So we bought a new to us 04 Escape for the kid, he loves it! My question is, what's going on when I accelerate somewhat aggressively, the tach and speedo peg high and battery light comes on. It does not affect performance and gauges return to normal within a couple seconds. Any insight is appreciated! Thanks

 

I would check for bad wires that are stretched or moved by the engine moving on the engine mounts. Also check for ground cables from the engine to the body/cab which could be jumping around under acceleration.
You are losing power or ground, and possibly the gauges are pegging because they are carrying the current needed to run any accessories or the ignition, instead of a normal feed of power/ground through a wire or cable.
tom

 

It's easier than all that...

The alternator brushes are almost worn out and they're "floating" above the armature at higher RPMs.

Replace (or rebuild) the alternator.

 

I was going to go with alternator as well.

 

I don't think it's the alternator because the previous owner put one in less than a year ago (yea, I know new ones can fail too), and in my experiences when the alternator goes, it messes with everything, not just a couple gauges. Will have to check grounds then heva alt checked.

 

Connect a meter to the power point socket or something in the interior fuse panel, monitor the voltage as you drive the same way. That should tell you if it's the alternator or not.

 

It ain't a ground problem. The gauges are "resetting" because their supply voltage dropped and then came back up.

The alternator will likely test as "good" just to **** you off, but, as I said, the brushes are unable to keep in contact with the contact plates at the higher RPMs. At lower RPMs they work just fine.

I used to see this all the time on the 3.0 and 3.2 SHO engines which were high-revving by nature.

Got to your local Walmart and pick up one of these: Equus Innova 3721 Battery and Charging System Monitor - Walmart.com It will make it a lot easier to diagnose.

 

That's a pretty slick little gadget, I just may have to get one!

 

I hard wired a meter to a lighter plug and monitored mine when I was having issues. Voltage would go from 14.2V to around 10V when the RPM's hit around 2200.
Issue dissappeared when I replaced the alternator.

 

Check your fuses and relays for corrosion.

 

Read the WHOLE thread before responding. I've already identified the problem.

 

Well, looks like it WAS the alternator. Alternator died a while back and after I replaced it (major pain, by the way) the issues are gone!