Reduced power with hybrid

[f15radar]

I was backing up a sloped driveway with a utility trailer loaded with a golf cart. Total weight should be about 1000 pounds. I got a message that power was reduced (temperature was in the message but i thought it said high temp but my wife thought it might be low temp). The truck lost all power. It was 103 out so i shut off the truck for a few minutes then tried again. It went up the driveway. Note that my temperature guage showed normal. Are these messages stored somewhere where i can see what the exact message was? Should i be worried about the message and go see my ford dealer? I drove with the trailer afterwards with no problems. Thanks.

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[icegradner]

I was backing up a sloped driveway with a utility trailer loaded with a golf cart. Total weight should be about 1000 pounds. I got a message that power was reduced (temperature was in the message but i thought it said high temp but my wife thought it might be low temp). The truck lost all power. It was 103 out so i shut off the truck for a few minutes then tried again. It went up the driveway. Note that my temperature guage showed normal. Are these messages stored somewhere where i can see what the exact message was? Should i be worried about the message and go see my ford dealer? I drove with the trailer afterwards with no problems. Thanks.

Coolant temperature and battery temperature might not be the same, and since the hybrid only uses the electric motor in reverse the battery could be getting very hot.

 

[fossil]

Coolant temperature and battery temperature might not be the same, and since the hybrid only uses the electric motor in reverse the battery could be getting very hot.

or the electric motor, my guess

 

[The Real Maverick]

The temperature gauge is for the liquid engine coolant only, just like any other car. It is also "digital" in all models. Even the needles are controlled by computer. The needle won't move past vertical ("normal") until something is abnormal.

Temperatures of the motor (the big one) and the generator (the smaller one) can get hot in a matter of minutes of heavy load. But the good news is, they cool off also in a matter of minutes, as you illustrated. Even 1 or 2 minutes of "rest" is enough for the motors to cool to "normal".

Always leave the key on and leave truck running in these cases. You want the fluids to circulate.

Your battery was probably fine.

 

[LSchicago]

Too much load/heat for reverse which is Electric only.

 

[The Real Maverick]

Also, tell me if you've heard this one before...

"What's the difference between a stalled motor and a toaster?"

A: A toaster has slots for bread.

Going forward or reverse and applying the "go" pedal without the wheels turning is a stalled motor condition. All that wattage is going directly into heat, just like a toaster. For this reason, there is a stall limit of just 2-3 seconds. If the wheels don't turn in 2-3 seconds, power is cut off. If the wheels are spinning ever so slowly, say 1 mph, it won't be a stall, so it won't cut off, but you'll be so close to stall speed it will still generate a lot of heat.

Add to the fact OP said it was a 103°F day and the behavior is not unusual and there is no reason to think anything is wrong.

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