Low MPG - 2006 FEH AWD
#1
02-02-2021, 09:22 AM
Low MPG - 2006 FEH AWD
Hello, All. New FEH owner here who would appreciate some insight.
I purchased a 2006 FEH AWD with 125k miles on it a few weeks ago. Very low mileage given its year. Vehicle is in great shape inside and out. You'd never know it was nearly 16 years old. Seller was not driving it regularly anymore but said he had recently gotten about 28MPG on a 300-mile round trip a few weeks prior. Prior to purchasing, I had a local mechanic do a full inspection on the vehicle, and everything got the green light. No signs of any issues. No computer codes. I bought it with no major concerns.
I have now just consumed my second tank of gas in the vehicle, and I am getting about 20MPG. This was manually calculated, as this vehicle originally came with the GPS unit that displayed the calculated MPG. The previous owner removed that GPS stereo for an aftermarket stereo so you can only determine MPG manually at this time (I'm considering purchasing a ScanGauge to aid with this). I had a Prius in the past. I am familiar with how to appropriately drive a hybrid to get the most out of it. The vehicle DOES go into EV mode at stops and runs that way up until slightly below 30MPG, so that tells me the hybrid battery is not fried. However, 20MPG is what the 2006 non-hybrid models get. It's almost as if I'm getting no battery assistance whatsoever when not driving in EV mode. I'm not in EV mode often, as majority of driving is above its 25-30MPH limit.
The only issue I've really noticed outside the poor MPG is the hybrid battery gauge on the left of the cluster. It barely moves. When I brake, the gauge will slightly drop down into "charging" mode; when I accelerate from a stop, it will slightly move up into "assist" mode. Whenever it moves into charging or assist mode, the gauge only stays there for a second or two then quickly goes back to the middle resting position. Even during a long braking event when slowing down from a higher speed, the gauge does not stay in "charging" the entire time I'm pressing on the brake, only for the first couple seconds.
One other thing that I am unsure is normal or not--the vehicle does not enter EV mode until running for about 10-15 minutes. I have inspected the small battery air filter. It was clean.
I'm assuming that I'm going to need to take it to Ford for them to inspect, but I am concerned that finding the issue is going to be very difficult considering the age of this vehicle. Has anyone out there experienced anything similar? Is the gauge issue a telling sign, or is it common for it to behave this way?
Thanks so much.
I purchased a 2006 FEH AWD with 125k miles on it a few weeks ago. Very low mileage given its year. Vehicle is in great shape inside and out. You'd never know it was nearly 16 years old. Seller was not driving it regularly anymore but said he had recently gotten about 28MPG on a 300-mile round trip a few weeks prior. Prior to purchasing, I had a local mechanic do a full inspection on the vehicle, and everything got the green light. No signs of any issues. No computer codes. I bought it with no major concerns.
I have now just consumed my second tank of gas in the vehicle, and I am getting about 20MPG. This was manually calculated, as this vehicle originally came with the GPS unit that displayed the calculated MPG. The previous owner removed that GPS stereo for an aftermarket stereo so you can only determine MPG manually at this time (I'm considering purchasing a ScanGauge to aid with this). I had a Prius in the past. I am familiar with how to appropriately drive a hybrid to get the most out of it. The vehicle DOES go into EV mode at stops and runs that way up until slightly below 30MPG, so that tells me the hybrid battery is not fried. However, 20MPG is what the 2006 non-hybrid models get. It's almost as if I'm getting no battery assistance whatsoever when not driving in EV mode. I'm not in EV mode often, as majority of driving is above its 25-30MPH limit.
The only issue I've really noticed outside the poor MPG is the hybrid battery gauge on the left of the cluster. It barely moves. When I brake, the gauge will slightly drop down into "charging" mode; when I accelerate from a stop, it will slightly move up into "assist" mode. Whenever it moves into charging or assist mode, the gauge only stays there for a second or two then quickly goes back to the middle resting position. Even during a long braking event when slowing down from a higher speed, the gauge does not stay in "charging" the entire time I'm pressing on the brake, only for the first couple seconds.
One other thing that I am unsure is normal or not--the vehicle does not enter EV mode until running for about 10-15 minutes. I have inspected the small battery air filter. It was clean.
I'm assuming that I'm going to need to take it to Ford for them to inspect, but I am concerned that finding the issue is going to be very difficult considering the age of this vehicle. Has anyone out there experienced anything similar? Is the gauge issue a telling sign, or is it common for it to behave this way?
Thanks so much.
#2
02-11-2021, 10:53 AM
Re: Low MPG - 2006 FEH AWD
Approximately where in North America do you live? Cold climate behavior and mileage with an FEH of your year is considerably different than warm. Your mileage sounds about right (maybe a little bit low, but not much) for relatively short hops if it's cold. I just wrote this up in a Facebook post the other day. This is the first winter I've owned mine, a 2010 FEH with around 60k miles. The car was well cared-for and garaged all the time by the previous owner, so I've been worried recently about how the hybrid system would react to the cold shock. For the first 20 minutes of driving or so, I am seeing mileage in the low 20s also. I surmise that the computer limits the power flow in/out of the battery and through the inverter until everything is good and warm. The shorter the trip, the closer the mileage is to a pure-gas vehicle running slightly rich (again, because of the cold.) And the EV assist is less than usual. My car has not started directly into EV mode on any morning for the past month. Temperatures where I live have plunged into the high 0's and at night it has been well below freezing most of the time.
Is your car garaged?
Is your car garaged?
I've been wondering how the '10 Escape Hybrid (now 60,043 miles) would cope with the past couple days of harsh cold. It was previously garaged during the winter and probably not exposed to low temperatures for long periods of time. I've been a bit worried about how the high voltage battery and hybrid system in general would handle the cold shock, including last night's plunge into the low single digits. This car also omits the onboard battery heater from the '04-'09 models, no thanks to the bean counters at Ford.
Today I just couldn't muster the fortitude to haul the laptop out to run FORScan through the OBD-II port as the temperature crept up into the balmy teens. Instead I just put the key in the "ignition", said a little prayer, and fired it up while watching all the built-in diagnostics and energy displays. The answer seems to be: "No Problemo. What cold?"
It started instantly with no laboring whatsoever and runs beautifully. I'm using Mobil 1 Extended Performance 5w20 oil, and the engine "cranked" over at what sounded like the usual speed and started into a high idle without any stumbles. Good sign.
The battery charge level monitor in the SYNC/NAV system actually indicated a higher state of charge than usual, so I'm wondering if it is somehow temperature-compensated? In this car, when everything is really cold, the internal combustion engine gets spun up immediately through the motor/generator in the parallel hybrid transaxle when you turn the key. There is no traditional 12V starter motor; everything propulsive begins and ends with the high voltage (>300VDC) system. I was concerned that if the system voltage went low because of the cold snap, the ICE would not be able to get going, but that didn't happen. No warning lights, etc. "Electrical Power OK" on the instrument panel display and the car drives as normal, albeit not starting out in pure EV mode.
The mileage takes a hit. This is presumably because the computer commands the ICE to supply almost all of the vehicle's propulsive energy while limiting the current flow in/out of the battery and through the inverter until the whole system warms up. As a result, the mileage during the first 20 minutes of driving is more akin to the non-hybrid Escape model, down about 30% from the usual Hybrid operation. After it warms up, everything works as usual. I'm pretty impressed. This is a 10-year old car and battery, and the system is shrugging off the cold shock without any complaints thus far.
Ford/Aisin did a good job with the powertrain engineering on this car. I do wish their bean counters had kept the onboard battery heater, though. I'd have more peace of mind, but c'est la vie. You "Dance with the one what 'brung ya."
Today I just couldn't muster the fortitude to haul the laptop out to run FORScan through the OBD-II port as the temperature crept up into the balmy teens. Instead I just put the key in the "ignition", said a little prayer, and fired it up while watching all the built-in diagnostics and energy displays. The answer seems to be: "No Problemo. What cold?"
It started instantly with no laboring whatsoever and runs beautifully. I'm using Mobil 1 Extended Performance 5w20 oil, and the engine "cranked" over at what sounded like the usual speed and started into a high idle without any stumbles. Good sign.
The battery charge level monitor in the SYNC/NAV system actually indicated a higher state of charge than usual, so I'm wondering if it is somehow temperature-compensated? In this car, when everything is really cold, the internal combustion engine gets spun up immediately through the motor/generator in the parallel hybrid transaxle when you turn the key. There is no traditional 12V starter motor; everything propulsive begins and ends with the high voltage (>300VDC) system. I was concerned that if the system voltage went low because of the cold snap, the ICE would not be able to get going, but that didn't happen. No warning lights, etc. "Electrical Power OK" on the instrument panel display and the car drives as normal, albeit not starting out in pure EV mode.
The mileage takes a hit. This is presumably because the computer commands the ICE to supply almost all of the vehicle's propulsive energy while limiting the current flow in/out of the battery and through the inverter until the whole system warms up. As a result, the mileage during the first 20 minutes of driving is more akin to the non-hybrid Escape model, down about 30% from the usual Hybrid operation. After it warms up, everything works as usual. I'm pretty impressed. This is a 10-year old car and battery, and the system is shrugging off the cold shock without any complaints thus far.
Ford/Aisin did a good job with the powertrain engineering on this car. I do wish their bean counters had kept the onboard battery heater, though. I'd have more peace of mind, but c'est la vie. You "Dance with the one what 'brung ya."
Last edited by AlexK; 02-11-2021 at 11:05 AM.
#3
02-11-2021, 11:29 AM
Re: Low MPG - 2006 FEH AWD
Couple of other questions/guesses/comments:
1) Winter mileage like any other car can be improved by paying careful attention to: gasoline, tire pressure, engine oil condition.
First of all, summer gasoline contains about 1.7% more energy than winter gasoline in general, but it gets tricky according to where you live. It could be that your particular blend of gas is worse than others.
Summer vs. Winter Gas Explained by Car and Driver
Tire pressure: It's easy for your tires to run 20% or more low in the cold, cold temps of the winter and it won't trip the Low Tire Pressure Warning system, but it will impact mileage. Make sure your cold pressures are up to snuff for your tires.
Oil: Since the gas engine starts right away, the oil is cold. Cold oil is thick with higher pumping losses, hence more gas burned until it warms up. I am running Mobil 1 5W-20 Extended Performance, and my ICE engine spins up quickly. Some people recommend switching to 0W-20 for the winter but I have not done this. It might help on those really cold mornings.
Battery Heater: If I recall correctly, the 2006 has a built-in battery heater integrated into the High Voltage Traction Battery. I am unclear on its operation, or whether it is somehow associated with the engine block heater that some Ford Escape Hybrids were equipped with from the factory. Someone else will have to answer the integration question. However, you might want to think about adding an engine block heater if you don't have one and it's really cold where you live. See the posts in my thread here. Fglaustin's zerostart 3100002 plug should work in your vehicle. From what I remember, the integrated battery heater on the 2006 should work automatically? Maybe yours isn't.
Bottom line is: even with a "perfect" FEH brand new, winter mileage takes a hit due to a variety of factors. You are getting what would be "normal" mileage on a regular Escape during warm weather. During really cold weather, those vehicles would get even *worse* mileage.
Anyway, I hope some of this helps/makes sense. Good luck! I don't think there's anything wrong with your car, but there are a few things to look at.
1) Winter mileage like any other car can be improved by paying careful attention to: gasoline, tire pressure, engine oil condition.
First of all, summer gasoline contains about 1.7% more energy than winter gasoline in general, but it gets tricky according to where you live. It could be that your particular blend of gas is worse than others.
Summer vs. Winter Gas Explained by Car and Driver
Tire pressure: It's easy for your tires to run 20% or more low in the cold, cold temps of the winter and it won't trip the Low Tire Pressure Warning system, but it will impact mileage. Make sure your cold pressures are up to snuff for your tires.
Oil: Since the gas engine starts right away, the oil is cold. Cold oil is thick with higher pumping losses, hence more gas burned until it warms up. I am running Mobil 1 5W-20 Extended Performance, and my ICE engine spins up quickly. Some people recommend switching to 0W-20 for the winter but I have not done this. It might help on those really cold mornings.
Battery Heater: If I recall correctly, the 2006 has a built-in battery heater integrated into the High Voltage Traction Battery. I am unclear on its operation, or whether it is somehow associated with the engine block heater that some Ford Escape Hybrids were equipped with from the factory. Someone else will have to answer the integration question. However, you might want to think about adding an engine block heater if you don't have one and it's really cold where you live. See the posts in my thread here. Fglaustin's zerostart 3100002 plug should work in your vehicle. From what I remember, the integrated battery heater on the 2006 should work automatically? Maybe yours isn't.
Bottom line is: even with a "perfect" FEH brand new, winter mileage takes a hit due to a variety of factors. You are getting what would be "normal" mileage on a regular Escape during warm weather. During really cold weather, those vehicles would get even *worse* mileage.
Anyway, I hope some of this helps/makes sense. Good luck! I don't think there's anything wrong with your car, but there are a few things to look at.
Last edited by AlexK; 02-11-2021 at 11:32 AM.
#4
02-12-2021, 07:39 PM
Re: Low MPG - 2006 FEH AWD
Update: This may or may not confirm my theory, but I thought I'd add:
Today I drove the '10 FEH about 230 miles in a relatively long-duration trip that took about 4 hours. It was a mix of highway and local driving, the car got fully warmed-up and was never turned off during the multi-stop sojourn. Result: 27.6 MPG overall, and that's with some snow still stuck to the roof, which made the aerodynamics a bit worse on the highway at 70 mph. We were also moving about 850 pounds of people+cargo, 2 passengers and a big load of stuff in the back.
So I'm still just guessing here but I think you're not driving it far enough on each trip to fully warm it up so the hybrid system works optimally, hence your lower mileage. In the cold, the farther you drive the car and the warmer it stays, the closer it comes to the EPA estimated mileage - with the inevitable hit from the cold start/first 20 minute phenomenon and the aforementioned. Near the end of the trip I took it to the local convenience store and it ran in EV mode the whole way up to about 40 MPH and immediately killed the ICE when it was idling or under trailing throttle. That's factory-normal, brand-new operation.
So longer trips bring the system back into its normal operating parameters in my car. If yours differs significantly on a long trip, maybe something else is wrong.
Today I drove the '10 FEH about 230 miles in a relatively long-duration trip that took about 4 hours. It was a mix of highway and local driving, the car got fully warmed-up and was never turned off during the multi-stop sojourn. Result: 27.6 MPG overall, and that's with some snow still stuck to the roof, which made the aerodynamics a bit worse on the highway at 70 mph. We were also moving about 850 pounds of people+cargo, 2 passengers and a big load of stuff in the back.
So I'm still just guessing here but I think you're not driving it far enough on each trip to fully warm it up so the hybrid system works optimally, hence your lower mileage. In the cold, the farther you drive the car and the warmer it stays, the closer it comes to the EPA estimated mileage - with the inevitable hit from the cold start/first 20 minute phenomenon and the aforementioned. Near the end of the trip I took it to the local convenience store and it ran in EV mode the whole way up to about 40 MPH and immediately killed the ICE when it was idling or under trailing throttle. That's factory-normal, brand-new operation.
So longer trips bring the system back into its normal operating parameters in my car. If yours differs significantly on a long trip, maybe something else is wrong.
Last edited by AlexK; 02-12-2021 at 07:44 PM.
#5
02-13-2021, 10:26 AM
Re: Low MPG - 2006 FEH AWD
And I'm sorry if I'm beating this to death but one more data point. I decided to take a snapshot of the average mileage on a return trip of about 25 miles today, after refueling, so I filled up the car and reset the SYNC/NAV leaving the gas station.
This was mostly residential driving with a couple stretches up to 55 MPH, up and down some moderate hills. Outside temperature 25-26 degrees. Car was fully warmed up by outbound leg.
Result: 31.2 MPG driving gently, using cruise control wherever possible, paying attention. .
So I'm sticking with my theory that the first 20-30 minutes do the most damage to the MPG and thereafter it adjusts and work as usual.
This was mostly residential driving with a couple stretches up to 55 MPH, up and down some moderate hills. Outside temperature 25-26 degrees. Car was fully warmed up by outbound leg.
Result: 31.2 MPG driving gently, using cruise control wherever possible, paying attention. .
So I'm sticking with my theory that the first 20-30 minutes do the most damage to the MPG and thereafter it adjusts and work as usual.
#6
02-21-2021, 07:29 AM
Re: Low MPG - 2006 FEH AWD
AlexK wrote it perfectly (and thanks for mentioning the block heater write-up).
was getting 30 on short trips in the summer - now at 26.xxx
unusually cold in austin tx though.
would not be the usual to have a block heater in austin but i wished i had put one in
(too late for this winter (i presume))
was getting 30 on short trips in the summer - now at 26.xxx
unusually cold in austin tx though.
would not be the usual to have a block heater in austin but i wished i had put one in
(too late for this winter (i presume))
#7
02-23-2021, 07:57 AM
Re: Low MPG - 2006 FEH AWD
Hello, All.
I live in Houston so cold weather is not an issue.
I wound up taking to Ford for inspection. There were no codes in system. The only trouble sign is that hybrid battery was outputting about 36V (I may be slightly off with this number; service manager said it was about the lowest threshold the battery could output without triggering anything). So, in the end, I need a new hybrid battery. Don't think a brand new one is worth the cost to me. I may be adventurous and try to test each cell on my own and replace defficient ones with new ones.
I live in Houston so cold weather is not an issue.
I wound up taking to Ford for inspection. There were no codes in system. The only trouble sign is that hybrid battery was outputting about 36V (I may be slightly off with this number; service manager said it was about the lowest threshold the battery could output without triggering anything). So, in the end, I need a new hybrid battery. Don't think a brand new one is worth the cost to me. I may be adventurous and try to test each cell on my own and replace defficient ones with new ones.
#8
02-23-2021, 08:54 AM
Re: Low MPG - 2006 FEH AWD
The only trouble sign is that hybrid battery was outputting about 36V
36% State of Charge is a bit low for a car that has been running but it is not below the threshold that will start the car.
I may be adventurous and try to test each cell on my own and replace defficient ones with new ones.
Good luck. Maybe SKeith will have some advice at this point.
#9
02-23-2021, 09:16 AM
Re: Low MPG - 2006 FEH AWD
That must be a typo or a miscommunication: 36V is so far below "dead" that the car would not even run. Anything below 300V on the High Voltage battery is "flat" and the car would be inoperative. You may be referring to State of Charge at 36 PERCENT?
36% State of Charge is a bit low for a car that has been running but it is not below the threshold that will start the car.
Remember this is a High Voltage system, not low, and you will need to take precautions. Do you have FORScan? Software that runs through the OBD-II port on a laptop, iOS or Android device to read codes and run diagnostics on the battery? The extended license version also has a "balancing mode" that you can run to help balance the State of Charge across the cells of the battery.
Good luck. Maybe SKeith will have some advice at this point.
36% State of Charge is a bit low for a car that has been running but it is not below the threshold that will start the car.
Remember this is a High Voltage system, not low, and you will need to take precautions. Do you have FORScan? Software that runs through the OBD-II port on a laptop, iOS or Android device to read codes and run diagnostics on the battery? The extended license version also has a "balancing mode" that you can run to help balance the State of Charge across the cells of the battery.
Good luck. Maybe SKeith will have some advice at this point.
No I do not have a FORScan but I will look into it. I'm an engineer by trade (obviously don't specialize in this) but I'm fairly comfortable working on a battery like this.
#10
02-23-2021, 09:26 AM
Re: Low MPG - 2006 FEH AWD
Hello, All.
I live in Houston so cold weather is not an issue.
I wound up taking to Ford for inspection. There were no codes in system. The only trouble sign is that hybrid battery was outputting about 36V (I may be slightly off with this number; service manager said it was about the lowest threshold the battery could output without triggering anything). So, in the end, I need a new hybrid battery. Don't think a brand new one is worth the cost to me. I may be adventurous and try to test each cell on my own and replace defficient ones with new ones.
I live in Houston so cold weather is not an issue.
I wound up taking to Ford for inspection. There were no codes in system. The only trouble sign is that hybrid battery was outputting about 36V (I may be slightly off with this number; service manager said it was about the lowest threshold the battery could output without triggering anything). So, in the end, I need a new hybrid battery. Don't think a brand new one is worth the cost to me. I may be adventurous and try to test each cell on my own and replace defficient ones with new ones.
"Adventurous" is the wrong word. "Foolhardy" is the correct word. You're assuming that 1) you'll be able to test them in a meaningful way and 2) you'll be able to identify good vs. bad consistently to a degree that will improve the situation. I can guarantee you that unless you have lots of free time with nothing better to do and are looking for an experimental project that is almost certainly going to fail to achieve the desired outcome, your time would be better spent setting your heat on fire and putting it out with a hammer.
You started this thread in Feb. While Houston isn't COLD, it's not hot in February. If you run climate heat, the only source of heat is the engine, so the engine will run if you demand more heat. Additionally, a battery below 50°F can't be charged at max rate, or it will be damaged, so the car meters overall hybrid function even in "cool" weather.
Do the following things:
1) Get the vehicle fully warmed up and stabilized to where engine will shut off at a stop consistently. Pick a 10+ mile course with level terrain and run it in both directions. Reset the mpg meter at the start of each leg once 65mph has been obtained and hold 65mph until the end of the leg. Average the two mpg readings.
2) Get Forscan and come back for instructions.
