Recall 13B07: The Guinea Pig Thread

[salsaguy]

+3, i thought the vag tool was only for vw/audi and not able to link up to Ford.

Yes. I use the OBDII capabilities of  this software.

[plus 3 golfer]

+3, i thought the vag tool was only for vw/audi and not able to link up to Ford.

It can also read certain OBDII data from vehicles that use a certain protocol.  Hit OBDII on the preceding link and then Mode 1 read data.  Then one can select up to 4 points like rpm, SOC, speed, and so forth.  VCScope then can record the selected data to a file.  

[ARA]

Took the C-Max to the dealer today.......had a laundry list.

1) Right LCD control on steering wheel does not work in hot temps.

2) Buzzing ( exhaust?? ) in rear when car has 3 or 4 passengers and accelerating.

3) Squeaking and thumping in front suspension over bumps and in dips.

4) A/C buzzing ( loud ) intermittently.

5) PCM performance update.

 

Lifetime Avg MPG was 41.1 when taken in today.

Has been as high as 44.8 for a while but a recent trip lowered that.

 

I love my C-Max and she just keeps getting better and better.

Tips given here on the forum have taught me how to increase my mileage and improve the owner experience.

 

The recent trip that lowered my MPG Avg was on I-10 from Mobile to Jacksonville....just ate it alive.

My sweet spot is 67 MPH......stayed well above that on I-10. I hope the PCM upgrade will allow that sweet spot to be raised above 70mph. Here in the South, Interstate speed limits are at least 70mph.....so doing 75mph drags your mpg down real quick.

 

Fingers crossed!

[spyburn]

Haven't found the new sweet spot on the car since the update, but I have a few more comments from this morning's drive.  First, has anyone else with the upgrade noticed the temp display no longer does the blue to white thing? Or is that just me?

 

Second, this morning I went back to my early days where I took the WWCMD (What Would C-Max Do?) approach.  I set the eco-cruise and let 'er rip.  In my early days of trying to figure out how the car would drive and watching the displays while it did it's thing, I was consistently getting 39-41 MPG on my trip into work.  Using the exact same technique, I got 44 this morning.

 

Jus, you asked about the length of time at 70mph in EV.....I had my cruise set at 68 and saw 2 long stretches where the SOC was 2/3 or better to start - the first one was an ever so slight downslope and I got 1.6 miles in EV.  The second was flat and I got 1.1 miles.

 

Last, I'm noticing that even as my SOC gets high enough that I think it should drop into EV, while in Eco cruise, the car waits for a much longer time than I think it should before dropping into EV.  Since I was testing, I didn't force the issue, but over the next few weeks I will play around with it.  As Jus has mentioned before, Eco cruise doesn't know the roads - so when I know there is a slope coming up, or a place when I have to brake for a sharp curve, I can control the charging a bit more.

[CMax-Traveler]

Had my C-Max in today for the update and the header fix, but like TxTom, the 63+ EV mode didn't take on the first try.  Other parts of the update seemed to have taken effect (ex: if the battery is high I can now get a full 2-bar EV accelleration at highway speeds that I don't recall from before; the max height of the blue Engage bar seems to be much more variable based on the battery level at lower speeds; EV+ locations and Regen miles reset), but on a looong downhill at 67mph well after warm-up, the ICE was still on the whole way down. Dealer asked me to call back tomorrow to schedule reapplying the update.

Edited August 1, 2013 by CMax-Traveler

[cgul]

Had my C-Max in today for the update and the header fix, but like TxTom, the 63+ EV mode didn't take on the first try.  Other parts of the update seemed to have taken effect (ex: if the battery is high I can now get a full 2-bar EV accelleration at highway speeds that I don't recall from before; the max height of the blue Engage bar seems to be much more variable based on the battery level at lower speeds; EV+ locations and Regen miles reset), but on a looong downhill at 67mph well after warm-up, the ICE was still on the whole way down. Dealer asked me to call back tomorrow to schedule reapplying the update.

Mine did the same thing no EV over 62. Talked to the service manager and will bring it in next Tuesday for a redo.

 

I will print this and take it in when I go and see if maybe this is the problem.

 

http://fordfusionhybridforum.com/topic/7238-ford-fuel-efficiency-update-guinea-pig-testers/page-5?do=findComment&comment=61696

[mikekoz]

   Just called my local dealer and they have never heard of it!! :doh:

[MtnMarty]

The same thing happened to me the first time. The dealer determined that their laptops in the service area did not have the correct update on them. The next day I returned and has a successful update.

 

Mine did the same thing no EV over 62. Talked to the service manager and will bring it in next Tuesday for a redo.

 

I will print this and take it in when I go and see if maybe this is the problem.

 

http://fordfusionhybridforum.com/topic/7238-ford-fuel-efficiency-update-guinea-pig-testers/page-5?do=findComment&comment=61696

 

 

 

[DaveofDurham]

I had the PCM update done today.  After dinner I went for a brief highway drive to test the PCM update.  I got a full charge on the battery going up a hill on I-40.  I got off and headed back the other way.  I set eco cruise at about 75mph and then started backing off about 2mph at a time.  I saw the switch to ev at about 65mph and then was able to stay in ev for about 4 clicks up to 69-70mph.  I need to read this thread and the other PCM update related threads some more to see what others have experienced and then go for a longer highway drive.  I'm not sure yet if I am getting/seeing the full effect with regard to staying in ev at higher speeds.

[SnitGTS]

I called my dealer today about the update and they told me they didn't have the "parts" for the update and that I would get a letter when they had them.  Is this not a software update???

[11StiLimited]

The same thing happened to me the first time. The dealer determined that their laptops in the service area did not have the correct update on them. The next day I returned and has a successful update.

 

 

I called my dealer today about the update and they told me they didn't have the "parts" for the update and that I would get a letter when they had them.  Is this not a software update???

Yes, 13B07 is a software update. Like TxTom & MtnMarty, your dealer most likely has not updated their system yet.

[LizM]

I think the dealer's are a little confused.  I called mine yesterday about the recall (headliner) and the FE update.  The guy first said that all was needed for the recall was me to bring it in for an inspection, asked me for the recall code and then he put me on hold.  So that's getting done next Wednesday, and I asked if the FE update could be done at the same time - and he said, "Oh, the Sync update?, Yeah we can do that then too..."  So not sure if he's talking about the MFT update that we got last month or what..guess I'll find out on Wednesday, the 7th.

[plus 3 golfer]

I think the dealer's are a little confused.  I called mine yesterday about the recall (headliner) and the FE update.  The guy first said that all was needed for the recall was me to bring it in for an inspection, asked me for the recall code and then he put me on hold.  So that's getting done next Wednesday, and I asked if the FE update could be done at the same time - and he said, "Oh, the Sync update?, Yeah we can do that then too..."  So not sure if he's talking about the MFT update that we got last month or what..guess I'll find out on Wednesday, the 7th.

If your outstanding Field Service Actions show up on ETIS (which you can check here by entering your VIN), then the dealer can also quickly check your VIN and will see the same for your car.  The dealer can then easily determine what needs to be done. There's no need for confusion by dealer and have to ask for the recall code.

 

But since there seems to be some confusion, rather than wait for Wednesday, check ETIS with your VIN.  Then assuming the FSA show up as below, call the dealer back and confirm.  This may save you making another trip to the dealer.

Outstanding Field Service Actions

13B07 - POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE (PCM) CALIBRATION

13C02 - HEADLINER HEAD IMPACT PROTECTION

[oxnard]

:judge:

 

 

 

 

:lol2:

[CMax-Traveler]

Mine did the same thing no EV over 62. Talked to the service manager and will bring it in next Tuesday for a redo.

 

I will print this and take it in when I go and see if maybe this is the problem.

 

http://fordfusionhybridforum.com/topic/7238-ford-fuel-efficiency-update-guinea-pig-testers/page-5?do=findComment&comment=61696

 

Went back to the dealer today, with the link above printed... they said the laptop they used yesterday didn't have the correct update on it.  So, if you're going in to get your C-Max updated, be sure to print that and take it in -- it'll save you a hassle later.

 

Now that I have full EV up to at least 72, I'll run some tests on the new update later tonight and will report back with photos.

[homestead]

Went back to the dealer today, with the link above printed... they said the laptop they used yesterday didn't have the correct update on it.  So, if you're going in to get your C-Max updated, be sure to print that and take it in -- it'll save you a hassle later.

 

Now that I have full EV up to at least 72, I'll run some tests on the new update later tonight and will report back with photos.

Does the fusion and c-max get the same version update?

[SnitGTS]

Ok, I called again and had to convince them that this was a software update, she had to ask her manager about it and he confirmed that there were no 'parts'.  My appointment is Wednesday at 11 am EST, hopefully they get it right.

 

I have the 13C02 recall as well, but they don't have those 'parts' either so I'll have to go back for that, not waiting for them to get my 13B07!!!

Edited August 2, 2013 by SnitGTS

[LizM]

Yes, I have already checked the ETIS and both actions show up.  I planned to print it off to show them on Wednesday.  I have not really been impressed with the service at my dealer...I'm hoping it gets better.

[darrelld]

Anyone else notice the recycle air now stays on after you power the car off for the day and return?

[CMax-Traveler]

Hey everyone, as promised I ran a pre- and post-update highway test at 71MPH... I posted the results in this thread, here: http://fordcmaxhybridforum.com/topic/2681-recall-13b07-real-world-highway-test/

[RaPieR]

I just got the PCM update on Thursday.  I drive to Toronto a LOT so I should be able to get a decent comparison of mileage before and after the update.  Based on my last 5-6 trips I've driven 4554 miles at 44.MPG all at about 88% highway driving using eco-cruise at 65-70MPH before the PCM update.  Usually I draft semis from around 200ft when they are driving fast enough and the temperature usually ranges from 50-80F on those past trips.  Only other variables are amount/direction of wind, AC usage, and traffic.  I always take the same route, Ambassador bridge then highway 401 to Toronto and take the same route back home to Dearborn.

 

So after the update, on the first leg to Toronto today the dashboard showed 52MPG.  Again this was using eco-cruise from 65-70MPH and I drafted from semis from around 200ft when possible.  I used the AC set to 73F and recirc on.  The conditions were around 75F with a tail wind until I was around 30 miles from Toronto where I hit heavy traffic and rain.  So far the results look promising, I'll see what my real calculated round trip mileage is when I drive back with a head/crosswind.

 

One great thing I found was that high ICE is still possible.  I don't know what is the speed threshold but at 65MPH you can use high ICE as long as the engine load is above 1 bar.  I found if the car is above 65MPH in EV mode and the load is above 1 bar you can blip the throttle and as long as load doesn't dip below the 1 bar threshold the C-max will hold ICE.

 

Now about the AC.  After the reprogram, I noticed that AC load on the battery varies a lot more now. At one point it had zero load.  Before the update the load stayed steady at around 1 bar.  The difference though is that it doesn't stay as cold in the interior as before.  Prior to the update, setting the AC at 73F made the interior chilly. After the update, the car was warmer but still comfortable.  I'm not sure if it's using a temperature sensor inside to determine when to cycle the compressor on and off.

 

Sorry for the long post, but so far I'm liking what I'm seeing with the update.

 

Edited August 3, 2013 by RaPieR

[homestead]

Thanks to all the guinea pigs, update results are looking good!

[TxTom]

Haven't noticed any negative A/C cooling...keep it at 72, but outside has been pretty consistent here at 100 during the day and 83 at night, during the past 5 days since my PCM update. Did test the 85 max MPH...yes, that's the number...Status screen says "High Speed" at or above, but not below. Mileage is definitely better...my rough estimate overall is 5-6%, or 2+ MPG.  

[mikekoz]

  Are all of you just calling your dealer and setting up an appointment? I called mine last week and the person I spoke to at the service department had no idea what I was talking about. I am going to call again this week. I am reading about others on this forum who are having problems with their dealers just trying to explain the upgrade, and a few dealers apparently are up to the task. Don't you think it is kind of scary to have a dealer upgrade your vehicle when you know more about the upgrade then they do!! ;)

[Laurel]

I did mention it to our service person and he seemed puzzled and then scanned the computer, and said "oh you mean the power train update.  Yes you can schedule for that anytime you like."  So maybe if we call it the power train update they will know what we are talking about.