Transmission Issue? Slipping?
 

2006 Escape Hybrid AWD just over 100'000 miles.
I use my escape for work mainly in town stop and go traffic. Today I noticed that it would not go in to battery only mode, in the past I could remedy that by stepping on the gas pedal and do short high rev runs for a bit. Today nothing, the regular engine just kept running. Then at one point it started to feel funny when putting in gear and driving away, and it got worse were it actually clunked and stuttered for a bit before taking off. Backing up a hill the engine would rev way higher then normal and barely move the car. At one point there was a funny squealing sound from the back of the car as if a brake was stuck on but it wasn't the brake as it did not stop when not moving. It lasted about 20 seconds.
I shut her down at one point for about 30 minutes after that it didn't clunk anymore when putting in gear but the engine seemed to be lacking power and was delayed to kick in. Going across an intersection was a gamble as you would slowly proceed half way before the car would speed up and go.

I had the rear differential rebuilt a few thousand miles ago. i the same time i changed all the fluids, transmission, transfer-case with the recommended Ford fluids.
Recently i had an engine code 0128 which asks for a new Thermostat but I haven't changed that yet. I cleared the code and it has not returned in 2 weeks.
The battery cooling pump was changed on the recall about a year ago.

Any ideas what I should be looking at? What could cause the car to act like this?

Re: Transmission Issue? Slipping?
 

I don't know from first hand experience but could this be a sign of a transfer case going out?

Re: Transmission Issue? Slipping?
 

This morning driving to work it all felt normal again, we'll see how the day progresses.

Re: Transmission Issue? Slipping?
 

so far all is well but still would like to know what i should maybe check and replace to prevent this from happening again. Nobody had anything like this before?

Re: Transmission Issue? Slipping?
 

Well today for the first 2 hours of work it behaved exceptionally well. Went in and out of Electric mode without a problem. Than as the battery level on the display went to almost no charge the ICE kicked in and didn't shut off anymore for the next 2 hours. I turned the car off a few times but on restart the ICE always kept running even if the display said idle and didn't show anything running. No slipping today.

Re: Transmission Issue? Slipping?
 

Strange. I'm still new with hybrids but I will ask a few questions that probably wouldn't actually cause this problem but they are two things my MMH had issues with. Is the AC system working properly? How old is 12 volt battery? I'm surprised someone here hasn't offered any thing yet.

Re: Transmission Issue? Slipping?
 

12 v battery was changed last year. AC system i need to check because i did turn it on today and didn't really get any cold air.

Re: Transmission Issue? Slipping?
 

I think this is a very important observation. The reverse in the FEH is 100% electric, with no power directly from the engine. So if it behaves noticeably worse in reverse, that's a strong clue that the hybrid electric system is misbehaving.

Re: Transmission Issue? Slipping?
 

Fascinating, I had no idea reverse was all electric. Good to know. I plan on buying a Scangage II soon. With it the SOC, HVTB temp and many other things can be kept up with.

Re: Transmission Issue? Slipping?
 

got around to change that thermostat. What a pain in the .....!! i think i cursed Mr> Ford a view times. But got it done.
Now does somebody have the instructions on how to properly change the coolant for the High voltage battery?
And is it ok if I put Prestone 50/50 premix in there? the yellow kind.

Also looking for a scangauge.

Re: Transmission Issue? Slipping?
 

good news and bad news :(
After changing the thermostat i noticed a great improvement in how quickly the car goes in to battery mode. It has never been that great in the almost 4 years i own this Escape.
This was the good news, now the bad
First day back to work constant stop and go after about an hour ICE will not shut off anymore :( just keeps running but does not show any trouble lights or errors.
I guess now i am in the same boat as the other thread talking about ICE not shutting off.
I just dont have the money to replace an AC system.
The actuator motor seems to work, at least when i pull the filter out and look in the door seems to be open.
Not sure about the battery fans i dont think i heard them today at all.

Re: Transmission Issue? Slipping?
 

Does the scangauge actually show the battery hitting high temperatures? It might not need a replacement of the full a/c system. Mine just had a pinhole in the condenser I believe. Any a/c shop should be able to work on the front portion of the a/c system. I think mine just picked up a stone and caused a leak. You could also try recharging it yourself, but that isn't exactly recommended. My full service to have it changed out and have the system recharged was about $400.

Re: Transmission Issue? Slipping?
 

the temps just keep climbing they never come down while driving. As soon as it hits 100F the ICE does not shut off anymore. (Tav is in F not C as it says on the display)
Here is some screenshots
TxT is for eCVT temperature

Re: Transmission Issue? Slipping?
 

Yeah, I would definitely recommend at minimum refilling the a/c system and seeing what it does. A shop should be able to refill it for you without too much cost and put some dye in it and track it down when it goes low again. These systems really only hold a few pounds of freon.

Re: Transmission Issue? Slipping?
 

I already did that a few weeks ago. AC is blowing cold air at around 8 degrees Celsius. That should be cold enough to get the temperature down a bit.

I think it is my fans that are not working. Does somebody have a wiring diagram for the battery cooling fans? Has anyone ever pulled those and tested?
I removed mine to check continuity but for some reason there is none between red and black. What am I missing?

Re: Transmission Issue? Slipping?
 

You will be able to hear them running generally with the car in hybrid mode. They run continuously, they are variable speed. Idle the truck until it goes into hybrid mode, if you have to do it at night or early morning do that. When it shuts the engine off go back and lift the mat and see if you can hear anything. They aren't super loud, but if you hear them they should be good. Have you verified the function of the blend door? I have never done that since mine never failed.

Re: Transmission Issue? Slipping?
 

blend door works it opens up when engine is on.
I thought I read somewhere that the fans only come on if the ice is running and only above a certain rpm.

Re: Transmission Issue? Slipping?
 

Blend door should be closing above 86 or so degrees though. Not accurate, I have had them come on with it in hybrid mode. You might be thinking of the a/c compressor or the electric fans on the radiator

Re: Transmission Issue? Slipping?
 

?? So as the battery temperature comes up the blend door should close again?
When the car is off the door is closed, I check that by pulling the air filter, then when I start the car it opens up, right? Now I need to check if it closes again when the temp of the battery reaches 86, if I understand you right.

Re: Transmission Issue? Slipping?
 

I don't know the exact temperature the blend door closes. It is somewhere in the high 80s to low 90s. On your scangauge in the x-gauge features there's an a/c compressor you can program into it. You should see that come on when the temps get higher and the blend door closes. This is assuming you have the a/c and any of the other "red" settings off during those times. You can monitor the battery temperature as well using the scan gauge.

Re: Transmission Issue? Slipping?
 

I am assuming you are living in a hot climate? Otherwise on the 06 models there are issues with the battery harness and you could be getting a bad thermistor reading. These batteries generally don't get hot or need a/c unless it's well above 60 degrees. I don't know the exact amount since I only checked to see if my a/c was being commanded on this past week, but it was about 60 out and it was never commanded on and the battery never hit into the 80s.

Re: Transmission Issue? Slipping?
 

No i do not live in a hot climate, i live on the Canadian We(s)t Coast. So lots of rain and moisture. Temperatures have been in the 50's low 60's.

Re: Transmission Issue? Slipping?
 

Do you already have a scangauge? If so with only one fan working is there a large difference between TAV and TMX (temperature of the battery average and temperature of the battery maximum)

Re: Transmission Issue? Slipping?
 

I have not looked at the TMX as i just keep an eye on the TAV.
I'm using a wi-fi elm device and Torque Pro on my phone to keep track, cant afford a ScanGauge, neither can i really afford the 500.-+ Canadian it would take to buy that fankit from Ford. :(

Re: Transmission Issue? Slipping?
 

I bought mine with 175k miles, attached a tow hitch and noticed leaking since then , always drove as you mention high rev and low torke in reverse, then needing to release gas pedal for transmission to catch up the gear , then started to hear at 201k miles a poping clunk noise when movements from drive to reverse and reverse to drive, replacing the stabilizer links , solved the clunk while shortly experienced aluminium grinding at the transfer case , after the grinding came sudden stops and loss of power from transfer case seeming to be transmission issues. but now it cracked with a full load of passengers at my corner. DONT TAKE IT TO DEALER . or any transmission place. the transfer case is same from other ford vehicles,
I had previously replaced the driveshaft support bearing and U-joint and knew this not to be the problem. There was significant play in the output shaft of the PTU (especially when comparing it to the new [salvage] unit).

I drained the PTU fluid and discovered it to be black with metallic particles (looked like black metallic paint). I do not believe it had ever been serviced by the previous owner (and I will surely be servicing it annually from now on). I bought it with fairly low miles (70k) in 06/14 and it is my second FEH. To my knowledge, this is not advised as a normal maintenance item by Ford (but it absolutely should be). I drive about 50k a year, so this will be yearly for me now along with the transaxle fluid. This procedure was performed in 07/15 at 115k.

As a side note, I also opted to perform other preventive maintenance while I was into it, including replacing control arms, ball joints, ABS tone rings, and both inner/outer tie rod ends. I’ll also say that the inner tie rod ends were surprisingly more worn than expected, so be sure to check them. All of these parts (except the inner tie rod ends) should be standard stock, shared components with the conventional Escape. The inner tie rod ends are a hybrid-only component (due to the different steering rack), but the only apparent difference is the omission of a boss on the inner threads.

I will assume you have access to the service procedures, since this isn’t a job for novices. I am only trying to point out the differences I encountered,

1) Drain the transaxle. The drain plug is facing the rear on the driver’s side.
2) Remove the halfshafts. You’ll need to remove the right hand support bracket with 2 bolts.
3) The exhaust manifold will need to be disconnected from the block to allow sufficient lateral clearance to remove the PTU. It’s also advisable to remove the heat shield for maximum clearance, though I’m not sure it’s entirely necessary.

A quick note about the PTU: I sourced mine from a salvage yard and after much research and discussion amongst salvage operators and FoMoCo, it appears that the transfer cases are all interchangeable going back to at least 2003. There are indeed (7) different "models", but these were apparently design-modified many times. The business ends of it are the same. You need not necessarily obtain a transfer case from a hybrid unit.

4) Remove the 6 bolts securing the PTU to the block and bracket.
5) Remove the PTU support bracket.
6) Remove the PTU.
7) Remove the transaxle halfshaft seals.

(Additional steps and photos forthcoming)

A VERY important note about the eCVT half/intermediate shaft seals. I was initially unsuccessful in sourcing these seals as all local autoparts distributors (AutoZone, NAPA, Carquest, Advance, and O’Reilly) indicated the incorrect part (Do NOT accept 481181V or 3622S). According to FoMoCo, this is an issue with the interchange software not differentiating the Aisin eCVT transmission on the hybrids. The seals are dealer-only, but also be aware that the parts lookup at your Ford dealership is also incorrect. Make no mistake, if your FEH is at least 2005-2007, the seals you will need are:

Right (Passenger) Side: Motorcraft 5M6Z-1177-RA "SEAL" (Made in Japan)
Left (Driver) Side: Motorcraft 5M6Z-1177-LA "SEAL" (Made in Japan)

Here is a breakdown of my bill of materials:

Transfer Case (Salvage) from 2005 V6 XLT w/ 70,000 miles: $160
Both Control Arms with Integral Ball Joints: $80
Inner & Outer Tie Rod Ends: $70
Transaxle Seals: $30
Mercon V ATF (6 Qts): $30
75W-140 Gear Lube: $15
stabilizer links 30$

Re: Transmission Issue? Slipping?
 

YES START LOOKING FOR REPLACEMENT transfer case fits several cars , no need to be hybrid

Re: Transmission Issue? Slipping?
 

How is the germane to the topic at hand?