nogoodbum

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.

Ask yourself, am I comfortable with changing the fluid at 120k or 150k? Will it help at 120k? Maybe, maybe-not. Will it hurt to go to 150k? Again, maybe, maybe-not. What really counts is what results in you feeling good about your level of upkeep. I changed mine at 100k, despite the manual calling for 150k, 2013 SEL, mostly because it was what I felt good about based on my personal experience from 40+yrs of car upkeep. Trusting your gut may help and in this case is doubtful to hurt. The oil changes a 3k by a lot of folks is a holdover from 30+yrs ago, and a lot of people will not change what works for them. Thanks for the read.

Hi, 2013 SELhybrid. I have been getting noise like a couple of coins in a metal piggy bank when driving over bumps or rough patches at lower speeds [5-30mph]. May have at higher speeds but I don't hear them. Sound is only from the right/passenger side. No drive ability problems other than a bit of low speed torque steer under acceleration. No pulling or bouncing. Tires show no unusual wear patterns & have been regularly rotated. Since my fat ass can't fit [or want to] under the car, I was asking if anyone has like problem & what was causing it. Wondering if I should take it to muffler/exhaust shop or suspension shop or elsewhere. THANKS for the read & any light shed on noise problem.

At the risk of sounding stupid, check you key fob battery & where it is when this happens. As I understand, it is possible for fob signal to be interfered with by excess coins, keys, or anything metal in your pocket. Thanks for the read. Sorry but I do not qualify as an 'expert' in anything.

Received recalls for both the trans bushing & door latches the same day. Second notice on door latches. Supposed to receive notice when dealer gets parts in to fix, but sadly I don't have any confidence my local dealer due to past service issues. The last time my car was in the dealer shop, I asked about latch recall. They stated they had addressed it, but with a second recall notice I really doubt they did.

Update & Warning: I was finally able to release seat back. At the bottom right corner of the seat back, there is a rounded plastic/vinyl cover on the inner side of hinge that I could push open with a flat head screwdriver & reach in with another flat head & trip the seat release. I noticed that the U-shaped slot that holds the end of black plastic cable sleeve was not "snug" enough to keep cable in place when cable is moved about. I think the cable fell out of slot the last time I folded seat, or put something under seat, or when I put vacuum hose under seat to clean. When it popped out, it looked like it got caught in between something & was cut/pinched into. Since I really want seat to work far into the future, I put a drop of crazy glue where the slot & cable sleeve meet, being careful not to get any on the cable. Hopefully this will prevent this from happening again. Thanks for the read.

Sorry, should have stated car is a 2013 SEL with leather. Although video is helpful to some, 2013 seats a vastly different. Right now I am stuck until I can get back/top half of seat to release. Thanks for the reply, hopefully I can figure it out [still hopeful for any ones helpful advice] without having to replace entire seat. Thanks again

HELP PLEASE!!! My rear seat cable that releases right passenger seat back to fold down broke at the rear release, [no visible cable left to grab with vice locks]. How can I release now to remove seat to repair/replace? As far as I can tell far rear bolts/nuts are only accessable with seat folded flat. I can get to & have removed the bolts in front of bottom seat & pair at the rear under the bottom seat. But

These are the grills in the two bottom corners of the dash & windshield. THANKS

Hello, 2013 SEL, front dash speakers/tweeters grills have gotten a lot of dried bugs or something behind the grill. Tried to vacuum out but no luck. How do I remove the grills only to clean? Are they a pop-out/pop-in or more involved?. Just unsightly to look at & stares/irks me every time I drive. Thanks for the read & any info.

Based on my own experience with 12V battery problems, you should have the 12V battery load-tested [present one or replacement]. Went thru 6 months of back & forth with dealer service dept., car in their shop for 2&1/2 months. Seems as the original battery they replaced was not NOS but bad NOS. Agree system should have about 14V when on ready to run. Keep in mind that one of OBD2's biggest flaw/pitfall is it's dependence on proper working of a car's 12V system [This true of all, to my knowledge, cars]. Sadly this also means that too many mechanics rely on it too much. You have to have battery load-tested because in normal usage the battery amperage is not used very much to start car, unlike non-hybrids. Hope this helps & Thanks for the read.