I've let the Escape hybrid sit for 2 weeks without starting and both times the engine started, however charge indicator displayed zero bars and car ran 10-15 minutes before the battery would reach reasonable charge and the ICE would resume normal shutdown during stops.

If we are planning to be away for a month or two, should we disconnect the 12 volt battery as suggested by the owners manual?

As an alternative to disconnecting 12v battery, would putting a battery tender on the 12v battery help?

Thx in advance for your feedback

Pat

 

What's the weather like? If the big battery is cold, the system will not charge it until the temperature come up to an acceptable level.

Adding a battery tender is always a good idea. I like the Schumacher SP3.

 

Owner's manual recommends disconnecting 12V to prevent HV battery damage. I'm personally aware of an 09 MMH with 64K miles where the HV battery warranty was denied because the owner left it on a tender for 6 months instead of disconnecting. HV battery went flat and wouldn't start car. Dealer charged $1000 on diags and couldn't it started. I've posted an account on this forum.

First signs of failure of these Sanyo cells is accelerated self-discharge where charge is rapidly lost.

If you have an 05-07 with the HV jump start system, I would recommend you use that system with a fully charged 12V to give your HV battery a boost before you attempt start. Current draw on the 12V from the HV charger is about 25A, so it's best to hook the 12V to a 10A charger if possible.

 

My FEH is a 2009 with no boost switch - would be nice if it did.

I did just replace my battery as I found that after 4 days, the low voltage battery was at 11.5v (in the car). The high voltage battery had not dropped at all.

I'm thinking there might be a phantom load as a test with a clamp-on ammeter shows 200 milliamp steady draw. When I open door, the amps jump up to 2 amps as expected because of lights. But then several hours later , the car still seems to be drawing 200 mah with no doors open, no key in ignition no lights, etc. Does this seem high to you?

Over 24 hours, that 200 ma draw is around 4.8 ah. I'm not sure but I'd guess the 96R battery is around 40-50 ah rated. That would pretty much discharge the 12v battery in 10 days.

Hay anyone tested their FEH to see how much battery current draw there is when car is off?

UPDATE - after sitting off for around 3 hours, the current draw finally fell to near zero. Not sure why it took so long. Will keep an eye on this to see if it happens again.

Thanks.

Pat

 

This time of year around 40-50 degrees when I start it.

Pat