The Dreaded Yellow Wrench.

UPDATE : My "fix" described below was not successful in avoiding the yellow wrench; to really fix it you need to replace the actuator. But the steps are as described.


I've been getting the yellow wrench light sporadically for the past few months. Several times I was able to pull over, turn the car off and then back on, and it didn't return (during that trip) so I assumed it wasn't urgent. I did call the local Ford dealer and they suggested I bring it in as soon as possible to get checked out; "It's likely just the blend door actuator but you never know what could go wrong with those hybrid systems." He wasn't able to give me a verbal estimate of what it would cost to diagnose (I didn't like this), and acted concerned when I told him that it was not under warranty. I figured (as he did) that it was probably an issue with the actuator motor for the rear battery AC vents. I noticed that the light was most prone to come on when I was doing a lot of low speed driving in full electric mode, such as in stop-and-go traffic.

The hybrid Escape has a battery pack in the rear of the car that gets warm with use. To keep it cool there is a special AC system fitted in the left rear of the vehicle. Just like the main AC system, there are two modes: "recirculate" or "fresh-air". Most of the time the system recirculates the air inside the system, but occasionally it wants to open the vent and get some new air in from outside. That's where the blend door actuator motor comes in.

It's pretty easy to pull off the rear trim to get to the battery AC system, but getting the motor itself off is a real pain. There are three 5.5mm screws holding it in, and one of them is nearly impossible to remove. You can see two of the screws in the picture here; when reinstalling the motor I only put in the easy two screws, in case I ever need to get in there again.

Here's a diagram showing all the little bits you'll need to remove to get access to the motor. It's actually not as hard as it might look.

After removing the motor I decided to pop it open. It's actually pretty simple inside: a DC motor, some reduction gears, and some carbon tracks with a wiper used as a potentiometer or variable resistor so the controller can tell where the motor is (open/closed/in motion/etc). I didn't see anything obviously wrong with it. I was particularly interested in the two small clips that the motor lugs press into to allow easy assembly. However, I noticed that when the motor was in place in these clips it wiggled slightly and it looked to me like it might lose contact with the clips. Just to be sure I installed the motor and soldered the lugs to the clips. I also wiped off the wiper tracks with a Q-tip and some rubbing alcohol.

It snapped back together easily and I reinstalled it (minus the third screw). You'll notice on the outside of the motor there is an arrow pointing to the shaft, and there is a flat spot on the shaft that lines up with this arrow. When you reinstall the motor the doors will not be shut, nor will they be open all the way. They will be in the middle of their travel. Usually the doors are shut. When you turn the car back on it will reset the door to the right position.

I haven't seen the wrench light since (one month so far) but I'll let you know if it ever comes back.

Finally, here's the text from the related Ford TSB (technical service bulletin). The last step mentions recalibrating the battery module, which I am not able to do, but it is not required.


TSB
07-25-12
WRENCH LIGHT ON - DTC B1239
Publication Date: December 7, 2007
FORD:
2005-2008 Escape Hybrid
MERCURY:
2006-2008 Mariner Hybrid
ISSUE:

Some 2005-2008 Escape Hybrid and 2006-2008 Mariner Hybrid vehicles may exhibit a wrench light on with DTC B1239. This may or may not be accompanied by driveability symptoms including reduced power.
ACTION:

Follow the Service Procedure steps to correct the condition.
SERVICE PROCEDURE

Replace the Traction Battery Auxiliary Mode Door Actuator.
Remove the left hand D-pillar trim panel. Refer to Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 501-05.
Remove the four (4) battery airflow duct screws, the one (1) pin-type retainer and remove the battery airflow duct assembly.
Remove the two (2) auxiliary climate control fresh air inlet duct nuts and remove the duct.
NOTE: THE D-PILLAR BRACKET WILL REMAIN IN PLACE.
Remove two (2) upper climate control housing bolts and two (2) lower climate control housing nuts.
Position the climate control housing to gain access to the auxiliary mode door actuator.
Disconnect the auxiliary mode door actuator electrical connector.
Remove the auxiliary airflow mode door actuator screws.
Remove and replace the auxiliary airflow mode door actuator. Inspect actuator for free movement from any obstructions including the wiring harness.
Install the auxiliary airflow mode door actuator screws. Tighten to 18 lb-in (2 N-m).
NOTE: THE AUXILIARY CLIMATE CONTROL HOUSING MUST BE INSTALLED BEHIND THE LOWER PORTION OF THE D-PILLAR BRACKET. WHEN INSTALLED CORRECTLY, THE AUXILIARY CLIMATE CONTROL HOUSING BOLT WILL GO THROUGH THE D-PILLAR BRACKET FIRST, THEN THROUGH THE HOUSING MOUNTING LOCATION.
Connect auxiliary mode door actuator electrical connector and position back the climate control housing.
Install two (2) upper climate control housing bolts. Tighten to 62 lb-in (7 N-m).
Install two (2) lower climate control housing nuts. Tighten to 53 lb-in (6 N-m).
Install the auxiliary climate control fresh air inlet duct and tighten nuts to 62 lb-in (7 N-m).
Install the battery airflow duct assembly, pne (1) pin-type retainer and the four (4) screws. Tighten to 18 lb-in (2 N-m).
Install the left hand D-pillar trim panel. Refer to WSM, Section 501-05.
Reprogram the Traction Battery Control Module (TBCM) to the latest calibration using IDS release B52.5 and higher with Patch 7. This new calibration is not included in the VCM 2007.11 DVD. Calibration files may also be obtained at www.motorcraft.com.

PART NUMBER PART NAME
8L8Z-19E616-E Auxiliary Mode Door Actuator

33.54 MPG

433.6 mi, 12.927 gal @ $3.659 = 33.54 MPG

71,097 total miles. Chevron on Hamilton and Bascom.

Just before this fill-up I checked the tire pressure and put it back where I like it (40 PSI). I'm expecting the next tank to be much improved over the past few months, but this one was already gone when I re-inflated.

Inflated tires to 40 PSI.

Well I may have been wrong about the "winter gas mixture" causing my mileage to fall. I've noticed that since mid October it's been lower than usual, and have been slowly debugging all the possible causes. Today I finally got around to checking the tire pressure, and they were all sitting nicely at 35-36 PSI. I suppose I can thank my local dealer for that, although the last oil change was in September and I had pretty good mileage all through October.

Anyway, I put them all back up to 40 PSI (cold). I've got about 60 miles left on this tank, so we'll see if the next one improves.

Also, always remember to check the air in your spare tire when inflating the others. I've found the spare tire to be nearly flat in many vehicles, both mine and family member's. A deflated spare tire is useless; you might as well just leave it at home and save yourself the weight and space. In this case mine was fine because I'd checked it previously less than a year ago.

35.07 MPG

478.4 mi, 13.643 gal @ $3.559 = 35.07 MPG

70,663 total miles. Chevron on California Circle.

Improved, but still not stellar mileage. At least the price of gas is going down (temporarily I'm sure). I did pull off the roof rack crossbars right at the start of this tank, but it doesn't seem like that's had a huge effect. My MPG has been down about 5-10% since my last fill-up in October.

33.63 MPG

449.4 mi, 13.364 gal @ $3.659 = 33.63 MPG

70,185 total miles. Chevron on California Circle.

Ouch, this is the worse mileage I've had in a while. Following October I had a pretty steep fall off. I guess I should check the tire pressure and see if removing the roof rack crossbars pulls it back up. My guess though is that this is the effect of the winter gas mixture.

Replaced Rear Cabin Air Filter.

70,049 miles.

FP51 is the rear AC/cabin filter (hybrid only) and should be replaced every 10-20k miles.

Today I hit 70k miles so I replaced the rear cabin air filter (for the battery cooling A/C system). The old filter looked ok, not too dirty. As I mentioned back in May (Replaced Air Filters), replacing the rear air filter in the hybrid Escape is probably the easiest maintenance job you will ever do. I swear it's even easier than putting gas in the car.

The local Ford dealer quoted $75 to replace this filter, but Amazon is currently selling them for $15 with free shipping. It takes about a minute to install, no tools required, and it's all interior so you won't even get your hands dirty.

35.22 MPG

477.4 mi, 13.554 gal @ $3.759 = 35.22 MPG

69,735 total miles. Chevron on California Circle.

Recently I've left the roof rack crossbars on, and I'm wondering if that could be why the mileage has dipped. Or it's the "winter" gas, not sure. For now I'll leave the crossbars on and see if it improves.

34.93 MPG

481.0 mi, 13.771 gal @ 3.959 = 34.93 MPG

69,258 total miles. Shell on El Camino in Menlo Park.

This tank had a lot of driving back and forth on from Menlo Park on 280, I think that's why it's lower than usual.

37.09 MPG

392.7 mi, 10.588 gal @ 3.799 = 37.09 MPG

68,777 total miles. Chevron on California Circle in Milpitas.

36.42 MPG

496.8 mi, 13.642 gal @ 3.799 = 36.42 MPG

68,384 total miles. Shell on Capitol in San Jose.

36.63 MPG

502.1 mi, 13.706 gal @ $3.999 = 36.63 MPG

67,887 total miles. Shell on Sharon Park Dr in Menlo Park.

I'm surprised this tank was so good, as most of it was spent driving up to Arnold and back. It was a lot of highway driving, and some significant hills.

37.52 MPG

431.9 mi, 11.510 gal @ 3.919 = 37.52 MPG

67,385 total miles. Shell on First Street in Pleasanton.

We went up to Arnold with some friends this weekend, and it will be interesting to see how/if that affects the MPG. This fillup was done about 1/3 of the way there.

Oil Change and Tire Rotation.

67,155 miles.

Capitol Expressway Ford in San Jose.

The "oil life indicator" was saying 25% oil life remaining, which was actually fairly accurate given that it had been 7,530 miles since my last oil change in May. Or maybe it just goes by the mileage, assuming 100% is 10k miles.

Tires and brakes all checked good, with the exception of the front tires (now rear) being nearly bald as previously noted during my last oil change. The technician noted my tires as P235 70 R16 Continental Contitrac EconoPlus. I'll start pricing replacements for my next visit.

Total out the door charge was $35.27. He gave me $10 off because I had come in the previous Friday and sat for about 20 minutes before being helped, during which time he took other customers who arrived later. When I realized I was not going to be in and out in the time I needed to, I left, and he realized he had forgotten to enter my order into the system. This time they did remember to wash it too, which was nice.

38.72 MPG

532.8 mi, 13.761 gal @ 3.999 = 38.72 MPG

66,953 total miles. 76 on Steven's Creek and 85.

I was thinking that I could probably make it to 550 miles on this tank, but when it started saying "0 miles to empty" at 529 I chickened out and filled up at the next station (which was nearly 4 miles away). Still, 532 miles is the farthest I've gone on one fill up. I'm not sure what made this tank so good, it was mostly commuting as usual, and then this past weekend we went up to Point Reyes through San Francisco. It was more hills and slower speeds than I usually drive I suppose. I was actually expecting it to have a negative effect because of all the freeway driving.

36.60 MPG

409.5 mi, 11.190 gal @ 3.939 = 36.60 MPG

66,420 total miles. Chevron on California Circle in Milpitas.

36.93 MPG

351.6 mi, 9.522 gal @ 3.939 = 36.93 MPG

66,011 total miles. Chevron on California Circle in Milpitas. I decided to get the $5 carwash too.

36.22 MPG

493.2 mi, 13.615 gal @ 3.839 = 36.22 MPG

65,659 total miles. Chevron on Landess in Milpitas.

37.62 MPG

499.0 mi, 13.265 gal @ 3.739 = 37.62 MPG

65,166 total miles. Shell on Camden and Kooser.

36.95 MPG

415.3 mi, 11.238 gal @ 3.859 = 36.95 MPG

64,667 total miles. Chevron on California Circle in Milpitas.

37.91 MPG

443.0 mi, 11.685 gal @ 3.839 = 37.91 MPG

64,251 total miles. Chevron on California Circle in Milpitas.

Added Brake Fluid.

63,995 miles.

The brake warning light has been coming on the past few days saying "Low Brake Fluid". I checked it visually and it still looked above the min, but a $3 bottle of DOT3 brake fluid is cheap insurance. I added about 8oz this morning and things are fine now.

32.70 MPG

404.5 mi, 12.37 gal @ 3.759 = 32.70 MPG

63,808 total miles. Chevron on California Circle in Milpitas.

Ouch! This is the lowest mileage I've gotten in this truck. Further proof that highway driving at higher speeds (70+) is not good for fuel efficiency. In this case we were trying to get home from San Diego and go to bed, so it was a tradeoff we understood and accepted.

Hopefully we won't need to make that trip again for a while. We did it once in June and once in July, adding two tanks of gas to each of those months; instead of my usual two fillups per month, these months had four. They don't call it the "summer driving season" for nothing!

34.79 MPG

421.9 mi, 12.128 gal @ 3.839 = 35.79 MPG

63,404 total miles. 76 in Hawthorne off I-405.

This tank as well as the next one were mainly freeway driving from San Jose to San Diego and back. I usually drive 65 MPH for my commute but it's tough to maintain that speed on I-5 when everyone else is doing 75 or 80+. As mentioned before, the hybrid gets worse gas mileage on the highway than in the city or stop and go, and all cars get worse mileage at higher speeds. I usually see about a 10% decrease in MPG above 65 MPH. This drive is so long anyway, I had to put the pedal down and just get there already.

35.95 MPG

303.8 mi, 8.450 gal @ 3.639 = 35.95 MPG

62,982 total miles. Loves in Lost Hills off I-5.

We again had to make the long drive from San Jose to San Diego because the tenants we previously signed a lease with backed out. Just before getting gas we ate at the Arby's which shares a building with Love's. It turned out to be not the greatest decision.

35.53 MPG

482.9 mi, 13.590 gal @ 3.899 = 35.53 MPG

62,678 total miles. Chevron in Millbrae off 280.

This tank was again a lot of freeway miles; finishing up the drive north on I-5.

38.12 MPG

360.8 mi, 9.464 gal @ $3.859 = 38.12 MPG

62,195 total miles. TA Travelcenter in Buttonwillow off of I-5.

Much of this tank was driving north on I-5 through LA and was accompanied by plenty of traffic and slower speeds, which definitely makes the MPG go up. Early on in our weekend trip to SD the onboard computer's average bumped up to 37.8 MPG, and it stayed there the entire trip.

In college I drove back and forth between San Jose and San Diego many times in my old Volvo 240 wagon. My fuel efficiency typically ranged from 18 to 22 MPG, and only once did I get more than 300 miles on a tank. I usually stopped twice for gas and/or food. Surprisingly the Escape can carry about the same amount of stuff but gets nearly double the miles per gallon (of course gas prices have nearly doubled since then too, so I guess I'm about even overall). It's really nice to be able to do the entire trip on one tank of gas! This time through I noticed that the prices at some of the stations in the middle of nowhere were over $5 a gallon! I was glad that we had plenty in the tank and were not forced into one of those options.

37.08 MPG

468.9 mi, 12.644 gal @ $3.879 = 37.08 MPG

61,834 total miles. 76 in San Diego on Rancho Penasquitos off of 15.

I'm surprised this tank isn't higher, as most of it was spent driving south on I-5 from Gilroy to San Diego. House to house we are exactly 450 miles, and it is awesome that I can now do this trip on one tank of gas! In my other cars I usually had to stop twice, and only once got over 300 miles on a tank. Of course now other things force the stops, like small hungry children...

36.80 MPG

496.3 mi, 13.486 gal @ $3.999 = 36.80 MPG

61,365 total miles, Shell in Gilroy on 152 West and 101.

This was the first stop on our road trip to San Diego. Much of this tank was spent moving and hauling, and I had the roof rack cross bars on most of the time. Still pretty good mileage, but slightly down from the record last tank.

38.76 MPG

496.1 mi, 12.798 gal @ $3.999 = 38.76 MPG

60,869 total miles, 76 on West San Carlos at 280.

Wow, a new one tank mileage record! Nearly 39 MPG, that is awesome. I knew it was a good tank so I decided to try 76 again. We'll see if there's anything to it...

37.34 MPG

507.4 mi, 13.578 gal @ $4.259 = 37.34 MPG

60,373 total miles, 76 on Stevens Creek at 85

Replaced Air Filters.

60,237 miles.

Just replaced the three air filters I bought from Amazon.com:

FP51 is the rear AC/cabin filter (hybrid only)

FA1772 is the engine air filter

FP66 is the regular cabin air filter

Total cost for all three from Amazon was $51, and less than an hour to install. In fact, the two most important (rear AC and engine air filter) didn't even require hand tools, and both were done in under 5 minutes! Seriously, do not EVER pay the dealer or anyone else to do this work for you, it is even simpler than driving the car!

The rear AC filter (hybrid only) should be checked every 10k miles and replaced every 20k. It's fairly small and slides in on the left side of the rear cargo space. Just pop off the cover panel, squeeze the two tabs holding it in, and remove the old filter.

The engine air filter is also easy, it's in the air box on the right half of the engine compartment. The two metal clasps holding the lid on are on the left side of the air box. You don't have to remove any of the other cables, ducting or wires.

The filter that was not easy to replace is the regular cabin air filter. Apparently it is optional, as my Escape did not have one, and it does not look like much thought was given to changing it. In fact the whole thing just seems like a big afterthought from the guys at Ford. Here's some instructions I found online which helped, if you want to dig into this project:

Open hood and remove the seven "phillips screws" and screwholders that attach the plastic cowl at the base of the windshield. Unscrew while pushing up from bottom of screw. Pry up the left side of the cowl plate, exposing a cover on held by two tabs in front. Lift cover and see if there is air filter present. Filter is odd shaped so only goes in one way. Press in to fit snugly. Put cover back down and secure tabs. Reinstall seven screw holders and screws.

35.52 MPG

477.1 mi, 13.431 gal @ $4.359 = 35.52 MPG

59,865 total miles, Shell in Seaside, Ca.

We drove down to Monterey this weekend for Phil's wedding. It was a great time, and the Escape was perfect for hauling the speaker system and groomsmen around. Unlike a conventional engine/car, the hybrid actually gets worse mileage on the highway, which I think is why this tank is down a bit from the usual. The next will probably be a bit lower as well.

Oil change and tire rotation.

59,625 miles.

Took the Escape in this morning for my first service appointment, and my first experience with the local Ford dealer. All in all it was a fine experience, and I will probably return to them every 10K miles for the same oil & filter change and tire rotation.

Of course they tried to sell me on their 60K mile service package which includes changing all the fluids: oil, transmission, power steering, engine and motor coolant, and all air filters replaced as well. It was $600, when I was expecting a $50 oil change. So that didn't go over well. I checked the owner's manual and the coolant isn't scheduled to be replaced until 100K miles. There was no mention of when to change the transmission fluid, but the section about the transmission said it was "filled for life".

The other thing that annoyed me a little was he told me that they'd washed the vehicle, and set the tire pressure to 35 PSI. I could see clearly when I walked out to the parking lot that the car was not washed, and when I got home I checked the tire pressure and it was still around 40 PSI where I had it. So neither of those were actually done. In the case of the tire pressure it was actually ok, because I didn't want them to mess with it anyway. Then I checked the spare tire pressure and it was very low, around 20 PSI. I had already charged up my air compressor so I put that up to 45 PSI.

My tires are going to need to be replaced soon; they are the "eco" Continentals. The dealership quoted $630 to replace all four, but after a $150 rebate it would be closer to $500. Probably not a bad price, but I prefer Discount Tire or America's Tire (same company). Also I should be able to get another 10K on these tires, so I'll plan to replace them this fall.

He quoted me $75 to change the rear air filter for the battery cooling/AC system. I bought the filter on Amazon for $16, and it takes less than one minute to change it with no hand tools needed. But they changed the oil and rotated the tires like they were supposed to so I guess I'll go back for that.

Total out the door charge was $46.81.

Here's the link for the FP-51 rear cabin air filter: http://www.amazon.com/Motorcraft-FP51-Cabin-Air-Filter/dp/B000C5FL16/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1304529674&sr=8-1

36.56 MPG

499.4 mi, 13.659 gal @ $4.359 = 36.56MPG

59,388 total miles. 76 on Branham.

Man, gas sure is getting expensive! In four months it's gone up by a dollar a gallon, nearly 20%. My mileage has been on track, slightly below what is predicted by the onboard computer (37.5 MPG), but that is to be expected since it doesn't count when the vehicle is stopped with the engine running.

The new 12V battery is working out great. I didn't have to reset any settings or anything when I swapped it; I tried to use jumper cables to ensure either or both the new and old batteries were connected at the same time, and I guess it was successful.

New 12V Battery.

59,027 miles.

After needing a jump again last night at the office I decided it was time to get a new battery. I swung by Sears this morning and picked up one of the Die Hard "group 96R" 12V batteries for a total of $110.62. While waiting I called the local Capitol Ford dealer to check their stock and price. They wanted about $15 more than Sears, and did have stock, but I was already at Sears so I just went with that.

The demands on this battery are lower than with a conventional engine, because the hybrid uses the high voltage battery and motor to start the engine, rather than the 12V under hood battery. I think the 12V battery is something like 565 CCA.

59027 total miles at time of battery replacement. The new battery is warranted for 72 months (6 years), with free replacement for the first 18 months.

37.43 MPG

457.6 mi, 12.225 gal @ $4.079 = 37.43MPG

58,888 total miles. Chevron on California Circle in Milpitas.

I filled up at Valero last tank and the MPG is right in line with my previous tanks from Chevron. I went back to Chevron this time because it was in the right location when I needed it, and a decent price (hardly, but you know what I mean).

Interestingly, the computer now has 37.4MPG as my average, which was dead on for this tank.

After dinner this evening I went out and had a dead battery again. After jumping it and driving 20 minutes it was fine, and started ok the next morning, but I will probably have to replace the 12V "low voltage" under hood battery very soon.

36.77 MPG

486.0 mi, 13.218 gal @ $3.959 = 36.77MPG

58,431 total miles. Valero on Foxworthy and Meridian.

The computer now forecasts 557 MTE and 37.3 average MPG. I'm branching out from Chevron with this tank, so we'll see how that goes...

35.79 MPG

473.6 mi, 13.234 gal @ $3.959 = 35.79MPG

57,945 total miles, Chevron on Landess.

The computer forecasts 546 MTE and 37.1 average MPG.

Likes and Gripes.

I've had the Escape Hybrid now for just over two months. On the whole I still really like it, but there are a few annoyances. The interior has plastic panels which tend to squeak and rattle a bit, and after driving an older and lower car the rear visibility is a new challenge for me. The graphics on the built in nav unit are pretty cheesy, and the buttons on the steering wheel could have been thought out better (some of them are just useless). Here's another guy who has pretty much the exact same issues I do with the nav/buttons/etc. I don't have the satellite radio, but pretty much everything else he notes are my thoughts exactly: http://www.priups.com/riklblog/feb08/080204-ford-escape-display.htm. Also, the rear cargo space is less than expected, and difficult to utilize well with rectangular objects because the seat backs are slanted and the side walls taper in at the bottom.

My biggest beef is with the climate control system, which is more like a home thermostat than the typical auto climate controls. I'm used to a knob with blue on the left and red on the right and you set it to the temp you want. This system uses a digital display of the desired temperature, which is usually more information than I really need. Although even that would be fine if it wasn't broken. Apparently the "blend door" is a common problem on all Ford models. Just search for "temp blend door" or similar on Google and you get all sorts of do-it-yourself fixes like this one: http://www.blenddoorfix.netfirms.com/. In my case if the temperature is set anywhere between the two extremes (60°F and 90°F) there will be continuous squeeky sound coming from behind the dash, the temp may or may not be what you set it too, and there may be a bubbling sound coming from below the glove box. I looked into the fixes long enough to verify the bubbling wasn't related to any liquids, but rather was just a solenoid or value throbbing back and forth, and the cost to repair is quite high. For now I've just been setting the temp to the extremes, no using the separate passenger control, and only turning on the fan periodically. No noises and no need to take the dash apart or pay someone else to do it. Eventually I'll probably try one of the fixes myself, though in this case the door does appear to work, but I'm guessing the control module is not stable or oscillating as it tries to regulate the temperature to the exact degree the user has specified. A standard hot/cold knob would have resulted in a much simpler system which would not need to rely on complex electronics to open and close blend doors to achieve the desired temp.

Now on to the likes! First, the fuel economy is much better than expected! This is huge since I drive so much these days. I was hoping to match the MPG of my old Honda Accord, but have been getting 20% better, which is fantastic. The hybrid system is also pretty fun to drive, but almost in the exact opposite way a sports car is fun to drive. I find that I don't mind getting stuck in traffic with the hybrid, because the engine turns off and I then focus on seeing how long I can keep it off. Yes, it's silly little game, but it contributes to the great fuel efficiency and keeps me sane every morning and evening. The seats are comfortable and the interior is nice and clean. The outside rear mirrors are large which helps make up for the limited rear visibility (compared with a 1985 Volvo 240 and 1984 Honda Accord). The driving experience and fuel efficiency were two reasons I wanted the Escape, and both have been better than expected.

Several things have been great that I wasn't expecting: My Escape has the premium interior package which is really awesome. The leather seats are great, and I use the seat heater pretty much every time I get in the car (hey, 50°F is cold for us here in California...). The built in 120V AC outlet is also a really nice touch. I have appreciated the reverse assist beeping, and I love the rear view mirror that darkens itself when driving at night. The lower fog lights and auto headlights are also very like liked. One thing that I think all newer Fords do is when you are squirting the windshield it will wait a second or two after you stop and then do one more wipe to catch the drips. I am the sort of person that was ALWAYS doing this manually in my other cars, so this thoughtfulness is very cool to see.

The nav unit by itself isn't best in class, but it's a huge upgrade from the dash toys of 1985. The sound system is good to great and has some unexpected features that really do it for me. First, there is a built in 8" sub in the back. It doesn't compare with the subs in my last car, but it's enough to keep me from needing to add one externally. I was really excited about the direct 1/8" plug for ipod/mp3 player, until mine busted about a week before I bought the car. However, not to worry because the in dash 6 disc changer also reads rewriteable mp3 cds (CD-RW). My ipod was only 1Gb, so a 700Mb disc is roughly the same size. It's great that now I don't have to worry about someone breaking into the car to steal my ipod. The biggest upside though is there is an audio compressor built into the cd player, which is a HUGE deal to an audio guy like myself, and a feature I have wanted on the ipod forever. I listen to a lot of spoken word material in the car, sermons, audio books, etc, and having the compressor actually makes it listenable without constantly turning the volume up and down. I'm sure many people would have replaced the ipod rather than using CD-RWs, but for me this solution is much better.

So in summary, I am very pleased with the vehicle; it's perfect for me and I love it.

36.34 MPG

488.4 mi, 13.440 gal @ $3.659 = 36.34MPG

57,471 total miles. Chevron on El Camino in Sunnyvale.

This week I drove to the train station three days instead of the longer trip to the office. Also it's been colder and wet so the engine has been running more often to keep the windows de-fogged and the operating temperature in range. The computer is now forecasting 536 MTE, and the average MPG has settled at 37.0. I've been sticking with Chevron but may venture out to try some other brands soon.

37.30 MPG

501.4 mi, 13.444 gal @ $3.459 = 37.30MPG

56,983 total miles. Chevron on Landess Ave.

With this fillup I met my goal of a 500 mile tank and also managed to exceed the average MPG (it's up to 36.8 now). The computer is now forecasting 531 MTE.

36.35 MPG

401.5 mi, 11.044 gal @ $3.359 = 36.35MPG

56,481 total miles

Chevron on California Circle in Milpitas. Interestingly, although my MPG is higher the MTE (miles to empty) shown on the dash was lower, 467. Also odd, the average MPG has come up to 36.3, and hit 36.4 when I arrived home. I think it's just coincidence that this is exactly the MPG of my last tank...

But overall I am REALLY pleased with 36MPG!

Dead Battery

Last night as I was leaving work I wasn't able to start the Escape. It unlocked and headlights came on, but when I put the key in everything went dark and it started making a chattering clicking sound from behind the dash gauges. The airbag lights were flickering so I figured either something electrical got fouled up and it thought it had been in a crash, or the 12V battery was dead. Fortunately it was the battery. I checked it with a multimeter from the lab and it was fluctuating around 5.5V. This is really low!

Jump starting the hybrid Escape is actually really easy; you don't have to sit there charging the battery with the other vehicle, since the 12V battery isn't actively used to start the engine as it is in a conventional vehicle. Mainly the 12V battery is used to close the relays which connect the high voltage battery to the motor, allowing it to start the engine. It is also used to pressurize the brakes, which is the noise you hear every time you start the car. Once the engine is running it can provide 14V power to charge the low voltage battery and run all the accessories.

When I got home the battery was still dead, which surprised me after 20mi/30min of driving. I popped the caps on the battery and checked the water level and it was WAY down, so I filled it with our reverse osmosis water and hooked up a 1A trickle charger overnight. In the morning it started fine and measured 12.5V. I'll be keeping the jumper cables in the car, but given the relatively light usage this battery gets (no hard cranking as in a regular car) I expect I'll get it to last a good bit longer. It's the original battery with probably 3 years on it, 56k miles.

34.36 MPG

436.5 mi, 12.703 gal @ $3.40 = 34.36 MPG

56,080 total miles. I've been filling up at Chevron since I got the Escape about 6 weeks ago, so I figured I'd keep that going. This time I saved the receipt and all the details. By now the computer is showing 35.8 average MPG, so it's getting closer.

One of my goals with the hybrid was to get over 500 "miles to empty" showing on the dashboard display. Surprisingly, I got this on my second fill up; this time it showed 519 miles to empty. I didn't expect it would be so easy. I guess the real goal will be to actually drive 500 miles on one tank...

Into the Snow and Ice

Three weeks after getting the Escape we made a trip up to Tahoe for New Years. Mine is only front wheel drive, so I picked up some chains at the local O'Reilly Autoparts. Unfortunately, the set was more expensive than what they were showing on their website; Laclede 2029 for around $90. Their website was showing a different model of cable chains for $35, but it turned out that set was too small for the P235/70R16 stock tires.

To prepare for the cold I added most of a bottle of rubbing alcohol from Walgreens to the washer fluid. If you buy pre-mixed washer fluid most of the time it has methanol or something else to keep it flowing below freezing, but I usually just use Windex concentrate or the store-brand equivalent. It ended up working great, the squirters started right up, even after 10F nights, when we headed home.

All told the trip was 430 miles, which we did on one tank. I didn't save the receipt here either, but the mileage was around 32 MPG for this trip. That's pretty decent given the freezing temperatures, mountain driving, and the chains.

We did end up using chains, which was novel but actually pretty annoying. Still, they worked well and on several occasions we drove around other vehicles which were having trouble (likely 4x4 that were exempted from chain control). I ended up hooking the chains on the second to last nub on the inside of the wheels, and the same on the outside, then tightening to the last nub on the outside. It was good that I practiced in the driveway the day before we left, as they chains both went on and came off with ease. We had no problems either way.