[SpankyBigBoy]

Hello all, I keep coming across this site when finding useful information regarding my 2008 Escape Hybrid so I figured I would post about an issue that has absolutely stumped me.

From looking at this site and the Mitchell repair data information, I performed the EATC test with the POWER and DEFROST buttons with FLOOR button to run the On-Demand Self Test for the EATC. It constantly displays the following codes:
86 E0 - with the Fahrenheit symbol
8F 08
00 05

I cannot find any reference to any of these codes anywhere. I assume that the letter B is appended to the beginning to insinuate a Body Control Module fault, such as B86E0 but that's not getting me anywhere either.

A bit of history on this Escape is that we got it and are just now testing out the A/C. It was hard to test when we got it in the winter, but at least it moves the airflow to all vents. It looks like this Escape had some front end damage, the fenders are held in with a couple extra sheet metal screws and it wasn't until recently that I discovered that the dang cooling fan resistor was unplugged! Now the cooling fans come on when I request A/C and I occasionally hear the pump kick in (RPM change) but it's never spinning when I look under the hood. Unrelated but the MECS pump was dangling from the fan shroud so I think someone's been in the front end before, possibly due to the front end damage. But, the system is charged. I hooked up one of those cheap top-off/recharge cans and the little gauge on it said about 32PSI, I took it up closer to 40PSI but no change in the situation. After running the above On-Demand Self Test, I did clear the codes, waited 30 seconds and turned the Ignition off. I then turned Ignition back on and ran the test again and the codes came back immediately. I'm thinking these codes are immediate electrical failures (something else unplugged, faulty sensor, etc...) but I don't know what direction to go from here. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Mountain Escape]

Hello all, I keep coming across this site when finding useful information regarding my 2008 Escape Hybrid so I figured I would post about an issue that has absolutely stumped me.

From looking at this site and the Mitchell repair data information, I performed the EATC test with the POWER and DEFROST buttons with FLOOR button to run the On-Demand Self Test for the EATC. It constantly displays the following codes:
86 E0 - with the Fahrenheit symbol
8F 08
00 05

I cannot find any reference to any of these codes anywhere. I assume that the letter B is appended to the beginning to insinuate a Body Control Module fault, such as B86E0 but that's not getting me anywhere either.

A bit of history on this Escape is that we got it and are just now testing out the A/C. It was hard to test when we got it in the winter, but at least it moves the airflow to all vents. It looks like this Escape had some front end damage, the fenders are held in with a couple extra sheet metal screws and it wasn't until recently that I discovered that the dang cooling fan resistor was unplugged! Now the cooling fans come on when I request A/C and I occasionally hear the pump kick in (RPM change) but it's never spinning when I look under the hood. Unrelated but the MECS pump was dangling from the fan shroud so I think someone's been in the front end before, possibly due to the front end damage. But, the system is charged. I hooked up one of those cheap top-off/recharge cans and the little gauge on it said about 32PSI, I took it up closer to 40PSI but no change in the situation. After running the above On-Demand Self Test, I did clear the codes, waited 30 seconds and turned the Ignition off. I then turned Ignition back on and ran the test again and the codes came back immediately. I'm thinking these codes are immediate electrical failures (something else unplugged, faulty sensor, etc...) but I don't know what direction to go from here. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Welcome to the city, Spanky.

not that good with A/C diag, do you know what the correctly pressurized system calls for? You still could be low.

I can't believe the mecs was left hanging!
dont run without mecs, you are going to wind up with a $2500 HV battery replacement, and possibly a fire! Guessing the mecs coolant reservoir is empty also?

 

[SpankyBigBoy]

Welcome to the city, Spanky.

not that good with A/C diag, do you know what the correctly pressurized system calls for? You still could be low.

I can't believe the mecs was left hanging!
dont run without mecs, you are going to wind up with a $2500 HV battery replacement, and possibly a fire! Guessing the mecs coolant reservoir is empty also?

Thanks. I'm not either, I'm kinda just poking at whatever I can find here. Got an appointment with a shop that seems to know what they're doing but if I can make headway, I want to. I'm a persistent DIY'er. I think I read somewhere that the system calls for 40PSI on the low side but I also don't trust the cheap gauge on the Walmart can of refrigerant. I wanted to add a little and not over-pressure it. Someone was definitely in the front end and patched things together. The MECS was functional, otherwise I'm sure a code would have been set, but I don't know how long it would have lasted like that. The coolant reservoirs both had coolant in them. I forget which but one was a bit low, maybe 1/4 to half a quart, it didn't take much from a gallon jug. Certainly not empty thankfully. Car has lots of good maintenance history and this is the only thing giving me grief at 171k miles.

 

[ProjectSHO89]

I hooked up one of those cheap top-off/recharge cans and the little gauge on it said about 32PSI, I took it up closer to 40PSI but no change in the situation.

Was the compressor running at that time or not?

If the compressor is not running, system static pressure should be around 1.x to 1.3x the system ambient temp (F). However, it only takes a few ounces of refrigerant to see that so it's just a simple check to see if there's some refrigerant in there or not. If there's some, the system will usually short-cycle the compressor on a normal gas engine. Haven't looked at the hybrid variant, it's probably somewhat different.

I'll look in the WSM and see if there's anything regarding those EATC codes, I'm on the wrong computer right now....

 

[SpankyBigBoy]

Was the compressor running at that time or not?

No, it did not cycle on while I added some refrigerant. I hear it cycle at times, usually when I first push AC when the car is started. I've not physically seen or heard it cycle when I've been looking under the hood though.
I was surprised to see that this AC system is basically the same as a full gas car, it's not high voltage like the Prius. Engine has to be running, it's belt-driven. Only difference is that there's a secondary line to run rearwards for the battery, kinda like in a minivan.

 

[ProjectSHO89]

If it's not cycling, the system will not accept much, if any refrigerant from the container.

The WSM does not cover any of the internally generated and displayed DTCs, you have to use an appropriate scan tool to pull them.

 

[tomw]

A thought in addition to the above is that the EATC control panel may not be signalling the compressor to run. It could be the A/C itself needs nothing, but the control panel is not enabling.
Most systems will turn on the compressor when defrost mode is selected. That is the default condition for most when things fail. If you set your system to defrost, does the compressor clutch engage, and is the air coming from the defrost outlets at the base of the windshield chilled? That would indicate whether the compressor/etc are functional. You may see the clutch spinning if you try that even if there are other problems in the EATC.
tom

 

[dwightbresemann]

First and foremost, you're spinning your wheel is the mud if you don't know how much refrigerant is in the system. Pressure means nothing if the A/C is not running. All the refrigerant needs to be evacuated and measured. Then connected to a vacuum machine for 30 mins. Now fill with correct amount of R134a. Now you can start your diagnostics.

Filling with the store bought cans won't work! The cans don't have enough pressure to pressure to fill front the low side when it's not working.

Btw, the A/C lines going to the rear is to cool the batteries. Did you know there is a clean air filter in the rear hatch?

 

[SpankyBigBoy]

Alright friends, I have an update and a few people got some details right. First; you absolutely cannot tell system "fullness" with a PSI reading on the low side on a non-functioning system. 100% agree and I'll never waste money on those cans again. According to the shop, there was 2oz in the system. I "filled" to 40PSI on the can's gauge and the valve hissed when I connected it. System spec is 2lb 6oz, nowhere close. The shop filled the system and added tracer dye. It lit up on the condenser and rear high pressure line as a major leak. By the time they evacuated after inspection, there was only 1lb 13oz.

Solved.

We're going to have it fixed by the professionals, they know what they're doing. I'll stick to easy things like brake and fluid jobs.

Regarding the mysterious HVAC codes, I have an answer on that too. It was me! The shop pulled all the codes and there were Powertrain, Body, Chassis and Network codes (P, B, C and U). Every single one was "Low Battery Voltage at Module". Ah... I remember now, the 12v battery died while I was doing a brake rebuild. Had to have the key on and in Pad Service Mode so the ABS wouldn't build pressure. This all makes total sense now.

Finally, dwightbresemann, yes, the air filter for the battery is clean. It was one of the first things done when we bought it, easy and relatively cheap.

Thank you all for your input, I read all of it and am keeping it in mind.

 

[Mountain Escape]

Alright friends, I have an update and a few people got some details right. First; you absolutely cannot tell system "fullness" with a PSI reading on the low side on a non-functioning system. 100% agree and I'll never waste money on those cans again. According to the shop, there was 2oz in the system. I "filled" to 40PSI on the can's gauge and the valve hissed when I connected it. System spec is 2lb 6oz, nowhere close. The shop filled the system and added tracer dye. It lit up on the condenser and rear high pressure line as a major leak. By the time they evacuated after inspection, there was only 1lb 13oz.

Solved.

We're going to have it fixed by the professionals, they know what they're doing. I'll stick to easy things like brake and fluid jobs.

Regarding the mysterious HVAC codes, I have an answer on that too. It was me! The shop pulled all the codes and there were Powertrain, Body, Chassis and Network codes (P, B, C and U). Every single one was "Low Battery Voltage at Module". Ah... I remember now, the 12v battery died while I was doing a brake rebuild. Had to have the key on and in Pad Service Mode so the ABS wouldn't build pressure. This all makes total sense now.

Finally, dwightbresemann, yes, the air filter for the battery is clean. It was one of the first things done when we bought it, easy and relatively cheap.

Thank you all for your input, I read all of it and am keeping it in mind.

Thank you for the follow up with the situation, Spanky...
Rare in these parts. ( ;

 

[dwightbresemann]

As Mountain Escape mentioned, thank you for the update.

A side benefit of having the A/C repaired, is your hybrid system will work much better. With the A/C not working, the HV batteries will overheat. The hybrid management system will detect this and stop the regenerative charging of the HV battery. Resulting in lower fuel mileage, less power and wearing out the brake pads faster. And you learned a little something more about the vehicle and the A/C system. Good luck.

 

[Linna]

Finally, dwightbresemann, yes, the air filter for the battery is clean. It was one of the first things done when we bought it, easy and relatively cheap.

Thank you all for your input, I read all of it and am keeping it in mind.

Another somewhat common failure for 05-08 models is the rear battery pack has its own set of fans for cooling. Even if your A/C system is good from the front to the rear, those battery fans need to run in order for the hybrid system to work properly. There are plenty of posts on the internet about replacing the battery fan assembly.

 

[dwightbresemann]

Linna is correct. You can check the 2 fans with a capable scanner by running the KOEO & KOER self-demand test. If there were any problems with the fans, this test will show it.