Ford Escape - Battery Replacement With Cowl Off - DIY Fail
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- Опубликовано: 10 апр 2024
- In this video I have a look at a customer's 2015 Ford Escape that was towed in. The customer tried to change their own battery, but it took a turn for the worse when they tried to get the negative battery terminal off. In a previous video • Ford Escape Battery Re... I showed you how I replace the battery in these vehicles and the comment section was filled with suggestions of removing the cowl instead of removing the air cleaner housing. I thought I'd use this opportunity to show you that method and discuss one of the pitfalls you may encounter along the way.
-Enjoy!
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Really admire that you didn’t hack on the poor guy who tried to replace his battery in this really poorly designed car. Not one negative comment and none deserved in this instance. He had all the parts, bagged the fasteners, little carnage, smart enough to quit before damaging stuff. This is the #1 concern of DIY, getting over my head and towing mess to professional.
100% class, good video.
Poor design is right, and that is being kind.
This is what happens when you hire engineers right out of college with 0 real world experience.
You got to know when to hold them and you got to know when to fold them. 🤷♂️
@@BigPapa_2001no this is what happens when bean counters shortchange the engineers and tell them to “make it work” while they are staring at the impossible.
@BigPapa_2001 The only way to get experience is to get hired. I made some dumb mistakes as a new engineer. Fortunately I had an engineer as a manager and senior engineers to help catch mistakes.
A video with what looks like decent weather outside, and lawnmower man isn’t in the background making noise.
Must be the first time ever.
9:40?
He must not have the SMA video schedule memorized for this year yet. I'll bet that was HIM on the phone trying to find the info.
Instead he's hammering down a new front porch.
16:00 Lawnmower man is flying his helicopter today instead
Oh give him time ... Just give him time 😏
Ford must have heard everyone talking about how stupid the Chrysler wheel well batteries were. And they said... Hold my beer!
GM put the battery and or ECM in the front fenders years ago . But Yukons go one step further and stick it under the second seat inside passenger compartment.
yur not suposd to own a car more than the battery life these days.. i have a tdci focus. first thing i thought was... cowl.. air filter is a pain.. oh, focus is 2008, dead batt when bought as owner couldnt get under the hood. common prob. i fix. new catch, long screw driver.. then, it needed cam , crank seals, so bought all the front crap. gave to '' mechanic'', as busy at work, he fkt it.. timing.. they break rockers, nothing else.. $300 to fix. AGAIN.
@@harrywalker968you need to figure out how to type a paragraph. This makes almost zero sense..just a bunch of jumbled jibber jabber...
😅😂 facts
@@harrywalker968 No hacks. zero Fukks...
FORD. Lets use 2 wiper motors instead of 1 and throw in a computer module to monitor their indexing, we will connect this to the CAN bus so you can diagnose when your wipers through a code. What could be simpler.
Dictated by the requirement to have the arms move independently. Design decision.
Also parts cost is lower.
*throw*
Escape. Aptly named with hidden message. I certainly would want to escape all that silliness by not buying that. My wife’s Volvo has the battery in the same place, but Volvo conveniently placed an access panel for battery removal so one doesn’t have to deal with layers of panel plastic, wipers or airbox removal.
Ford, if Volvo can do it, you can do it.
Its crap
Eric kills me every time he says; "both of these Nutz," in that high pitch voice, I almost spilled my cup of coffee, 😂
What is that from? A movie?
@@TarZan49 I dont know but my kids always laugh like crazy when he says it.
@@TarZan49 I tried posting a link but it got deleted. Just Google the term - it was originally from a Dr Dre rap album, but was later even used as a presidential election candidate in 2015 by a 15 year old Iowa boy who was fed up with only the choices of Clinton or trump. That's when it really became mainstream.
You misspelled BOFADeez!🤣
I worked in environmental consulting and we always said "The solution to pollution is dilution" glad to see SMA sharing that pearl of wisdom.
That's why I pour my pollution down the drain😅
I have heard gas well people say that
As a Ford tech, I've tried battery replacement on these Escapes both ways: air cleaner removal and cowl removal. A lot of the guys in my shop disagree with me, but I find the cowl removal method so much easier.
🤷♂😎...
I can do the air box method in 30-40 min or more likely less I don't time it from just doing it so often just like intakes off a V6 toyota book is 2.6 hours I do it in 1.5 for tune ups and the likes even on mini vans but I did 20 of them in 5 weeks same with the dreaded 3.6 pentastar oil coolers that leak.
I had similar cases where I had to choose. Pulling the wipers can be tricky sometimes especially when you don't have access or not the right tools for it like I didn't had. They also very rusted together. It was often a nightmare working on this junk
thats how i do it every time when i get one i am also unfortunately a ford tech lol
@@hypocriticalharambe8274 wait are you saying it takes you 30-40 minutes to do the air box method because brother it takes me under 10 minutes to do the cowl method so i just want a lil clarification its written in a way that im not sure what you mean lol
note to self don't buy cars where you don't see battery in easy to get at location.
bmw, merc ect. you need to put the batt number, serial, into the comp, or it dont start.. plus theres a fuse on the + lead that blows if you crash.. then it calls the morgue.. for you..
@@harrywalker968 no they will start but problem is battery life will be shortened. The program is for charging voltage, it increases charging as battery ages.
@@Boga217can confirm knew of someone with an Audi that needed that and it wouldn't charge proper.
then you're not buying much these days. the harder part is resetting the BCM to let it know there's a new battery and to relearn the charge state.
65-66 Mustang has the battery tucked under the passenger side fender, oriented fore & aft, with the terminals close to the sheet metal. No problem in ordinary use but scary to charge or jump. 67-68 rotated the battery 90°, crossways to the car, to bring the terminals out where they're more accessible. And some aftermarket fabricating genius built a battery tray that has the crossways 67-68 style on top, but bolts up to the 65-66 holes underneath. I like keeping things original for the most part, but when something comes along that is a clear improvement over the original and could have been done that way in the 60's, I'm all for it.
I can't believe you cleaned the factory paint off that connection! 😱
Now it's going to start rusting the car frame from the inside out *smh*
The ridiculousness of "modern" vehicles is truly amazing.
You can thank the EPA for that
@@akshonclip Yes like the old Chrysler Sebrings take the tire off and the fender liner to even see the battery
@@akshonclip EPA is the reason we even have ECM's in vehicles, worst thing that ever happened to the auto industry. Vehicles used to have about 60 wires and now they often have 1600+.. that's 150lbs..
They must have backwards thinking engineers.
It's what keeps me going. I have a love hate with it 🤷♂️
Baking soda dissolved in warm water neutralizes out battery acid, and it will totally stop corrosion process, then flush with hot water and let air dry real well leaving all parts super clean.
Water and a brush does the same thing
@@donniev8181 no it doesn't the hidden places that brush can't reach will still be corrosive with acid residue and the baking soda acts like little scrubbers that come in contact with that residue that neutralizes it and cleans without touching it. Moisture in the air just reactivates it everytime and causes to corrode metal parts again, again, and again. Who wants to go in and scrub with brushes and work around acid with a brush. Go ahead.
You really think a solution of baking soda and water has enough neutralizing power to do all that? 😂 LET LOOSE THE ARMCHAIR EXPERTS!
@@chekelley6861Not sure where you got your Chemical degree from but apparently you missed a lot in elementary class. Baking soda does
neutralize battery acid. Find a building with a lot of books in and ask for help. Have a good day.
@@donniev8181No, it doesn't. Baking soda neutralizes the acid. Water only dilutes it.
I can’t believe you cleaned that ground with a clockwise rotation!! Grounds require a counterclockwise rotation so the pixies flow better.
Cable orientation does matter Eric. It goes by vehicle build date. Cars built on odd days the small cable goes on the bottom of the of the clamp 😂😂😂. Thanks for the video.
I use a gallon of water and a 1/4 cup of baking soda and it neutralizes the battery acid. Always have on hand in case. Great video. Thank you.
The sizzle is satisfying too
I use some ammonia solution in a spray bottle with a scrub brush to clean my battery trays, just my preference.
Good tip on the wiper position. Thanks!
Fluid Film! I went to the local HDep for some W D. And there was the Fluid Film. I got a can. Why? Because that's what Eric O uses on SMA! They should sponsor the man.
Same here!
They should 1000% sponsor him, I love fluid film but shes pricey I am sure he'd enjoy a sponsorship from them.
They did sponsor him for a while, sent him a case of cans and a couple of T-shirts.
I had never used fluid film until till I started watching SMA now I use it all the time, (imitation, flattery, ect)
As I recall, they did "sponsor" SMA some time ago. I think they gave SMA a case of product.
Coffee and Dr. O!! Thank you for the entertainment and education all in one session.
Please find a way to add your "enhance, enhance, enhance!" statement when you are enlarging the view in more of your videos please. Makes me laugh every time you say it!! Your content and knowledge is some of the best on You Tube. Thank you for doing what you do.
Many Ford vehicles have this battery terminal problem, dope slap to the engineer who designed it.
It wasn’t just one engineer, who did it, but rather a team of them who all raised their hand and said “yeah, that looks like a good idea!“… So it’s not like one engineer snuck that design into the build of the car but rather a whole team of them!
Blame it on the sales and marketing dept who give the engineering dept their priorities and who place zero value on maintainability because it doesn't sell cars.
If it is like anything else out of the engineering department, nobody in the office ever worked on cars, the one guy designed it and asked for everyone else’s opinion and the just looked and said yes that will fit! Never knowing the front of the car has to come off to change it out. Best Designs Ever.I like it in the trunk since your not giving us a real spare tire there is plenty of room!
I had a 2016 Escape. The wiper blades will automatically put themselves into the correct orientation. I could never remember which one was on top when lifting them to wash the wind screen. It will move both to the vertical position then the correct bottom one will return home first.
The original motorcraft battery is what causes this.
Regarding your discussion about conductive vs. dielectric (non-conductive) Sanchem's No-Ox-Id "A" is a conductive grease that does a great job of inhibiting corrosion. Used in power plants for decades.
A dirty windshield always helps with wiper alignment! Thanks Eric
I paint a dot on the windshield for that.
Good to see you torqued the T25 to factory specs😅
Eric O states "The solution to the pollution is dilution"... Brilliant!!! 😂😂😂
Baking soda and water for the neutralization of the acid is good too, but doesn't rhyme as well.
Respectfully... that is chemistry 101. I can think of no other phrase that is as common as it is.
Another wisdom filled adventure. Eric I am always impressed that you do your best not to dis the DYIer. It is fortunate that you have worked on many vehicles so in piecing the puzzle back together you not only make the customer happy but teach all of us arm chair mechanics a thing or two. Thanks for sharing.
The wiper position tip is useful for when you change the blades as well.
Down here in Texas, Corrosion Technologies makes a great line of products. Corrosion X HD (green can) is the product I use on my saltwater bay boat and is great for battery terminals. The regular Corrosion X (red can) is great for electronics and I spray this over my outboard power head to prevent corrosion under the cowling.
Thanks for trying to protect us viewers from ourselves.
Eric, glad I don't own that unit but your tutorial is the bomb! My 90s Nissan pickup and Camry sedan let you look right at the battery and replace by removing hold down and cables! Phew!
One thing you can look at also on that style of wiper system is to reference the windshield or windscreen for the folks across the pond. Most now come with wiper position marks on the bottom either dots or slash marks in them. I've installed autoglass for 30yrs now and those marks have been a godsend on the more modern vehicles especially the ones like these with independent motors
Eric,
I have used the baking soda and water routine (as a tech, owner, and Teacher/trainer for over 50 years (It is the best method). There should have been a hole that the tab on the negative ground point is attached. Looks like the bolt went in at an angle. As they say "just saying"! I too like to clean off the ground points, but I cover it with a thin film of dielectric over it to reduce oxidation chances, especially with current monitoring.
I say the customer took a fit on that battery 😂I usually do it by taking air cleaner out, but the cowl method lets you clean all the leaves and such out. Thanks for the tip on wiper arms did not know that. Lucky I do it the way you said anyway 😂❤ Good show. Nose pickin joke was hilarious dude😂😂
I have to thank you for a tip. I was changing blades on my mower and one would not come loose. First was the WD40. No go. Then I remembered your trick of applying heat. A couple of minutes with a canister of MAP gas and the nut turned right off. Thanks. I would have been stuck without this trick.
Its amazing what heat can do for a stuck fastener. Or any rust welded metal surfaces!
Oh man, my brother and I are experts now removing the cowl and battery on a 2014 Escape(same setup). We were helping a friend with a clunking that they were told from the dealer was the suspension and cv axles.
We replaced the struts, rear shocks and CVs. Turned out to be the motor mounts...which requires a lot of the same work you showed including removing the cowl, battery and tray, etc. 😂
Whooda thunk back in the day that someone would need to have an instruction on changing a battery. Battery was on a shelf on the firewall. Battery current sensor...nahhh. I have a battery spray that I've had for decades that was meant to be sprayed on the terminal before you put the cable on. Thanks for all the vids Mr. O.
If you pull the air cleaner box you get to check your air filter at the same time. Which is a really huge bonus, well maybe not huge. LOL.
My trucks 20yo. Been applying Fluid Film as a undercoating and filling electrical connections for the last 11 years. ZERO complaints. And I do live in NW PA. Love that you use it daily.
Eric, my favorite feature of your videos is that when there is something to watch out for, you mention it. Not knowing about the wiper motors, I would have been the guy who ended up slamming them under the hood! Your sense of humor is great, the first time I heard audibilize the "click-click" on the battery cable, I laughed out loud. Keep it up my man. Best instructional vids on the Tube!
You are one of the best for how to info brother I've been watching your videos since day one and hopefully for a long time to come
Mr O is a stud
Great video. FYI: Ford has a policy that when a connection to a body part is being used for an electrical connection, the Bold must be welded into the body/frame. That way you do not have to depend on the sheet metal. The nut or bolt welded to the body will make an electrical connection for ever. There is no need to take the paint off, and expose the body to rust.
You share so much with the rest of us. Thank you for all you share with us.
I have Ford Escape SUV 2015 and I did my own battery change, not so hard when You know what to do and have proper tools. Thanks for this video, always nice to see professional mechanic working.
Good job, Eric! I still think it's easier to remove the airbox and the front of the battery box (power distribution panel), than dismantling the cowling.
good information, although we don't buy Fords, the wiper thing is a good heads up;
Good Job Boss.
The LORD Bless you and yours.
Awesome tip on the wiper arms. Had not encountered that type yet but will be watching out for it now. Wiper arm accidents cause the some of the worst heartache because in hindsight they are preventable. Opened the hood with the wiper arms flipped up and missing wipers and cracked a windshield once and felt terrible afterwards.
Long time subscriber. Thanks for minimizing commercials
Yeah, I learned that FoMoCo wiper blunder the hard way on my Focus. Had to remove wiper arms/cowl to replace the CAT/Exh manifold assembly. Must have “adjusted” the arm position 3x before figuring out the key on mojo. Now we know. 🙂
Great video. Thanks for sharing an alternative repair
As usual the consummate teacher...Thank you for caring to properly teach us the right way!! Keep it up Mr. O...looking for the next video!
Great information on the wiper alignment.
Happy Friday Mr O thanks for a new upload
Learned something new, thanks Eric O 👍
It's great seeing both ways to get to the battery. Thanks!
I have a 2016 Escape with an aging battery. Very good information today. The only thing that would make it better would be a cameo by Mrs. O. Thanks Eric.
Thanks for the video Eric. My Granddaughter has one of those.
What great job explaining how to do it in simple easy to understand terms! I know it will help other DIYSer's to do this unpleasant change with a lot more confidence. Thank you!😄
Nice of you to not rag on Mr DIY. Kudos to him for knowing when he's in over his head.
I agree with that viewpoint to avoid dielectric grease before making the connection, and was surprised to see there is ongoing debate about that. Advocates for putting dielectric grease on before will say that water has a way of penetrating crevices, and once there it tends to stay and dissolve salts to start galvanic reactions. Then crusty salts tend to draw in moisture by osmotic effects. They'll say that the physical contact of clean threads together reliably push grease out of the way to always get a good connection. There's no doubt that the grease will fill those void crevices much more completely if it's put on before. So I guess I can understand their point of view, corrosion can start deep inside and works its way out.
Nice job Mr O.
Good deal for doing the battery in my wife's 2018 Escape. Thanks for the wiper tips.
I am very grateful for the wiper arm information. I had no idea. But I also do mark them before they come off just like you said.
Nice explanation learned more gain today !
The airbox removal method is SO much more DIY friendly! There's a lot of "weird knowledge" you need to get the cowl off and on again without causing damage. I'm honestly impressed that the owner managed to get as far as they did, especially with no casualties!
Of course you apply dieleftric grease *before* putting the connector on. The grease gets squeezed out where there is metal-on-metal contact but remains in any gaps and voids where corrosion would otherwise start.
I live in Chicago, I’m not a scientist. However whatever they mix with the salt doesn’t care about your grease.
Man I wish I knew about the wiper thing when I changed the battery on my friends escape. We fought with it for quite some time.. Ended up just falling into the solution.
Another great video !! I was one of those cowl off guys. Although I did say that neither way looked super easy. I didn't know that your way was the Ford recommended way ! Anyway I traded mine in before I had to do that task. Thankfully my escape was pretty much trouble free for the time I owned it. I looks like your way is the safer one. If those wipers don't go on right, It looks like they can cause some damage.
Eric O, this is a perfect example of why we need to test batteries in our bays so our customers don't go through what you did. I've seen too many shops that don’t feel the need to test customers' batteries when they come in for service. They all want a battery consignment in their shop for when a customer comes in with a dead battery, but the majority of the batteries on their consignment expire or end up sitting there collecting dust. Those who do not understand battery terminals would just cut off the end and put one of those quick-fix battery connectors. Some shops don’t realize that some manufacturers no longer place the battery underneath the hood. Now, it takes time to replace the battery and may require charging the customer accordingly, as well as possible resets with a scan tool, depending on the manufacturer. According to Interstate, AutoZone is starting to pose a threat to independent garages when it comes to battery sales.
Great video Eric. I saw the previous video on replacing the battery on a ford escape and in my opinion and that's seems way easier. The goal is work smarter not harder.
“Welcome back to South Main Auto channel, where we show you yet ANOTHER video on why you should NOT buy a Ford!!”
Yes Mr. O, this is another great video and a prime example of why you shouldn’t buy a Ford vehicle! Another phenomenal job Eric!! Also, a big thank you to Mrs. O for “dragging that ford into the shop” for Eric to swap out the power box on this ford.
All jokes aside brother, I really Appreciate all the content and your great humor as well!! The best way to wake up in the morning is a big cup of coffee and a new video from SMA with a cameo from the beautiful Mrs. O in the shop!! Great stuff brother!!
God bless~
They’re ALL crap now.
@KSMike1 especially when they're broken.
You’re the Best. Aaron from Canada
Great info about those wipers. Thanks for the video as always
Nice job you know you stuff about those that was pretty cool to see that all go back together
I have done this a few times on a 2013 Eco bust. Once fixing the between the engine and firewall coolant line leak. And another doing struts.
really good info, thanks
Just done a Ford Focus here over the pond , air box out every time for me , the small plastic piece goes in the battery tray at the back when the car has a small battery , good old Ford wiper motors , caught many people out 😂, good explained video 📹 Eric 👍👍
Eric, it’s funny you said “the solution to pollution is dilution“. As you perhaps already know, we are a big tow company here in the state of California. We remove “stolen vehicles“ out of the California Aquaduct that stems from Northern California to southern California at about 50 to 60 feet Deep. The reason why I’m bringing this up is because they actually do use those words when it comes to the oils that are coming out of those cars. It’s actually in there operation manual and it state. “the solution to pollution is delusion”. I thought you would get a kick out of it. Ron
I seem to recall that Ms. Frizzle of the Magic School Bus animated kids series uttered these words in one of the episodes back in the 1990s. Funny what you remember from when your kids were growing up!
Good tip on the ford wiper set up.
Hello Mr O,
the peace of plastic you found at the beginning is a standoff that fit in the bottom of the batteritray.
I have changed my battery about 2 Month ago. In Germany we call this model Ford C-Max. I have a version with start-stop funktion.
Therefor i need a bigger battery an the Standoff on the bottom seams to be like a placeholder of some kind.
Greatings from Germany.
Reading the comments is some pretty good entertainment. Thanks Eric.
Thanks! Really appreciate these videos.
Nice!
Enjoying your videos!
Thank you SMA
LV the hidden secret messages he does! Hope the masses pickup on them!
Thanks for the tip I did not know about the wiper hoke poke.
More than one way to "skin a cat". Mr. O giving us the alternatives. What a guy! Always enhancing our knowledge. No wonder we watch SMA videos.
Great video! Very educational.
Thanks for the info, Eric. Very good video thank you
Great info on wipers👍
Groovy
Learned something on an over engineered POC
Thanks man
Hope you had a great weekend either practicing with your bow with the missus or a cooking class with venison
This isn't related to this video but, I need to thank you for teaching the basics. Help me figure out a problem I had with my 2010 T&C. Still have one issue to work out with not comm to the anti-lock brakes. Will use your methodology and hopefully get it done.
I despise how in-the-way the cowl is on 2010s era Fords, but I love how the wiper motors act independently of one another instead of being hooked up with a transmission. Easily one of my favorite parts of my 2018 FoST. Accessing the battery and the brake fluid reservoir on the other hand I have some pretty strong words over.
Thanks Eric. Love your sense of humor. Once again great engineering FORD. Don’t even think about the kid at Advance does this job. Enjoy your evening.
Excellent video. Thank You
Good video on the battery replacement, it seems like the COWL method is the way to go. Great tip on wiper mounting I never knew. This really points out how lame the Engineering is at Ford or the last 10 years. I recently replaced the evaporator core on an 2016 Fusion, that required removing the whole dash and both front doors, from videos the Escape has the same design, I think the doors might be easier to take off than a Fusion. They should have the Ford Engineers try to repair the stuff they design to see how much extra work this stuff becomes from these designs. I suppose its all designed that way to force many to take it to the stealership for repair, THe dealer out here in AZ wanted $3500 to replace the evaporator core, I was able to do it but being just a backyard DIY I don't think I will do that one again. I'm really more in the Ford camp than GM, but I can see why you are more familar with GM's, another day another Chevrolet to pay your way and your sons way through college. I just signed up for a membership today to watch the 3.0 Fusion coil video, well worth the money looking forward to more future exclusive videos.
This is an inside argument at our shop and has been for 3 years. One guy will try and “all data says”, I stick with then why is the negative cable long enough for you to slide it out, and a third will come up
With nonsense.
I can’t believe he didn’t clean that. 😊. Love you Mr O
I would love to get the story of the 1st mechanic and what he did to the engineer, which makes them hate us so much. Great job as usual. Stay safe and God bless
Great info..
What a great video, thanks for sharing.
I learned something today. About wipers of all things. I probably would have figured it out though. I tend to try and move the arms after installation just to make sure I got them seated on the shaft correctly.
Awesome video thanks