Hybrid Rough Idle (Video)

[Big_T]

And on behalf of dealerships, I would just like to preemptively say I enjoyed your video, but unable to reproduce, here's your car back two days later unfixed.

Sad, but unfortunately probably true.

Sponsored

 

[Adospeed]

Is that REALLY a FORD official account? XLT hybrid here, it happened to once, just thought it was due to some complicated hybrid system. It ran fine once I put it into drive and got driving, there were no warning lights. Hasn't happened again yet, but it hasn't been as cold lately either. I may just park it outside and see what it does.

 

[Mavman123]

No expert here, but seems to be some sort of engine control/software issue since it drives fine. Hopefully it doesn't cause any excessive wear before it's fixed. I am curious if anyone has tried to start it with all climate control completely off and see if it does this and smells bad. Like another poster said, check the cat as well and see if it's over heating

 

[BlackXL]

Mine sounds exactly the same on extremely cold mornings with the heater turned on. Independent of Ford Pass remote or key start. My thoughts are that it is blipping the throttle to get the heat exchanger going from the exhaust to hv battery and to keep the plugs from fouling on the atkinson ice. (No burning smell, no idiot lights). Wondering if I should have disabled the auto-update via wireless...

 

[StarryNight]

Coincidentally, same surging happened to me this morning. Remote start with temperatures around 32 degrees.

I never noticed it before. Last night I did look inside the fuse box, which doesn't seem related, but that's the only thing that was touched before I noticed surging today.

Truck drove fine.

 

[TarpDogg]

Checked the owner’s manual and did a quick search for “cold start”. There is this little tidbit “The functional operation of some components and systems can be affected at temperatures below approximately -13°F (-25°C).” It was pretty cold when it happened to me but not quite this cold. Could their own temperature tests be wrong and some parts just won’t function properly when cold? Like 15° F and lower? I know the last post mentioned 32° so that probably wouldn’t hold up to my theory.

 

[Ronbye]

Started the truck with key (NOT remote start) with a temperature of 1 degree (F). No issues starting up, but then had a rough idle, sounding weird.
Picked up my Hybrid 2 weeks ago and it currently has 185 miles on it (got COVID).


Normal? Break-in period? Thoughts?

The surging is often found to be related to inconsistent fuel flow. This is typically seen in carbureted engines. This would be very rare in a fuel injected engine. This needs to be reported to Ford, as there could be issues with the fuel lines or injectors at the manufacturing stage. The fact that this is happening to a number of vehicles leads me to believe it is back to manufacturing and quality control. Good luck with this issue .

 

[Ford Motor Company]

Mine sounds exactly the same on extremely cold mornings with the heater turned on. Independent of Ford Pass remote or key start. My thoughts are that it is blipping the throttle to get the heat exchanger going from the exhaust to hv battery and to keep the plugs from fouling on the atkinson ice. (No burning smell, no idiot lights). Wondering if I should have disabled the auto-update via wireless...

Hi there! This doesn't sound like an experience we want you to have. Could you please send us a PM with your VIN and the name and location of your Ford dealer? I'd like to look into this on my end.

 

[Griswaldo906]

Great. Maybe you can figure out something to report to dealer. If that doesn't work might try higher octane gas just to check that possibility.

I second this. I have have owned 2 Ford CMax hybrids and they would periodically run rough. For awhile, I would put Heet in them because I suspected there was water in the gas or bad gas. After awhile, I started putting 89 octane gas in them and never had a problem again. In my wife's Escape Ecoboost we now run straight 89 for the same reasons. Ford advertises that their vehicles run on 87 - and they do - but they run like crap on 87. Just my two cents.

 

[JPerata]

I have one question to put out there. Does anyone start their vehicle, put on their seat belt, check the mirrors and select a gear (drive or reverse) and start moving?

 

[BlackXL]

I have one question to put out there. Does anyone start their vehicle, put on their seat belt, check the mirrors and select a gear (drive or reverse) and start moving?

Essentially, add in beat on the mode switch to get it on "ECO" while fumbling with the seatbelt rolling backward. Add coffee and cigarette juggling to the mix as well.

 

[MakinDoForNow]

Checked the owner’s manual and did a quick search for “cold start”. There is this little tidbit “The functional operation of some components and systems can be affected at temperatures below approximately -13°F (-25°C).” It was pretty cold when it happened to me but not quite this cold. Could their own temperature tests be wrong and some parts just won’t function properly when cold? Like 15° F and lower? I know the last post mentioned 32° so that probably wouldn’t hold up to my theory.

Probably a function of several things setting up a challenge for the computer to adjust everything within the programming parameters it has been given. Water in fuel will rapidly "lean" the mix more than the computer thinks it furnishing. 89-91-93 octane MAY provide enough help. Also what is oxygen density of air at your altitude below -13F. Everything else being equal high altitude I believe will allow reduction of octane rating by 1-3 depending on temp/humidity. I have NO IDEA what -13 or less would do. Am in Texas. One time I had a Cadillac 4/6/8 V8 engine that (along with others in 1970-1980's) would every once in awhile would vapor lock (June, July, august). One day it came to me that it only happened when I bought gas at one station. I took a gallon to non dealer mechanic who specialized in Cadillacs and fuel tested 30+% alcohol and evaporation was cooling (freezing?) oxygen sensor to the extent that gas was leaned to almost 0%.

 

[SpruceDuck]

Hi there! This doesn't sound like an experience we want you to have. Could you please send us a PM with your VIN and the name and location of your Ford dealer? I'd like to look into this on my end.

JohnnyBravo said:
yeah....smells really bad when starting with Fordpass. Engine also makes a whirling sound too. Had to immediately shut it down and restart. But the cabin smells like crap too.

BREAKING NEWS:

I am having this EXACT issue using both FordPass and the key.

I suggest the moderator combine this thread with: https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/f...pass-hybrid-maverick.7155/page-12#post-192290

I also have excellent video of it occurring.

It's affected by ambient temperature (every time it happened it was about 10 degrees F), and it's affected by the load being asked by the climate controls. In other words, if you turn the heat up, the surging will kick it-- or at least that's how it's been on my "truck".

And yes, my cat got molten red hot the first time it happened. It happened multiple times before I started smelling the eggs in addition to the burning plastic smell. The burning plastic smell was there right away. I'm fairly certain that cat is shot. And I'm fairly certain that if I had left my vehicle unattended the first time it occurred it would have caught fire. The cat/exhaust/manifold thingy (no, I'm not sure I've seen a cat in the engine compartment, but that's what it looks like Ford did) was glowing so brightly, it lit up the the back of the engine near the firewall. Like iron pulled from a forge. I haven't let it get that red hot since then. But read on!!

I replicated/induced the phenomenon again and took a shot of it JUST as it was starting to glow. Enjoy the videos too. High drama. The second video is 14 minutes long, broken up into two parts, but I promise you it's riveting. Oh, and when I said "evaporation" in the video I probably meant condensation. The billowing, wet exhaust might be a part of this issue too.

I drove this car home with 30 some odd miles on the odometer about a week and a half ago. Four days later it did this for the first time (that's the first video). I brought it to Ford on Friday; they couldn't replicate it. I came by on Friday night to pick up the car and then it happened again. I called the service dept on Saturday morning to explain the situation, but there wasn't a diagnostic technician in on Saturday; it would have to wait til today. I came back on Sunday to document it, and that's what you're seeing in the last two vids. I sent them detailed information about how I was able to induce it. I spoke to the service manager at 8am today and was told I'd hear back. I didn't hear back today.

I have sent multiple emails to the service department detailing what has been happening and I wrote a similar email to the dealer I purchased the vehicle from. The service manager at my local Ford dealer didn't seem interested in assuaging my concerns-- it would have been nice to get a little reassurance. She's been professional enough though, in my opinion.

I hoping and waiting for them to diagnosis it, but I'd bet you a brand new 2022 Ford Maverick XL Hybrid that my catalytic converter and a couple of ancillary components are toast. Did the car come from the factory with bad valve stems? Bad piston rings? Is there fuel dump because of a computer issue? Is it a purely mechanical issue? Either way, this is my first new car, and 4 days into owning it, it seems like it could very well have burned to the ground. I don't mean to sound dramatic-- I happen to really believe that.

My friends, DO NOT ignore this issue. If you're having surging engine issues, personally, I'd brick your car. I bricked mine after I realized the cat was probably incinerating itself. I would expect your cat is getting superheated too, especially those of you who are smelling eggs in addition to burning plastic.

Let's make sure we protect our investments and share as much intel as we can with one another. I want to trust that Ford will do right by us, but it can't hurt to be organized.


-Daniel

 

[CuddleMuffin]

Obviously the dealer couldn’t replicate the issue yesterday but I could again this morning. He says I have too few miles and that I need to put more on it as it’s likely the anti rust coat burning off…. -_-. They have suggested I leave it over night but they don’t have a spare vehicle for me to use…

 

[Chris_G]

Obviously the dealer couldn’t replicate the issue yesterday but I could again this morning. He says I have too few miles and that I need to put more on it as it’s likely the anti rust coat burning off…. -_-. They have suggested I leave it over night but they don’t have a spare vehicle for me to use…

No surprise there, sorry!

Sponsored