jackalopetx

Sounds like tire noise (maybe wheel bearing noise but I can't remember what it sounds like as it's been probably 30 years since I had a bad wheel bearing).  Does it make the noise at all speeds from say 20 mph to freeway speeds?  Where is the noise coming from?  Front, rear, right, left?

 

If it is tire noise, an alignment, wheel balance, and tire rotation might help quiet it somewhat but generally one needs to replace the tires to get rid of the noise completely.

 

What does electricity sound like? :)  Do you mean like static noise?  Do you hear the noise with the radio turned off?  The C-Max does have an active noise control system that may be an issue.  I seem to recall others having issues with it.

 

Active Noise Control

Active noise control is an audio system feature that eliminates some of the low frequency engine noise within the passenger compartment typically induced under wide open throttle or heavy part-throttle conditions. The system uses 3 microphones, a DACMC , and the audio system speakers. The DACMC determines the noise frequency to be canceled based upon engine rotation speed data from the PCM and the microphone input signals.

 

While the engine is running, the active noise control microphones located in the front and rear of the headliner monitor the engine noise resonating in the passenger compartment. The microphones transmit this noise as analog signals to the DACMC , where they are converted into digital signals by the integrated analog/digital converter. The digital signals are processed and an inverted phase sound wave with the same amplitude as the original sound is created. This new sound is converted into an analog audio signal and output by the DACMC internal tone generator to all of the speakers. 

Does every C-Max have this ANC? I often hear outside noises on my 2016 SE and they're distracting because the interior seems quiet otherwise. It makes sense that it would be ANC actively cancelling road noise, but of course every other noise is audible

Why don't you just wait for the next generation? The C-Max is now a very old model

It will be totally fine. I have 4 dash cams, as I've replaced them with newer models and then just decided to use all. They don't use enough power for it to matter that they stay on for 10 minutes. But you CAN get a cigarette lighter extension cable with a built in switch

I had a 2017 Fusion Hybrid rental car and it drove very differently from my 2016 C-Max Hybrid. The throttle was less sensitive and the car felt more solid. But I got the same gas mileage

Take a look through fordparts.com. May be a bit of trudging through to find but they give diagrams to see what part is what and allow you to order direct or at least get a part number to look elsewhere for.

 

EDIT: Looks like part number CJ5Z19893AH may be what you're looking for?

CJ5Z19893AH is the right part, it was very easy to install, just popped in

Take a look through fordparts.com. May be a bit of trudging through to find but they give diagrams to see what part is what and allow you to order direct or at least get a part number to look elsewhere for.

 

EDIT: Looks like part number CJ5Z19893AH may be what you're looking for?

I didn't have any success finding a good diagram but I bought that part so hopefully it's the right thing

This car has terrible sound insulation. It's better than a Prius or Fit but less than midsize sedans etc. 

The problem is you wouldn't know this from testing in magazines and the like, because they go by noise level, which is reduced by good aerodynamics. So the car isn't itself very loud even at 90mph, you just get the outside noise. 

I broke my rear seat HVAC vent transporting cargo. I've searched for parts from Ford and can't find anything. Does anyone have any idea how I can find this part? Do I have to replace the whole console? It's a 2016 Hybrid SE

Has anyone replaced the battery with a deep cycle one? I get the low battery alert often on my 2016 C-Max Hybrid because I run a camera charger off it regularly. I didn't drive the car yesterday and it ended up being completely drained to where I couldn't start the car and had to get a jump start. So I'd like to replace the 12v with one that has more capacity and can take a deep cycle without damage

Odyssey makes a 67R compatible one but I don't know if it requires modification http://www.powerstridebattery.com/car-batteries-light-truck-batteries-van-batteries/bci-group-67r-odyssey-pc1200mjt-battery

In the footwell under the glove box is the BCM fuses.  F58 and F63 should be spare slots (may have a fuse in it but not used) where one side is hot at all times (test with volt meter).  Then, find a fuse tap to plug in the spare slot.  

 

I assume you want "hot all the time" to run the cam in park mode.  One word of caution: the C-Max 12 volt battery has a reserve capacity of only 60 minutes which converts to about 25 Ah.   Most car batteries are around 100+ minutes which equates to about a 42+ Ah.  So, the cam draw in park mode and the potential recording draw when parked could be enough to drain the C-Max battery if you don't start the car for several days.

 

For example, if your park mode draw averages around 500 mA, you should be able to go around 70+ hours based on typical battery discharge curves before the battery discharges to about a 50% level.  So, try to find a camera with very low power requirements in park mode.  We are still not sure how low the C-Max battery can discharge before the car won't start (operate the modules and relays to connect the HVB to the DC/DC converter).  If it is down to say 10 % state of charge, you could probably go a week. 

Thanks. Is there a specific type of fuse tap to use or are they all the same? Do you get + and - off the same fuse, or do you just get power and ground to another one?

I have a related question-- I need a power source for a dash camera but I want constant power even with ignition turned off. Can I tap the fuse box for that? 

Here's a topic where I measured a bunch of stuff including the fan.  220 watts at full speed - not insignificant.

I have a ScanGuage II, can I program it to show that data? I can't find any DC power listed here https://www.scangauge.com/x-gauge-commands/ford-lincoln-mercury/

But your compressor is hardly working with the ambient at 78F.  About the only thing the compressor is doing is likely reducing the humidity of the air since the set point is only 1F lower than ambient.

 

I hate to beat a dead horse but the energy content of air is significantly higher at 100F than 78F.  Second, you do not have to remove very much energy content of the 78F ambient incoming air and the likely higher temperature of the cabin air and cabin surfaces to a comfortable level (say a drop to 72F).  But there is a significant amount of work that has to be done to get 100F ambient air and the likely higher cabin temp. (which if out in the sun could be 120F)  down to 72F cabin temperature.  IMO, your 4 mile trip is the issue not your fan setting which is just a small part of the equation. 

 

You need to understand the energy content in air (enthalpy) to understand how much work is really required to reduce the cabin temperature to a comfortable level.  It's a lot more than most think it is.  Excluding humidity of the air, about 5 times as much energy must be removed from 100F dry air than 78F dry air to get to 72F. To get to only 77F instead of 72F, it's a very high number.  You also need to cool the cabin air and surface areas of the cabin which are likely higher than the ambient temperature and factor in humidity.  This is why AC is such a big hit on short trips. It takes a lot of energy to get the cabin down to a comfortable level initially.

 

Using the tips in the video that raadsel posted will help to initially cool the cabin.

Yep I guess it makes sense. If I drive around for a few hours I get in the high 30s, because after the first few miles the car is already cooled down. But if the fan is on max, that drops down to the mid 20s. It seems like the high fan speed causes the AC to work harder, and possibly keeps the engine fan running 

For what it is worth... solar car fan

 

Or this dual fan model! 

Solar powered fans are too weak to do anything. I've used a 10x2" solar panel to power a 40mm fan and it created about as much airflow as a turtle's breath.

To help with cooling when parked I'm going to try mounting two 80mm fans to the battery vents and powering them from the rear cigarette lighter port. I'm hoping they'll be able to create through-flow from the cracked windows, exhausting through the battery enclosure. Not sure if that will work because low amperage fans don't generate much pressure. 

I may also try mounting them close to the right rear window so that with the window cracked they pull in outside air

This morning I turned the AC fan down to 2 notches, and it was 78F so only 1 degree higher than my AC setting-- Got 42mpg. I was running the AC fan at max or a couple notches below max, and I think the blower draws a lot of power

Both yesterday and today I got 24mpg driving too work and 18mpg driving home. Clearly it's not just the AC because in the mornings it's only 80F.  I think something is wrong with the car

I wish there was a way to run the fans periodically so the interior wouldn't reach 140F. If the battery fans could be programmed to run when the temperature reaches a certain point, that could get the temperature way down 

In 100F temps, your FE will take a big hit from using AC for your 4 mile compute.   

 

Let's assume your AC demand averages 2.0 kW for the 4 miles and it takes you 10 minutes.   The AC used 0.333 kWh.  Let's assume that the overall efficiency to produce that 0.333 kWh is 33.3%.  So, the fuel used is (0.333/0.333) = 1.0 kWh.  There's 3412 Btu in one kWh.  So, the Btus of gas used would be about 3412 Btu.  One gallon of gas has about 115,000 Btus.  So, about 0.03 gallons of gas was burned for the AC.   If you normally get 40 mpg for the 4 miles, you would uses about 0.1 gallons of gas.  So, using AC you use 0.13 gallons of fuel to cover 4 miles.  Your FE would then be 30.8 mpg not 40 mpg.  Now, the uphill home requires more fuel and hence your 30.8 mpg drops to 25 mpg.

 

Once the cabin cools down, the AC demand will likely drop below 0.4 kW.  So, your gas consumption to run the AC would fall considerable and the hit to FE would be significantly less.  

 

Instead of turning off EV+ which won't help, turn off your AC for the 4 mile trip. :)

Wow, that's amazing that the AC uses so much power

Today I got 18mpg driving home with a short detour, the lowest I've gotten with this car. Today was even hotter than the previous couple weeks so I think the hot battery combined with the AC power usage really brought mileage down.

I wonder what kind of gas mileage trucks and normal cars are getting in this heat... 

My experience from 3 yrs in Phoenix with my C-MAX at 100F+ is that AC will hit FE hard on very short trips. This is because the AC compresser load will be between 4+ and 2 kW for 2-4 miles for the initial cool down of the cabin.   What is your normal FE compared to the 32 mpg?  Also on short trips, if your state of charge of the high voltage battery is low to start and higher when the trip ends, FE will take a big hit.  What are the length of the trips that give you 32 and 25 mpg? 

Normally i get 40mpg both in city and highway. My commute is 4 miles all city. The drive home is when I get 25mpg, which to be fair is slightly uphill. I might try turning off EV+ so the battery has more charge in the afternoon when I drive home

It's been in the 100s every day in Austin, and my gas mileage is suffering. I'm down to 32mpg average, and on some trips I only get 25mpg! I know part of it is due to the AC having to work so hard, but is it also related to the temperature of the battery? Is available battery capacity reduced when it's hot? The temperature inside the car reaches 140F even with windows cracked, so even after being parked all day the battery is already hot. Maybe these cars would have benefited from automatically running the fan when parked like the solar Prius models do

Exactly how do you get to Eco Cruise in the "left" menu? I don't see it on my display. 

Look on page 98 of the manual http://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/Catalog/owner_information/2016-C-Max-Hybrid-Energi-Owners-Manual-version-1_om_EN-US_08_2015.pdf

It's under Driver Assist 

I read the manual today, and as previously stated by 3 Plus Golfer, for non-Energi cars, Eco Cruise is part of Eco Mode. So if you want Eco Cruise, you must turn on Eco mode or else you get normal cruise.

 

There is also an EV+ mode activated in the left menu under settings. This will learn frequent destinations and keep the car in EV mode as you approach them. Apparently, this takes a few iterations (10?) of arriving at a destination in order to recognize and enable this feature.

That is not true, please stop posting that.

I do not use Eco Mode and Eco Cruise works fine. The car slows down going up hill and speeds up down hill.

Repeat after me:

Eco Cruise and Eco Mode are separate. 

I read the manual today, and as previously stated by 3 Plus Golfer, for non-Energi cars, Eco Cruise is part of Eco Mode. So if you want Eco Cruise, you must turn on Eco mode or else you get normal cruise.

 

There is also an EV+ mode activated in the left menu under settings. This will learn frequent destinations and keep the car in EV mode as you approach them. Apparently, this takes a few iterations (10?) of arriving at a destination in order to recognize and enable this feature.

So why is that not the case with my 2016 Hybrid?

I have a 2016 Hybrid and Eco Mode and Eco Cruise are two separate settings

Ditto Snowstorm - addicted to ECO mode cruise control - and for us exclusively.  For the same fundamental reasons; smooth rational acceleration control.  Mostly freeway, and longer arterials. Sweetness,  :wub2:  and pass the poupon.  (Way too lazy for hypergaming)

 

Nick :skateboard:

That's a different thing. Eco Cruise lets the car slow down going up hill and speed up going down hill to save energy