back to 2006 Escape

2025 Escape alternator:


- I'd noticed earlier that my battery voltage was a bit high, getting up as high as 14.5v, when 13.9 was normal, but I don't recall how far back, maybe a week, possibly two. Maybe just a few days?


- when I got home Tuesday evening I rolled the windows down a crack since temps were gong to be low, so the windows were working


- Wednesday morning I remote started the truck and immediately unlocked the doors remotely

- I went out to the truck about 8 minutes later. When I tried to roll the windows up, the controls didn't respond

- I looked over and noticed my radio wasn't on either

- I was thinking I might have a low battery, but how did my truck start in one attempt?

- I noticed the battery warning light on my dash, but no other lights, and both LCD displays were blank

- I looked at the voltmeter, expecting it to read very low, but I thought it was malfunctioning as it was reading 19.2 volts

- I put in my key and turned to run, then pressed the brake, to disengage the remote start but nothing changed. I thought the windows would work but they did not.

- I turned the ignition off and watched the voltmeter plummet quickly to about 14 volts, then slowly sink into the mid 13's.

- I thought the accessory power should be on for another few minutes so I tried the windows and they worked

- I turned the ignition to run and watched the voltmeter, it was still slowly dropping and was now in the low 13's. Both dash LCD displays were working and all the warning lights were testing on.

- I started the engine. the start was smooth and normal sounding, but the voltmeter jumped immediately back to 19.2 and both dashboard LCDs went blank. windows would not work. As I pondered what to do, the battery light came on.

- I decided it was unsafe to drive and shut it off, drove my Explorer to work


- when I got home Wednesday evening I checked the voltage before unlocking or opening the Escape. It read 12.3 through the window, which was low for being on solar top-off this early in the evening. (I would expect 12.5-12.8)

- I unlocked it with the remote and popped the hood. I connected a clamp-on amp meter to the two positive leads on the battery. It immediately showed -3.2 amps, probably from the interior lights.

- I briefly inspected the battery and found the top (especially by the right vent cap) was wet, and there was a little liquid visible down in the battery tray. I figured that time spent idling this morning at high voltage probably boiled a little out of the battery.

- I turned the key to accessory, noticing the dashboard LCD displays turn on. My radios turned on also, and I decided to disconnect the battery line from the charge guard to make sure my radio didn't take over-voltage during testing. I checked the amp meter again, it read -13.4 amps, probably due to the blower motor turning on. Battery voltage dropped slightly to 12.2 volts.

- I started it, and again the dashboard LCD displays turned off, and battery voltage shot up almost immediately to high 18's. I quickly checked the amp meter, but it was in overload. I switched it from the 60 amp range to the 1000 amp range and it showed +120 amps (charging).

- I quickly turned off the engine and went back to the hood to check on the battery. There was no liquid coming out of the vents, but there was a very clear hissing sound coming from the battery. It hadn't been loud enough to hear with the motor running, but it was very obvious now.




My working theory right now is that the regulator on the alternator went out (or was going out) several days ago, and the only thing holding it in check was the battery, which was getting boiled by the over-charge it was receiving. This may be why I was seeing higher than usual voltages but not over 15v yet in previous days. But come Wednesday morning, the battery had lost so much electrolyte that it couldn't hold the voltage down, leading to my discovery of the problem.

The battery that's in it I bought in Nov 2022, in anticipation of problems I was having with the battery in the Escape. In Dec of 2022 the alternator finally popped and J&J replaced it. ($1,077) After that I swapped in the new battery since the old one had been deeply discharged and was doing pretty poorly.

I anticipate the alternator's regulator is bad (or somehow has a bad connection to vehicle ground - bad ground strap somewhere maybe?) The battery is serviceable, but I don't know if refilling the electrolyte will recover it enough to avoid needing to be replaced. I know electronics in general, but my understanding of the specifics of automotive electronics is limited.


2025.04.17 had Escape towed to J&J due to overcharging. Was hoping it was still doing it when the tow came but the battery was down to like 4.5v.

2025.04.22 picked up Escape, they looked at it but couldn't reproduce the problem. They can replace the alternator under warranty but the labor is high. Elected to not have it replaced yet. Paid a bit for diagnostics.


2025.05.06 (est) dropped off Escape for brake work

2025.05.08 picked up Escape

2025.05.21 (est) overvolt again, forget when, maybe during drive home and decided to drive it in after I got home. (or was it another tow?) Checked in for alternator swap. Also discussed water leak, confirmed leaking water pump. Approved both repairs

2025.06.02 picked up Escape I think a few days after they called saying it was done. Big bill for alternator swap (lifetime warranty, but had to pay labor) and water pump replacement. They replaced the alternator under warranty though they weren't ever able to observe the alternator problem. I don't know if they believe me or think I'm imagining things.

2025.06.11 (est) started Escape when leaving HCC, 18v. called J&J and let them know it was doing it again and I was going to try to drive it in so they could see it. Drove carefully to J&J and they were waiting for me. Battery was sizzling like bacon. Jay doesn't have a current meter and I don't have mine with me, but he puts his meter on it and it was reading like 17.5v idling in the bay, dashboard, turn signals, brakes, window, etc, are all disabled. It regained some dashboard lights when the voltage dropped down from idling. Finally they get to see it in action. Discussed alternator, it should just be a dumb thing that controls the charge itself, there's no lines from the computer that are involved so NO idea how I'm getting several alternators with the same problem.

2025.06.23 picked Escape back up from J&J. They spent a long time checking it out and researching but weren't able to reproduce the problem after I left. (I assume they unhooked the battery and that may be what "resets" it?) NO CHARGE, much to my shock. "I'm a good customer". (or they feel sorry for me!) They said the alternator DOES get a command from the "engine computer" to turn on, (earlier they said it does not) and that the engine computer may be the problem. Not sure if that's the "ECU" that was replaced a few years ago due to one cylinder that quit firing.

2025.07.02 started Escape when leaving HCC, looked okay, drove to UPS for a pickup. Detour at San Marnan West forced me to turn right, and radio cut out as I turned. Voltage rising above 17v. Drove carefully home. Battery wasn't sizzling as much as I was expecting, it's probably getting low on water. Got out the clamp-on current meter and tested its calibration, 1.00 amps reads 0.95 amps, good accuracy for a cheap clamp-on meter. Disconnected my radio feed from the battery and made sure the lights were all off. 3.50 amps draw on the battery, both + and - side verified. I don't see ANY draw from the 3/4" accessory bundle leading from the right fuse box. J&J said that may be a normally high draw but I'm not convinced. Gave it another quick test start and the voltage immediately went up, turned it off as it passed 17.0 volts, that seems to be the set point where the charge guard turns off my radios. Let it sit 30 minutes.

Came back and verified, still 3.50 amp draw on the battery. I wonder if the alternator is "stuck on" and that's the field windings drawing that power? Disconnected the battery for 10 sec and reconnected. Current draw now 0.35mA, much more reasonable for an idle draw on a car of this age. Started it, came up into the 13's and stabilized. Reconnected my gear but left the solar panel disconnected from the controller. Going to drive it for awhile longer with the solar disconnected and see if that stops the problem. Also going to carry a 5/8" socket wrench so I can disconnect the battery to reset it if it does it again. Might call a Ford dealership to see if they want a crack at it. I checked when they replaced the ECU, it was way back in December 2021.

MadCamel in #electronics:

"PCM controlled regulation voltage" in the alternator spec sheet. PCM = powertrain control module = computer. So you're on the right track. Your PCM could be messed up or there could be a wiring issue between the PCM and alternator
you could validate your theory by finding the correct wires and testing to see if they have voltage when the key's off
can get full wiring & location diagrams from alldata.com for $20 or find an oldschool forum of ford escape owners, someone usually has an electronic service manual to share
pcm=ecu. But.. let's not start with wild theorys. Start with the basics. Find a way to know when it's in the high-draw condition. Remove fuses and relays one at a time until the high draw stops. That will point you in the right direction.
do the pcm/ecu fuse last
Yeah that makes sense. It doesn't like overvoltage. But throw assumptions out the window, start with the basics, where is that weird draw coming from? This whole thing could be as simple as a bad ground somewhere or a rodent chewed wire.
You said your PCM was replaced. It would be worth taking a careful look at the connectors that plug in to it. Maybe one of the pins isn't quite right. But #1 thing to do first is the fuse pull test.

2025.07.09 9:26am had to pull battery as I was leaving hawkeye. solar panels were NOT connected to the main power's controller. Then it did it again like 15 minutes later as I was pulling out of UPS

2025.07.19 drive to Mingo and back. 87 miles, 1.5 hours. Alternator flipped out EIGHT times on the way there, with intervals ranging from 5 to 20 minutes between episodes. One of the incidents on the way down I said "I can't believe I might make it without another one", and it flipped TWO SECONDS LATER like it heard me. On the way back I needed to stop for gas, and it flipped about a mile from the station, and then no problems for the entire 80 minute drive home thankfully.




last updated 07/20/2025 at 12:58:14 by make_www_index.command version 2025.06.28.A