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Battery replacement and upgrade to larger battery (2013 Escape 2.5L)

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158K views 162 replies 60 participants last post by  Scooter MGee  
#1 ·
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.
 
#94 ·
I did a similar mod to a Honda Fit years ago. There were no negatives, it was all good having the bigger battery. The tiny one that came with the vehicle just didn't have quite enough muscle to easily start the vehicle during the winter months.
 
#96 ·
AGM batteries are not subject to sudden cell collapses like normal wet lead acid batteries. So you should never get stuck anywhere due to a sudden battery failure. They're also quicker to recharge and can supply higher "Pulse Current" ie. high short bursts like when you're cranking the engine to start it. They don't leak acid either.



In my experiences avoid the Calcium alloy wet cell batteries. They can have high Cold Cranking Amps but are slower to recharge and IIRC need a higher charging voltage. That's the only type of battery I've had to return under warranty.
 
#97 ·
Im going to be doing this switch over to a 94R as our winters here get cold,Minus 45 a few times last winter and dead or weak batteries suck and this battery being so small needs a change.

I have a snapon Solus anyone know if that is capable of the BMS reset?
Or what inexpensve tool i can purchase to do this?
 
#98 ·
…...
I have a snapon Solus anyone know if that is capable of the BMS reset?
Or what inexpensve tool i can purchase to do this?
FORScan freeware with most any USB OBD interface is IMO the cheapest route. Pleanty of threads here discussing BMS reset - site search is your friend.
 
#101 ·
My 2014 I replaced this last weekend with the Super Start Platinum AGM 94r. I thought, and read this thread a lot.
My battery was fine, but last winter it barely got me going several times.

My main reason for changing size, is the little battery is only available as a basic battery.

I took the handles off the battery, and the clamp fit fine.
I stopped by one of the major Ford dealers, to check on the BMS.
Service desk sent me back to another level person.
He told me they change lots of batteries every day, for years and years, and never reset, or looked for a BMS. It is not in their service manual. Said set it if you want, but it has nothing to do with charging. Just a marker, like a date reminder, as in other reminders.
Also they change, and customers drive away. No setting 8 hours.
He said if it was important to the life of the battery, it would be in the owners manual, and be in big letters on every battery that has a warranty.
 
#103 ·
My 2014 I replaced this last weekend with the Super Start Platinum AGM 94r. I thought, and read this thread a lot.
My battery was fine, but last winter it barely got me going several times.

My main reason for changing size, is the little battery is only available as a basic battery.

I took the handles off the battery, and the clamp fit fine.
I stopped by one of the major Ford dealers, to check on the BMS.
Service desk sent me back to another level person.
He told me they change lots of batteries every day, for years and years, and never reset, or looked for a BMS. It is not in their service manual. Said set it if you want, but it has nothing to do with charging. Just a marker, like a date reminder, as in other reminders.
Also they change, and customers drive away. No setting 8 hours.
He said if it was important to the life of the battery, it would be in the owners manual, and be in big letters on every battery that has a warranty.
You got horrible advice from a bad Ford dealer. As noted the Ford WSM specifically requires the BSM reset. Are you sure this was a Ford dealer? Having said that, back in 2016 I took my 2013 in for battery change to my local dealer. They did not know at that time either. Now they do. I took copies of the WSM identifying the requirement and left it with them. If you read the threads on this board dealing with batteries and changes, you will see that there is much confusion on this at many levels. Ford defintely dropped the ball. After the oil change, a battery change has to be the single most popular DIY. And yes, you are right, it is not in the owner's manual but it is in the WSM.
 
#102 ·
Maybe they should read the manual?

BMS = Battery Monitoring System, the suite of sensors, electronic modules and computer program that determine battery condition and provide data to other systems which manage the charging rate and load-shedding (battery saver) features in the '13+ Escape.

Hopefully the "diagnostic and labour" charge you incurred included the requisite BMS reset, IMHO very likely if your replacement was done by a (competent) Ford dealer.

Clipped from the workshop manual:

Battery Replacement

If the vehicle battery is replaced, it is very important to perform the battery monitoring system reset using the scan tool. If the battery monitoring system reset is not carried out, it holds the old battery parameters and time in service counter in memory. Additionally it tells the system the battery is in an aged state and the
(sic) may limit the Electrical Energy Management system functions.

^^ In that context "scan tool" refers to the genuine Ford diagnostics device used by dealers. The BMS data is held in non-volatile memory (it is retained even when the battery is disconnected)...
 
#105 · (Edited)
Thanks for taking the time and effort to do this video but to me it is a toss up between this method and the cowl removal method as to which is the biggest nightmare.
I think either method should only be attempted by someone skilled and with a lot of patience and most importantly with the correct tools including what is needed to reset the BMS.

Thank god this is only required once every 3 to 5 years normally and in my case it will be off to the Ford dealership regardless of cost... ?

I notice the latest Ford Escape battery is located in an accessible position. Why the heck could they not have done that in the first place with the same motor? I cannot think of any other vehicle that has the battery hidden under the windscreen cowl although I have no doubt someone here will enlighten me... ;)
 
#108 ·
I agree is section 414-00 of the 2013 workshop manual there is a "Battery Replacement" Paragraph that states the BMS must be reset using the diagnostic scan tool. Unfortunately the workshop manual doesn't have this statement at the end of the battery removal / installation procedure. In simple terms an overlook (not performing) of the BMS reset will likely shorten the life of the battery.
 
#112 ·
Idk, unless it was entered into post 1. These long threads get really convoluted and you’d have to read the entire thing. I don’t even know if I saw the forscan bms reset procedure in this thread. I think it was in the forscan one. There needs to be a document with forscan commands like other vehicle forums have. Otherwise the answer is 1 random post in 1 random thread and is not helpful or Easy to find :/
 
#120 ·
I used an Everstart Platinum AGM H7 battery, they now have a 4 year replacement warranty.
Thanks for the info.

Some searching the internet shows 94R and H7 are the same size (for anyone wondering.) It gets confusing as the sizes used between manufacturer's and countries also seem to vary.

Also, I searched that battery you've got and found it on Walmart's website with a 5 year warranty (3yrs free replacement + 2yrs pro rata.) Have they changed it back to 4 years? https://www.walmart.com/ip/EverStart-Platinum-AGM-Battery-Group-Size-H7-12-Volt-850-CCA/40685088
 
#128 · (Edited)
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.
have you installed the battery cover with a new battery?
 
#130 ·
As far as I know the ecoboost engines and the N/A use the same battery box the only difference is that the ecoboosts require more disassembly to get the intake out of the way to get to the battery, that or you need to remove the wiper arms and cowl, but other than the battery being a little more involved to get to. pop the spacers out of the box, and buy the 2016+ with stop/start hold down and you should be good.
 
#133 ·
"I took the handles off the battery, and the clamp fit fine.

I stopped by one of the major Ford dealers, to check on the BMS.
Service desk sent me back to another level person.

He told me they change lots of batteries every day, for years and years, and never reset, or looked for a BMS. It is not in their service manual. Said set it if you want, but it has nothing to do with charging. Just a marker, like a date reminder, as in other reminders.

Also they change, and customers drive away. No setting 8 hours.

He said if it was important to the life of the battery, it would be in the owners manual, and be in big letters on every battery that has a warranty."

o_O
You need to steer clear of that dealership.
 
#138 ·
You can try to mod the clamp but it's only like $10-15 for the right one, and if I recall the modded clamp doesn't bottom out on the housing like the proper 2016+ stop-start clamp does. If you live outside the US and the right clamp is hard to procure, if you can find a group t7 battery you could use that with the stock clamp, as the T group sizes are the same length and width as their equivalent H group sizes but the same height as the 96R, I wouldn't recommend using a T7 in the US since only the parts stores carry them and parts store batteries are expensive, I generally get batteries from Walmart since all batteries come from 1 of 6 companies and generally the parts stores use the same suppliers as the parts stores for a given region.
 
#139 · (Edited)
Here's mine with everything removed for access.
Image


if you can find a group t7 battery you could use that with the stock clamp, as the T group sizes are the same length and width as their equivalent H group sizes but the same height as the 96R
Yes, I think that's the equivalent of the battery I ended up getting. It's the same height as my original battery but longer. I just had to lift out a spacer in the battery box- that Ford fitted at the factory- to fit it in. It's a Varta F18 that I ended up with. 585 200 080 | Varta Automotive

Image

Image
 
#140 ·
I bought the new DV6Z-10718-A battery hold down bracket, and this week I'm going to pick up a new H7/94R (the biggest battery), or an H6/48 (the second biggest).

For those of you that put in a bigger battery, can you answer some questions?

Which size and brand of battery did you go with?

The H7 will need the DV6Z-10718-A bracket and both spacers should be removed, correct?

The H6 will need the DV6Z-10718-A bracket and only remove the rear spacer? Or is there a new spacer to order?

For either battery size, were you able to fit the front and battery cover on with no problems? Or did you have to trim the battery clamp bolts or something else?
 
#142 ·
I bought the new DV6Z-10718-A battery hold down bracket, and this week I'm going to pick up a new H7/94R (the biggest battery), or an H6/48 (the second biggest).
Don't forget you can update the battery size in Forscan.
 
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#141 ·
I had no problem fitting the front back on with the clamps, although I unscrewed the negative from the body to put the battery in and out without removing the cowl. I just bought the battery at Walmart, they're the cheapest and all batteries come from one of a few companies, likely who supplies your Walmart supplies other stores in your area, I'd just get H7 since it's the same price as H6, just pop both spacers out of the box and use the new hold down bracket and it'll should go in easy. Although you have a 2.0 EB, so I think there's a little more disassembly required to take the battery out the front than on my dad's 2.5L.
 
#146 ·
I put an H7 in this fall when it was time for replacement with no issues. Just took my time with everything. Removed cowl. Remove spacers. Got the battery cover back on and everything is secure. Was able to do the battery reset via the key method and it worked. Took a couple of times, but I got it to work.