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Hybrid Vehicles Ford Escape Hybrid Ford Escape Hybrid Maintenance & Repair Ford Escape Hybrid Brake Problems
131 messages, Last post on Nov 10, 2009 at 11:36 AM
You are in the Ford Escape Hybrid Maintenance & Repair Forum. Your Host is pf_flyer
| How many warning lights need to come on before you think there's a problem!! When the check engine light and the wrench light come on that means, IT NEEDS TO BE SERVICED! If those lights have been on for a while and then something else happens you wont realize it because the warning lights are already on!! | |
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I agree but as I said this is a taxi cab and when, and if, service is done is out of my control. However, I also had said that in fact the car had been in the shop the day before this occurred. I don't know if the service message is automatically cleared when service is done or if the mechanic has to clear them from the the computer. If it is the later I am willing to bet that they just fail to clear the message. Again, those messages had been there for the past three months. However, what I thought was something worth mentioning was the fact that ALL of the FEH's in our fleet that I've driven (three of them) do the same ka-chunk thing when you apply the breaks. It is not in any way a minor thing that can be ignored. I am constantly having to explain to my passengers what it is because they ask. Of course I really don't know but I just tell em that it's got over 200,000 miles and has something to do with the system charging the battery when the breaks are applied. Also, given that our FEH's are taxi's driven 20 hrs / day 365 days per year at about 100,000 miles / year it is very unlikely anyone driving a FEH for personal use will ever have this kind of usage. In addition, these FEH are being driven at those rates in San Francisco with all of the hills that most people don't deal with.
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Replying to: imacabbie (Dec 06, 2007 1:42 pm) Remember, the ka-chunk might have been happening in all 3 FEHs but they were being serviced by the same crew of mechanics. Easy to make the same maintenance mistake 3 times if you are not familiar with the vehicle design. Please let us know what they eventually find (if you can) was the cause of the brake failure(s). Has the fire in the wheels of that FEH caused the mechanics to take the other 2 FEHs out of service until the condition is corrected??? 
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Replying to: mecheng1 (Dec 07, 2007 10:08 am) |
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If the brakes are not adjusted correctly (esp. parking brake), the pads can rub continuously and eventually catch on fire. What could ignite? It could be a leaky brake fluid line, the wheel bearing grease, or even the pads themselves. When seriously overheated (say 1000F) some pads release flammable vapors. Back when I was a wanna-be sports car racer, I took a street car out on a race track and managed to impress everyone.. "Dude! You were haulin' A$# out there! And your brakes were, like, on fire!!" I thought that was a figure of speech until I pulled the wheels and checked the brake pads. I poked them with a screwdriver and they crumbled like burnt toast and the ashes blew away in the wind. Fortunately I had a spare set of high-temp racing pads.
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Replying to: scottch (Dec 09, 2007 2:40 pm) |
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Replying to: bubkis (Nov 30, 2007 7:56 am) It had warning lights on, the check engine light and wrench light may have been on for reasons very relevant to the brake system. Then, there is a private fleet repair shop servicing this vehicle, where did they get any Hybrid Escape training at? I've taken mine with Ford Motor company, where did they get their's? The braking ability of that vehicle is a team effort between the PCM and the ABS module. Since some of the braking effort is commanded by the PCM, the wrench light and check engine lights may have been very relevant to the brakes and they were apparently ignored. The basic hydraulic brake system on that vehicle is impacted by the fact that the engine does not run all the time, as well is the P/S system, the A/C, heat and charging system (it doesn't even have an alternator). That vehicle needs to be serviced by personnel who have completed Escape Hybrid training. No technician should be servicing any hybrid of any make until they have completed make and model specific training. The entire vehicle is impacted by the fact that the engine doesn't run at all times, and therefore the entire vehicle is different from a conventional vehicle that we are used to. |
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Replying to: mecheng1 (Nov 21, 2007 6:56 am) When you apply the brake pedal, you are not normally supplying the hydraulic pressure that engages the brakes at the wheels. You are making a hydraulic "request" for brakes. The PCM applies regen. braking at the front wheels and the ABS module applies the rear brakes. Under heavier braking demands, the front friction will also be engaged by the ABS module. If the ABS module fails to power up, or the pump fails to run... then what some might loosely call a master cylinder then becomes a back up source of hydraulic pressure. What would normally, on most vehicles, be the master cylinder bore is called a "pedal feel emulator" on your hybrid because normally it just gives the feel of conventional brakes. But, in the event of an ABS failure, there is a check valve inside the ABS HCU (hydraulic control unit) that switches under mechanical pressure and allows the pedal feel emulator to now supply the hydraulic pressure to apply the friction at the wheels. This is a fail safe mode. It is for emergency stopping and not meant for anything more. The brake pedal efforts will be very high. You'll still have brakes, but you'll have to stand on the pedal hard to get them. It'll stop, but you might ruin a perfectly good pair of shorts. |
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Drove my FEH taxi last night. The excellent news is the brakes worked smooth! No Ka-Chunk at all!! I guess that fire forced them to replace the brakes instead of their usual patch job or quick fix. However, the dash lights are still lit. Well, actually, the wrench and emissions light were on at the beginning of the night along with a message to service emissions system. The wrench light went out after a few hours. Anyone have any idea what may happen if they don't service the emissions system when it is supposed to be? Aside from the obvious potential for higher emission then should be. If they take their sweet time in servicing the emissions system what kind of potential risk am I facing (i.e., brakes on fire due to lack of attention to problem). As far as what kind of training our mechanics have had related to FEH service.... Good question but I'm gonna bet little to none this isn't something I have any way to find out. Although the next time I have to go to the shop I'll try and ask one of them but these are not the friendliest or most talkative people you will meet. I have noticed that we suddenly have a few more of these FEH taxi's with our colors but I was told they are 'color scheme' meaning they are privately owned and the owner takes care of the maintenance and service at the garage or shop of their choice. Also, I didn't post this info originally because I thought there was a design flaw in the vehicle. I did think that the ka-chunck in the brakes was something that developed once the vehicle had high milleage. I just wanted to share what happens if you don't pay attention to issues and/or if they are not serviced properly or as required. I checked the actual millage of my FEH taxi last night and it has 243,000 miles. The excellent news about that is the FEH is almost like a new car other then the inept mechanic related issue. The suspension is excellent, steering works wonderfully, nothing I can think to complain about now that the brakes are fixed. Compare that to the Grand Marquis or Crown Victoria's in our fleet and when they have 240,000 miles the suspension stinks and the steering is loose and difficult, the transmissions slip, as well as misc other issues - in comparison the FEH is hands down a much better vehicle.
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| The Cachunk you were hearing may have been the caliper bushings worn out. The emmissions light could be as simple as a bad gas cap but also could be something more serious. There is no way to tell for certain without the poper equipement and training to properly diagnose the problem. | |
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