Weird issues with the Escape:

- Drove from Houston to San Antonio last night - no issues.

- Checked into the hotel and then after about an hour went out to grab some dinner. Hit the key and no start - very slow turnover but not enough to start. Thought it was probably the battery.

- Went out in the morning figuring I’d need a jump. Hit the key on a lark and it starts right up! Drove around to a few jobs and it started every time.

- Got on the road to head back to Houston and stopped for lunch in Seguin. Hop back in the car after eating and same thing - slow turnover and no start.

- Got a jump start and drive back to Houston with no issues. Tried the car again after a few hours sitting in the driveway and it started fine.


So what do you geniuses think it might be - starter? The reason I hesitate to say this is because of the slow turnover - if it was the starter I’d think it just wouldn’t turnover at all?

Battery? The reason I hesitate to say this is that my experience has been that when the battery goes, it goes and that’s it.

Thoughts.....???

 

The first thing I would check is the battery connections.

 

Followed by the charging circuit and the battery itself.

It would help if you explicitly identified your "Escape".

 

With the engine running and you think the battery should be fully charged, put a volt meter on it. 13.8 absolute dead bottom of the range with 14.2 more desirable. If it's less, you're about to replace the alternator. It appears that it is having the issue after the engine is allowed to heat sink. If the battery is weak or has an open cell, it will cause this same issue. Since you carry tools anyway, I'd have a volt meter ready when on the road to check the voltage when it drags the starter. My money is on a bad battery.

 

How bright are your other lights? I have seen where battery cables wear. The heat from the running engine makes the cable expand and also limits the current carrying ability. Take your multimeter and measure the resistance on both cables when the engine is cold and when you have a no start.

 

It could be the starter - starting to break down under heat. The first thing to do after checking all the cables and connections is drive it over to a parts store and get the battery and alternator load tested in the parking lot. Rule those out first.

 

Checked the battery cables this morning and they looked pretty good - probably better than about 90% of the vehicles on the road. Gave them a touch-up anyway and filed it under the “can’t hurt to try” category.

FYI - started up fine this morning and so far I only seem to have the issue after the vehicle has been out on the road and running for awhile - thus heat buildup in the engine compartment?

When I get a chance over the next day or so I’ll run it down to O’Reilly’s and get the battery and alternator tested.


FYI - 2005 Escape with the 3.0 V6 and about 191k on the odometer. New battery about a year ago, new alternator at the same time, factory starter.

 

Looking at the cables will only tell you if there's corrosion on the terminals. The internal part of the cables will break down over time. The jacket will cover the damage and make it impossible to check. A check of the cable's resistance is the only way to verify they are ok. They should have almost no resistance at all.

 

Sounds like a starter to me. The insulation on the windings gets worn and when it builds up heat, it try's to short out, making it drag when it turns. After cooling down, it will turn freely.

 

Looks like the starter - battery tested great, cables showed virtually no resistance, and it can’t be the alternator given how much I drove it with lights, AC, and radio with no issues. Can’t think of anything else it would be and I guess with 191k on the factory starter it would hardly be surprising......

 

Well, I took my first trip with the Escape after replacing the starter over the weekend - no issues whatsoever either up to Dallas or back.....

Have to admit that part of me still half expected a “no start” and probably won’t feel completely comfortable with it until I get a few more long trips in the books.....

 

I bet that fixed it.

 

You can definitely tell there is a lot less “drag” in the new starter when you hit the key - probably not surprising considering the factory unit had almost 200,000 miles worth of starts in the books!

 

Im late to tbe party, but will still take all the credit for helping