I wonder if replacing the smaller battery with the larger one will result in a shorter service life for the bigger battery. The BMC will not have the "map" for the larger battery and may be confused that after "x" minutes at such-and-such a charging voltage the battery should be at a given voltage. The larger battery may confuse the BMC and generate spurious battery messages.

 

Yes, that risk is definitely there. Most likely outcome is that the larger battery will perform no better than the OEM battery.

 

See teh changes in the industry coming for 2018 for repair data / tooling across makes:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/02/automobiles/carmakers-to-share-repair-data.html?_r=0

 

Finally!! This has been a long time coming.
In recent years, car makers have been very stingy with their service and tech data.
Maybe someday, independents might even be able to become authorized warranty service centers.
No more captive customers for the dealerships - yeah man!!!!!

 

Alphapart, I think I love you!

Seriously, your battery replacement post is excellent and it really helped me out.

I like my 2013 Titanium a lot, except for the battery and a power system that seems determined to kill it. That happened on Thursday. Admittedly I left the car in my driveway overnight in gear, but why should that draw a battery flat? I'd also made that same dumb mistake once before, and the Titanium had gone flat by itself when left unused for 6 weeks.

At any rate, the third time was true death. The battery wouldn't hold any charge at all, and that's when I went looking for help and found your post. Yesterday I installed a Walmart EverStart Maxx H7 94r battery per your instructions and everything went well. I have just two notes for others looking to replace and upgrade their Escape battery:

1. My Titanium has a round air filter different than Alphapart's and it's whole casing has to come out to change the battery. Fortunately, carcarekiosk has good videos on how to remove the air filter case:

Battery Replacement: 2013-2013 Ford Escape - 2013 Ford Escape SE 1.6L 4 Cyl. Turbo

2. I had to slightly modify the steel battery hold down strap to fit it over the EverStart H7. The tabs that fit over the studs need to be lowered about 3/8 inch. I used a vise, ball peen hammer, and lineman's pliers but the steel if fairly easy to work.

So far the Escape seems to like the new battery as best I can tell. At least it will play the radio longer with the engine off than it used to. I will keep an eye on this, but tend to go with the idea that smart charging system can figure out a battery change on its own. (That's certainly the case with smart regulators in boats, as long as you don't change the battery chemistry type.)

You are a saint in my book, Alphapart!

 

Alphapart, seriously, your battery replacement post is excellent and it really helped me out.

My sentiments exactly! I've had my OEM battery discharge completely twice now during extended periods of being parked (over 4 weeks each time). I know there was a TSB for this regarding the sunroof motors so I guess it's time to take it in and get the TSB performed. I'm worried about the current state of my battery after these full discharges.

Today I had someone pickup the DieHard Advanced Gold AGM from Sears for me. It wasn't cheap, $180, but when the car goes in next week for the TSB fix I will also have the new battery installed and ensure they reset the battery monitoring system.

For anyone interested, here's the details of the DieHard from Sears:

Sears DieHard Advanced Gold AGM Battery
Group Size 94R
Item# 02850793000
UPC: 083996087385
Part No. 50793
CCA 800
Reserve Capacity 140
20Hr Rate 80Ah
Sale price 179.99 ($15 core charge)

 

This past April I took my vehicle in to the dealer to get a TSB performed and while there I asked them to install the Sears Die Hard 94R AGM battery I purchased.

Dealer performed the TSB, but said they couldn't replace the battery as it wouldn't fit. We went back and forth for a good while, I kept telling them it would fit, that I measured the box and battery and I knew it would fit. They kept telling me 'no it won't fit, we measured it too' and I seriously questioned their ability to understand how numbers work!

Well, ends up we were both right. The DieHard 94R fits in the battery box perfectly (I knew it would -I measured it) but the height is a bit of a problem. The factory front half of the battery cover doesn't fit right due to the height of the positive terminal clamp bolt.

Ford didn't want to replace the battery because they have a $39.99 battery replacement service, well, the battery in the Escape takes about an hour to change and their hourly labor rate is over $100/hr at my local Ford Svc. Dept., so they would lose money on that deal. They used the "it won't fit" as an excuse when they really meant "we dont' want to replace it because it takes longer to replace and we'll lose money on the labor charge".

Basically, as the OP and others have said, any 94R will fit in the battery box, but my particular DieHard has slighter higher terminal posts than most. Once I replaced the battery I used a bit of brute force to get the front half cover on it and made a nice crack in the cover! It looks like using the DieHard battery causes the terminal clamp bolt to be about 3/8" taller than the cover allows. So, caveat emptor!

Here's my battery and cracked cover:

 

The factory front half of the battery cover doesn't fit right due to the height of the positive terminal clamp bolt.

Basically, as the OP and others have said, any 94R will fit in the battery box, but my particular DieHard has slighter higher terminal posts than most. Once I replaced the battery I used a bit of brute force to get the front half cover on it and made a nice crack in the cover! It looks like using the DieHard battery causes the terminal clamp bolt to be about 3/8" taller than the cover allows. So, caveat emptor!

Here's my battery and cracked cover:

Unfortunately, it's a bit late for you, but one could cut the upper end of the terminal bolt off to fix that problem. It doesn't need to stick up past the nut at all to hold the clamp on. Doesn't everyone have a Sawzall?


As for resetting the BCM battery monitor, take a look at AutoEnginuity, a program and dongle that run on a laptop. You need to buy the Ford Enhanced Bundle for about $360 (AutoEnginuity Total Ford Enhanced Bundle - Riffraff Diesel Performance), and you'll be able to do nearly everything that Ford's scan tool will do.

 

Tools/parts needed: 10 mm crescent wrench, 10 mm & 13 mm sockets/wrench, replacement battery (see discussion for size) and a cold beer

Approximate time required: 30 min

Quick discussion about batteries: All of the 2013 Escapes come standard with a size 96R battery. It's one of the smallest batteries (in terms of cranking amps, reserve capacity, & weight) that you can get [I'm referencing the Duracell Automotive Battery spec sheet - these are the batteries sold at Sam's club].



In other words, the stock battery sucks. I assume Ford was saving some money with the 96R battery, but the good news is that the battery tray can accept a larger battery without any cutting, drilling, or any other permanent modifications. And who doesn't want more cranking amps and reserve capacity? Especially if you run a lot of accessories (remote start, tow, lights etc.)

So how big can I go?? The simple answer is that a size 94R (H7) fits without any trouble. See the pictures below for the relative size comparison. I'm using an AGM battery, but a normal flooded battery should fit just the same.




Battery removal/replacement:

1. Turn off the car and and prop the hood open. Locate the battery cover and air intake which houses the air filter. Remove the battery cover and disconnect the positive wire using a 10 mm wrench. Pop open the air intake as if you were replacing the air filter, but don't remove the air filter. Just disconnect the wire plugged in at the top and move the cover to the left so it's out of the way. (The plug is easily removed by pushing the red plastic piece back with your finger nail about a quarter inch, then pull the entire plug backwards.)



With the air intake out of the way, you should be able to access the 4 black plastic plugs (green arrows in the picture). Pull all four of these plugs out. Now you should be able to lift the front cover of the battery tray about 1 inch so that it has some free movement. With the cover lifted up about 1 inch, you should be able to access the two wires that are attached on the bottom left of the cover (red arrows in the picture). Use a 10 mm socket and a 13 mm socket to remove the nuts and then slide the wires off. I've already removed the 10 mm nut in the picture below. Don't drop the 13 mm nut; it's not attached to the wire like the 10 mm one!



Now you should be able to move the battery tray front cover out the way to the right like this:



Before we can move the battery, we need to loosen the clamp holding it down. Remove the two nuts that are holding the metal clamp (green arrows in pciture). The bar can then be lifted off the bolts.



Pull the battery forward and lift it over the edge of the tray. Don't worry, the negative wire should be long enough, but keep an eye on the small wire plugged into the negative terminal (green arrow in picture). Don't put excessive tension on this small wire. Now you should have enough room to use your hand to unplug the small wire from the side of the negative terminal. With the small wire out of the way, the battery should come forward all the way, and you can use a 10 mm wrench to remove the negative terminal.





Remove the old battery from the vehicle.

The empty battery tray should look like this. Note the two plastic adapters that Ford added to accommodate the smaller battery (green arrows). Remove both of these plastic pieces. The rear piece easily pops out by hand. The piece in the front needs to be gently pried upwards.




Congratulations! Now your Ford Escape can accept a "real" battery.



Now get your replacement battery and essentially reverse the process. If you are using the larger 94R (H7) size battery, you may need to remove the handles if it has any so that the metal battery clamp can fit nicely in the center groove. I've included more pictures below of the new battery being installed.







Now that you're finished, you can relax and enjoy the cold beer.

Great write up!!! However, one word of caution, I was always taught to remove the negative cable first to avoid any chance of shorting the positive to ground when removing. Since you cannot remove the negative lead first, be extra careful removing the positive cable as you have the full amperage of the battery there (590 CCA). Just my $.02 cents.

 

Great write up!!! However, one word of caution, I was always taught to remove the negative cable first to avoid any chance of shorting the positive to ground when removing. Since you cannot remove the negative lead first, be extra careful removing the positive cable as you have the full amperage of the battery there (590 CCA). Just my $.02 cents.

You raise a great point, Joe.

Actually, it is recommended in the Workshop Manual that you remove the negative ground cable first as we have long been taught. This is accomplished by:

1) unbolt the black negative (ground) cable at the 'jump-start lug / battery negative ground' located to the right of the battery box; and
2) wrap electrical insulating tape over the all of the ground cable metal eyelet to ensure it does not touch any bodywork (prevent re-establishing ground).

THEN proceed to safely remove the positive lead and battery. Un-taping and reconnecting the negative cable to the jump-start lug should be the last step of battery re-installation.

Removal of the negative cable at the 'jump-start lug / battery negative ground' is the recommended procedure whenever it is desired to interrupt battery power to the vehicle systems (e.g. reset of various volatile memory modules or working on any "always hot" circuits); NOT disconnect of the positive battery cable.


It is never fun to weld a wrench to a positive battery lug and in the process let the very expensive 'magic smoke' escape from your vehicle electrical components

 

Slow cranking

My 2013 Escape 2.0 had a tough time during zero temps keeping a full charge. We went to Florida for 2 weeks and took my Jeep Grand Cherokee to leave at the Boston airport. Good thing, because when we got home, the Escape was dead as a door nail. I could not see anything that could have caused a elec drawdown other the the alarm was set. Jump started it and let it charge up. But even after a few more cold days it cranks rather slow. I think the battery is not up to speed with so many cold nights. I would like to replace with the larger battery, but sounds like the Ford dealers are not set up to do that? Do they offer a larger battery yet? Has anyone had Sears change their battery with the Diehard?

 

My 2013 Escape 2.0 had a tough time during zero temps keeping a full charge. We went to Florida for 2 weeks and took my Jeep Grand Cherokee to leave at the Boston airport. Good thing, because when we got home, the Escape was dead as a door nail. I could not see anything that could have caused a elec drawdown other the the alarm was set. Jump started it and let it charge up. But even after a few more cold days it cranks rather slow. I think the battery is not up to speed with so many cold nights. I would like to replace with the larger battery, but sounds like the Ford dealers are not set up to do that? Do they offer a larger battery yet? Has anyone had Sears change their battery with the Diehard?

Do you have a Pano roof? There is a TSB out about the motors of the roof will drain your battery. It takes 2 weeks to kill the battery according to the TSB, and since your battery was already iffy I thought that might be the culprit. TSB 13-3-4

Some 2013 Escape vehicles built on 8/28/2012 and
through 12/5/2012 and equipped with a roof Roof Opening Panel
may exhibit a discharged battery
condition only after the vehicle has not been driven
for two weeks or longer.

 

Thanks,
Yes, I have the Pano roof. So that must be the problem. I guess I will see if there is any updates to address the problem. Or install the bigger battery and get a couple more weeks before it poops out. Battery shut off switch would help, but make it impossible to get back into the car unless you leave it unlocked. In my garage that would work.

 

you could still use the metal key contained in your fob to open the drivers door.

 

I bought the extended warranty. After all the problems I had already. Better be safe. I will check with the dealer when I get back. I have leave a car at the airport for 12 days this Saturday. I won't be using the Escape for sure. It's not an easy car to put jumper cables on either.

 

Thats right. I could do it that way. What a pain though. No car should have a dead battery in two weeks time.

 

When I just got my 2013 CPO FE the car was dead on the lot when I wanted to test drive it. It was sitting for a while so they jumped it. As we started to agree on a price and when we were close I said OK but I want a new battery since it is a CPO car and it was run down, they said ok.

So I got a new one and I am kind of happy I did seeing how muck work it is to replace one.

I read on here about the TSB for the shade motors, next time I go in for service i will mention it to them and see if my 2013 falls under the TSB and see if the shade motors can be replaced.

 

How to get to 54 Volts

13.5 Volts x 4 = 54 Volts in lead acid terms.

Lithium Ion is like 3.2Volts. That would take 18 of the 3.2 Volt cells.

HKS

 

Measured voltage has nothing to do with the composition or technology of a battery, they are just commonly manufactured in voltage multiples of a standard 1.5 volts.

 

Volts

I think,

Zinc dry cell = 1.5 volts. Nicad cell = 1.2 volts. Lithium cells are stamped 3.0 volts but may put out more when new. Lead acid cell = 2.2 volts (2.2 x 6 cells = 13.2 volts).

I don't remember the Nickel Metal Hydride voltage.
HKS

 

restored - great DIY for ALL '13-'17 ESCAPE

THIS IS A RESTORATION OF LONG-GONE @alphapart's GREAT ORIGINAL POST WITH ORIGINAL PICS FROM A PDF COPY I'D SAVED BEFORE THE PHOTOSHOP DEBACLE - ALL TEXT AND PICS BY alphapart

Tools/parts needed: 10 mm crescent wrench, 10 mm & 13 mm sockets/wrench, replacement battery (see discussion for size) and a cold beer

Approximate time required: 30 min

Quick discussion about batteries: All of the 2013 Escapes come standard with a size 96R battery. It's one of the smallest batteries (in terms of cranking amps, reserve capacity, & weight) that you can get [I'm referencing the Duracell Automotive Battery spec sheet - these are the batteries sold at Sam's club].

In other words, the stock battery sucks. I assume Ford was saving some money with the 96R battery, but the good news is that the battery tray can accept a larger battery without any cutting, drilling, or any other permanent modifications. And who doesn't want more cranking amps and reserve capacity? Especially if you run a lot of accessories (remote start, tow, lights etc.)

So how big can I go?? The simple answer is that a size 94R (H7) fits without any trouble. See the pictures below for the relative size comparison. I'm using an AGM battery, but a normal flooded battery should fit just the same.

Battery removal/replacement:

1. Turn off the car and and prop the hood open. Locate the battery cover and air intake which houses the air filter. Remove the battery cover and disconnect the positive wire using a 10 mm wrench. Pop open the air intake as if you were replacing the air filter, but don't remove the air filter. Just disconnect the wire plugged in at the top and move the cover to the left so it's out of the way. (The plug is easily removed by pushing the red plastic piece back with your finger nail about a quarter inch, then pull the entire plug backwards.)

With the air intake out of the way, you should be able to access the 4 black plastic plugs (green arrows in the picture). Pull all four of these plugs out. Now you should be able to lift the front cover of the battery tray about 1 inch so that it has some free movement. With the cover lifted up about 1 inch, you should be able to access the two wires that are attached on the bottom left of the cover (red arrows in the picture). Use a 10 mm socket and a 13 mm socket to remove the nuts and then slide the wires off. I've already removed the 10 mm nut in the picture below. Don't drop the 13 mm nut; it's not attached to the wire like the 10 mm one!

Now you should be able to move the battery tray front cover out the way to the right like this:

Before we can move the battery, we need to loosen the clamp holding it down. Remove the two nuts that are holding the metal clamp (green arrows in pciture). The bar can then be lifted off the bolts.

Pull the battery forward and lift it over the edge of the tray. Don't worry, the negative wire should be long enough, but keep an eye on the small wire plugged into the negative terminal (green arrow in picture). Don't put excessive tension on this small wire. Now you should have enough room to use your hand to unplug the small wire from the side of the negative terminal. With the small wire out of the way, the battery should come forward all the way, and you can use a 10 mm wrench to remove the negative terminal.

Remove the old battery from the vehicle.

The empty battery tray should look like this. Note the two plastic adapters that Ford added to accommodate the smaller battery (green arrows). Remove both of these plastic pieces. The rear piece easily pops out by hand. The piece in the front needs to be gently pried upwards.

Congratulations! Now your Ford Escape can accept a "real" battery.

Now get your replacement battery and essentially reverse the process. If you are using the larger 94R (H7) size battery, you may need to remove the handles if it has any so that the metal battery clamp can fit nicely in the center groove. I've included more pictures below of the new battery being installed.

Now that you're finished, you can relax and enjoy the cold beer.

THIS IS A RESTORATION OF LONG-GONE @alphapart's GREAT ORIGINAL POST WITH ORIGINAL PICS FROM A PDF COPY I'D SAVED BEFORE THE PHOTOSHOP DEBACLE - ALL TEXT AND PICS BY alphapart

 

post required to complete above restoration due to attached pics limit

 

unfortunately for me I can not open your photobucket pictures

 

Anywhere on this or any other website, when you see

the ability to open/view ^those^ pics has been eliminated by a recent change in Photobucket.com hosting/photo-sharing policies.

The pics in the post I 'restored' (post 74) are not hosted on Photobucket, they are hosted on this forum's server as "attachments". You can 'open' those pics by clicking on the "Attached Thumbnails" at the bottom of the post (at least that works if you are using a 'normal browser' .... may be different if using TapaTalk, etc).

Are you able to see the pics in post 74 when you view that post? If not, what browser are you using to view this site?

 

@centex I'm able to see your images using Tapatalk and Chrome.

 

Cool, thanks.

Can you delete the empty double-post 75 as a 'clean-up' item .... I had fits getting this all done

Maybe even add a 'jump link with note' in post one to the 'restored' post 74 so folks can see the OP's original pics ?

 

Any one with a 2014 2.0 try this size battery yet? I have notice mine cranking over slower as the weather has cooled off.

 

Though the OP's vehicle was a 2.5, insofar as the battery accommodations the '13-'15 Escape is identical for all engines.

There's no reason that this would not work as described for our '14 2.0 Escapes.

Might mention that it's likely that a healthy OEM-size battery would also cure your problem, absent any other charging system issues.

 

When required, I intend to get the largest battery that will fit in the box. AGM type of course.

 

@KB AZ - yeah, probably not quite as consistently summer-hot as you are in Mesa / Phoenix in my part of Texas (Austin area), but I understand we do have a different sort of battery stress than our northern / cold-climate members. Heat can definitely be rough on 'em.

I replaced my OEM battery with an OEM Motorcraft match earlier this year just because other circumstances made it convenient and I thought it might be nearing end-of-life. Lol, my original Escape battery is now installed in my 1981 Yanmar 336D diesel tractor - it still spins and starts that 1.5L / 3-cylinder diesel just great!

If you do install an 'oversize' battery, please follow-up here about the experience and the specific brand/model you install .... might be of interest to some.

 

@centex
I know your area well. Grew up in Galveston County and then Graduated from SWT now Texas State in 79. We lived in Plugerville for over 8 years. My kids still call that area home even though we moved several times. Both of my sisters live in Austin now.

Yes the heat here in AZ is different. 122 in the shade is the highest I have seen. Of course when the car is sitting on a blacktop or seal coated parking lot those things are giant heat sinks and temps easily get over 150 sitting there.

Big issue here is dogs burning their feet when out for a walk. People do not realize how hot the pavement is. Tire failure here is amazing lots of blowouts and tire debris on the freeway.

I'll start doing my research now on which battery to go with before this one gives up the ghost.

Main concern for me on the battery replacement is height. Just want to make certain no contact is possible with the body. I know the group number on the battery sets a general size but each manufacturer can still be a little different.

 

Glad I stumbled across this thread. Picked up my Escape last night and prior to delivery they installed a new battery and I managed to kill it while setting u the escape for myself. Threw it on the charger and picked up a 94R AGM. Little bit of modding to the hold down bracket and removing the two spacer it fit like a glove. I also reset the BMS using my scanner. Should be good to go for a few years.

 

You changed both the date of service and the battery size correct?

 

I'm replying to an old post, but I just upgraded the battery in my '16 Escape. Here's what I did: I went to one of those internet Ford parts stores and ordered a battery hold-down for a '17 Escape with the start/stop option. The Ford part number is CV6Z-10718-A. It costs about $6.00. This is the hold-down designed for a Group 48 AGM battery. All you need to do is remove the old battery and the front (nearest you) spacer. Leave the rear spacer in place. A Group 48 AGM will fit perfectly and the hold-down will fit as designed. FWIW I installed an Odyssey 48-720 AGM battery. It has a reserve capacity of 130 mins - 50 mins more then the OEM battery. Poor reserve capacity is the culprit with the old Group 96R battery. It has 720 CCA, less than the 850 installed above, but you'll never need more than 600 CCA anyway, even in the coldest weather. Keep your old hold-down and spacer. You can go back to the OEM battery whenever you want.

 

I just installed the Duracell 96 agm and the covers wouldn’t close correctly. I didn’t want to modify them. So I took DougS001’s advice and bought a group 48 agm. Wasn’t sure if it would fit but it fit (removed both spacers) and the covers closed nicely. It is a nice in between from the stock vs 96.

I'm replying to an old post, but I just upgraded the battery in my '16 Escape. Here's what I did: I went to one of those internet Ford parts stores and ordered a battery hold-down for a '17 Escape with the start/stop option. The Ford part number is CV6Z-10718-A. It costs about $6.00. This is the hold-down designed for a Group 48 AGM battery. All you need to do is remove the old battery and the front (nearest you) spacer. Leave the rear spacer in place. A Group 48 AGM will fit perfectly and the hold-down will fit as designed. FWIW I installed an Odyssey 48-720 AGM battery. It has a reserve capacity of 130 mins - 50 mins more then the OEM battery. Poor reserve capacity is the culprit with the old Group 96R battery. It has 720 CCA, less than the 850 installed above, but you'll never need more than 600 CCA anyway, even in the coldest weather. Keep your old hold-down and spacer. You can go back to the OEM battery whenever you want.

 

Let me add some detail:

If you wish to install a Group 94R battery in a 2013 through 2016 Escape, simply remove both spacers as described in alphapart's post. I would recommend that you purchase a new battery clamp, Ford P/N CV6Z-10718-A. If you look at his pictures you'd note that he had to cobble things a bit to make his clamp work. Even then his clamp is marginally attached. The clamp for a 2017 Escape w/auto stop/start solves this. If you want to install a Group 48 battery you will need the above clamp plus a new back spacer. This spacer is listed as Ford P/N CV6Z-10A652-A. Both the clamp and the back spacer sell for about $11.00 together and you are keeping your car more or less OEM. When installing a Group 48 battery simply remove the front (the long flat one) spacer, replace the rear spacer and set the new battery in place. It should fit perfectly. I installed an Odyssey 48-720 AGM battery and it should last the life of my ownership of this car. Odyssey has a Group 94R AGM available, but it carries a three year warranty instead of a four year full replacement warranty. I did a BMS reset with an inexpensive scan tool. If you do any DIY auto work, I suggest that you purchase one. Be sure that it will do BMS resets.

 

Ok bringing this to the top because my battery is 5-yrs old (at least) and I need to be thinking about a replacement. If the stock battery works fine, why increase to a larger size? Will a larger battery last longer? Will one of those AGM batteries last longer? Didn't we also decide that nothing needed to be reset and the car will eventually figure out it has a new battery?

 

.... If the stock battery works fine, why increase to a larger size?

No reason, IMO.

.... Didn't we also decide that nothing needed to be reset and the car will eventually figure out it has a new battery?

On this you are mistaken. Though the system will eventually calibrate itself to the new battery's actual "state of charge", it will not ever figure out on it's own that a "new battery" has been installed.

Both of those distinctly different variables are used in the vehicle's charging system algorithm (the former relating to current battery status, the latter relating to total battery age). The Escape WSM does not explain exactly how the system uses each of these variables in adjusting it's charging strategy, it just clearly states that both are used and explicitly states that the BMS must be actively reset when a "new" battery is installed (and only when a "new" battery is installed).

The only way the vehicle knows that the battery age is "new" is if the BMS is actively reset by manual intervention using the Ford IDS tool, FORScan, or a similarly capable tool. This process is not 'resetting / clearing a DTC' and cannot be done using a typical DTC reader / DTC reset device.

Hope that helps.