SnowStorm

I have clip leads out the back; plus battery terminal, minus battery terminal, frame ground. Car has been off for over an an hour. Voltage is still dropping (though occasionally it goes back up some). Problem is happening now!

Problem is I don't see any current draw - no voltage drop across the ground cable.

[Edit] Removed since it looks like my meter has flaked out! Good grief. Sorry for all the confusion. Thankfully, I guess the ET mode voltage reading is correct after all!

C-MaxSea, I agree and could hardly agree more. For newcomers especially, set EcoCruise at your desired speed and forget it! (I say "newcomers" because us "old-timers" are set in our ways and won't be convinced by anybody else anyway!) I repeatedly drive a non-stop 30+ mile stretch at 55 mph - almost level but just enough slope change to go in/out of EV occasionally in Eco-Cruise. I once tried micromanaging the EV mode (for 30+ miles!) and couldn't tell any difference. A lot of work for nothing. (But maybe I need training?) I also don't buy the "sweet-spot" urban legend. The faster you go (all other conditions the same!), the lower the MPG. Period. Of course I haven't heard the definitive definition of "sweet-spot" so what do I know!

The new lithium battery jumper packs are quite small - I'm interested in getting one but haven't read up on them yet or researched the options. My present one is shoe-box size too but a lot heavier!

It better have more space - its 8.1 inches longer! More space is rarely needed but a shorter car is a plus almost everyday.

Never have .... never will .... don't care much for toast (but that's not the reason!).

Updating the list - rewording and adding: Grill flap operation HV battery cooling EVAP system leak detection (fuel system) Water pump operation Radio (?) Short circuit in a connector (will need to pick the most likely circuits)It would help to know the current drawn by each item to help prioritize. Anything that draws a couple of amps or more is a candidate. I wish we knew what pulls 3 amps for 6 seconds in the middle of the night.

So, let's all apply our collective persistence and see what can be done. Two first steps could be: Connect an alarm to warn us that something is wrong. It could watch voltage, current or charge. A charge based alarm would be best followed by voltage and then current. (I recently purchased a voltage alarm intended for model aircraft and will post details soon.) Determine where the current is going. This is the hard part. I'm proposing we list the most likely candidates and devise a low cost way of monitoring each one. Then when the alarm goes off you go check which item is the culprit. Of course I'm assuming the battery is drained over a period of hours, not a few minutes!So let's all create a list of the most likely candidates with the source of our information (personal observation, Ford service data, other online reports, etc). Here's a start from CMax Travelers post. Opening/closing the grill flaps Cooling the HV battery Maintenance on the fuel system pressurePlease add to it. We then need someone with wiring diagrams to locate all the fuses or other good monitoring points. I'm tired of waiting.

Unfortunately, after the car "goes to sleep" it periodically "wakes up" and does stuff (gets a midnight snack, takes the dog out - goodness knows what). (I think someone said what it does but I don't remember.) You can see my all night current monitoring results here in post #25. A half hour after going to sleep the current jumped to 3 amps for 6 seconds. Then it periodically went to 0.2 amps for 30 seconds. (My minimum measurement capability was about 20 mA.) I had hoped to build a current monitor that I could check to make sure the car had "gone to sleep" but with all the insomnia going on I realized that you would have to keep checking all night! Obviously, if it stuck ON at 3 amps, you could have a dead battery next day. I wonder if a lot of batteries (including mine last winter) tested "bad" because they were being repeatedly discharged excessively but not quite enough to prevent starting the next morning. So you go along for weeks or months not knowing what is happening until the battery goes low enough to prevent a start. I wish we new the lowest voltage that would still energize the car. From my experience I know that 3.5 volts is too low!

Sorry folks but our beloved C-Max is not a 47 MPG car. :sad: Its a 48 MPG car! :) :lol: :shift: Saw it on The Enterprise for the first time today. Average since "upgrade" is at 48.4.

Haven't I also heard that the NRG has a compressor driven heater (a heat pump) so you can have heat without running the ICE?

Select Accessory and Climate power on the MyView screen and you can see how many kilowatts the A/C is using. Very helpful. I have seen it start at 3 kW and eventually settle down to just 300 watts. My summary for low A/C power is (pardon the repetition): Use recirculate. Sometimes it turns off after 5 minutes. Turn it back on. The power difference between outside and recirc can be huge. Turn up the fan. More air flow feels cooler and uses very little energy compared to the compressor. Turn up the temperature as far as your comfort level allows. I use 75 or 76F - and use it as soon as I turn it on. A/C power is proportional to the difference between outside temperature (air over the condenser) and inside temperature (air over the evaporator). Use more fan to offset higher temperature setting. Close unused vents (don't forget the back seat!). The goal is to cool you, not the car. For just myself, I close back seat vent and passenger vent next to door. Then I point the other passenger vent towards me. Control heat build up. Use windshield screen, close pano roof shade, park in the shade, etc. At work I can often park next to a building that gives afternoon shade. Its amazing how much cooler a car is - even though in the sun most of the day. Remove hot air as others have described.Admittedly, my A/C use is "moderate" but I don't think the hit is more than 1 or 2 mpg.

Nice "Ecomiling"! (And relax Jus - we can't tell how hard he's working that other foot! You can P&G on top of cruise control!)

But rain can make great photos! Look at the cool reflections under the car! You can see all 4 wheels from one side.

We drive about 95% highway and have a lifetime average (since new) of 47.9 MPG and since the mileage "upgrade" last August of 48.3 MPG. We have over 42,000 miles on the car and love it. Our "highway" is about equally split between country roads at 55 mph with little traffic and Interstates at 55 to 70 mph (although I rarely go over 65). I coast and brake gently as much as possible, watch the road ahead and keep to speed limits but otherwise don't bother much with "hypermiling". I use ECO cruise "constantly" (it works down to 20 mph), accelerate briskly, stomp it when necessary to pass on those two lane roads (great fun!), and generally ignore what the battery is doing (except for technical curiosity). I'm convinced you really don't need to bother with the battery and the car's operating modes at all to get great mileage. I like watching all the gauges but, if absent, I don't think my mileage would suffer by even 1 MPG. So, learn the driving "techniques" mentioned above, set the cruise control, sit back and "enjoy the flight".

Drivin' one of those cars will drive you to something - and some things are better than others! Bet there's no more sway on turns!

He should at least consider an NRG. I'd just about die if I had to go back to conventional cars for mountain driving. The C-Max goes up mountains like they aren't there - no down-shifting - no audible engine revving - a total breeze. I would buy the C-Max just for the way it doesn't shift even if it didn't get better mileage. Sometimes the intangibles steal the show! Sort of like those of you who said you didn't care about the "kick-gate" but now wouldn't be without it. I can't imagine going back to a car that doesn't sail over mountains like they aren't there! Bugs me every time the Lexus down-shifts! The only problem with the "hybrid" version is that you can't control battery charge so you often get to the top with little room to charge on the way down. I understand the NRG lets you control battery use so it sounds like a better match to mountain driving. Ford should really add the same control to all hybrids. Or better, just link it to your GPS route, add altitude to the maps and do it automatically!

Why? The comparable VW to the C-Max is the Sportwagon. 39 mpg highway versus 37 for C-Max. (But $1750 / yr versus $1300 for C-Max.) Now for CA: C-Max cost per mile = $3.89/37 + 0 = 10.5 cents VW fuel cost per mile = $4.10/39 + $1100/100,000 = 11.6 cents Why another 1.1 cents per mile? Mandatory timing belt at 100,000. Plus any extra repair cost for turbo and complex automatic tranny plus occasional hassle looking for diesel. In VA the per mile difference is 1.9 cents in favor of C-Max. Tell your friends to get a C-Max. Save some :spend:

Maybe there's an increased level of hydrocarbons in the air. Free fuel!

Virginia's mountains eat yours for breakfast! (I can't imagine what California's would do.) The great thing about the C-Max is that it takes them all like they aren't there. Absolutely love the "no shift" drive train. Hit a 5% grade on the Interstate and the engine just speeds up a bit (which you don't even hear), no down shifting, no hint that you are going up a hill. Love it!

First, IMNSHO, the instantaneous gauge is nearly worthless. Its usually bouncing between 20 (charging merrily away and getting people depressed) and 60 ( ;) ) in EV where it should be "infinite". The only useful reading is the "high ice" mode where the battery is "fully" charged (about 85% indicated), stable and you are on a dead flat road with no other variation in load. Any other time its just a meaningless curiosity. I have seen it settle down at about 52 mpg when going 55 mph. There is no way you get 35 mpg at 55 mph. You may be going in and out of EV. The slightest, and I mean slightest, change in slope will kick you in or out of EV at 55 mph. One short blip of EV and it takes "forever" to get things settled again. Second, I still think you can get better mileage with slight rolling hills that constantly flip you in and out of EV while ECO cruising. Your mileage may be as good at 60 or 65 with rolling hills as on dead flat at 55. Third, I doubt there is anything crazy about the gauge programming or fuel measurement (except that its always a bit optimistic). My 2C.

Kellytoons, do you have the right side screen set to show those amazing "Efficiency Leaves"? They have subliminal power beyond anything we can imagine! Shucks, in a few months there'll be real leaves commin' outa the air vents! You'll be in the dog house for pulling down her average. :lol: (P.S. I have to keep hedge trimmers in The Enterprise so I can see out the windshield! :lol2:)

They should spend their time repackaging the Hybrid and Energi batteries under the floor (and creating room for a spare). Forget silly cosmetic changes.