[CaptainR]

So I’m on my second replacement battery on my 2014 Ford Escape. It seems to need a new battery exactly every 4.5 years. I replaced the most recent one using the cowl method. One thing to know is that there is no way you can do this work quickly in the auto parts store parking lot. It took me wayyyy toooo long to do this job. And yes, step one is to remove the stubborn wipers. Once that is done there are two cowl trays to remove and then the battery cover. Unfortunately my negative battery cable was dang near welded onto the negative battery terminal. Upon prying it loose I found the BCM electronics shot to heck. Thanks to Amazon I had a new cable with the BCM electronics in my hands the next day. Now it was on to the petty task of cutting and splicing the three new BCM wires to the BCM wires on the car. It was not super helpful that the three new BCM wire colors were completely different from the three BCM wires attached to the car. Nonetheless, after several hours of fiddling around I got the job done. Oh, but remember to be careful to properly sync the wipers when you reinstall them otherwise they will crash into each other. All in all this was an ok job that took wayyyy toooo long but now that I’ve done it I could certainly do another one in less than an hour or two. Now if I can only remember all of the tiny details 4.5 years from now it will be a miracle. Cheers and also remember to do for yourself what others could do for you.

 

[KugaKid]

My Escape is 6 years old and still on the original battery. I've been pondering replacing the battery before winter.
I think it would be prudent considering the battery service life is probably 6 to 7 years. The other thing is the complexity of changing out this battery. It looks to be labor intensive and somewhat of a surgical procedure. In my younger years I would've taken on this task, but due to arthritis and aging, I'll have to have it done at a shop. I would welcome any thoughts, input from the gearheads here in the forums. Is there a particular type, brand of battery that should be considered? Thank you for your thoughts.

I recommend the air box method. It takes longer and is a bit trickier, but it comes with slightly less risks and you can get done with basic tools and average sockets.

 

[CaptainR]

I recommend the air box method. It takes longer and is a bit trickier, but it comes with slightly less risks and you can get done with basic tools and average sockets.

Every time I mess with an airbox in a car something gets messed up with the MAF sensor.

 

[LV2FIX]

As long as you know the idiosyncrasies of the Escape wipers and what to do if something goes wrong with the alignment. A puller may be required to remove the wipers too (or maybe that's just the Valencia built models using slightly different wipers?)

There are YouTube videos on the two approaches. I plan to purchase a Motorcraft AGM from the Dealership and doing it myself. I will attach the Youtube video from Haynes which is to remove the airbox. I purchased a new negative battery cable and two 50 Amp fuses to install with the battery.
My 2017 2.0L Ti. has the original battery (7yrs/88,000) and the Auto Start/Stop has been disabled by the system because of attempted restarts with low battery voltage.
The wipers come off pretty easy if you flip them up to reduce tension and wiggle as you pull. The windshield should have alignment marks stenciled for the wiper position when reinstalling.
How to Replace the battery on the Ford Escape 2001 - 2017 - YouTube

 

[murcod]

The wipers come off pretty easy if you flip them up to reduce tension and wiggle as you pull.

Like I said- not on mine. Don't forget you're directly wiggling/ levering on the shaft of an electric motor too- be careful.

 

[modestojim]

My Escape is 6 years old and still on the original battery. I've been pondering replacing the battery before winter.
I think it would be prudent considering the battery service life is probably 6 to 7 years. The other thing is the complexity of changing out this battery. It looks to be labor intensive and somewhat of a surgical procedure. In my younger years I would've taken on this task, but due to arthritis and aging, I'll have to have it done at a shop. I would welcome any thoughts, input from the gearheads here in the forums. Is there a particular type, brand of battery that should be considered? Thank you for your thoughts.

It took me about a half hour to change my battery and I'm 80 years old. The hardest part was picking that thing up off the the bed of my truck.

 

[dilbertescape]

Every time I mess with an airbox in a car something gets messed up with the MAF sensor.

I prefer the cowl method. It's a little more cumbersome upfront, but you get full access to the battery and all the connections from above. A side benefit is it gives you a chance to clean junk out of the cowl vents when you have it off.

 

[jpohlman]

So, what is the dealer method of the battery replacement? Air box, or wiper cowl???

The method in the first release of the 2013MY service manual was to to go through the cowl, this was changed to the airbox method just prior to the release of the shop manual for the 2014MY and it hasn't been revised since.

 

[CaptainR]

Like I said- not on mine. Don't forget you're directly wiggling/ levering on the shaft of an electric motor too- be careful.

yeah - as I implied, my wipers were a bear to remove. The techs on you tube make it look easy, but they have no doubt done this 20 or 50 times.

 

[jpohlman]

First time I did our 2014 Ti it took a bit of work.
I put anti seize compound in the shafts and the next time was much, much easier.

 

[kfh000]

6 year life is about it here in MI on any battery. You generally don't find out until the first cold snap that your battery is kaput. I change mine prophylactically every 6 years. For those getting 4.5 years or so what climate are you in? At one time you could get N or S batteries for northern or southern states. I did have to replace my AGM on my 2019 ti right after I bought it used. Only indication was Start Stop only worked after driving 100 miles and then for 1 day.

Kfh000

 

[markwb]

Just live with it- there's nothing to say your battery is about to die and leave you stranded.

There's a fuel saving system that limits battery charging (by turning off the alternator to decreasing drag on the engine), then you've got start/ stop cutting the charging to it when you're stationary and a complex BMS which controls it all. So the battery is under a lot of strain. You could top up the charge with a charger and S/S will probably work again for a while- then you'll be back to where you are now. I wouldn't waste money rushing out to buy a new battery. Ford only had to make these systems work when the vehicle was new- to meet mandated average fleet fuel consumption requirements. If you can get the battery replaced free under warranty somehow go for it.

Most likely the BMS is just registering the SOC (State of Charge) level of your battery is below the required level for S/S to function. It could also be a combination of parameters like the battery age being involved in the decision.

PS: Keeping the battery topped up with a smart charger is a good idea to prolong it's life. Anytime a lead acid battery is left partially charged sulphur deposits will be building up on the plates- which is bad.

Where did you learn all the technical details on BMS? Are you a Ford Co. electrical engineer? I was wondering about the device hanging on the negative battery cable. Is it a current transducer or shunt for measuring battery current?

 

[murcod]

Where did you learn all the technical details on BMS? Are you a Ford Co. electrical engineer? I was wondering about the device hanging on the negative battery cable. Is it a current transducer or shunt for measuring battery current?

From reading through the WSM for the Escape, but I have worked in the aviation and automotive electronics fields (which helps a lot.) The BMS on the negative battery terminal communicates via the LIN data bus so there must be a bit more in there than a simple shunt resistor.

Update: Okay, I've also found info it measures voltage, current and temperature. That data is sent over the two wire LIN bus, so that would be as digital serial data. It could still possibly contain a simple shunt resistor to measure the current, but there would also more electronics inside. @jpohlman may know what's inside it to measure the current?

 

[markwb]

Thank you!

 

[wiz043]

I prefer the cowl method. It's a little more cumbersome upfront, but you get full access to the battery and all the connections from above. A side benefit is it gives you a chance to clean junk out of the cowl vents when you have it off.

Yeah, I used a toothbrush and vacuum cleaner to clean out the cowl vents recently and it took forever.

 

[dilbertescape]

yeah - as I implied, my wipers were a bear to remove. The techs on you tube make it look easy, but they have no doubt done this 20 or 50 times.

I can say that my wipers came off without much trouble. Thankfully I didn't need wiper pullers or any trickery to get them off. I don't know if it's corrosion, or slightly different parts, or what that causes all the trouble for others.

 

[KY.BORN]

The method in the first release of the 2013MY service manual was to to go through the cowl, this was changed to the airbox method just prior to the release of the shop manual for the 2014MY and it hasn't been revised since.

I forgot I have the '17' shop manual too, and it shows the Air Box way also...What I cant figure out when you unlatch the fuse panel, does it actually fold down flat so you just slide the battery out after disconnecting the cables and support bracket??..

 

[jpohlman]

Doesn't really just fold flat, you have to slide it upwards out of the battery compartment, then push it down flat to slide the battery out.
It's really not surprising that people get cracked Mega fuses when they do it if they get a little rough taking things apart and putting them back together.
The cowl method the biggest thing is making sure the wiper stalk on the column is completely down before you start and that you take the arms off with a minimal amount of rocking so that you don't dig into the circuit board inside the wiper motor.

 

[markwb]

I forgot I have the '17' shop manual too,

Where did you get your shop manual?

 

[j.wiltrout1972]

Just live with it- there's nothing to say your battery is about to die and leave you stranded.

There's a fuel saving system that limits battery charging (by turning off the alternator to decreasing drag on the engine), then you've got start/ stop cutting the charging to it when you're stationary and a complex BMS which controls it all. So the battery is under a lot of strain. You could top up the charge with a charger and S/S will probably work again for a while- then you'll be back to where you are now. I wouldn't waste money rushing out to buy a new battery. Ford only had to make these systems work when the vehicle was new- to meet mandated average fleet fuel consumption requirements. If you can get the battery replaced free under warranty somehow go for it.

Most likely the BMS is just registering the SOC (State of Charge) level of your battery is below the required level for S/S to function. It could also be a combination of parameters like the battery age being involved in the decision.

PS: Keeping the battery topped up with a smart charger is a good idea to prolong it's life. Anytime a lead acid battery is left partially charged sulphur deposits will be building up on the plates- which is bad.