J-Max

Sorry this took a while, but the slightly taller battery that still fits group is H4.

I thought the computer senses the charge in the battery to determine when to kill the radio not how old the battery is? Anyhow, I timed it a few days after I put the new battery in, it was about exactly 10 minutes. That said, maybe a month before replacing the battery....while I wasn't exactly timing that function, I was texting a friend after turning the car off. I know for sure (due to something mentioned in our conversation) it was 6 to 7 minutes when I opened my car door the radio was still going.

I did that, twice just be be sure (car in accessory mode) flashed the brights five times and stepped on the brakes 3 times. Wish there was some indicator or other way to check if one doesn't have a scanner.

As an FYI.... My battery was 7 years old according to the little sticker on it's side, I replaced it the other week just as preventive maintenance, sure it was getting weak, over winter (I'm by Illinoiz/Winsconsin state line) radio would power down in a couple minutes. And checking voltage first thing in the morning it was 11.7v. Anyhow.... after checking around, pretty much no one had the group 67R in stock. (I wont go into the sticker shock I had when prices ranged from $185 to $230 for a FREAKING little 390/400 CCA battery!!!!) A little less at Wallyworld at $159 BUT, no 67R and they couldn't even order it as it wasn't in their books. I figured I'd just get anything that fit, measured the battery and found one that has the exact same footprint to fit into that tight little battery tray and the cover over the top to vent to outside BUT it's 1/2 inch taller. Only problem was getting my large paws behind it to pop the vent tube in. There is still plenty (almost an inch) clearance between that metal HVB cover and the negative post and the trim covers over the positive. Note, I have the SEL not the Energi, I know those have some ductwork or some such over the 12v battery so I don't know if this would clear. Oh, and I would tell you which size it is but I forgot and I cant see the label unless I take the battery out and the dang receipt doesn't show the size. Next time I'm in Wallyworld I'll look.

Just to break up the sounds of crickets chirping..... I ordered a new MAF sensor, which also has the AIT sensor built in. I'm guessing since it still runs normal, maybe the AIT is faulty and telling the PCM it's 20° below zero (IIRC that is the default if the temp sensor goes TU) and it's just running very rich.

Past few weeks I've noticed, though my overall mpg ranges from 43-45 the instant readout (ICE) is way low where previously it was much higher. Like cruising at a steady on level roads at 40-45mph it will barely hit 30 where in the past it would easily be over 40 sometimes WELL over that. To get it up to 30 now I really have to feather the throttle and keep the power output just barely over where the EV mode would take over. My trip summery is barely over 45 after it's been warmed up (like return trip home after sitting a few minutes to an hour or so) where as previously similar trips could be mid 50s to upper 60s. That said, in EV mode everything seems exactly the same, for example how long I can run in EV mode, how far I can accelerate from a stop, how quick the battery drains and recharges etc. Also, coming home from one direction, there is a slight downgrade almost a half mile before I have to turn onto my road, I always get to 40mph at the peak and let her coast in gear as long as possible to regen the battery as much as possible, I am still only dropping to 30-32 mph at the same exact point before I have to brake for the turn. THUS... no apparent added drag like a sticky brake, low tire psi (all 4 tires consistently 48psi). I did have to replace the front left wheel bearing several weeks ago, at the time I had already noticed lower overall mpg, as mentioned above it's been 43-45 before and after the bearing change. When I noticed the bearing noise I drove 'gently' until I could change it, and after the change continued to drive that way to see how much higher the mpg would go, last year, driving the same style I could get 50+mpg per tank (got just over the magic 600 mile per tank). When it didn't go up I started paying closer attention to the readouts, this is when I noticed the ICE instant readout was much lower then before. Besides checking for any increased drag (see above) I regularly(once a month to 6 weeks) pour a bottle of Techron in the tank. A year and a half ago at 90k I had a dead injector, wound up replacing all of them as well as the coils and plugs. At the time I checked the air filter, though the original FoMoCo filter, it looked good saw some light thru it and no build up between the pleats. Anyhow, since the lower mpg doesn't seem to be from any new rolling resistance I figure it's something with either the engine or computer. Power from the engine seems to be the same, no noticeable increase in how much I have to push on the throttle to accelerate the same ways as before, no CEL, idle feels the same, etc. Figure maybe with 104k on the clock the air filter could be a bit restricted so I replaced it a few days ago and dumped in a large bottle (treats 20 gallons) of Techron again. Also got some MAF cleaner and sprayed that down real good...all that made no difference. In the pics, I was at a steady speed on level roads, I never really paid close attention before but did enough to know at the two lower speeds the instant shoulda been over 40 and the one over 40 with the cruise on at the same speed +/- on that same stretch of interstate it was usually right on 40. Any ideas? TIA.

Thanks cr08. Is updating the ACM something I can do without any special tools or is it a dealer thing? If this fuse 79 workaround lasts 4-5 months or better I might just skip the update. As mentioned I've had this just over six months with no real issues other then the clock having a mind of it's own a while....oh yeah almost forgot, with the radio on the main display sometimes the preset buttons are blank when I start the car. If I cycle to the next set of presets those will be displayed then continuing around to the set that was blank, they will now display the station. I've only noticed this when on Sirius, I pretty much exclusively listen only to that. Load testing the battery.... most parts stores do this for free, as with a conventional vehicle can this be done without disconnecting the cables? Just double checking as this is the first hybrid I've had. BTW, whats the average life of the 12v battery in these cars, obviously not having to crank the engine and not getting beat by the heat under the hood in the summer adds years over conventional cars.

WOOT! Pulling good ol' fuse 79 did the trick (so far it seems). Pulled it and 69 (just because it was easy to get at). Waited a couple minutes, popped the in, turned the car on it it all worked again, pre-sets still there too but bass/mid/treble settings went back to zero. I did have to reset the My View display. I had it set to show RPM and coolant temp, it reverted back to miles to empty and mpg. Was that because I pulled the 69 fuse? BTW, battery looks to be the original, did't take off the entire cover but of what I could see of the sticker it's a Motorcraft with a copyright of 2011. Cant see enough to tell the actual manufacture date. Still would like to know if it could be going bad.

Hmmm, Bill-N says these problems could possibly be the 12v battery dying? Quick update, bought my '13 SEL in October with 76k, LOVE the car, excellent condition etc etc. Put just over 5k on it so far, not a lick of problems anywhere except the first few months the clock would be way off. Thats been working normally since. Occasionally the Sirius would update taking a few minutes. When backing the display would come on and function normally (yellow then red lights as I neared obstruction) but no beeping as I got close to objects behind me Anyhow, yesterday upon turning the car on it started updating but froze at 0% complete...all day after several 20-40 minute drives, no change. Could not get CD/AM-FM radio or USB to play. Today car completely dead, no interior lights or anything. Checked (on underhood jump terminals) voltage, it was 6.xx volts. Jumped it and she started right up. Checked voltage while running at just over 14volts, ok charging system seems normal. Set it to MAX defrost so ICE would stay running. Now the radio will not turn on at all, manual button on the dash nor touch screen button, though touch screen button changes colors indicating it senses my input. I can bring up phone and HVAC but Nav system wont turn on and it says to insert SD card, the OEM one is still in). I also can not turn on audio with the steering wheel controls and the dash display just says audio (or entertainment, sorry a bit cheesed off at the moment) off. Could the 12v battery need replacing? I'm assuming it's the original one, going to check after sending this) which would mean it's 8 years old. I bought the car from a dealership and have the car fax report, nothing about the battery. Back in July of '13 it had something done by the dealer, "program #12M02 SYNC with MyFord Touch...Warranty extension covering accessory protocol...Interface module APIM". Then in June of '18 it had "Service contract claim....electrical sys serviced" No other details. Other then that all the other reports are normal service, tires/oil changes. Could simply removing fuse 79 "correct" these problems, at least until it goes crazy again, which as I've been reading on the forum seems to be a regular annoyance with the MFT. FWIW, she was a rental in Florida Jan '13 to Feb '14 when it was sold to second owner in Wisconsin, then myself last October. TIA, I really love this car and would hate to have big things starting to go bad with it.