SnowStorm

Glad to hear its still running - and don't be too hard on yourself, I think we've all done something similar, I know I have. But it does suggest a marketing opportunity for Ford - "one FOB to start them all"!

Max height of box you could slide straight in the back - and width? A picture in the back with hatch up and seats down might be nice. Is that the air cleaner on the right? Should be a lot easier to change. And the coolant caps (two?) look more accessible than C-Max.

I know your dealer said CSP 15B04 doesn't apply but I still wonder about it and possible wire chaffing that is mentioned therein. The CSP says "For vehicles built on or before June 3, 2013, inspect wiring in specified locations for damage and/or chafing and repair as needed." When was yours built? I know chaffing can kill batteries - I once had an SUV with aftermarket trailer wiring where a wire was run from the battery to the back. It went over the rear open axial where it eventually rubbed through and would kill the battery (without blowing the fuse!) while I was at work. Very intermittent. If they haven't, perhaps your dealer would check for chaffing per 15B04 anyway. The pictures and instructions in above link seem pretty clear. This whole 12V battery thing is insane.

There are unique numbers/letters on the tires so you can track them if you want. I've done it some but not always - they're a bit of a pain to read. IIRC my tire dealer said they normally just swap fronts with backs on same side so I have to always specify the Ford cross-over pattern - fronts to back, backs to front crossing. They have to do it the same way each time or after two rotations the tires could end up back where they started. I like the idea that each tire goes to all spots.

My originals became quite noisy (someone asked if I had snow tires!) due, I believe, to a lack or rotation. My Michelin dealer says un-driven tires (front or back) are subject to cupping and associated noise if not rotated frequently enough. My next two sets have been fine since I started getting them rotated every 5k miles or so (they do it free). Use the pattern Ford shows in the manual since it rotates each tire to all four wheels.

Your write-up is excellent - thanks for sharing the details and glad you car is running again! Yours is only the second one (to mine) that I have heard of where a hole was worn through the side. The transfer shaft fails and is allowed to shift sideways which wears the hole. At that point oil comes out. I believe the bad shaft caused the hole and loss of oil, not the other way around.

More monitoring options: Bluetooth communications - lots of folks selling it from $22 to $30. App available.Another Bluetooth but ships from USFancy unit that can also monitor current (current draw of monitor not given but can be powered from separate battery if necessary). WiFi.Again, can't recommend, just sharing search results. There seem to be a lot more monitors out there now than when I built mine several years ago. I guess we're not the only crowd with battery problems!

The statement that 15B04 is VIN specific seems questionable to me (why would chaffed wires or out-of-date software not be a possible problem way back in 2013?) but if the dealer won't/can't help then here are some ideas: Get a monitor that detects low 12v battery voltage and sets an alarm. This one might work - configure it to keep the low voltage alarm LED on even if the voltage goes back up (alarm hold) and connect the voltage input to the 12v power port in the back of the car (it stays on all the time). Then check it once or twice a day and if the LED is on, go to step 2 below. You might start with the low voltage alarm limit at 10.5 volts - the nominal value for 0% SOC in a lead acid battery. It can log data continuously as well, so you could look at the graph and possibly get some idea what is happening. Turn the car ON (Ready To Drive) and let it sit for an hour or so. Lock it with the other (!) key and go back inside. You don't need to actually "drive" somewhere to charge the battery. The car will just sit there and the ICE will start and run a very short time every 10 minutes or so to keep the HVB from going too low. This suggestion, of course, is for when you can't use a charger.The monitor mentioned above has its own internal battery so it won't be running down the 12v battery. I don't have one so can't "recommend" it - its just the cheapest one found so far with the mentioned features. Other loggers (without alarm) are: Blue Sky ComponentsMeasurement Computing USB-503Hantek 365Again, info only, no experience. The Hantek is basically a logging multimeter that goes down to a 60mV range which should allow it to monitor 12v battery current by connecting across the ground strap like I did in this topic - about 2 amps per millivolt.

Welcome to the forum, the C-Max and hybrids in general! This forum is great, folks are helpful and the search function works well too. Is your car SE or SEL and how many miles? Even after 185k miles I still enjoy the car a lot.

I could see how it might be related. A theory on the dead 12V battery problem is that something periodically runs the battery down at night to some voltage that would depend on many factors. If the voltage goes too low, you can't "start" the car and you have a "dead 12V battery". If not, there's enough voltage to "start" everything but the battery was still seriously discharged but you have no way of knowing. Each time it happens though, the battery is degraded. Now suppose the radio "dies" below 8v but the car can "start" down to 6v. If its at 7v in the morning, it "starts" but the radio has flipped out and needs its fuse pulled. It could be that there never was anything really wrong with the battery, charging algorithm, or anyone's driving pattern. Rather, the periodic discharges have damaged the battery to the point things start flipping out or you can't start at all and the battery tests bad. Quite a rat's nest of different possibilities and scenarios.

Yes, that "hush money" was really nice! My actual lifetime should be right at 47. Applying that money over 184,000 miles gives an equivalent cost based MPG of about 52. Not bad at all! And to think that, in the "good ol' days", my dad was happy to get 20 MPG!

Hmm, maybe some programmer put a rotten, date triggered "Easter egg" in the code!

12 days - I'll check it out for sure. Any full electric crossover/SUV with 300 mile range grabs my interest. Of course there's little chance of getting one since after telling my wife, just today, how the hatch handle is coming off and we have to lift from the bottom hatch edge, she reiterated the "not another Ford" line. :sad: Still, I hope its a great car for Ford. All the Mustang and sporty stuff is OK but I'm more interested in load space (more than C-Max), a flat floor in the back, good headroom and seats all around, lower cost and, oh yes, towing. Who ever saw a Mustang pulling a trailer? :lol2:

With my dead SE radio I'm looking for solutions. A complete kit is available from Crutchfield for about $500 - dash trim, touchscreen radio, harnesses and interface to CAN bus, IIRC. Of course there would be many options for the radio. About a year or so ago I was told the kit was for the standard SE radio - they didn't have anything for the Sony and I didn't ask about any kit for an SEL. Now if there was any way to go from the SE setup to a Sync 3, I would consider that too - especially for $300.

You're not the only one who has had trouble - read this topic.

And if they made changes to the transmission, there's another reason to wait! Now, with gasoline mileage ratings out, we just need the kWh/100 mile ratings for the plug-in version. The C-Max Energi was 35 and the present Fusion Energi is 33 kWh/100 mile.

There are several points and questions I see that relate to your problem: How, exactly, did the dealer determine that the transfer shaft can be moved "by hand"? That shaft is buried inside the transmission. To get access to it you have to remove engine/transmission assembly from car, remove transmission from engine and open it up. If the shaft has bored a hole through the side of the transmission (as mine did), you can't see it until the engine and transmission are separated. So, how did the dealer arrive at their diagnosis?Are there any abnormal sounds associated with the transmission? Mine only made a whirring or whine during EV mode around 30 to 40 MPH that would come and go depending on accelerating, coasting or braking. Other possible sounds are thumping or grinding as described in CSP 14B07.Later, TSB 17-0039 was issued that seems to address the same issue.A totally separate leakage problem is described in TSB 15-0174 that involves sealant failure. The transmission still has to be removed but can be repaired with new sealant. However, their shouldn't be any noises.Did the dealer check the transmission fluid level? In my case, the level was low by maybe two quarts. The fiber pan under the car was totally saturated. I have no idea how drastic the leakage is if the sealant fails.My Ford dealer replaced my transmission which I bought from a wrecking yard and had shipped to them. I believe stratosurfer used an independent shop.My dealer would have put in a new transmission from Ford for around $7k+. I think it came with a 3 year warranty.Really, you may need a second or third opinion (and second or third quote!).

Well, well, not bad. So will FWD be better? Still nothing on Ford site or fueleconomy.gov. 2018 C-Max was 40/42/38.

One review says "The system's complex gearbox works in the background...". Where do they get the idea this is a "complex gearbox"? There are no clutches and it never shifts gears (mechanically), not even for reverse! I wonder what they think of those dual clutch contraptions with 6 or more (?) gears. Maybe they're referring to the software! Another example of why I pay such little attention to these "reviews", other than general information. As to possible delivery delay, I wonder if its possible to ship any vehicle before the EPA ratings are published. They may indeed be exercising great care to get it right but may also be tweaking everything to get the best rating possible. With hybrids becoming a mainstream option and several competing hybrid SUVs out there, Ford has to get this thing right. If they hit 39 with a competitor at 40, it won't look good competitively - even though its rather insignificant. P.S. Of course Paul will get 50+ no matter what number they come up with!

Really? If you sit in neutral with ICE running you get an UP arrow? My AC/heat was not on.

I guess it makes sense but apparently the C-Max is programmed to not charge the HVB in neutral even with low SOC. I had started up but was waiting in the driveway - ICE had started since SOC was low (EV+) - and noticed HVB discharging. Shift to forward, reverse or park and it would charge. Shift to neutral and it would discharge. So, neutral really means 'no load on the ICE' as it would with a conventional drive train. I wonder what would happen if you sat there a long time? Hopefully its programmed to start charging at some point!

My browser couldn't find the site for a couple of days but obviously others could as posts were made during that time. Its got me paranoid as to what happens if this site goes away. How long will the owners keep it up with C-Max gone from production? Its hard to imagine how bad it would have been without all the help and information gained here. I still intend to run 'The Enterprise' for 2 or 3 years more if possible.

When was the first transmission replaced? I certainly hope that no one received a replacement that didn't have the problem corrected. As to bad fluid, I doubt that was the cause (at least not in my case) since something obviously shifted out of place on the transfer shaft that caused; deep internal wear groves just like shown in the TSBa hole worn completely through the side of the case (!) by the end of the shaftall the corners of teeth sheared off on one side of one gear!I still think the shaft uses press-fit assembly and either the design or manufacturing wasn't quite right - the fit wasn't tight enough. Another possibility is that a sudden jerk or reverse torque from a motor might have popped something loose. I remember such a jerk happening once or so when, IIRC, coming to a stop after using L (motor braking). I never use L anymore! Its all such a pity since the transmission looks like quite a nice design. I was amazed to see so many parts inside my old one that looked "like new" even though it had made noise for tens of thousands of miles and had all those wear particles and broken teeth flying around in there. It wouldn't surprise me to see a good one go a million miles - there's really nothing to wear out. Its also quite a pity that Ford will no longer pay a few thousand dollars to fix such a glaring error. My wife says she'll "never buy another Ford".

No, this information says 2013 through 2016 could be affected: "Some 2013-2016 Fusion, MKZ and 2013-2016 C-MAX vehicles equipped with an HF35 transmission and built on or before 15-Aug-2015 may exhibit a thumping/rubbing or grinding noise coming from the transmission. The noise may be present in all gear ranges including neutral when the vehicle is moving, but will not be present when the vehicle is stationary or in Park."

Yes, interesting: Hmm, "numbers don’t lie—they may exaggerate, yes". Huh? See, 47 MPG EPA on the C-Max wasn't a lie, just an "exaggeration"!Although good, 41.2 on a single 45.7 mile trip doesn't mean much. After all, they were driving slowly ("truck rolling slowly ahead") on rolling terrain while drafting (they backed off to avoid debris). We also don't know initial/final SOC and all the other conditions. I bet Paul would have exceeded 60 MPG in his C-Max! Still, it does sound like we might have an SUV that matches the C-Max's EPA rating - quite an accomplishment.What's with ICE noise - "engine groans to life", "engine’s gruff note" - hopefully just an "exaggeration"!Price. Is $29,450 the lowest priced hybrid version? Quite a bit more than a C-Max.Looks much better than a RAV4!The Honda CR-V hybrid looks interesting too. We're finally getting some hybrid SUV options. Now we just need the full EV versions!