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Help... 2013 C-Max Hybrid SE won't run


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My daughter's car, she called and said it sounded like it was missing.  I went out to check it out and hooked up code reader.  I got codes P0201 Injector Circuit / Open, Cylinder 1 and also P0301 Cylinder 1 Misfire Detected.  Car definitely sounded like it was missing.  After it sat and ran for a while then it cleared up, the miss went away. We went to the local auto parts to buy injectors, but they did not have in stock at store, so we had to order. The car seemed to drive perfectly with no missing. She drove car a couple more days till she could get the car to my garage and switch vehicles.  The miss seemed to come and go.  We received the injectors and I also got new spark plugs since they seemed to be original Ford Spark Plugs.  The care has around 122,000 miles on it.  

After installing all new injectors and new spark plugs, now the car will not run.  Well, it will start up but seems to be missing and you can not step on the gas.  It will only run about 15-20 seconds and shut off.  

I had read injectors were a common thing and thought for sure we were on the right track.  After replacing all the injectors, I ohmed the old ones. I read good injectors should be between 11-18 ohms.  I ohmed 12.4,13.6,12.3, and 19.8 .  Although 19.8 isn't very far out of spec that at least kept me thinking that one could have had the issue.  All new injector (that are in the car now) ohmed at 12.2 ohms.  I was thinking (wishful thinking) maybe the injectors I received were not right?  Now, I went back and re-installed the old spark plugs to see if it could have been an issue with them.  I still have the same result, care will sound like it is idling for about 15-20 seconds then shut off.

If anyone has seen this type of issue or would have any idea what might be causing it, any help would be GREAT!  

 

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I was wondering if you tried good injector cleaner first? I went around 200k miles on spark pages and there was nothing wrong with them other than japing a little, but I had already bought the plugs so I installed them. I currently have 270k miles on my CMAX and it is still running great. try putting the old injectors in and using injector cleaner.

 

Paul

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No, I did not try any injector cleaner.  Should think simple first!  Well I will definitely try that.  I made a appointment at a dealer but they can't get me in till next Monday.  I would love to resolve the problem and avoid paying a high repair bill!  I will keep you posted!

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All old injectors are back in.  Along with the original spark plugs.  I completed this last evening but then engine would not even try to start.  I put battery charger on the 12 volt battery, even though I didn't think that was the issue.

Today, new spark plugs are back in.  Engine turned over and started, didn't sound bad!  BUT..., still shut off after about 10-15 seconds!  The only code showing is Cylinder 4 misfire?  Would that shut engine down?  Going to install 1 new injector in for #4 and see if that makes any difference?  Another thing I noticed is the hybrid battery is very low or dead at this point.  Will this prevent motor from running?  Any suggestions / ideas?

 

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Continuing to try to start the ICE if it can't continue to run and charge the HVB can be detrimental to it so I'd try and reduce how often you try until it can be properly sorted. If the HVB is drained beyond the point of being able to start the ICE, you're going to have to get a dealer involved so they can bring in a special battery charging unit if this is a Hybrid only model.

That said, no, the HVB being low should not prevent the ICE from running if it was able to start it to begin with. Quite the opposite: If the battery is low enough but is able to start, it's gonna want to run the ICE longer to get the charge back up to a reasonable level barring any other issues to cause it to shut down the ICE.

 

Probably a dumb question: But are you certain the ICE is shutting down due to a mechanical issue and not just because of the normal hybrid operation? There should be specific DTCs stored if the ICE is disabled/shut down due to an issue/failure where it is unsafe to continue running. Also the 'Ready to Drive' light -SHOULD- go out if there is an actual issue as the vehicle will no longer be able to move under its own power. If it's not reporting said DTC or the Ready to Drive light is still on, you can try this: While in Park with the vehicle started, hold the accelerator to the floor. This will, under normal operating circumstances, force the ICE to continue running while the pedal is pressed and charge the battery if it is able. If it is able to continue running in this case, the vehicle is at least not detecting any serious issues to prevent it from operating but if you still have misfire codes, those will obviously need to be figured out.

Edited by cr08
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47 minutes ago, homestead said:

Is there a separate coil for each cylinder?  If so perhaps one of the coils got damaged in the repair process.

 

Forgot to add this to my post, but this is also a very good item to check. This vehicle as well as most modern ones do have separate coils per spark plug and it is not uncommon for them to occasionally go bad. An easy check without a full on Ford IDS scantool is to clear the misfire codes and swap coils between the reported 'bad' one per the misfire code to another cylinder. If the misfire code follows the coil to the new cylinder, you have your problem. If the misfire position stays, it is something else still tied to that cylinder. Spark plug at best but could be a deeper issue. Also please ensure everything is fully seated and connected when doing this work.

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The 3 old injectors along with 1 new injector are in car, all new spark plugs.  Tried switching Coil #4 and coil # 2, tried clearing codes and I am still getting the #4 misfire code.  When the engine is started, the ready to drive light is on but quicky goes away and says pull over immediately.  Check engine light flashes and still the code I am getting is Misfire #4.  Engine shuts off.  Very strong gas smell, like it is dumping too much.  I didn't include the strong gas smell in the other posts, but should have.  It was very noticeable before as well.

 

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Since the failure appears to be isolated to #4 (and is independent of injector or coil installed), perhaps there is an issue with the harness going from PCM (Power Control Module) to injectors.

 

The CMax Service manual for DTC P0201 calls for harness pinpoint testing as follows (cut & paste from service manual does not work well, so sorry for poor formatting below) :

 

DTC P0201: CYLINDER 1 INJECTOR A CIRCUIT/OPEN
DTC P0201: CYLINDER 1 INJECTOR A CIRCUIT/OPEN
Description: This DTC sets when the fuel injector circuitry is inoperative.
Possible Causes:
INJ1 circuit open
VPWR circuit open
Damaged fuel injector
Diagnostic Aids: The INJ1F PID is YES.
Application Key On Engine Off Key On Engine
Running
Continuous Memory
All GO to PINPOINT TEST KG .

 

This pinpoint test is intended to diagnose the following:
fuel injector(s) (9F593)
harness circuits: VPWR and INJ 1 through 4
powertrain control module (PCM) (12A650)

image.png.800c0d6745c92e04d512f932e95bd96b.png

Fig. 76: Identifying Fuel Injector Connector
Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
image.png.dc7de9e6a4247f5083194d7444118511.png/ 
Fig. 77: Identifying Powertrain Control Module (PCM) Connector (128 Pin)
Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.

 

TEST PROCEDURE
KG1 CHECK THE VPWR CIRCUIT FOR AN OPEN
NOTE: Disconnect the suspect fuel injector harness connector. Only the
suspect injector needs to be diagnosed.
Ignition OFF.
Fuel Injector connector disconnected.
Ignition ON, engine OFF.
Measure the voltage between:
(+) Suspect Injector Solenoid Connector, Harness Side (-)
VPWR Ground
Is the voltage greater than 10.5 V?
Yes No
GO to KG2 . REPAIR the open circuit. Clear the PCM DTCs. REPEAT the self-test.
KG2 CHECK THE INJ CIRCUIT FOR AN OPEN
Ignition OFF.
PCM connector disconnected.
Measure the resistance between:
(+) Suspect Injector Solenoid Connector, Harness
Side
(-) PCM Connector, Harness
Side
INJ INJ
Is the resistance less than 5 ohms?
Yes No
GO to KG3 . REPAIR the open circuit. Clear the PCM DTCs. REPEAT the self-test.
KG3 CHECK THE INJ CIRCUIT FOR A SHORT TO GROUND
/
Measure the resistance between:
(+) Suspect Injector Solenoid Connector, Harness Side (-)
INJ Ground
Is the resistance greater than 10K ohms?
Yes No
GO to KG4 . REPAIR the short circuit. Clear the PCM DTCs. REPEAT the self-test.
KG4 CHECK THE INJ CIRCUIT FOR A SHORT TO VOLTAGE
Ignition ON, engine OFF.
Measure the voltage between:
(+) Suspect Injector Solenoid Connector, Harness Side (-)
INJ Ground
Is any voltage present?
Yes No
REPAIR the short circuit. Clear the PCM DTCs. REPEAT the self-test. GO to KG5 .
KG5 CHECK THE RESISTANCE OF THE FUEL INJECTOR
Ignition OFF.
Measure the resistance between:
(+) Suspect Injector Solenoid Connector,
Component Side
(-) Suspect Injector Solenoid Connector,
Component Side
INJ VPWR
Is the resistance between 11 - 18 ohms?
Yes No
GO
to
KG6
.
INSTALL a new fuel injector. REFER to the appropriate Fuel Charging and Controls
article. RESET the keep alive memory (KAM). REFER to DIAGNOSTIC
MONITORING TEST RESULTS MODE 6 .
REPEAT the self-test.
KG6 CHECK THE FUNCTIONALITY OF THE INJ CIRCUIT
PCM connector connected.
Ignition ON, engine OFF.
Connect a non-powered test lamp between:
Point A Suspect Injector Solenoid
Connector, Harness Side
Point B Suspect Injector Solenoid
Connector, Harness Side
VPWR INJ
Is the test lamp blinking?
Yes No
GO to KG7 . GO to KG8.
KG7 CARRY OUT A THOROUGH WIGGLE TEST ON THE FUEL INJECTOR
HARNESS
Ignition OFF.
Fuel Injector connector connected.
Ignition ON, engine running.
/
Engine at normal operating temperature.
Access the PCM and monitor the INJ_F (MODE) PID.
Wiggle, shake, and bend small sections of the wiring harness while working from the fuel
injector to the PCM.
Are any injector values fluctuating in and out of range?
Yes No
ISOLATE the concern and REPAIR as
necessary.
Clear the PCM DTCs. REPEAT the self-test.
Unable to duplicate or identify the concern at this
time.
GO to PINPOINT TEST Z.
KG8 CHECK FOR CORRECT PCM OPERATION
Disconnect all the PCM connectors.
Visually inspect for:
pushed out pins
corrosion
Connect all the PCM connectors and make sure they seat correctly.
Carry out the PCM self-test.
Verify the concern is still present.
Is the concern still present?
Yes No
INSTALL a new PCM. REFER to FLASH
ELECTRICALLY ERASABLE PROGRAMMABLE
READ ONLY MEMORY (EEPROM) , Programming the
VID Block for a Replacement PCM.
The system is operating correctly at
this time. The concern may have
been caused by a loose or corroded connector.

 

Edited by Zathrus
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  • 2 weeks later...

I guess my thread on a similar issue has already been posted here, up above, but I'll go head and do a quick recap of what I would do if I came up against P219A and P0304 codes or similar...

 

1) Pull the upper intake assembly and check spark plugs and coil packs. Plugs are easy to check/replace, and the four coil packs can each be checked for proper resistance with multimeter. Make sure plug wires and coil packs are properly, firmly reconnected.

 

2) If plugs and coil packs are good, run some good quality injector cleaner through the system. Lucas Upper Cylinder Lubricant was recommended and seems to be good stuff (helped clear my codes, at least temporarily, and I still use it on a 6-month basis).

 

3) If codes continue to indicate a misfire on one or more cylinders—and you have 100,000+ miles on the vehicle—purchase four of the OEM Motorcraft injectors for your engine and replace them all by removing the intake assembly, unplugging coil packs and other wiring, and pulling the fuel rail (not a terribly difficult job if you've got some tools and any mechanical experience). Be careful to blow off dust/debris with compressed air before removing the fuel rail and do not let anything fall in the injector holes!

 

4) If none of the above helps, I would also lean towards a possible wiring harness problem (like Zathrus has already detailed).

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  • 2 weeks later...

Sorry I never updated. We ended up trailering it to a ford garage. We installed the original injectors minus the one that seemed to be bad. We installed the one new injector, which the

mechanic said was no good so he replaced with a new Ford injector? Charged up the hybrid battery and all is good. I checked the numbers again to make sure we purchased the correct (aftermarket) injectors, which the information said we did. We purchased from advanced auto parts. So for some reason, apparently the injectors we purchased were not any good.

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  • 2 months later...

You most likely got what I would describe as counterfeit injectors. Even if they technically are not, ECUs are extremely sensitive to fuel injector characteristics. It's not enough to just match flow rate at 3 bar differential pressure and have it hook up to the fuel rail and intake the same way.

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  • 3 years later...

I have a 2013 ford c-max hybrid. It has incandescent lights in it now. I have been trying to get LED headlight to work in it for months. I have tries plugging them in backwards and I have tried installing resisters on the lines. all they do is turn on, then right back off. The incandescent work fine in the vehicle.  

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