So, everything was fine for nearly 48,000 miles and then..............

[Laurel]

It is a big positive that the shop manager is so fussy.  Sorry for your wait but you do want Max at his finest.

[Jus-A-CMax]

Be worth the wait. At the end of the day, it's only the CMax that gets repaired and not your body, that you should be extremely thankful for  ;)

[Recumpence]

Well, the car is done and now it is at the dealer to fix the rough running and check engine light. My Scanguage says it is a bad #2 injector.

 

I dropped the car off on Friday (they were squeezing me in on an otherwise very busy schedule). They did not get to it until Saturday. They called and told me they could not diagnose it until they updated all the modules and their computer kept kicking them off. So, I told them to unplug the Scanguage. They called back and said that worked and they could now update the modules. Then they called and told me (after the updates) that the car was "Running EXTREMELY rough"..... Duh, that is why I brought it in! I was told that kind of rough running is not a bad injector. Now, I am not a mechanic, but YES it can. Google it, for crying out loud! Anyway, he told me it could even be something internal. I highly doubt that. For one thing there is no extrenal odd noises that would accompany an internal issue. Second, there are no codes being thrown that would suggest it. Lastly, a bad injector will cause exactly this problem according to the research I have done. But, in the end, they spent so much time updating the modules, they never did get to diagnosing my problem. So, now I am stuck through Monday without my car (or maybe longer). I am flying out of state Wednesday. I better have this thing back by then.

 

I do not know, this is getting annoying. How many updates are required on a car anyway? I know this rough running issue is the first actual breakdown I have had in 48,000 miles. But, I have to admit, I am beginning to wonder about the long term reliability of this car. Maybe I am just getting worn out with this whole situation. After all, the 5 weeks I was without the car waiting for the rear end damage to be fixed had nothing to do with the build qualtiy or design of the car. But, this is horrible timing. First I am without my car for 5 weeks, now it is at the dealer and I am being told it has some funky issue. HUGE bummer! And this is my work car. I am fed up being without it and being forced to use other cars that are, in now way, useful for my purposes. That is the whole reason I bought a new car was so I did not have the constant repair thing like I had with all of the used cars I have driven for work........

 

Well, now that I have that major rant off my chest, maybe I can feel good about the car again.    :)

 

Sorry, Guys, just had to vent a bit.......

 

I miss my car and I have a feeling I will have a tough time trusting it to serve me well after this.

 

Matt

Edited March 2, 2014 by Recumpence

[plus 3 golfer]

Do you recall the exact trouble code(s) you got? Does the Scan Gauge show intermittent codes or just hard codes?  Does ICE stumble on acceleration or is it a constant rough running? It could also be spark-related causing rough running - bad coil, plug.  How about deposits in the #2 cylinder.  Serious to me would be something along the lines of cam, valves, timing and so forth.

 

I would think once the techs run through the diagnostics and perhaps swap components among cylinders they can isolate the problem and hopefully its cause quickly.

 

Good luck with the dealer.

[ptjones]

Did it start running rough after the accident when you took it to the repair shop? :)

 

Paul

[Bill-N]

I'd try a can of dry gas; been known to work wonders.

Edited March 2, 2014 by Bill-N

[Recumpence]

This started the day before the accident.

 

It runs rough all the time and mileage is 23mpg with this rough running.

 

Matt

[ptjones]

This started the day before the accident.

 

It runs rough all the time and mileage is 23mpg with this rough running.

 

Matt

I think you are right injector, plug or wire. Did you try injector cleaner? :)

 

Paul

[Recumpence]

Yup, tried the injector cleaner.   :)

 

Good call, though.

 

Matt

[ptjones]

Yup, tried the injector cleaner.   :)

 

Good call, though.

 

Matt

That's frustrating, it will be interesting to know what the problem is.  Us high mileage CMAXer's will be  the first to see any long term problems.  I'm good so far, knock on wood. LOL Good Luck :)

 

Paul

[ScubaDadMiami]

Yup, tried the injector cleaner.   :)

 

Good call, though.

 

Matt

Ugh, sorry. That was what I would have suggested, too.

 

By any chance, did the problem happen after you added the injector cleaner? I had a similar problem when the dirt that the cleaner removes caused a blockage and tripped off the check engine light. I just shot some cleaner into the throttle body intake, which cleaned it out, got the light reset, and that was that.

[Recumpence]

Nope, it just came on completely by itself. The car began running rough and lost power, then the light came on. When I Googled the code it said "Bad #3 injector".

 

It has also thrown 2 other codes. One was #1 cylinder misfire and one was a simple "Misfire" code. When I reset those, the only code that came back up after running was the #3 cylinder code.

 

Anyway, the suspense is killing me. I shoud at least know what the problem is (and hopefully have it fixed) today.

 

Matt

Edited March 3, 2014 by Recumpence

[plus 3 golfer]

Misfire codes (especially in multiple cylinders) are generally bad fuel, deposits causing pre-ignition (ignition before the spark not knocking),or deposits on valves preventing proper sealing. If is turns out to be deposits I'd make sure to use a fuel with high detergents or a fuel injection cleaner like Techron periodically.  For the last 10+ years or so I always use top-tier gas or gas stations that advertises that the detergent in their gas is X times the EPA minimum requirements like Costco fuel.

 

Before I began using top-tier fuel, I developed misfires in my 2000 Passat V6 at 12k miles.   The dealer had the BG system to clean the engine of deposits (they did it under warranty).  VW subsequently issued a TSB on misfires and recommended using top-tier gas.   I have also had misfires on several other family members cars and about once a year treat with a double dose of a Techron product (which based on my experience works). Costco occasionally has Pro-Gard® Fuel Injector Cleaner at a very good price.

[fbov]

... I bought a new car was so I did not have the constant repair thing like I had with all of the used cars I have driven for work........

Matt,

I'll try to say this gently, but at 48,000 miles, you're now driving a used car.

 

You drive too much to keep a car actually "new" for very long! I can't believe I'm pushing 20K on my "new" car, either. Seems like yesterday, they were only toddlers... no, wait!

 

Have fun,

Frank

[Recumpence]

Matt,

I'll try to say this gently, but at 48,000 miles, you're now driving a used car.

 

You drive too much to keep a car actually "new" for very long! I can't believe I'm pushing 20K on my "new" car, either. Seems like yesterday, they were only toddlers... no, wait!

 

Have fun,

Frank

I completely agree. The frustration I am experiencing is not related to Ford, or my car, per-se. It is frustration with the situation. I have been without my car for nearly a month and a half and it is getting old waiting. That being said, I know it is not going to be forever reliable. At 44,000 miles per year, this car will, indeed, have problems from time to time. The timing is what is annoying, first this issue, then the accident, then after 5 weeks of waiting for the accident to get fixed I finally get to correct the rough running, only to have the dealer take far longer than quoted.

 

Oh, which reminds me, after the dealer has had my car for 3 days without being able to figure it out, they finally broke out the VOM and tested the #3 injector and found that "Bingo" that was, indeed, the problem!

 

Geeze, I told them that when I brought the car in Friday........

 

Oh, well, this is life. This too shall pass.

 

Matt

[fbov]

No one believes the owner can troubleshoot anything....

[ScubaDadMiami]

Hoping that the present course of bumps passes quickly for you, Matt.

[ptjones]

No one believes the owner can troubleshoot anything....

Isn't this the true, I have told several Service and Sales peaple that they can get their questions answer faster on our CMAX site than from FORD. LOL :)  I wonder why an injector would go bad, was it plugged :detective: ?

 

Paul

[plus 3 golfer]

I believe the major cause of injector replacement is due to fouling in lower mileage vehicles (tip wear in higher mileage vehicles)  I'd go back to the misfire codes and still run a double dose (2 bottles) of techron through a tank of fuel to clean all cylinders.  Rarely is the root cause of failure an inherent mechanical or electrical failure.

 

Also, the air fuel ratio Imbalance monitor allows the PCM to trim fuel appropriately for each cylinder.  I would think that if the difference in fuel trim between cylinders exceeded a threshold that a DTC would be thrown. But given that there is now one new injector and 3 old injectors (likely different spray patterns and different flow volumes), one could see slightly different performance characteristics including FE (which a hypermiler might notice).   Many times when one injector needs replaced, all injectors are replaced so that the injector characteristics are virtually the same or balanced especially since injectors will continue to wear.  I doubt Ford pulled all injectors and tested the characteristics to check imbalance among the injectors.  At $36.55 for an injector, it's probably cheaper to replace all than test each one since the dealer likely would have to send out. 

[Recumpence]

I agree about matching injectors. I have to consider replacing the others too......

 

So, Max is home. It feels soooooo good having it back! The body shop detailed the car. It even smells new again. There must have been a layer of grud blocking the new car smell.   :)

 

It is so good to be back to driving a high mileage car. 20 degrees and 49.3mpg on my 30 miles of errands today. Gotta love this car.   :)

 

Oh, we are now shopping for a car for my wife. She needs all wheel drive (she does a huge amount of snow driving). So, we are considering an Escape or possibly a Subaru. We shall see. We will be shopping for her car this month.

 

Matt

[fbov]

It may be meteorological Spring, but this bears repeating... Do you know the difference between normal cars and 4x4's in the snow? It's the length of the hike back to the road when you lose control.

 

Brakes and steering are what's important, not drivetrain!  A C-Max with snow tires is close to my ideal winter vehicle.

- great visibility in snow at night. Between the tall seating and low headlight cut-off, this car is the best I've ever seen.

- lots of traction, but not so much that you overdrive your brakes and steering (aka lose control)

- inherent stability; a big battery in back gives the car a large polar moment, so harder to spin. (Think Porsche 944)

- plenty of ground clearance, easily sufficient for areas averaging 8 feet of snow a year. (We still have 10" to go... but it's just March.)

 

Your wife's call, of course!

 

HAve fun,

Frank

Edited March 5, 2014 by fbov

[ptjones]

I sure liked my 2006 F250 4X4 in the snow and ice and I never got stuck. I'm sure the operator behind the wheel has something to do about it. :) 

 

Paul 

[Recumpence]

Awd does make a huge difference in the snow no matter what anyone says. It does not make getting stuck impossible. But it increases margin quite a bit.

[C-MaxSea]

Sooo glad you've got your C-Max back Matt !!!

 

Extra 'like' your take on snow driving Frank, I've always done well without 4 wheel drive, but then rarely these days do I find any snow  ;).
 
(Although Mt Baker is leading the nation in snow fall again this year, so they say (409 inches and counting))

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Two-of-biggest-snowfall-totals-are-from-Washington-248421151.html

Edited March 5, 2014 by C-MaxSea

[ptjones]

Sooo glad you've got your C-Max back Matt !!!

 

Extra 'like' your take on snow driving Frank, I've always done well without 4 wheel drive, but then rarely these days do I find any snow  ;).

 

(Although Mt Baker is leading the nation in snow fall again this year, so they say (409 inches and counting))

 

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Two-of-biggest-snowfall-totals-are-from-Washington-248421151.html

They should send it down to CALIFORNIA. :)

 

Paul