Hi all, I am looking at a 2009 awd model that was a government vehicle, it only has 55k miles on it and I am curious if this would be any kind of a red flag regarding the hybrid battery.

History shows it was sold at auction in a "non running" condition, it has been extremely detailed and much lip stick applied. I found pictures of it at the auction and cosmetically it was a pig.

Any other known issues with the year model that you can shed light on is appreciated.

 

I have assisted someone who purchases many government 2009+ MMH/FEH at auction with surprisingly low miles - one as low as 22K.

We've done about 6-8 of them, and all they needed was a manual HV battery charge as they had self-discharged to very low levels.

ONE of them had its cat cut out, but aside from that, they all ran fine. He paints them and resells them.

I have no information on longevity or reliability, but I would expect there are no issues if the vehicle is properly maintained.

 

Excuse my "green ignorance", what does MMH/FEH stand for and also, regarding the HV battery being discharged to a very low level, do they incur damage being drained that low like lead acid batteries can ?

What type of charger and voltage is used on them ?

 

FEH = Ford Escape Hybrid
MMH = Mercury Mariner Hybrid

There are detailed threads explaining the process.

 

eCVT transmission fluid should be changed every 60,000 miles - owner's manual "filled for life" etc., be darned. There are plenty of references on the forum about it. Download the manual for your car from Ford, check which fluid type. I believe the 2009 is MERCON V. Use the correct fluid, approx. 6.5 quarts. Easy job with a hand pump. The fluid lubricates *and* cools the electric motors, bearings, gears, etc. in the transaxle. It breaks down with age.

Weatherstripping - rear hatch, upper glass. It gets old, soft, deforms and leaks. The H2O goes down the inside of the rear window, makes its way inside the lower rear hatch, causes rust, electrical problems including ground faults, inoperative rear hatch release, and backup camera system (if so equipped). Replacement weatherstripping is available. Also the hinges can become very badly corroded. They can also be purchased separately. Can be done by anyone of modest skill with hand tools. This is common to all Ford Escapes from these years.

FTM has videos on both:


Front suspension - in addition to all the usual suspects for any car, the sway bar vertical link ends wear out and begin to make a clicking sound that will drive you nuts over small bumps. Not expensive. Easy job with jackstands (both sides!) and hand tools. Do it once, it lasts forever. Again, Ford TechMakuloco has a video including diagnosis/disassembly/reassembly. Approx. a 1/2 hour job both sides.

Flexible brake lines - some report splits and bursts. If they look bad, they are bad. This is more age related than mileage. Rubber deteriorates.

You're going to want a new (or at least known good) 12V battery in addition to charging your HV battery.

If you need front brakes and want to use the OEM parts, I have a thread about my adventure, with the part numbers for the rotors and pads. You will pay more than bargain basement but my car stops like new.

Other people have reported front wheel bearing failure in the 150k mile range or thereabouts. The bearings are relatively cheap, but getting them in and out of the steering knuckles with a press is a job for a pro.

If you decide to buy the car, you are going to want to make sure the rear AC evaporator and the outdoor intake air blend door and filter are fully functional. This is how the car regulates the temperature of the HV battery, along with the fans inside the battery case. Bad AC = not good battery cooling. A 2009 has **two** A/C evaporators. One in the usual place up front, one located in the driver's side cargo area rear panel.

Plugs, wires, coils, etc. go bad on these cars like they do on every other car in the world.

The PCV system can give you grief at high mileage and while not technically complex or expensive it can be a bit of a pain to work on.

On a 4WD you may also want to change the fluid in the transfer case.

Those are all the things I can think of from the top of my head. It's a good car if you can get it running and do the maintenance. It is key that the A/C system works properly.

 

Here is a link (no affiliation) to the service manual for a 2011. The 2009 is different because of the aforementioned changes in the rear AC/Battery thermal regulation. But much of the rest is the same or similar.

http://www.nicksmustangranch.com/Ser...e%20Manual.htm

 

Caveat on the brake system: If you have to do the brake lines or otherwise open the brake system, the 2009 is (I THINK) [WRONG: It was 2008. See below] the last year that a specialized ABS system featuring a hydraulic pump that *comes on automatically* whether the key is in the ignition and the car is off or NOT. It requires a special procedure for maintenance and bleeding. Someone else will have to verify that the 2009 is affected by this. Mine is a 2010 with a different system that can be worked on more easily.

 

Wasn't 08 the last year of the $5000 abs pump?

 

You're right. Here's the lowdown. There are still caveats with the 2009-2012, but not the $5000 pump. Instead there are problems related to the *vacuum* side of the system and FTM was on the case. The early "$5k pump system" was a problem because of the specialized bleeding procedure and the fact that it pressurized the brake system at unforseen intervals, even if the car was off. So you take the calipers off to do the pads without going through the procedure to disable it (or disconnect the battery) it pressurizes the system and....OUCH.

The later system from 2009-12 is less expensive overall if it fails - and easier to work on for basic maintenance - but relies on an electric vacuum pump to provide vacuum assist while the car is in EV mode and the engine isn't running. If the electric vacuum pump system fails, you will lose brake assist when the engine isn't running. Not as awful overall and the pump is also shared by some F150s apparently.

 

I saw that and it worried me but thankfully on my repomobile those codes aren't present. I went for 09 and up specifically to avoid such special procedures or pushing the pistons back in and praying.