jchunter Posted December 8, 2016 Report Share Posted December 8, 2016 Accelerating when entering freeway, my 2015 Cmax hybrid briefly emitted a large cloud of white smoke. Never seen this before. Mileage 5070. Comments or ideas?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshg678 Posted December 9, 2016 Report Share Posted December 9, 2016 Was it a hard acceleration?Could be some build up of some kind that got "blown out" so to speak. This I would consider common for hybrids that are normally driven easy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homestead Posted December 9, 2016 Report Share Posted December 9, 2016 You are not the first to notice this.http://fordcmaxhybridforum.com/topic/2414-cloud-of-smoke/?hl=smoke ptjones and obob 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fbov Posted December 10, 2016 Report Share Posted December 10, 2016 I think I saw this once... a long time ago. Others have as well with no long term issues. Check your recall record; there were yearly PCM updates required for my '13. Recall records for any VIN available at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchSafetyIssues or for more data on Ford cars...https://www.etis.ford.com/vehicleRegSelector.do Have fun,Frank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptjones Posted December 10, 2016 Report Share Posted December 10, 2016 You are not the first to notice this.http://fordcmaxhybridforum.com/topic/2414-cloud-of-smoke/?hl=smokeThis is a good thread. Not a problem. :) Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jchunter Posted December 11, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2016 Thanks for the info, guys. My smoke cloud was clearly visible thru the rear view mirror and I had not seriously punched the pedal. However, for the last few months I had noticed the ICE intermittently having delayed starts of 5-20 seconds while the dash displayed an ICE bar only 1/16" and battery not charging. I assume the injectors were pumping gas into the cylinders while the ICE was cranking... If so, this, would eventually ignite and could explain the white smoke. Better get it to the shop ASAP... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptjones Posted December 11, 2016 Report Share Posted December 11, 2016 Thanks for the info, guys. My smoke cloud was clearly visible thru the rear view mirror and I had not seriously punched the pedal. However, for the last few months I had noticed the ICE intermittently having delayed starts of 5-20 seconds while the dash displayed an ICE bar only 1/16" and battery not charging. I assume the injectors were pumping gas into the cylinders while the ICE was cranking... If so, this, would eventually ignite and could explain the white smoke. Better get it to the shop ASAP...Don't think that was the problem, but you can always add good injector cleaner. White smoke is oil, black is gas. :) Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jchunter Posted December 11, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2016 If it were oil, where would it come from in an engine with less than 5000 miles? The rings are probably pristine. I'm leaning toward gas detonating thru the catalytic converter. I'm probably mistaken about the color... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshg678 Posted December 12, 2016 Report Share Posted December 12, 2016 It's most likely a small buildup from the PCV system mixed with moisture. You should only be concerned if it happens continuously on all WOT events in my opinion. ptjones 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fbov Posted December 12, 2016 Report Share Posted December 12, 2016 ... for the last few months I had noticed the ICE intermittently having delayed starts of 5-20 seconds while the dash displayed an ICE bar only 1/16" and battery not charging. I assume the injectors were pumping gas into the cylinders while the ICE was cranking... If...This is normal. Your injector assumption is false; the engine is running, all the fuel injected is burned. After a true cold start, the ICE will not deliver torque until it's had a chance to run for a little while. I've mentioned it a few times since this behavior started two years ago, after 14E02 PCM update was applied. Regardless SOC, the car behaves like EV+ when ICE first starts; lots of EV available without tapping any ICE power. Tach (in MyView) says ICE is only running 1500 RPM. "Engage" display shows a big blue bar, no white bar (all EV) until this period ends, then the display switches to big white bar, no blue. This behavior is consistent with a fix for tranny bearing failures due to high torque load before full lubricant flow is established to the bearing. Have fun,Frank ptjones and obob 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jchunter Posted December 12, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2016 (edited) Josh, we hardly have moisture at all in Phoenix, Arizona. The water theory is unlikely... Frank, during the delayed ICE starts, the Engine was already warm and cranking - definitely not running or burning fuel. I have counted off the seconds while the dash instruments indicated battery discharge.. The injectors had to be operating during the delayed start. This has been a repeated annoyance, wasting battery charge while accelerating away from red lights. It hasn't happened all the time - just intermittently. It may have been happening just prior to the smoke incident... Edited December 12, 2016 by jchunter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptjones Posted December 12, 2016 Report Share Posted December 12, 2016 You could always take in to FORD Dealer and check things out. Both times for me the ICE was fully warmed up and had slammed on the brakes and then accelerated hard. :)Paul jchunter 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fbov Posted December 15, 2016 Report Share Posted December 15, 2016 ...Frank, during the delayed ICE starts, the Engine was already warm and cranking - definitely not running or burning fuel. I have counted off the seconds while the dash instruments indicated battery discharge.. ...Set up My View with a tachometer. I see the ICE running at low RPM during this period. In the Engage display, I see a large blue bar when starting out, switching to the white ICE bar after a short time, with a noticeable increase in engine RPM and noise output. Note there are operating modes where the ICE spins with no fuel used. Pulling away from a cold start isn't one of them. Have fun,Frank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevedebi Posted December 17, 2016 Report Share Posted December 17, 2016 (edited) Accelerating when entering freeway, my 2015 Cmax hybrid briefly emitted a large cloud of white smoke. Never seen this before. Mileage 5070. Comments or ideas??White smoke is generally a sign of engine seal leakage. If it continues, take it back, you may have blown and engine seal. Edited December 17, 2016 by stevedebi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.