Did you see this video of a guy charging a 2008? kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z6irhayDf9Skesksi=zU3BvxMYJLVvr8hq

I don’t know about the 2008. Maybe someone familiar with that can comment…?

Did you see this video? kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z6irhayDf9Skesksi=zU3BvxMYJLVvr8hq

Hmmm. Maybe. IDK if the setup is allowing current to flow backward and make those prongs hot, but I’ll definitely check them with a tester to see. Thanks!

@@mattgatlin1918 Good thing to double-check, with Chinese made power supplies. Sometimes not the most trust-worthy items.

I checked and didn’t show any current at the male plug ends. Probably because the AC to DC and voltage conversion in the charger unit isn’t made to run in reverse…?

@@mattgatlin1918 Thanks for checking that. I was mainly concerned, as some of that type of electronics isn't always safely engineered. I have one Escape, at work, that is close to needing charging, but I think it's issue is going to be the ignition switch.

Hi Marcio, yes I had the Stop Safely Now message. (The only other time I had that message was when I was driving and it was about 110 degrees outside and the battery was overheating.)

@@mattgatlin1918, thank you, I already order the tor bit, I'll receive on Monday, your video was the best I found with all information, as soon I finished I'll post again.

I got it from Amazon. There’s a link in the comment/description under the video.

Sounds good. Getting those $&@%# screws off is most of the work 😉

I’ve had issues with my air conditioning not blowing cold enough especially when it’s very hot outside. I read somewhere that the AC works to cool the hybrid battery, but I don’t see anything other than a pair of fans in the hybrid battery casing. I did have problems with the hybrid battery getting too hot on hot days even to the point of disabling the car. I haven’t had this problem since reconditioning the hybrid battery with ForScan, but I also haven’t driven it in the extreme heat that much yet.

There’s a link in the description for all the stuff I used. I got the charger from Amazon www.amazon.com/HLG-120H-C350A-150-5W-Single-Output-Switching/dp/B073ZCRJ5P

Glad this got you up and running again! My 2009 FEH only had the two recessed torx screws on the sides (1 on each side). Also battery chargers need to output more voltage than the battery’s normal operating voltage in order to work. For reference, a battery charger for a 12 battery outputs a little more than 14v and can go up to 16v (1.3x the battery’s normal operating voltage) without issue. As for the charging time, that all depends on how depleted your battery is. I’ve read that some people need up to 8 hours to get up to operational level. For me, I only had it on the charger for about 5 minutes and when I tried starting it while it was still connected to the charger, it started up. I think the output voltage of the charger was enough to fool the system into starting by showing more than 300v in the circuit even though the battery voltage was still below 300. After it started, I let the car’s charging system do the rest since it has much higher amperage than the paltry 350mA of the MeanWell charger.

Gotta love it! The cutting wheel is quite possibly the greatest tool ever invented 🤣

Fuses #8, 15, 25 & 26 in the engine compartment fuse panel all relate to the “traction battery”. You can find a diagram at: www.startmycar.com/us/ford/escape-hybrid/info/fusebox/2009 Did you have the orange safety switch installed when you checked the voltage?

@@mattgatlin1918 thanks for info. Yeah the traction batt is still powered and working but there's no voltage at the legacy service wires anymore..

@timw1636 did you ever figure out the no voltage on these wires? I just had the same issue happen.

@@RalphSki2 no solution but from a battery disassemble video the wires seem to run to a simple pcb board within. Maybe a burnt trace?

It was a Los Angeles County Lifeguard vehicle before I bought it in December of 2021. It had 23k on it. I think it was probably only driven for short distances on the beach, mainly during the summer.

Click on “more” in the description just below the video. Click on “more” again until it shows you the entire description which includes the stuff I used.

I’m not sure, but I think there’s a switch or button near the driver’s side under dash. I believe it uses electricity from the lead acid battery to boost the hybrid battery enough to start the car. Maybe someone with a pre-2009 can verify the details.

Thanks! Glad it worked out for you!

Anything electrical should generate heat to some degree. If a component is “overheating” it is likely faulty. You can certainly keep the charger outside of the housing if you’re worried about it being faulty, but I would advise against using an AC connector on a DC circuit because of the risk involved with misuse by a person who doesn’t know about the custom setup. If you do add a connector for an externally connected charger, use a DC connector and label the positive and negative sides along with the voltage.

Glad it worked for you! My favorite part was throwing those side screws away 😂

It works, thank you for the video, there are other methods on youtube, but this is way way easier. Like you said the hardest part was taking out the t30 torx bolt. I only removed the one the right side (passenger) and propped the cover up.

Awesome! I’m glad it worked for you. If you haven’t already tried it, I would definitely recommend using Forscan to check and rebalance the battery system.

That’s great, I’m glad it helped! I wish KZbin had been around when I was 20 - lol !

Your Right 😂

​@@mattgatlin1918what is the Name and Address to purchase that charger. I'm having the same issue with my 2010 Hybrid escape, I looked at a plug right at the back seat and wondered if that was where to charge this vehicle. Then I came across your video and watched it, when you showed that same prong and it wasn't connected to anything and the plugs was zip tied on the side! I said WTF was those engineers thinking when that was disconnected and why was it discontinued? Then after you went through the steps of removal it started to make sense why they did that. I'll keep my opinion to myself on those thoughts 🤣🤣🤣. Now if you would not mind, I'd like to know where I can get that charging device and install it as well. I have an idea but I'd rather talk in person or by phone with someone who has a better understanding of Electrical devices then my self, after looking at that charger something else came to mind, it is the positive and negative wires that aren't being used to charge the system but can be used to charge the system the way it was meant to be used, just my thoughts running after you showed those two wires connected to the Charger you then connected a 3 prong to connect to a wall plug or outside battery charger. Did you use AC or DC or can we use both if necessary depending where we're at and the circumstances...

That charger and all the other stuff I used is listed in the description under the video- I put links to all the stuff there.

I doubt it. For starters, you’d have to replace the entire battery with a much larger battery in order to get the electric-only range that a PHEV gets.

Do you mean that instead of making it have a 120v /110 wall outlet, you would install the adaptor that you see at the charging stations ? . I wondered this to but figured the standard plug would be more efficient and effective

Yes that was my initial idea... so it can be charhed as well when parked

I’m not sure. I used Forscan to recondition the HV battery.

I suppose you could install a converter/inverter like the ones installed in the 2005-2008 FEH, but I see no indication that the wiring for the inverter charging circuit exists in the 2009 outside of the HV battery casing, so you’d probably be doing some additional wiring to install a button and connect it to the 12v battery to make it work like a 2005-2008 FEH. 🤔 IDK if you can get a new OEM converter/ inverter- I’ve only ever seen used ones.

Cool- good luck. Did you try starting it while the charger was charging it? Also one of the other commenters on here suggested running the Forscan HV battery reconditioning multiple times. He said he got the best results after 3 cycles I believe.

Thanks for the comment. Glad it worked for you. I thought the same thing- “what else am I gonna use it for?” -LOL Once I saw that empty space I figured why not just leave it in there? I also think that once it’s wired into the system like that, you don’t actually need to fully charge the hybrid battery, the voltage coming off the charger is enough to “trick” the engine to start, and then the gas engine is a much faster hybrid battery charger (more amps).

​@@mattgatlin1918 just had to reference your video again, this time I took your advice and only had it charging for a few minutes before she was able to start on her own. Thanks again, haha!

Nice 👍

I would run Forscan on the car and rebalance the hybrid battery (HVB). There are forums about Forscan and how to use it to run diagnostics on a hybrid battery system, so I would recommend looking at some of those forums first. I don’t see anything inherently dangerous about having the led driver/“charger” integrated into the low amperage part of the system, but I’m not an expert. I would think that any sort of work around any sort of battery will always carry some degree of risk, and doing this procedure on someone else’s car would be a liability I personally wouldn’t be willing to risk.

@@mattgatlin1918 Thanks alot for the response!

Thanks. I was also cautious about the orange high voltage wires, which is why I really liked this method over the others I’d seen that were working with the circuitry on the passenger side of the battery ⚡️🫣

Good luck with it! Lemme know how it goes 🔧

Nice work! That’s the best feeling when you turn the key and it fires up like nothing was ever wrong with it 🤩

Congrats! Getting the side screws off is the hardest part of the job 😜. Amazing that you’ve got so many miles on it and it’s still going strong. I bought mine used and it was previously a lifeguard vehicle in L.A., so it’s only got 40k on it now, 11k is what I put on it in 14 months. Looking forward to getting many more miles out of it!

Good luck with the job! I didn’t have the issue of the charger getting hot, but that might be because I didn’t need to have it charging very long. When you don’t remove the hybrid battery and disrupt its circuitry, you don’t have to leave it on the charger that long. By having the charger plugged in when you go to start the car, it will register enough voltage for the car to start, even though the battery may not be actually up to that voltage- if that makes sense. Once it’s started, you can just let the engine complete the battery charging. Anyway, hope it goes well for you!

🤔 Interesting, and I thought about that seeing the large orange high voltage plugs - I’ve seen one in the engine compartment and another by the hybrid battery. I don’t really know anything about these plugs, but my gut feeling is that they’re carrying a lot of amperage given the size/gauge of the terminals, so I’d be wary of them. Maybe someone with more knowledge could jump in on this.

Thank YOU for the time-saving comment on a couple of the other videos I'd seen! I almost made the mistake of taking out the whole battery and futzing around with the high-voltage circuitry on the passenger side. I'm glad I didn't. I only made this video to get your advice/method out there and hopefully save some people a lot of time, headache and potential danger. Seriously, if I hadn't read your comment/method, I might not have even attempted it. Thanks again! Matt

I just rebuilt my HVTB with all new sticks from MaxPower. That was a project. Again, great job with this. You will save a lot of people a lot of time and a lot of frustration. @@mattgatlin1918

That sounds like a huge project! My 2009 only has 40K original miles on it so I’m hoping I won’t need to rebuild the entire battery for a while.

​@@mattgatlin1918what charger did you use and where can I get one, thanks

@@Lee-sv3so There’s a link in the description below the video if you expand the “more”- This is it: www.amazon.com/HLG-120H-C350A-150-5W-Single-Output-Switching/dp/B073ZCRJ5P

Good to know, and thanks for the tip. The right tool is always a great time saver! I checked out the Harbor Freight website and saw one like you described for just under 3 bucks.

Yes they got a few different ones.. i got the set that is $39.99

I think the connection was discontinued with the 2009 model year. As far as balancing the hybrid cells, I use Forscan on a PC laptop to reset the hybrid battery control module and to do a cell rebalancing.

Correct. The charging system was in place 2005 through 2008. Ford removed it from the 2009-2012 models claiming it wasn't necessary. @@mattgatlin1918

I put off digging into this process for a while but once I finally rolled up my sleeves and went for it, I was surprised at how easy and quickly everything went. Good luck with your 2008!

I don’t think you need to do this with a 2008. FEH before 2009 have a button behind a small panel on the driver’s side of the dashboard. If the traction battery gets low, you just pop that panel off and press the button. I think it is an 8 min cycle, and sometimes you have to do it more than once. Search on KZbin, there are a few videos.

​@@dswanso4 Thanks, and correct - generally that is the case, with 2008 having an advantage by having that recharge button. I've used my recharge button four times in the past, and twice it worked, but twice it didn't, because the HV battery was so depleted that the 12V battery was unable to get it to its engine-starting threshold. (I also suspect that the recharge button function is not that healthy for the 12V battery either.) Those two times it didn't start I still had to tow it to a garage for a professional recharge, which is why I am planning to build my own charging device now. Overall seems like a more reliable approach.

Pull off the little cover on the left side of the dash board after you open the door. 01-08 has the recharge button which send the power from the 12v under the hood to the drive battery in back. When the green light turns on, start the car. Hope that helps.

@@MikeSenese You do not need to modify anything. If you put a battery charger on your 12v battery under the hood, and then press the button on the side of the dash, you've basically done the same thing as your modification. You may have to press the button a couple of times, but within 20 minutes or so, your car will start. The issue you mentioned is that your 12v battery may be weak, or not have enough juice to bring the battery pack over the 300v minimum. Using a front charger will pass through your 12v battery to your hybrid pack. More than enough voltage to get your charge above threshhold. I have had to do this with my 2008. Works every time.

That’s exactly how I felt when I saw the comment from @urntwrthyZ on another video and he talked about how to do it this way. It was his idea and he deserves the credit- I’m just paying it forward- Happy New Year!

As I indicated in my original post on this video, my info came from a thread entitled "HV Battery Jump" by S.Keith on the Electric-Vehicle forum. I posted the comments you saw on several videos doing it the "other" way. You would be disappointed by how many were removed. I guess it was more important to get views than let people know there was a far superior way to do it, this way. @@mattgatlin1918

I’m not familiar with forscan. The only diagnostic tool I have is a cheapo Bluetooth OBD scan module that I can read with a really limited free app.

@@mattgatlin1918 well if your a weekend warrior your type and have a ford you should definitely check it out, can’t say for the escape as I haven’t played around with it on my wife’s car. For my F150 it’s crazy the amount of stuff you can do (everything besides powertrain enhancements as like in a tuner/programmer) but it’s a software that allows you to customize and make changes to almost any Ford vehicle & Doesn’t void warranty

​​⁠ Cool. I just checked it out and bought a Forscan adapter for my laptop. I’ll definitely give it a go. Thanks for the tip!

@@mattgatlin1918 ayyye ! No problem man, you can get a free trial subscription or for like $10 have a whole year. Just watch a couple videos , do a couple searches on your vehicle many ppl have already made google docs showing exactly what to change to get what you want. But Most importantly first thing you do before you Make a change to any module is save your factory one so if you ever wanna go back or change something you don’t have to go down that rabbit hole… ask me how I know 😅

Hey @tellis17 - I just ran Forscan on my FEH and it’s pretty cool. I ran all the diagnostics on the hybrid battery control module (BCM), did a module reset and rebalanced all the cells. As an added bonus I also disabled my tire sensor warning (TPMS) since it’s been nonstop chiming at me for no reason for the past two years. Thanks again for the tip!

From everything I’ve read online, the battery should be able to go for at least a month of non-use before it gets too discharged to start. Then again, if you’ve got a 2009 like me, it could be that the battery is showing its age.

I was actually able to start my FEH after only about 5-10 minutes of being on the charger but I still had the charger plugged in and the orange safety plug installed when I went to start it. I think the voltage coming from the charger was enough to make the car computer enable the starter.