Fuel injector failure every 37,000 miles

[Noah Harbinger]

I have read through all of this string and I, unfortunately, have one of the cars that has had ALL 4 fuel injectors go.  The symptoms are always the same, the car runs fine on EV but once the gas kicks in, it shakes and shimmies all over the place.  The first two were covered under warranty, however after 36k miles, FORD refused to cover the other two.  One failed at 30K, one at at 34K, one at 60k, and the last one at 85k.  None of them failed twice, all four of them failed one time.  Since I'm not able to repair these myself, my dealership covered the cost to repair #3.  But when #4 went, they said they couldn't cover the cost again.  It cost me almost $400.  I have seen all over the Internet that the CMAX has a definite issue with fuel injectors.  When I opened a case with Ford about if this would be a recall and be covered, they just closed the case and said "not under warranty".  The dealership said FORD won't do anything about it unless it's a safety issue.  Well, I have had to have it towed three times from work, almost an hour away.  The expense is growing rapidly.  Hmmmm, great customer service Ford!!  Social media is a great way to express frustration with a company so maybe you should listen to your customers a little bit more!  On a 2nd note, my CMAX gets Check Engine light warnings a LOT!   The first time it happened, I took it to the dealership and they checked out the error code.  Said it had something to do with the battery.  This started around 90k.  Checked everything over and told me it all checked out fine.  They reset the code and I drove the car home after paying the $169 bill.  Three weeks later it happened again so I called them back.  It would be another $169 to check the code.  "But Auto Zone will check it for free".  "Well, then go have them fix it."  grrrrrrr    The car was running fine so I just left it.  Three days later the Check Engine light went out.  Three weeks later it was back, then gone again after two days.  It comes on now about every 3-4 weeks.  I love my car, but I hate all of the failures and that FORD won't stand behind their products.  I can't even depend on making it to work or back anymore, more less take it anywhere else like on a vacation.

 

I feel you with the grumbles on the quality issues (though I have not experienced any yet, knock on metal) and every problem deserves to be acknowledged, but every one of us knew up front exactly how far they will stand by it: 36 months / 36k miles. I'm surprised that the dealer covered the 60k mile fuel injector, that seems like above and beyond right there - though $169 sounds like a ridiculous fee for something you can check with $15 worth of hardware and your smartphone. 

 

Are you still on your first 12v battery? 

[ptjones]

I can say that I have 163k mi. now I haven't replaced an injector yet and still getting great MPG's. :yahoo: I have definitely got my moneys worth. :) 

 

Paul 

[homestead]

I can say that I have 163k mi. now I haven't replaced an injector yet and still getting great MPG's. :yahoo: I have definitely got my moneys worth. :)

 

Paul 

 

Interesting, Do you burn upper tier gas that supposedly cleans the injectors?

[ptjones]

Interesting, Do you burn upper tier gas that supposedly cleans the injectors?

I use injector cleaner/ Octane booster when I try for new record. Mostly use BJ's/ Sams gas :) Just did trip to Corning, NY and back averaged 55mpg actual.

 

Paul 

[Adrian_L]

Looks like I lost #3 on the weekend.    I took a 40 minute drive on the freeway and when I was nearly home I noticed the engine light flashing and a bit of shuddering from the engine.    OBDII reader told me that I Had an "open injector" and "misfire in cylinder 3" and "random misfire".   We're at 55,000 miles or 88,000 km.   Car has been perfect for 4.5 years.

 

I'm tempted to replace all four.   Thanks for the repair tip djc.  I'll check out the youtube videos.   Carbs and manual chokes are more up my alley, but I should probably get with the 21st century.

 

(interesting reading this topic.  I'd completely forgotten about Dr. Diesel and all that nonsense)

Edited December 3, 2018 by Adrian_L

[djc]

Sorry to hear the injector went.  As I remember replacing them definitely looked like something one could do oneself - they are high on the engine and are just pressed into little 0-ring like gaskets on the manifold. If this happened to me, and I did the work myself, i would replace all 4 - almost all the labor is in removing and installing the rail, so negligible increment to do all injectors at once. 

Please post here to let us know how it went.

Good luck!

[Adrian_L]

Amazon.com let me down big time.  They promised 2 day delivery on four Motorcraft CM-5148s  then when I went back to check on the status it told me arrival date was Jan 1-Feb 1!    Back-ordered, apparently.

Anyway it all worked out because there are 4 injectors now waiting for me in Bellingham at Walmart. 

 

I watched the youtube video and it looks pretty straightforward.   Stay tuned....

[Adrian_L]

Ok, so have removed the cover and unplugged all the injectors and various sensors around the fuel rail.  Only problem is I can't see a way to easily disconnect the fuel line from the fuel rail.   There is a small metal tube leading from the fuel rail into a bell shaped metal connector.  I don't know if I can just pull the fuel rail out of this bell shaped receptacle or if that will damage anything. 

 

It doesn't appear as if there are any other connections further up the fuel line.

 

Any help appreciated!

 

(UPDATE: )

Figured it out.   It's a push on style fuel connector with four little tabs inside the "bell".   You can get a disconnect tool, but I just took a 3/8" length of PVC tube, cut down the middle.   I jammed it in the bell part with a screwdriver and the two tubes came apart.

 

Job took me about two hours in total.   Removal of the fuel rail, with that rat's maze of cables, was the only daunting part of the job.

 

Speaking of rodents, I needed to vacuum out some droppings from around the top of the cylinder head.  I guess it's pretty cozy under the air cleaner cover when the mercury falls.

 

Car is back to running smoothly.  Incidentally, a Ford dealership in Vancouver wanted to charge me $140 CAD for each injector.  I found them for around $40 USD online out of the States.

Edited December 9, 2018 by Adrian_L

[djc]

Nice improvised fuel line disconnect.  Congrats!

[JRM]

Well I guess I should consider myself very fortunate our 2013 Cmax has 194,880 miles and has been wonderful. Believe it or not still on my original set of brake pads (mostly freeway driving) just amazing. Here in California I have always run low test 89 octane and never an issue with injectors or anything else. Based on my miles I am curious of what members have been paying for a new trans? Thanks

[ptjones]

Well I guess I should consider myself very fortunate our 2013 Cmax has 194,880 miles and has been wonderful. Believe it or not still on my original set of brake pads (mostly freeway driving) just amazing. Here in California I have always run low test 89 octane and never an issue with injectors or anything else. Based on my miles I am curious of what members have been paying for a new trans? Thanks

I think most have been replaced under warranty.  Trans is in the $5-6,000+ range and would cost $1-2,000 labor.

 

Paul

[djc]

Or salvage.  For reference:   from 2017 Fusion hybrid with 32k miles $1525 shipped. 

https://www.ebay.com/i/142863684700?chn=ps

 

C-max should be similar and increasingly available.  Unfortunately there's no salvage labor.

[Cindyf510]

41,000 miles as of today!!! 

Having read some of the comments in this thread, I thought it was important to share my experience the past 4 months.  My beloved Cmax has become completely unreliable and I am having to trade it for a more reliable vehicle.  Since October 15, 2018, I have had my car out of the service department for about 7 days.  The engine light appeared and I wish that was the end of the story.  To make the story short, 4 visits, one not covered by warranty - power steering rack replacement for $1,000.  Ford did pay a bit over $400.00 probably because I have a great service manager and I had my car back just a few days after it was in service for 5 weeks for a transmission replacement.  During the trans replacement, they also repaired a cylinder misfire, replaced an axle that was leaking and the regular battery.  I just picked it up for the 4th time after having all 4 fuel injectors replaced.  

I love my little cmax energie.  It has saved me so many trips to the gas station and so much money on gas.  I cannot keep it tho because the warranty for the drivetrain is up in just a few months and I cannot afford to repair it!!

Fair warning people.  Surely I am not the only one experiencing these problems.  Can this be something to do with using the electric battery and the gas sitting on the components. (?) . Going to and from work I was able to use purely electric most days and sometimes did not fill up for months!!  I kept a record (almost 100% complete) and averaged 70 miles to the gallon!!!  It is going to be painful to move to a pure hybrid, but MUST be done.  : (

Edited January 6, 2019 by Cindyf510

[ptjones]

41,000 miles as of today!!! 

Having read some of the comments in this thread, I thought it was important to share my experience the past 4 months.  My beloved Cmax has become completely unreliable and I am having to trade it for a more reliable vehicle.  Since October 15, 2018, I have had my car out of the service department for about 7 days.  The engine light appeared and I wish that was the end of the story.  To make the story short, 4 visits, one not covered by warranty - power steering rack replacement for $1,000.  Ford did pay a bit over $400.00 probably because I have a great service manager and I had my car back just a few days after it was in service for 5 weeks for a transmission replacement.  During the trans replacement, they also repaired a cylinder misfire, replaced an axle that was leaking and the regular battery.  I just picked it up for the 4th time after having all 4 fuel injectors replaced.  

I love my little cmax energie.  It has saved me so many trips to the gas station and so much money on gas.  I cannot keep it tho because the warranty for the drivetrain is up in just a few months and I cannot afford to repair it!!

Fair warning people.  Surely I am not the only one experiencing these problems.  Can this be something to do with using the electric battery and the gas sitting on the components. (?) . Going to and from work I was able to use purely electric most days and sometimes did not fill up for months!!  I kept a record (almost 100% complete) and averaged 70 miles to the gallon!!!  It is going to be painful to move to a pure hybrid, but MUST be done.  : (

Your Warranty isn't up until 8yrs/100k miles on the power train.

 

Paul

Edited January 6, 2019 by ptjones

[cmax-nynj]

What were the symptoms of Fuel Injector Failure?  I got misfire with P202 on a cold day (first time ever).  I tried starting the car several times the same night (didn't drive it) and the same misfire/code was present.  The next day (warmer day) when I started the car the problem went away......

[ptjones]

I would use some good fuel injector cleaner to start with and see how that goes.  If use still have problems go to the Dealer and have them fix it.  Not sure if it is covered unless you have a extended warranty.

 

Paul

[cmax-nynj]

The problem automajically went away this morning when I started the car.  I cleared the codes; drove it around a bit and nothing comes back.  Go figure...

[ptjones]

I would still use some good fuel injector cleaner, it's cheap and may solve the problem long term. IMO :)

 

Paul

[Geno bmbmbeeno]

I have 3 C-Max's; a 2017 Titanium and 2 ea 2013 SE"s.   I have had no issues with the 2017 @40k besides undue tire noise that sounds like bad bearings.

 

The two 2013's have both had the dead battery issue with the entertainment system draining the 12V battery.  I have overcome that with the info on this forum about pulling the fuses that reset the module controlling them. 

 

One 2013 has 98K on it and I replaced all the wheel bearings due to one bad RFW and noisy operation of the rest.  I did the work myself and got the parts thru an online discount parts supplier and everything cost about $300.  It is still going strong. 

 

The other 2013 has 68K on it and other than taking a logging chain hook thru the transmission/electronics cooler it had no problems until recently had an injector go bad.  I had the codes read and it called out cylinder #4 for bad electronics and misfire. My daughter took it to the local dealer and they charged her $91 to tell her it was bad, they reset something and it ran well for another month.  It failed again for the same thing so I troubleshot it myself.

 

First, I did resistance tests with a cheap multimeter and it showed injectors 1,2,& 3 having about 17 ohms of resistance and #4 had 550 ohms; not open but obviously way out of tolerance.  The fuel injectors are really just small solenoid valves that operate very rapidly.  I theorize that #4 would intermittently work and then the electronic controller would sense high resistance and cut it off.  I decided to replace all 4 with Motocraft units @$18 ea plus shipping.  I am an old school backyard mechanic who has not worked with fuel injection systems before so this will be interesting. I looked at various videos and it doesn't look to tough, more like a hydraulic system. Anyway I will let you know how it goes...

 

BTW, Weber State University has some great videos online about how hybrids of all makes work and the evolution of them. Quite interesting and thourough.

 

Gene

[Geno bmbmbeeno]

My follow up to the previous post; Changed out all 4 fuel injectors, remarkably easy, you do not have to disconnect the gas line to do this and the Motorcraft injectors that I got already had the O-rings on them. Basically, you get the stuff out of the way of the Fuel Injector Rail and then undo the 2 bolts holding the rail down. Wiggle the rail and all 4 injectors out as one unit cover the assembly first because you will get a small shot of gas as pressure is released, and then swap out each injector on the rail, put some motor oil on the O-rings and reinsert the assembly firmly into the home holes. Then remount all the disconnected parts.  It is a good idea to blow away all the crap near the ports with air before you start to get any debris that could fall into the cylinder away. The car has been running great for over a month.

[Zathrus]

Thank You for the update. Can you share with us the part number (or link) of the Motorcraft injectors you used?

 

(Never mind...just noticed the Motorcraft part number CM-5148 was listed in previous post #82 above.)

Edited November 20, 2019 by Zathrus

[JohnTrigger]

I know this post is 5 yrs old.  Just posting to possibly help someone else in future who might be reading or searching for solution.  
 

2013 CMax SEL Hybrid 114K miles.  Rough running, flashing engine MIL light,  P codes: 0302 (cyl 2 misfire), 0202 (cyl 2 injector A circuit), 0316 (engine misfire on startup).  

 

I had proactively replaced spark plugs about 1000 miles ago (couple months earlier).  First time the above malfunction happened a couple weeks ago I got all new coil on plugs, Motorcraft DG-522, and replaced all four, figuring and hoping it was a coil problem since I was pretty sure the spark plugs were fine. Problem went away for about a week. It happened again so I figured it probably wasn’t a spark problem anymore. Tested resistance between the two pins on each of the injectors with the multimeter, which should be between 11 and 18 ohms. I didn’t know that range of values at the time, but the suspected three good ones from cylinders 1, 3, 4 were about 13 ohms and cylinder two was about 29 ohms. Figured cylinder two is probably beyond a limit. Found online mechanics saying the resistance should be between the 11 and 18 ohms. Ordered four Bosch fuel injectors 62383 figuring I would just replace them all at once. Car had sat now for a couple days so wasn’t worried about fuel pressure or fire.  Wasn’t very difficult to replace injectors...

 

Obviously you have to remove the air filter box associated air hoses etc to get at the coils/plugs/injectors. Then took picture of all the wires as is, although I don’t think you could physically cross wire anything in truth on reinstallation. Then removed the wires from the coils and from the injectors, and all the wire mounts, to gain some working room below the wire looms. Blew the gunk out of the injector holes with compressed air. Loosened the two bolts holding the fuel rail on. Jiggled and wiggled the fuel rail plus 4 injectors out of the four cylinders. I did not disconnect the fuel line leading in to the fuel rail. A bit of fuel dripped around out of the injectors (a few ounces total), but I had a rag ready to soak it up. I cleaned the injector holes with the gasoline soaked rag and my finger, and some qtips.  I sucked the injector holes with a vacuum to remove any residual debris. Removed the old injectors from fuel rail with a small screwdriver to get the metal clip to release then pulled them out (still working below the wire looms with fuel input line still attached, tight but manageable plus a bit more fuel dripped out). Transferred the old metal clips over to the new injectors. Lubed the new injectors o rings with some Vaseline or could’ve used motor oil.  Inserted each injector by pushing in to fuel rail making sure the metal clip latched on the fuel rail lip.  Pushed the fuel rail with new injectors back into their 4 cylinder holes.  Tightened the fuel injector rail bolts to 17 foot pounds. And plugged everything back in. Double checked it looked right.  Started car and pressed gas to make ICE run (1-2 seconds of sputtering as fuel pressure built).  Checked for leaks and problems seems solved. We’ll see if it stays gone.  Hope this helps someone.  

Edited November 21 by JohnTrigger

[Bill-N]

Excellent info and write-up.  Thanks for sharing.