nogoodbum

Sorry, but from my limited knowledge & experience, signs are pointed to a head gasket failure. Cap & tank are made to deal with pressures in the 15psi range & temps in the 200f range. With a blown head gasket pressure can easily reach 100+psi & temps 400+f very suddenly depending on the cause. With the metal bolt noise, I suspect a broken valve, spark plug, or even a possible broken piston ring. As the broken part rattled around in the combustion chamber it may have got caught between the head & piston & opened enough of a gap between head & block to break the seal between them. You may be not getting the tell-tell white smoke of a coolant leak because of where the crack in gasket may be [intake, compression, or exhaust sides]. Also in order to see water vapor depends on volume, temp of vapor & outside temp. Engine light on indicates a repair code[s]. I'd check that first, Then check each of the plugs for which one is mis/not/firing. If after finding their condition & none of then are the source of damage, have or do a compression test to pinpoint the possible bad cylinder. An oily plug may indicate ring failure. Head gasket replacement is not very hard but is labor intensive. Really hope I'm speaking to a worst case scenario & you find a much less intrusive cause. Thanks for the read.

As a prior sufferer of this, it is a good possibility that the replacement 12v battery is also bad. The specific battery for a C-Max is a seldom used part# across the Ford line. Where you purchased if from may have had it in stock for years prior to your purchase & has degraded sitting on their shelf stock. If possible check voltage via a meter, engine on [ready to drive mode] & engine/acc off. I believe you should get 13.5+v with engine on with a good charging system & if you get 10.5 v or less with engine off, you have a bad battery or a power drain. If it is possible I would take battery back to purchase point & ask them to load test it. Hope this helps & Thanks for the read. By the way, a cig lighter/power point voltage meter is a good investment of $10 or so IMO.

In your other post, you said the car was a 2014 that has had no prior problems. Assuming that you are still on the OE 12v battery, I would check & see if or how weak it is after 9yrs. A weak 12v battery is notorious for oddball effects prior to failure in the C-Max. Do check the bulbs also as if one or more may effect the timer that shuts them off. Thanks for the read.

sorry I misread where you rotated tires.

Couple of questions. You said a couple of wheels needed excess weights to balance, are these two mounted on the same axle or side? Have you rotated tires to see if any effect changes?

Hi. A little background first: 2013 SEL, 140K, daily drive includes 5 miles one way [10 total] on county road shared with a lot of dump trucks from local rock quarry, [very few pot holes but asphalt is badly rippled & breaking up in spots], four wheel alignment has been good when checked at 90k & 120k, no noticeable driveability problems; pulling to one side or other, bouncing, or excess body roll [keep in mind I don't drive like I'm in Formula 1 or Baja]. At 125k I started getting a thump or two from rear suspension on right/passenger side during low speed breaking. Sounded akin to a rubber-headed hammer hitting an old chrome bumper or other solid metal object. No noticeable vibration felt just noise. I was thinking it may be the start of a shock sticking & was looking into replacing both rears when the sway bar end links symphony began. Now that those have been replaced & quieted down, back the shocks. With my limited knowledge & on-line research, the only up-grade over OE was the KYB Gas-Adjust that I could find. ? Are there other that will work without any modification & have anyone used the KYB's with good or bad results? Also during my research I saw steel shock mounts that are supposed to cure a potential problem with OE aluminum cracking. Since I can't determine condition without disassembly, has anyone seen or heard of this problem before? THANKS for any thoughts or answers on this & sorry for the long read.

As an outside observer, who has dealt with 12v battery issues on a non-Energi SEL model, I agree that this does sound like a bad 12v battery. I would like to point out that the particular 12v battery size and/or item number is/was used in a very limited number of Ford models. This means that a dealer or auto parts supplier will have a very slow turnover on this battery resulting in the fact that a battery may have sat in storage for years before you purchased it. If this happened once, it can happen twice just as easy. If you can check the battery build date not the sale date, [code translation for different makers available online]. If possible have the 12v battery load-tested. You can also get a voltage meter to be able to note voltage engine on, in accessory mode. & engine & accessory off. Try and note if you get voltage drops while in normal use especially if you get a large drop in engine & accessory off level as this may point to a battery drain problem. Hope this helps, Thanks for the read.

I believe it is common knowledge that the ICE coolant reaches it's highest temp shortly after shut-down. Water pump & cooling fan stopped. This is on a properly operating system. It would be very interesting to know or have some idea of when or what factors into the highest temps on the inverter/converter side. Is it the same as an ICE or is it during heavy discharge/recharge cycles. Hopefully one how the resident gurus [& I mean that respectfully] can chime in for the rest of us to benefit. Thanks for the read.

Hello, a few things to note: You did not state your year & mileage which may have bearing on problem. As part of regular upkeep Ford recommends changing coolant at 100K or 6years use, to replace/refresh coolant anti-freeze/anti-boil components that wear out after time or heat-cold cycles. A search here will give you the how-to instructions [I'm too much of a PC idiot to post a link, sorry]. In my experience, most if not all coolant tanks marking for MAX level is pretty much a hard & fast one & will overflow every time you may put in even a little extra. Also your driving conditions may be called as harsh due to things totally out of your control that are favorable to higher heat conditions [outside temps, traffic. for example]. With this in mind, you may want to keep an extra eye on your transmission fluid, level & condition, as extra heat may have negative effects. If your mechanic or repair shop tells you your transmission is a sealed unit [as the local Firestone did me] don't walk, RUN away. THANKS for the read.

To all who have noticed less fluid coming out than going in when they change their trans fluid please note that Motorcraft Mercon LV ATF [part# XT-10-QLV] is a petro based fluid, NOT SYNTHETIC. This means that there will be fluid loss due to higher temps over the life of the fluid due to "boil out" of the fluid over the life usage of the fluid. Just like usage of standard oil in the ICE that would lose qt. between changes, no leaks or signs of oil burning but basically oil "boil out" over the 3-5K between oil changes. Owners manual calls for a trans fluid check at every ICE oil change & assume topping off for losses. Personally my car was down a pint after 100k but it is driven almost always in a low stress situations [hwy. 50-60mph, small town, no long traffic jams unless there's a wreak, little AC usage]. If you drive a lot in high stress/temp situations, it wouldn't hurt to be sure to check that fluid level at every oil change. The only real trouble with checking it is that ICE oil should be drained while hot [as I have understood it for 40+ yrs] & the trans fluid check should be done on a cooler [not cold] transmission. It does have chance to extend oil change time by a extra 15-30 minutes. Thanks for the read.

My apology for not detailing Ford's past history on bearing/gear failures. Most of which either predate majority of posters or involved low volume models that few had dealings with. In the early/mid 1980s Ford produced a 2.3L inline 4 that was prone to cam failure/breakage. Cam would break in half in high heat/rev situations. Since the engine was a non-interference motor, very little damaged resulted except to the cam itself in the majority of cases, & the fix was just a relatively easy fix by replacing cam. Ford PR did a great job on the problem pointing to replacing the cam [past & future production] with a "new" hardened steel version. They did not point out that 99% of the cams failed at the center cam bearing point. Ford had an issue in the 1990s with the low volume SHO motors that had a press-on cam gear that would slip & spin resulting in blowing up the motor. Again most failures came in high heat situations. Fix was a preventative of tack welding the cam gear in place before failure, but if welds weren't correctly done , they would fail in high heat. Based on my very limited [& I mean very, very] on-line research a lot of CVT failures, [not just Ford but industry wide] have happened in high heat/revs spots. As of today I don't have any CVT issues [2013 120k] & would like to keep it that way for the life of the car. As a cheap,[$100-$150] measure to hopefully extend the life of the CVT, I was looking to add a cooler to the trans & would like to hear of any drawbacks & advice for & or against. Thanks for the read & I hope for all of the C-Max family a very MERRY CHRISTMAS.

I'd look more closely at front suspension components, sway bar bushings, end links, or strut mounts for examples. Look thru the suspension part of this forum for more & better ideas. Sadly dealers today are lost without an OBD code to tell them what is wrong, for the most part. You may be able to pin down the noise with an extra set of ears & eyes during a bounce test, again MAY. Thanks for the read.

A few questions for those here with knowledge. After a good bit of research, the majority of the trans problems point to high heat as a big factor in the failures. Ford has a history of problems with press-on fittings [[bearings, gears] in the past mainly involving camshaft] in high temp situations. Fittings would heat up, expand, & loosen, resulting in damage. As a preventative measure could I add another trans cooler to the system? Could there be any problems with fluid being too cool for proper operation? What lines coming off trans are inlet or outlet? 2013SEL, fluid changed at 100k [fluid was only about 10% darker than new at the time], very rarely drive at high speed [above 65mph]. traffic jams are limited to mainly behind a school bus once or twice a week, I usually don't turn A/C on, prefer open windows. THANKS for the read & any responses.

In response to your last words on sticking to an ICE, I would like point out a few things. Prior to buying a Ford C-Max, I was also tied to the misconception/disinformation about hybrids and their relation with total electrics. The mainstream automotive media have 'lumped' hybrids [reg. & plug-in] together with total electrics in their reporting, when the real world is vastly different. To my limited knowledge hybrids generally use about 10%, plug-ins maybe 25% [at best] electric for their energy usage. This means 75-90% of your power is via an ICE. One way to look at it is that hybrids have an Energy Recovery System to recapture energy lost during braking to use for operation [acceleration] afterwards. Having an ERS means much improved gas mileage but the added weight hurts the "stop-light wars" so many of the media are fond of. In 2+yrs of driving my C-Max, I have never needed more power than the car provided. If your looking for a good daily driver, most if not all hybrids will fit the bill. If you want a stop-light warrior with fancy look at me features [loud exhaust, fancy wheels, spoilers & other such], look elsewhere. Sorry for the long response & THANKS for the read.

VTCAPAgirl, noting that the car only has 55k, means that it was only driven only about 5-6k per year. With electric use this may be actually only 4-5k per year. Would be helpful to know how the car was used in the year prior to your purchase, [short drives at low speed] or if was on dealer lot for any amount before purchase. From what you say, it sounds as this may be a fuel related problem, [bad-old gas or fuel injectors need cleaning]. I would put in some quality fuel cleaner & drive the car as the household primary [if you aren't doing that now] for a week or so & see if that will help, won't hurt, may help. This is with the assumption there is no check engine light. Thanks for the read.

Anyone who has this recall repair done please post results, [time in shop, delay or not in appointment, how long did it take?, & basically any feedback good or bad. THANKS

I think the shield is attached by plastic push pins that pop into the holes in shield & matching holes in front bumper. They are easily damaged as you drive over speed bumps [for example] If you can find the right size they are easy to replace. I had to buy a couple of assorted size packs to get the right size on my car but they were cheap. Hopefully someone can chime in with the size as I would like to have back ups in place. Thanks for the read.

As a layman with little mechanical or electrical knowledge, the HVB is used to actually start the ICE via the electric motor to the best of my understanding. A no-start condition with a good 12V battery & good 12V circuit will be either the HVB or the ICE/electric controller, again to the best of my understanding. As the owner of a 2013 SEL non-energi also my car shows HVB battery shows usage & charge as I drive via dashboard graphics. According to what I understand, most if not all HV batteries [Ford, Toyota, & others] operate best & longest when charge is maintained between 20% to 80%. On a regular hybrid, this is done by on-board computers and should call for little or no driver input. I have read of a few HVBs that failed on their own [different makers], but some have failed partially because of drivers continued over-under charging. For me, I'm just going to drive normal & let the computer control take care of the HVB & worry about it when or if it happens next week at 120K or years from now at 200K. I'm sure others can chime in with better knowledge. Thanks for the read.

At 115K, It is time for a new set of tires on my C-Max. According to the CarFax report this will be it's third set but I cannot find any info on whether the TPMS sensors were ever replaced. Is there any way to find if the sensors are OE or have been replaced by looking at the sensors when old tires are off? Car is a 2013 with a 12/12 build date. I really don't want to waste $$s unneeded on new sensors or have to replace them in a few months. Last set of tires was replaced 4yrs ago [via CarFax]. The last thing I need is a car warning light telling I need to do something, [had 2 ex-wives that did that for 35+yrs]. THANKS for the read.

To expand on cr08's questions about the 12v battery status, I'd point out a few things. When a dealer [not just Ford but all major brands], is authorized to sell a model, they are required by guidelines to have on hand a certain amount of regular parts for upkeep of that model [filters, brake pads, batteries etc.] & the manuals & tools required. In some cases this means a large investment on the side of the dealer. If you notice often the dealer will portray signs that are certified repair centers for different models of the same car [especially high performance models], which basically just means they have made the investment, [not that they repair these models on a regular basis]. Some of these parts [as in the case of the C-Max battery] can sit of a shelf for years until needed because of the low #s of cars sold that need the part. Unlike filters, pads, & etc, batteries decay as they sit & wait. I went thru a like runaround with the local dealer here [car was in shop for 3 months during a 6 month period] until they finally admitted the "new" battery they sold & installed was bad. Some dealers just don't want to admit errors & faulty parts for some reason. If you can, check the date of manufacture of the 12v battery [not the date of sale or installation], & have the battery load-tested by an outside party. Thanks for the read

Hello, 2013 SEL here. Finally guilty of the common rear washer hose leak/break. Mine broke at the point where hose is first glued to the headliner foam. approx. 4" back &m 2" in from front right corner of headliner. As I research best options to repair or replace hose, I am asking those with knowledge more than mine, believe me it does not have to be much, for the best way to remove stain, blue tinted oval roughly 2" by 4". Right now I am thinking of using a clear water spray with a wet/dry vac to rinse out the stain. The headliner seems to be made of semi-porous vinyl material, to my best guess. I really do not want to damage the connection/glue between the vinyl fabric & the foam backing as the rest of the headliner is in very good shape, no tears or stains. The last thing I need is having to replace entire headliner. Any advice or knowledge is welcome. Thanks for the read.

This raises a BIG RED FLAG!!! for anyone having key fobs replaced by any dealer or locksmith. As far as I know all original key fobs came with a mechanical key from factory. The problem is that they are treated as a distant afterthought from then on & lost in the shuffle. The local Ford dealer replaced one of my fobs & did not switch out mechanical key from old to new & sadly I did not discover it until 3 weeks later. The lesson I & everyone should learn is they & myself is to CHECK KEY FOB EVERY TIME it is replaced. Thanks for the read.

Good morning, Hooked up ForScan to my 2013 SEL this AM, turns out that indeed it does not have a SCCM to reprogram signal light delay. Thanks for the info provided. Guess I will continue to turn lights on & off manually , like a caveman. No big deal I've done it for 50+yrs already. Again Thanks.

When driving I use the "touch" left or right when changing lanes. Signals will flash for 3-4 seconds and turn off. The question I have is, Is there any way to extend delay to 6-8 seconds via in-car settings or via Forscan? Keep in mind I am classified as a computer idiot, my pc may be broadband but user is stuck in dial-up. Thanks for the read. PS 2013 SEL

The first few days I had my car I could not get my lift-gate to work regularly until I learned the trick of kick-step back. If I stayed too near the hatch, it would not open. As far as hiding the spare key fob goes, I believe as part of the passive anti-theft system the car is in alert mode 24/7 for when the correct key fob is in range & I don't think you can hide spare on or in car & keep it secure. My owners manual suggests not keeping both keys on the same key ring to guard against conflicting signals [I guess], & having spare around car will result in the same [again I guess] Thanks for the read.