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We had a complete electrical failure while driving in our 2003 Escape 2.0L and it was diagnosed that the alternator was faulty, putting out 12V at idle but up to 15-16V when the engine was revved.
It now has a replacement alternator which is maintaining the battery at a reliable 14.6V (OEM spec range is between 14.4V-14.8V) and everything seems to be normal, but the battery light on the dash won’t go out.
The garage that did the work suggested that it might be due to ECU damage caused by the old alternator going over-volt, but I figured that a voltage spike to the ECU would have caused significantly more damage than simply leaving the battery light on?
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Some makes and models are picky as far as replacement alternators playing nicely with the software to shut off the light. If you got a cheap reman unit installed it could very well be the case.
As far as ECU or gauge module damage from a voltage spike, it’s impossible to know until you spend time diagnosing everything that could cause an issue.
After running the car for a week or so, it seems pretty clear that it’s just the fact that it’s an aftermarket alternator. Everything’s working fine, it’s charging the battery normally, but the ECU keeps turning on the battery light.
I’ll just have to live with it. The Escape was never a popular model in the UK, in fact it was only sold for three years (2001-03), so parts support is very poor. I’m not going to find any in junkyards (I’ve called around and not even specialist Ford junkyards have any Escapes) and while my local Ford dealership confirms I could still get a brand-new OEM alternator, it would cost me the equivalent of $600, which is more than half the value of the car at this point.
I strongly suspect I will be pulling the cluster out to see if I can disable the battery light… I think it’s a soldered bulb, not a replaceable one, so we’ll just have to see.
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