New C Max owner in Northern Ca

[Libra1224]

First off I wanted to to say how much I have been enjoying this site the past month. I learn more and more everyday from all of you. 4 weeks ago I purchased a new 2013 Ingot silver c max hybrid 302A. It was a deal since last 2013 on lot and needed to be moved. Love it more and more everyday. I ended up at the Ford dealer when I took my beloved 08 Escape in for a 2nd time for the same issue. I was given a loaner car. A 2014 c max energi. While I thought it kinda looked funny on the outside I was very impressed with the inside, features and power it had. After a day with this loaner I was in love. The next day I purchased my own and traded the Escape in. While I'm still learning how to maximise my mpg's I have to say I'm loving every minute of it. So far (fingers crossed) not one single issue with MFT, battery or anything else. Hopefully when the heat let's off here in Northern Ca, I can back off of the a/c and see better mileage.

[drdiesel1]

Great to hear you enjoy the C-Max.  Due to the fact this car has been sitting around for over a year,

I would advise you to properly charge that 12V battery with the proper micro processor charger.

 

Even if it's not dead, it's probably been low for way to long. I use and recommend this charger.

For the 55 bucks to purchase it, you'll get piece of mind with knowing your battery is properly charged.

You can use it to monitor the SOC and make sure it's always up to snuff and you'll know if it's dying out on you.

 

Charger....http://www.amazon.com/Schumacher-SSC-1500A-CA-SpeedCharge-Charger-Battery/dp/B000H961YI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1409031776&sr=8-2&keywords=marine+1500+charger

 

 

It's easy to use and pretty much fool-proof. Just hook it up to the power and ground studs under the hood and let it rip.

Here's an image of the power and ground stud locations under the hood.

Edited August 26, 2014 by drdiesel1

[scottwood2]

Great to hear you enjoy the C-Max.  Due to the fact this car has been sitting around for over a year,

I would advise you to properly charge that 12V battery with the proper micro processor charger.

 

Even if it's not dead, it's probably been low for way to long. I use and recommend this charger.

For the 55 bucks to purchase it, you'll get piece of mind with knowing your battery is properly charged.

You can use it to monitor the SOC and make sure it's always up to snuff and you'll know if it's dying out on you.

 

Charger....http://www.amazon.com/Schumacher-SSC-1500A-CA-SpeedCharge-Charger-Battery/dp/B000H961YI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1409031776&sr=8-2&keywords=marine+1500+charger

 

 

It's easy to use and pretty much fool-proof. Just hook it up to the power and ground studs under the hood and let it rip.

Here's an image of the power and ground stud locations under the hood.DSC_0001.jpg

Hi Drdiesel1

 

I have seen your posts regarding charging the battery before and this seems like a good charger.  I can see doing this on a dead or low battery but for normal operation wouldn't the DC-DC charging system on the C-max take care of this on its own if it is operating properly?  Maybe I am missing something here with this setup? 

 

Thx

[RobMax]

Congrats on the purchase. We just bought ours on 8/15 and love it so far. Curious what the problem was with your 08 FEH that required a 2nd visit to the dealer. We just sold our 08 and beyond it being a rattletrap, it was a pretty good vehicle after I replaced the MECS pump and HVB vent door actuator.

[Libra1224]

I was wondering the same thing about the charging. If I've had it a month and battery has been up and down from my own driving wouldn't that account for it being charged. Is this something I should have Ford do?

 

Now the Escape. I love the Escapes. However I bought used and not new so don't have full history on car. When I would remove the keys the car would still run. Dealer had removed the ignition switch and the gas line and the vehicle was still running, the first time they said it was something in the computer that needed replacing and cost me $700. the second time it happened I lost trust in that car. since I do a lot of driving I didn't want to take a chance and ended up trading in for the C Max

[drdiesel1]

Batteries require maintenance too. For some reason the SOC drops below optimum levels on these cars.

Probably due to heavy demand from all the electrical loads. It seems like the DC/DC converter just can't keep up

with the demand. I always charge my batteries on all my vehicles at least every 6 months. The C-Max requires

it more often, so I just do it. It's not a big deal to hook up the charger once a month and just let it run until it's done.

 

It's a simple way to keep the battery in good health and reduce the chances of having a dead one on your hands.

You can use the charger to look at SOC and determine your own charging requirements. It's not rocket science.

55 bucks is cheap insurance against low/dead battery problems. The 12V battery is the gateway to the cars operation.

[scottwood2]

Batteries require maintenance too. For some reason the SOC drops below optimum levels on these cars.

Probably due to heavy demand from all the electrical loads. It seems like the DC/DC converter just can't keep up

with the demand. I always charge my batteries on all my vehicles at least every 6 months. The C-Max requires

it more often, so I just do it. It's not a big deal to hook up the charger once a month and just let it run until it's done.

 

It's a simple way to keep the battery in good health and reduce the chances of having a dead one on your hands.

You can use the charger to look at SOC and determine your own charging requirements. It's not rocket science.

55 bucks is cheap insurance against low/dead battery problems. The 12V battery is the gateway to the cars operation.

Thx for the reply.  So I would guess that when you hook up the charger you are seeing a SOC lower than 100% before charging?  Do you see this on your other cars too? 

 

Thx again.

[Libra1224]

I was wondering the same thing about the charging. If I've had it a month and battery has been up and down from my own driving wouldn't that account for it being charged. It appears to charge good. Is this something I should have Ford do?

 

Now the Escape. I love the Escapes. Have had 2 in the past. However I bought used and not new so don't have full history on car. When I would remove the keys the car would still run. Dealer had removed the ignition switch and the gas line and the vehicle was still running, the first time they said it was something in the computer that needed replacing and cost me $700. the second time it happened I lost trust in that car. Since I do a lot of driving I didn't want to take a chance and get stranded and ended up trading in for the C Max

[drdiesel1]

Thx for the reply.  So I would guess that when you hook up the charger you are seeing a SOC lower than 100% before charging?  Do you see this on your other cars too? 

 

Thx again.

Yes. Most vehicles are anywhere from 70% to 85%. A few even have 95%. 

70% is an acceptable lower limit. I like to see 85%. At 85%, I can just service it every 6 months as normal.

My wife's car battery lasted 8 tears to the month by maintaining the battery every 6 months.

I don't know why people can't understand batteries should be serviced too ?

 

I guess it comes from the maintenance free days of Delco's green eye batteries. They might be sealed and never need water,

but they should be properly charged every 6 months to stay healthy longer. Of course it requires the proper charger to handle

the battery. You can't use the old school gross chargers. They'll cook the battery if not monitored properly. This is why we use the

micro processor style charges today. They work great and allow the proper charge voltages to cell balance the battery.

 

They never over/under charge and also have a desulfate mode to condition the battery plates as well.

Edited August 27, 2014 by drdiesel1

[RockwallRick]

I have had batteries that lasted anywhere from 3 years to as long as 8 years, but no matter what car you drive you will eventually have to deal with a dead battery. From my

experiences they seem to die suddenly without any warning. Justs my 2 cents!! :rockon:

[Kelleytoons]

Doc -- is this charger okay? (same maker, gets better ratings, and slightly cheaper with free Prime):

 

http://www.amazon.com/Schumacher-SSC-1000A-SpeedCharge-Battery-Maintainer/dp/B0009IBJE4/ref=pd_sbs_auto_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=077PN10S81NX42EYPPCP

 

It says it can't be shipped to California (where you live) but otherwise I don't see any issues with it.  

 

Also, do you charge overnight?  If not, how long do you typically leave one of these running?  My main issue with this is that our GFCI in the garage constantly trips (and even an electrician can't figure out why) so I can't promise we have power there for more than a few hours at a time (wouldn't do much good for me to count on running this overnight).

[scottwood2]

Yes. Most vehicles are anywhere from 70% to 85%. A few even have 95%. 

70% is an acceptable lower limit. I like to see 85%. At 85%, I can just service it every 6 months as normal.

My wife's car battery lasted 8 tears to the month by maintaining the battery every 6 months.

I don't know why people can't understand batteries should be serviced too ?

 

I guess it comes from the maintenance free days of Delco's green eye batteries. They might be sealed and never need water,

but they should be properly charged every 6 months to stay healthy longer. Of course it requires the proper charger to handle

the battery. You can't use the old school gross chargers. They'll cook the battery if not monitored properly. This is why we use the

micro processor style charges today. They work great and allow the proper charge voltages to cell balance the battery.

 

They never over/under charge and also have a desulfate mode to condition the battery plates as well.

Good to know.  I guess I thought that the charging system on the car would take care of all this.  I have heard that the desulfate mode is good to do once in a while.  Thx again for your reply.

[drdiesel1]

Doc -- is this charger okay? (same maker, gets better ratings, and slightly cheaper with free Prime):

 

http://www.amazon.com/Schumacher-SSC-1000A-SpeedCharge-Battery-Maintainer/dp/B0009IBJE4/ref=pd_sbs_auto_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=077PN10S81NX42EYPPCP

 

It says it can't be shipped to California (where you live) but otherwise I don't see any issues with it.  

 

Also, do you charge overnight?  If not, how long do you typically leave one of these running?  My main issue with this is that our GFCI in the garage constantly trips (and even an electrician can't figure out why) so I can't promise we have power there for more than a few hours at a time (wouldn't do much good for me to count on running this overnight).

Yes, that's the same charger with less amperage output and will work just fine.

 

I charge anytime. You can let this type of charger run without worrying about it. It usually takes an hour or two

depending on how low the battery is. Let it run until the green charged light comes on and you're good to go.

[drdiesel1]

Good to know.  I guess I thought that the charging system on the car would take care of all this.  I have heard that the desulfate mode is good to do once in a while.  Thx again for your reply.

Vehicle charging systems are designed to replenish what's use. Not to recharge. Recharging can only be done with a battery charger.

I've had cars operate fine with a SOC of 70%, but they had a larger battery. It's not a problem to have a SOC of 70%, but dropping

under that starts to allow the battery to become weak and easily discharged. This will shorten battery life and could cause starting

problems. The C-Max battery has a very low rating of 390 CCA. It's pretty small IMO. Most ICE vehicle have a charging output

around 14.6 on average. This works well to keep a battery SOC level around 70% to 85%. The best I've seen on my 2014 NRG

was 14.4V on my Scan Gauge II.  My 2013 NRG would never go past 14.2V. It would hover around 14V. IMO, 14.6V is an optimal rate.

[HannahWCU]

 This will shorten battery life and could cause starting problems. The C-Max battery has a very low rating of 390 CCA. It's pretty small IMO. 

 

Since the 12V battery does not actually "start" the ICE, the CCA rating should not matter, directly. There shouldn't be that large a load on the 12v battery in the CMax.  Yes, the 12V battery runs all the electronics, power steering, power brakes, etc. and while those loads are significant over time, they shouldn't require the amperage that a starter motor uses to turn over an ICE.  I would think reserve capacity should be the most important rating for the 12V battery in the CMax.  Or am I misunderstanding something?

[drdiesel1]

Since the 12V battery does not actually "start" the ICE, the CCA rating should not matter, directly. There shouldn't be that large a load on the 12v battery in the CMax.  Yes, the 12V battery runs all the electronics, power steering, power brakes, etc. and while those loads are significant over time, they shouldn't require the amperage that a starter motor uses to turn over an ICE.  I would think reserve capacity should be the most important rating for the 12V battery in the CMax.  Or am I misunderstanding something?

No. The CCA  info was info found in the spec data for the car. They didn't list the reserve data. CCA gives me an idea of the

size and power capability of the battery and it's small. Too small IMO.