Marlin's Dead Low Voltage Battery (LVB) -- Followed by Stuck in Park

[GoosePond08]

Great news: Marlin is close. They did all the major work but they removed a couple of one-time use bolts, so two more parts are being FedExed in for the completion of tomorrow's reassembly.

Tomorrow morning will be start with prepping and priming the cooling system and completing the reassembly. After that Marlin will get new diagnostics run to make sure everything looks good and the parking brake issue can no longer be triggered (he's already been holding a charge fine). Then a test drive and perhaps more diagnostics.

The Field Service Engineer is very hopeful I'll get Marlin back tomorrow -- as long as the rest goes back together well and diagnostics and test drive go fine.

I realize all of you feel like pioneers in buying and learning to operate your Mach Es -- we are! Now think for a minute about the folks in service. All Ford EV Certified Repair dealerships have had to get special equipment, install chargers, and have someone go through some basic online training. Some are just getting to see a Mach E in person for the first time and most have done little to no service work. The majority of the work they've done has been prepping our new cars for delivery, making sure software is up to date, fluids are good, cars are charged, and they are nice and clean. Some have now had a chance to do an update but only if their dealership has received cars needing the 21B02 update. Koons Ford now not only has a trained service foreman but now has a service tech who has performed the first Primary Drive Unit replacement on a customer car! Today and tomorrow, the service techs at Koons Ford have been following the procedures mapped out for these procedures, under the supervision of one of our DC-area Field Service Engineers. However, at the same time, they've been re-writing those procedures as they learn how to do it better.

At this point, Marlin has had at least two firsts. He's the first first customer Mach E to:
1. Ever get an OTA (they used OTA on part of my software load in addition to cabled upload)
2. Have a new PDU installed (~$5,500 part with no standardized labor cost defined yet)

While this process has been nerve-wracking and frustrating for me, I have been amazed at the intense attention Ford has given this repair.

?

Car back in hand yet?

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[VegStang]

In light of all this with Marlin, one has to really wonder what could have caused @Maric 's GB FE to be sent back to the factory after it made it to the dealer.

Great news: Marlin is close. They did all the major work but they removed a couple of one-time use bolts, so two more parts are being FedExed in for the completion of tomorrow's reassembly.

Tomorrow morning will be start with prepping and priming the cooling system and completing the reassembly. After that Marlin will get new diagnostics run to make sure everything looks good and the parking brake issue can no longer be triggered (he's already been holding a charge fine). Then a test drive and perhaps more diagnostics.

The Field Service Engineer is very hopeful I'll get Marlin back tomorrow -- as long as the rest goes back together well and diagnostics and test drive go fine.

I realize all of you feel like pioneers in buying and learning to operate your Mach Es -- we are! Now think for a minute about the folks in service. All Ford EV Certified Repair dealerships have had to get special equipment, install chargers, and have someone go through some basic online training. Some are just getting to see a Mach E in person for the first time and most have done little to no service work. The majority of the work they've done has been prepping our new cars for delivery, making sure software is up to date, fluids are good, cars are charged, and they are nice and clean. Some have now had a chance to do an update but only if their dealership has received cars needing the 21B02 update. Koons Ford now not only has a trained service foreman but now has a service tech who has performed the first Primary Drive Unit replacement on a customer car! Today and tomorrow, the service techs at Koons Ford have been following the procedures mapped out for these procedures, under the supervision of one of our DC-area Field Service Engineers. However, at the same time, they've been re-writing those procedures as they learn how to do it better.

At this point, Marlin has had at least two firsts. He's the first first customer Mach E to:
1. Ever get an OTA (they used OTA on part of my software load in addition to cabled upload)
2. Have a new PDU installed (~$5,500 part with no standardized labor cost defined yet)

While this process has been nerve-wracking and frustrating for me, I have been amazed at the intense attention Ford has given this repair.

?

 

[generaltso]

In light of all this with Marlin, one has to really wonder what could have caused @Maric 's GB FE to be sent back to the factory after it made it to the dealer.

Yeah, that makes no sense to me.

 

[ChasingCoral]

Life is good. The ponies are coming out to meet me again

Details tomorrow.

 

[DBC]

Life is good. The ponies are coming out to meet me again

You've been a champ maintaining such a positive outlook. I guess that beats wrist slitting?

Hope things work out. I think everyone here is rooting for you!

 

[JellyBelly]

In light of all this with Marlin, one has to really wonder what could have caused @Maric 's GB FE to be sent back to the factory after it made it to the dealer.

yeah - something to do with HVB or something more drastic ?

 

[JellyBelly]

Life is good. The ponies are coming out to meet me again

Details tomorrow.

Fingers crossed - Marlin will be better than before

 

[Exocet123]

Curious if the dealer gave you the specific DTC (trouble code(s)) for your park issue?

For the sake of understanding what happened, it can be looked up in the service manual.

Hope your car is good to go!

 

[MerryBrown]

I'm truly honored. Thank you for that sincere act of gratitude.

Dr. Ruth Gates was a prominent part of the film and was conducting pioneering work to learn how to help corals adapt to climate change. Shortly after the film was released she learned she had brain cancer and fought it admirably. She died less than a year later due to complications during an unrelated surgery. All of us in the coral reef community miss her and are thrilled her work is continuing.

She will be a real loss in coral research. What a terrible thing to happen.

 

[ChasingCoral]

Curious if the dealer gave you the specific DTC (trouble code(s)) for your park issue?

For the sake of understanding what happened, it can be looked up in the service manual.

Hope your car is good to go!

Lots of them:

 

[ChasingCoral]

Marlin now has a brand new Primary (Rear) Drive Unit and wiring harness. Ford was really quick at getting such a new and major repair accomplished. Most of the replacement was done in one day. The next day was buttoning up, replacing a couple of one-time use bolts, and calibrating the new PDU. The Field Service Engineer was concerned they might not get finished on Friday when the calibration didn't go smoothly but they managed to solve the issues and got Marlin back to me Friday evening.

Here are some shots the FSE took for me, including proof I got some new electric ponies for Marlin:


"Old" PDU removal

The new PDU

Saturday I put 60 trouble-free miles on Marlin and did a partial charging session at the Columbia, MD EA station. Charging on my account worked, Plug & Charge failed. More on that and the trip to Florida as I pick up the story where we left off in
https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/my-travels-with-marlin-gb-fe-delivered.3298/

 

[sockmeister]

Marlin now has a brand new Primary (Rear) Drive Unit and wiring harness. Ford was really quick at getting such a new and major repair accomplished. Most of the replacement was done in one day. The next day was buttoning up, replacing a couple of one-time use bolts, and calibrating the new PDU. The Field Service Engineer was concerned they might not get finished on Friday when the calibration didn't go smoothly but they managed to solve the issues and got Marlin back to me Friday evening.

Here are some shots the FSE took for me, including proof I got some new electric ponies for Marlin:


"Old" PDU removal

The new PDU

Saturday I put 60 trouble-free miles on Marlin and did a partial charging session at the Columbia, MD EA station. Charging on my account worked, Plug & Charge failed. More on that and the trip to Florida as I pick up the story where we left off in
https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/my-travels-with-marlin-gb-fe-delivered.3298/

Super interesting -- thanks for providing these pictures. Looks like it comes out easier than I thought! I thought the rear suspension would have to drop, or maybe the battery, in order to get the motor out.

 

[ten8bike]

Marlin now has a brand new Primary (Rear) Drive Unit and wiring harness. Ford was really quick at getting such a new and major repair accomplished. Most of the replacement was done in one day. The next day was buttoning up, replacing a couple of one-time use bolts, and calibrating the new PDU. The Field Service Engineer was concerned they might not get finished on Friday when the calibration didn't go smoothly but they managed to solve the issues and got Marlin back to me Friday evening.

Here are some shots the FSE took for me, including proof I got some new electric ponies for Marlin:


"Old" PDU removal

The new PDU

Saturday I put 60 trouble-free miles on Marlin and did a partial charging session at the Columbia, MD EA station. Charging on my account worked, Plug & Charge failed. More on that and the trip to Florida as I pick up the story where we left off in
https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/my-travels-with-marlin-gb-fe-delivered.3298/

I wish those engineers would go to my dealership. My car has been there since 3/16, for similar items with the computer going wonky in cold weather.

 

[ChasingCoral]

I wish those engineers would go to my dealership. My car has been there since 3/16, for similar items with the computer going wonky in cold weather.

Ford has Field Service Engineers all over the country. You should see if your dealership can escalate the issue.

 

[ten8bike]

Ford has Field Service Engineers all over the country. You should see if your dealership can escalate the issue.

There is a lady in Detroit trying to help the service department (when you Tweet your frustration to Ford, you get some assistance). I learned today from a second lady who called from Detroit that they sent F150 engineers, and will now be assigning Mach E engineers. Soon it will be a "lemon".

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