably pristine. I'm leaning toward gas detonating thru the catalytic converter. I'm probably mistaken about the color...

Thanks for the info, guys. My smoke cloud was clearly visible thru the rear view mirror and I had not seriously punched the pedal. However, for the last few months I had noticed the ICE intermittently having delayed starts of 5-20 seconds while the dash displayed an ICE bar only 1/16" and battery not charging. I assume the injectors were pumping gas into the cylinders while the ICE was cranking... If so, this, would eventually ignite and could explain the white smoke. Better get it to the shop ASAP...

Accelerating when entering freeway, my 2015 Cmax hybrid briefly emitted a large cloud of white smoke. Never seen this before. Mileage 5070. Comments or ideas??

If the heat is turned on at all the ICE will come on, That's just the way it works until the ICE WT heats up. :)

 

Paul

. This seems to be the case. Yesterday I had a chance to experiment with a complete HVAC shut down rather than just turning down the thermostat. What a game changer! For the first time ever, I was able to start up, drive down the street, and accelerate away from traffic light stops (gently) without ICE. I also was able to make much better use of regen charging at lights to sustain battery charge longer.

 

Now, all I have to do is convince my wife she is mistaken about the car being frigid.

It's my understanding that the lithium-ion battery also likes/needs to be warmed up.

Ah yes. That is the thing I couldn't control from the cockpit in my experiment. So even a cold butt may not solve my problem. Does anyone know how much energy the battery heater needs?

 

Still, the question remains as to whether the C-max hybrid gets whatever heat it needs from a heat pump compressor or from resistive electric heaters or from the ICE thunder banger.

Thanks for all the suggestions.  I get it.  All I need to do is put up with a cold butt and frigid interior.  ;) 

 

So I ran an experiment:  I turned the heater temp down to ambient (60 deg), dropped the fan to lowest and drove gently out of the garage down a level road with nearly full battery,.  Regardless, after a few moments the ICE started.  So I accelerated to 30, took my foot off the gas but the ICE refused to shut down....  So it seems I need more than a cold butt to get this thing to behave.  

 

HybridBear, I thought the C-Max had a heat pump that ran off the HVB.  If so, it should work without any heat in the ICE radiator.  What is the scoop here??? 

With colder weather, my ability to hypermile short trips has become more difficult because the ICE starts way too often even though the HVB is full and the car is moving on level road.  My average mpg is dropping rapidly.  I used to do short trips in warm weather on a full battery without starting the ICE.

 

 Is there is a control or mode in the C-Max that will discourage the ICE from starting with a full HVB?

Where is the delete button?

 

 

IIRC, the following is what I have observed as I also thought when I purchased the car, it seemed to jump off the line in reverse vs drive.  

 

1) The initial torque  when the traction motor is driving the car from a stop is greater in reverse than in drive.  In essence, the cars acceleration when in reverse is greater than when in drive.  So, the cars seems to jump off the line when in reverse with no braking while in drive the cars speeds up slowly. 

 

2) The top speed with no use of  the throttle seems to be around 4.5+- mph from a stop with no braking in both reverse and drive although slight elevation change has a significant affect on the speed.  Again this top speed is reached quickly in reverse and takes longer in drive. My driveway is about 50 feet in length and maybe 2 feet down hill to the street and requires continual use of the brake when backing to the street

 

My guess is that this is intentional as when backing up one normally uses the brake pedal to control speed and not the accelerator.  Whereas in drive one uses the accelerator and brake pedal to control speed.  I would also guess that if Ford decreased the reverse torque, owners would complain that the car backed up too slowly.  When I shift into reverse, my foot is on the brake and I simply ease off the brake to control speed.  So, I don't notice the difference in reverse vs drive now.

 

Also, I doubt Ford wants the dealer changing the operation of the vehicle.  So, Ford likely does not allow such with the OEM diagnostic tool.

_____________

Thanks for confirming  my suspicions about C Max backup behavior - "jumping off the line" is exactly what I perceive.

 

However, I suspect that the backup speed is controllable with the existing software that deals with all other aspects of backup behavior (e.g., backup camera, sensors, etc.).   I'm betting that the software engineers created a Factory Default Backup Voltage/speed parameter as well as a means of changing it.  You don't just bake numbers like that into the code.  It is essential to be able to control these parameters for testing and qualification, among other things...

 

Therefore I suspect the Ford support personel are just stonewalling or there haven't been enough backup accidents yet.  I'm 75 now and not nearly as quick as I used to be.  Backing out of parking spaces with a car that jumps backwards requires lots of extra care.  IMO, most people use both accelerator pedal and brake while manuvering a car.  Car companies had better tread lightly on existing norms and established behavior. 

 

As for  your guess that customers would complain if Ford fixed the backup problem, I would be happy to send you a dollar for every one who complains about having to press the accelerator pedal to backup faster... ;)

The ICE is typically not running.  Of course my foot is on the brake.  The electric motor is turning too fast.with no foot pressure on the accelerator pedal. 

I have a new 2015 CMax Hybrid with 950 mi.  It simply backs up too fast, especially when first started.  I have to get on the brake immediately to avoid an accident.  Backing out of a parking place is also a problem. 

 

I took it into the dealer and he informed me that the car was within spec and would not change anything.  I pointed out that these incidents were caused by the electric motor turning too fast and could probably be fixed by dropping its minimum voltage slightly.  He said that they didn't know how to do that...

 

What???

 

Does anyone know how lower the minimum electric motor speed?  ( or is there a mechanical adjustment on the accecelerator pedal?)

 

 

 

 

Thanks for your quick reply.

Where is USB socket in 2015 c max hybrid?