mikejapp Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 I'm new to hybrids. I just picked up a 2010 FFH w/ 24k last week. This morning I went to put something in my 2005 GMC Envoy before leaving for work in the Fusion and I noticed that the Envoy's battery was dead. My son must have left his DVD player turned on! Can the FFH jump start another car safely? I ask because of the Hybrid tech. I know older cars well, but has anybody here ever had to jump start another car from their Hybrid? Thanks, Mike Pensacola, FL 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 I'm new to hybrids. I just picked up a 2010 FFH w/ 24k last week. This morning I went to put something in my 2005 GMC Envoy before leaving for work in the Fusion and I noticed that the Envoy's battery was dead. My son must have left his DVD player turned on! Can the FFH jump start another car safely? I ask because of the Hybrid tech. I know older cars well, but has anybody here ever had to jump start another car from their Hybrid? Mike - I don't know the answer but I know that it's all in the owner's manual. You can get them online at motorcraftservice.com -> owner guides. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lolder Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 The 12 vdc battery in the FFH doesn't start the engine and is not designed to do so although it probably would in a jumping scenario. There appears to be no prohibition in the Owners Guide. It would be best to connect the 12 vdc batteries for a longer period of say 15-30 minutes to allow for a partial charging of the dead battery from a "running" FFH before attempting a start. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CometFlash Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 I jumped my wife's Edge, no problem. Edge started right up after connecting all the cables to my FFH. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikejapp Posted May 26, 2012 Author Share Posted May 26, 2012 Ok, I was working on the battery of my 2005 Envoy two days ago and I decided not to risk damaging my FFH. I tried my battery charger and the battery would not take a charge. I even tried jumping it from one of my classic cars but the Envoy's battery still didn't work enough to start it, so I had to remove the battery and bring it to the auto parts store I got it from almost 4 years ago. They replaced it with pro-rated discount. I brought the new battery home today in the trunk of my FFH, installed it in the Envoy and it started right up. If my kids leave the DVD player on again, I'll remove the thing and jump from the FFH. It was the battery just went dead. A new battery will likely not have that problem. Thanks for the replies! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tedson99 Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 Yes, I have also tried it before. From my experiences with 2 hybrids I own, there is no difference in terms of jump starting another car or your own hybrid car itself. Yes, for most hybrid cars including Fusion Hybrid, Accord Hybird...it uses the HIGH-VOLTAGE battery to start the car, never the 12V battery as it is meant for accessories only when the car is off. Plus it acts as the backup battery for the car. Question however, does anyone know how the Fusion Hybrid backup system works? What I mean is that say if the hybrid system has a problem...like say the HV Battery is bad, what kind of measures does Fusion Hybrid have to crank the engine so that you can drive to the dealer? Or is there such a system? If not, is the only way is to have the Fusion Hybrid towed? It is that my Accord Hybrid does have a backup plan...is that just in case if the hybrid system is screwed up, there is a backup electrical starter powered by the 12V battery that will start up the main engine. I am curious to know if our Fusion Hybrid have something similar? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lolder Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 (edited) In the Ford and Toyota hybrids, only the HVB can start the ICE. There is no backup path from the 12 vdc battery. The systems have robust protection to prevent dangerous discharge of the HVB. If it does discharge from failure or very long inactivity, it must be towed to a dealer. I cannot recall hearing of a FFH discharged HVB on this or other forums. If the high voltage system fails, the car will not move as the transmission is controlled by MG1, a high voltage motor-generator. The car will coast to a halt. There have been very few roadside failures that would not "reboot" for a while and allow the car to be driven to a dealer. The 12 vdc OEM batteries have not had a good record. The cars apparently sat for long periods after manufacture and many cars were delivered with "red" balls showing in the battery sight gauge. My car showed "red", "green" and "none" randomly. I replaced the 12vdc battery at two years as a precaution with the same Ford battery. It has showed a "green" ball consistently. If I operated an eCVT hybrid in remote or primitive areas, I would change the 12 vdc battery often or carry a charged spare in the trunk.The system does not like a finicky 12 vdc batt. and shuts down the car. It takes about 1/2 hr. to change the 12 vdc batt. and you need the proper tools to get the air duct out of the way and the tie down fasteners loose. It's no big deal unless it's a dark and stormy night without tools. Edited July 26, 2012 by lolder 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikejapp Posted August 26, 2012 Author Share Posted August 26, 2012 Well, last week a lady at work had battery trouble in her Volvo wagon and as I was leaving for the day she was in the parking lot with the hood open and on the phone with her husband. The battery is in the back under the cargo floor! I had jumper cables so her husband said to connect to the big cable in the engine that goes back to the battery. I connected it there and ground on her car, then to my FFH 12v battery, turned my car on, and her car started up. So since you guys have done it, I helped someone else too. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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