sirtanon

Well, you'd think so.. but there IS, after all, a reason that people frequently use the term "Stealership".

Interesting. I had understood a higher average from that drivetrain. What % of city/highway would you say got you that MPG avg?

I had to replace the interior driver door handle in my 2010 about 2 years ago for the same issue. Luckily, it's an EASY repair and takes less than 45 minutes. Also, the part can be had for under $20 on Amazon, Rock Auto, etc.. I keep a spare on hand for just this sort of eventuality... I live in Phoenix, the head is murder on plastic, so I would not be surprised if it happens again in the next 4-5 years. Also, if you don't already have them, I suggest picking up this set of door panel removal tools. If it helps to ease your fears, and your concern for your daughter's safety if this happens again, even when these break, there IS a trick that can be used to still get the door open from the inside. You have to pull the handle AND the door lock tab out at the same time, together. This will engage the mechanism, even with a broken handle. This video shows what I mean: Now, in case you're curious, here's a video showing how to replace the mechanism. Super easy to do with just basic tools..

Yeah.. 17MPG is not great for that car with that engine, unless you're constantly leadfooting it. What percentage of highway/city driving do you do? I'd be expecting 5-10 MPG higher.

While a Check Engine Light is a concern, a FLASHING CEL is an urgent issue and should definitely get looked at ASAP. You mentioned in another thread that you work at a Ford dealership. I'd suggest taking it in and asking a tech if they can quickly get a code and tell you the issue, etc.. You also mentioned in your other thread that you're getting "17+ MPG" in that car. I wouldn't consider that terribly good mileage for that car with that engine. I'd be expecting at least 22-25MPG, depending on driving habits. I suspect the CEL is related to that. My gut says perhaps a trans issue.. but it could also be bad plugs, valves or multiple other things. You need to pull that code and get a better idea. You mention it's a 2008. Do you know when the last time was the trans fluid was drained and refilled, the plugs replaced, etc...?

*sigh*

Yep.. Less than $50 on Amazon. I bought one of these myself 2 years ago, and installed it myself. Took less than 90 minutes start to finish. Definitely an easy DIY fix.

Could be the plugs, depending on how it's been driven, the quality of the fuel, if they're actually OEM vs. some cheap aftermarket plugs, etc.. Keep in mind, however, a set of OEM iridium plugs can go much longer than 100k.. in fact, I know they can go twice that long... so it might not necessarily be the plugs.

A few thoughts come to mind: - Perhaps you have an engine mount that is wearing out/worn. With smaller engines, an A/C compressor will definitely place a load on the engine, and if your mounts are worn, then the load will cause vibration that they are not able to properly absorb. - If the engine is not in top running order (valve issues, plug issues, etc...) then the load caused by the A/C will magnify any potential issues. For example, if your plugs are old, or one is fouled, or you have an injector that is clogged, then the extra load from the A/C will definitely amplify it. For what it's worth, my 2010 (with 258,000 miles) runs well, gets driven daily on the highway for 110 miles @ 70-75mph, but sitting a red light with the A/C running does vibrate a bit. I find that if I just put the car in neutral while I wait, the vibration smooths out nicely. Have you tried that? Finally, just out of curiosity, what kind of MPGs are you getting in that car so far?

Looks good overall. Fluids look good - I was a bit concerned about the Prestone Dex-Cool stuff, but you said the date of manufacture is after the cutover (8/15/11), so you should be good. The cap on the degas bottle shows orange, I'm going to assume..? Motorcraft filters are just fine - I use them frequently myself, and have never had an issue. My Fusion calls for the FL910s, but I use an FL400s instead (longer). I see yours calls for the FL500s, which is a robust filter, so you should be just fine. I wouldn't consider Autolites the best choice, but those should work fine, in all honesty. .. It always feels good getting everything refreshed liked that.

I'm inclined to agree with bbf, but it would definitely help to know a little more info.. Is your SE FWD or AWD? What size wheels/tires are on there now?

Couple questions right off... 1 - Have you done anything to the car lately, or had any work done to it? New plugs, new coils, new starter, added any wiring or electronics, like a sub or stereo components? 2 - How old is the battery that's currently in the car? 3 - Have you jumped another car with yours lately, or received a jump, or anything like that? Also, this video is on diagnosing these codes, by a very good Ford mechanic:

I recently had to address the A/C in my 2010 Fusion only blowing "cool" unless I was cruising on the highway. It blew "barely cooler than lukewarm" if I was sitting in traffic or at a light. In my case, I went and bought one of those recharge kits at the store.. you know, one of the ones that has the can, with a trigger connection on top, a hose with a gauge inline, and a fitting at the end. The Aerocool one, which I bought at WalMart for $18.88, was good because it has a brass fitting at the end, not a plastic one. It worked wonders for me, and now my A/C blows super cold. I'm not saying it's what everyone should do, but it's what I did. A couple caveats, if you're thinking of going this route: 1- Only do it if you're "savvy" - If you're unsure how to do it, or even if you should, then don't. Let the pro's do it. If you decide to go this route, make SURE you follow the steps right, read ALL the instructions, and be mindful of ambient temps, etc.. 2 - Start your car, put the A/C on "MAX COOL" and let it run for about a minute. If there's ANYTHING in the system, then hopefully at least the A/C will try to engage. Remove the trigger nozzle, and hook up the fitting end to the LOW SIDE connection of your A/C system. The High Side and Low Side fittings are different sizes, so this part should be pretty easy to figure out. Don't force anything! 3 - With the fitting connected, check the gauge. There are 4 'zones' on it... green (low), blue (okay), yellow (don't push it), and red (Danger! / Overpressure). If the needle on the gauge is in the green (WITH the engine running and A/C on), then you should be able to add refrigerant. If it's in the blue or higher, then your issue is most likely more mechanical then low refrigerant. 4 - There will also be pressure values on the gauge, in PSI. The can I bought had pressure values listed in a chart, based on ambient temp.. which seemed to match the gauge values. My gauge showed in the green with about 15-20PSI.. which is LOW. Assuming yours is low/out of R-134a, then at this point, you'll want to remove the fitting, remove the plastic 'guard' that was on it can (you probably did this already), and then connect the trigger nozzle to the can.. screw it down all the way until it opens the can. Shake the can up, connect the fitting to the low side again, and squeeze the trigger while you continue to agitate and rotate the can. I have found the best way to do this is give it short squeeze bursts of about 2-3 seconds, then release and see how the gauge reflects this addition. Keep doing this until the needle is back up in the "blue". I actually put mine to the top of the blue, which was still within the acceptable pressure range for my ambient temps, which were about 105F. The key here is, if you're going to do this, be very careful not to overcharge the system. Also, since your system seems like it's completely out, if you do end up adding R134a, I'd say get it up some, maybe top of the green zone, then go back in your car to see how the A/C is reacting to it. Just remember, if you're not sure, or you think there's something wrong, then stop and take it to a pro.

The system in my 2010 Fusion works really well for me at the moment, and I'm very happy with the sound quality and features, but I'm always looking ahead for the "what if"s, such as "what if my head unit craps out?".. and so I've had my eye on one of these, or at least something like it, for that eventuality. Yeah, I know.. chinesium.. but it seems decent and the price is right, so I figure I'll give it a go when the time comes.

While the service interval for a good set of iridium plugs may be 100,000 miles, they will actually go MUCH longer in an engine that is running right. IMHO, at 107,000 miles, they're just getting worn in.. although yours are definitely showing wear. I've seen factory Motorcraft iridium plugs go well over 200,000 miles. Also, it's my understanding that the factory plugs have a cyan/green/blue paint dot on the top, not a top fully covered purple... although maybe they changed between 2010 and 2012. I can't say for certain. Also, if the one COP was bad enough that it tore and required replacing, I'd go the distance and replace all 4 at once, not just the one.

190F is within the operating range.. How long were you driving while taking those readings, and in what kind of driving conditions? Also, sounds like you'll be able to put this off for a bit, since you've got the rental. I've been internally debating if I am going to take them up on the rental for my Fusion.

You mentioned you got the OBD-II adapter and Torque setup. What have the temperature readings looked like since you started using it? Without knowing what those are, it's really too early to even speculate whether or not you need to replace the CHT.

Well, every car is going to be a little different, depending on it's condition, how the computer has 'learned' everything, the age of components, brand of aftermarket replacements, etc.. so giving exact figures is going to be impossible.. but... for what it's worth, here are screen shots of my own Torque app as I have it configured, while I was driving home yesterday. The pics were taken over a span of about 30 minutes, between speeds of about 60 and 75. Outside temp was about 102F, and I had my A/C running on recirculate.

Yeah, based on what you've said, it sounds like the MPG average data just got reset. I see this kind of behavior each I clear the data... Even when I do it in my Torque app. For the 19mm deep socket, I'd start on Amazon. Looks like a few quality options when I search there. Results in the link. The OBD-II adapter and Torque Pro app could certainly help, although if the sensor is bad, the app will likely just show the bad info. I'd still try the tests I mentioned. Often times, starting with the low-tech stuff can prove very useful.

As far as the MPG gauge, goes, I have this theory: You recently did your ETB work, and if I remember right, disconnected the battery to perform the reset/relearn procedure. When you did this, I suspect you also cleared your PCM's mileage data, so the 27mpg it showed was based off of recent driving (which I assume was largely highway). Idling is effectively 0mpg, and that's how the computer reads it. Because you have such little data for the MPG calculations, every second it sits idling at 0mpg brings the running average down pretty quickly. I reset my MPG counter every time I do an oil change (7,500 miles) and so my initial week or so of driving can see some pretty fast swings in both directions. What happens if you get that thing out on the highway cruising at 55 or 65 for a couple minutes? Does it go back up pretty quick? As far as the temp not coming up correctly - Yeah I suppose it could be the sensor, but if it never really goes above about 1/4 even after driving on the highway in 90+ weather, I'd wonder about the thermostat possibly sticking open too. You mentioned that you have a new CHT sensor going in soon. Let us know if that helps. Also, and I know it's hot out, but have you tried turning the heat on when it's like this, to see if you're getting hot air? This would be something I would check after a bit of driving. If it's coming out HOT but the gauge is still only at 1/4, then it's the sensor. If it's only coming out warm, then it's more likely the thermostat.

I've never used them, so I can't speak from experience. If you search, you'll find that Detroit Axle has parts listed all over the internet, including Ebay and Amazon. From what I can tell, they're okay.. but I also couldn't find a ton of reviews/feedback on their parts. They're probably okay.. but before you pull the trigger, search Amazon, RockAuto, etc.. and compare the Detroit Axle brake pricing to other brands. Also, you might ask on www.bobistheoilguy.com to see if anyone there has used any of their brakes.

I drive 55 miles to work each day, and another 55 miles home.. and for all 110 miles, my OBD-II adapter is plugged in, and Torque is running and displaying data. Been doing it this way for well over a year now with no issues.

Wow, that's a lot of questions.. and quite a few will be hard to answer via the internet, especially without more info (including codes, sensor values, etc..). One thing that I did a long time ago was bought a bluetooth OBD-II sensor (I bought this VeePeak adapter for $13) and got Torque Pro on my Android phone for $5. With this combination, I can get all sorts of sensor information via the OBD-II adapter, and can even pull codes if I get a wrench or CEL. I kept my old Galaxy S3 phone when I upgraded to my new one last year, so I have converted my Galaxy S3 to being a dedicated in-car computer/gauge cluster. This way, whenver I'm driving any appreciable distance, I can monitor nearly any sensor info I want. I generally keep the screen set to show temp sensor, MAF, throttle position, vacuum psi, EGR %, instant MPG, avg MPG, and intake temp, but I have other screens preset if I want things like fuel trim, catalytic converter temp, etc.. If you have an Android phone, it's definitely worth it.

If you read the last response from the OP, he did call and check. As expected, there was no change.

I wonder where the USA regs stand relative to the UN reg.. Having said that, I get the 4300k standard, but the color change from 4300k to 5000k is not a lot.. and (since I'm assuming you got that info from paultan.org) is a far cry even from bulbs in the 7000k and higher range (and especially the 16,000k that is mentioned here). This is precisely why I refuse to even consider something higher than 6000k. Also, when you consider that there are quite a few cars out there now with stock LED headlamps running at 5000k and up (Audi, new Hondas, etc..), I have to wonder if that 4300k line might now have been raised a bit, at least in the USA. Heck, the lights on the new Audi S7's are 5500K.