Replacing the alternator?

There are two different engines for this car here is a guide to help you walk you through the steps when doing the job with diagrams below to show you on your car (below)

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-replace-an-alternator

The diagrams below show how for both engine are below. It doesn't look like you need to remove the drive axle but some say you do so it must be tight fit.

1. With the vehicle up on ramps, remove the black plastic splash shield from underneath the right side of the engine. It's held on by about 5 M8 bolts, and one Phillips head screw.

2. Remove the serpentine belt. With the cover off, from underneath you can put a 1/2" drive socket into the tensioner pulley, crank it to the side with one hand while you unloop the belt around one of the pulleys with the other.

3. So far I've found 2 M13 bolts that go from the rear into the engine block. The top one you can just barely get at blindly from above. The second one is below and you can just barely get a socket on it wedging between the 1/2-shaft and front sub-frame.

4. There are (3) M13's holding the alternator, two on bottom, one on top, but I wasn't sure if/how I could get the alternator out and around the 1/2-shaft once I did get the thing un-bolted. I don't know if you have to take that out to remove the alternator or not.

5. Put the alternator aside, as you will not be able to remove it. You must next unbolt the metal bracket to which the altenator mounts. (There are either 2 or 3 bolts holding this mounting bracket, I can't recall). Once you remove the bracket, you can then remove the alternator.

6. When chaning the alternator, it is a good idea to also change the serpentine belt.

Tried the above, but found that the alternator cannot be removed after the above bracket is removed. The right side half-shaft must be removed in order to create a big enough hole to get the alternator out.

Do all of the above and then:

The 32mm nut that assembles the half-shaft to the spindle must be removed, the pinch bolt holding the ball joint must be removed, and the 2 nuts holding the half-shaft bearing must be removed.

Pry the ball joint out of the spindle, pull the spindle off the half-shaft, and then pull out the half-shaft. Then the alternator, when held in exactly the correct position, will come out the hole created by the half-shaft removal.

Check out the diagrams (Below)

Please let us know if you need anything else to get the problem fixed.

Cheers, Ken

I'm not sure of your question. Do you need help with something?

It sounds like a dead battery. Was the battery tested? Was the alt tested before it was replaced?

That happens. Let me know if you have other questions in the future.

Joe

Verify the year that your vehicle was manufactured. 2001 was the first year that Ford started selling Escape model.

I would first of all purchase a service manual for it such as Haynes 36022

and follow the recommended/required maintenance for the mileage that you have. You may also want to ask your friend what has been done, maintenance-wise) to the vehicle lately.

Always follow the recommendation of what to be done or what part to be replaced. Maintain, don't wait until something break than scramble to fix.