Heater Questions

[Richmond72]

So, I picked up my FFE last week after it had been at the dealership getting the transmission replaced and everything has been great with it until yesterday on the way home. I normally don't run the heat in the mornings (I pre-condition in the garage and that keeps me warm on the way to work) unless it is in the low 30's. In the afternoon, if it is not sunny, I will have to run the heat some. Yesterday, it wasn't sunny and was in the low 40's in the afternoon. I turned the temperature to the mid 70's and waited for some warm air to come out but it never did. The air blowing out was very chilly. I guess it could have been outside air coming in and not being warmed or the air conditioner actually being on. I tested it a couple of times when I got home thinking a "reboot" might help but it did not. This morning the precondition did not work even though I had it on the highest temperature setting. Again, I tested it on the way to work to see if anything warm came out. It did not. I am going to take it in for service in a few days (don't feel like dealing with service department/loaner car/etc so soon after having the car up there for 3 weeks.

So here are my questions. 1. Does the battery temperature management system use the same heating system that the sitting area does? I am asking because it seems like now even when the temperature is in the 30s, my range is still pretty good. Before the transmission was fixed, I remember seeing a hit to the mileage even though I wasn't running the heater.

2. Has anyone else had heater issues? I know some people don't think it is efficient but I think it is (at least compared to the one in the Volt) but has anyone had it stop working yet?

 

[jmueller065]

Have you checked the heater element fuses in the under hood fusebox (see page 289 in the owners manual).

 

[Richmond72]

Heater element... Fuse box....owners manual? What is this mechanical language you speak?

Just kidding (sort of). I didn't even think to check that, never had such a new car blow a fuse. I guess I can check it (with my limited mechanical skills), but if that is the case I wonder why it blew in the first place.


Update: I just checked the owners manual and this seems like something way above my mechanical skill set (it talks about disabling the HV battery before checking the fuses). I am going to have to let the dealership take this one on. But thanks for the suggestion. Hopefully it is something as simple as a blown fuse and it can be fixed quickly and won't reoccur.

 

[dmen]

I remember someone posting about this issue, last winter I believe. I could not find the post searching back; maybe it was posted in myfordmobile? Anyway, if memory serves, the person's heater element was replaced.
I am under the impression that the battery heating hardware is separate from the cabin heating.

 

[ChrisC]

I just checked the owners manual and this seems like something way above my mechanical skill set (it talks about disabling the HV battery before checking the fuses). I am going to have to let the dealership take this one on.

That's silly, you should be able to check the fuses without "disabling the HV battery". If you come to the EV club meeting on Wednesday night we can meet up and take a look at it together. Hell, I'll look at it in *my* FFE (I need to see where the fuses are anyway) and then once you're comfortable with that, we can look at them in your car.

Meeting info is here: http://www.evclubsouth.org/

 

[WattsUp]

That's silly, you should be able to check the fuses without "disabling the HV battery". If you come to the EV club meeting on Wednesday night we can meet up and take a look at it together.

Careful.. the heater elements are considered "high-current" equipment on the FFE. The high-current fuses for each of the heating elements are located in the "big fuse" box under the hood (see page 199 in the 2014 manual). The manual clearly warns (more than once) that the high-voltage battery should be disconnected before accessing any high-current equipment. Probably a good idea, and not all that silly.

 

[Richmond72]

If you come to the EV club meeting on Wednesday night we can meet up and take a look at it together. Hell, I'll look at it in *my* FFE (I need to see where the fuses are anyway) and then once you're comfortable with that, we can look at them in your car.

Meeting info is here: http://www.evclubsouth.org/

Thanks for the offer. I think I am going to just take it in to the dealership one day next week.

Also, thanks for letting me know about the meeting tonight. I think I am going to go.

 

[sefs]

The cabin heater is called the "PTC Heater". It runs off of traction battery high voltage. If it is not working properly, this is something you should not attempt to repair yourself. This is not a simple 12V fuse. The cabin heater is only used for cabin heat. The battery heater consists of 3 300W "glow plug" type inline heaters in the coolant loop near the battery packs and is only operated while charging. Fun fact: the battery does not heat itself while driving; although, it may divert heat from cooling the propulsion inverter and traction motor to the battery instead of expelling the heat through the radiator. The battery will, however, cool itself while driving using the radiator and the chiller.

 

[v_traveller]

The cabin heater is called the "PTC Heater". It runs off of traction battery high voltage. If it is not working properly, this is something you should not attempt to repair yourself. This is not a simple 12V fuse. The cabin heater is only used for cabin heat. The battery heater consists of 3 300W "glow plug" type inline heaters in the coolant loop near the battery packs and is only operated while charging. Fun fact: the battery does not heat itself while driving; although, it may divert heat from cooling the propulsion inverter and traction motor to the battery instead of expelling the heat through the radiator. The battery will, however, cool itself while driving using the radiator and the chiller.

This is interesting stuff! Is this information somewhere online? Can you point us to it?

 

[sefs]

This is interesting stuff! Is this information somewhere online? Can you point us to it?

This info is in the service manual. You can subscribe to it for a month for $20: http://www.helminc.com/helm/product2.asp?Make=FRD&Model=FOCU&Year=2012&Category=&class_2=FRD&mk=Ford&yr=2012&md=Focus&dt=&module=&from=result&Style=helm&Sku=FCS2012FZWEBM&itemtype=N

For a bit more money (not sure if it was acutally worth it or not, but it was interesting) you can take the dealer service online training course. $90: http://www.motorcraftservice.com FCS-21120-WEB

 

[jmueller065]

Or $11 for 72 hours:
http://www.helminc.com/helm/product2.asp?Make=FRD&Model=FOCU&Year=2013&Category=&class_2=FRD&mk=Ford&yr=2013&md=Focus&dt=&module=&from=result&Style=helm&Sku=FCS2013FZWEBD&itemtype=N

 

[Richmond72]

Got my FFE back today (dropped it off this morning). The problem was a loose hose clamp. They also found low coolant.