Maybe one day soon walmart will start carrying group 65 agm's

 

I put a Batteries Plus X2 Power AGM battery in my Escape about 4 or 5 years ago.

The local B+ store didn't have the correct size for the Escape. But I was not going to leave there without a battery, and I was not going to buy a battery unless it was AGM, and I was not going to buy an AGM battery unless it was the thin plate pure lead type made by Enersys (Northstar and Enersys are the same company, who make the X2 Power battery as a private label offering exclusive to Batteries Plus).

So I got a measuring tape, and determined one more thing that I was not going to do: I was not going to cut the original battery tray.

Game on.

I noted the available length and width between undulating stiffeners on the bottom of the battery tray, and I noted the available length/stretch of the positive and negative battery cables between their last attachment point of restraint and their terminals.

Back in the B+ store, I noted the orientation of the positive and negative terminals of each TPPL AGM battery they had in stock, keeping my available cable length in mind. Then I started measuring battery height, width, and length.

Don't quote me on this, but I think that I landed on a Group 35 battery, which actually was bigger, with higher CCA, as well as longer reserve minute capacity, than the OEM battery size (which I now forget what it was). Your Escape is a lot newer than mine, and is based on the European Ford Kuga platform, whereas my Escape is based on the Mazda Tribute platform. So we may have different OEM battery sizes.

But I didn't care what the OEM battery size was. I wanted the clean, acid spill free, out gassing free, worry free experience of TPPL AGM batteries that I have enjoyed in my larger vehicles... to be replicated in my smaller vehicles too. So I bought the Group 35, popped that baby in there, and haven't looked back, except to mention this to you just now.

So don't feel that you have to stick to a 96R if you can find another Group size with the same terminal orientation that will fit in the tray, under the closed hood, between the hold down bracket, and offers equal or greater Cold Cranking Amp and Reserve Minute Capacity.

 

Yes sir, this is my proposed course of action. Take measurements of the allotted space and go from there. The 2016 Escape has the battery conveniently (sarcasm) located under the cowl that holds the windshield wipers. Just another reason to identify a "good" battery that will last a while.

I believe I have a spreadsheet on hand with battery dimensions when I performed a similar search in the past for another vehicle.

 

my neighbor lady has the same car, battery dead.
I changed it out, and the Entertainment Console refused to boot up,
it goes into Microsoft Windows bootup, asking for a USB keyboard, but no place to plug in a USB key... ???

she lost the whole kit and kaboodle, the Gauge Cluster still works, she was not going to pay $2500 to replace the console.

later, I found out, you must provide Power to the battery cables to keep the console alive, while you change the battery out...

guess that didn't really matter, as the battery was down to 4 volts...

 

The USB ports are in the center arm rest console, there are two of them. I used the ports a few years ago to update the firmware on the infotainment system after we inherited the vehicle from my mother.

I changed the battery for her just before she got sick and never had an issue with the infotainment system going dark after disconnecting the battery. I think I have one of those 9v battery adapters to plug into the cigarette/power port laying around.

Every once in a while, like once a year the system doesn't boot up after the Ford logo appears. I cycle of the ignition has fixed this every time and it is a Ford Escape after all.

This has been a great compact SUV for us though and has even seen the mountains of WY and ID. We have zero complaints about this thing.
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on my neighbor's Escape, the sunroof leaks like a sieve....

that is the main reason, I will never, ever, buy a vehicle that has a Sunroof.

on my sister's 2010 Ford Raptor, I pulled the fuse for the Sunroof, I do NOT want that damn thing to open, ever...

 

Many new vehicles come standard with AGM now, including Super Duty trucks I think I read somewhere.

 

Saw some automotive lithium batteries with a rating of LCA instead of CCA.

 

wonder what that really means?

well, it doesn't mean anything relative to Current.

https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-di...erms-of-weight

.

and more political diatribe crapola
https://autocase.com/are-you-sure-yo...-lca-and-lcca/

 

Interestingly the Walmart Everstart Maxx group 34 FLA lasted 7 years in my Jeep TJ. It was a 5 year battery, now they are all 3 year.
I actually replaced it with an Oreilly Superstart AGM Marine battery made by East Penn Deka and is priced $90 less than the non-marine model although it is identical in every way except that it includes 2 top studs for bolt on accessories. The warranty is only a year but as the specs are identical I suspect that is only because of the abuse and resulting warranty claims on a battery that normally gets neglected. With a 20% discount for ordering online with free shipping it actually cost less than a Wally 3 year FLA. Unfortunately they don't offer it in a group 65.

For lead acid group 65 I have found Costco Interstates to be the best deal at only $124. If I felt like spending more I might go with CAT made by East Penn.

 

I don't get Li for starting batteries, they just don't make good heavy duty starting batteries IMHO. There is a very expensive one for Sprinter vans but they only have 3 liter diesel engines and the newer ones only 2 liter. Still, have not see or heard of anyone trying one on the Sprinter forum and nobody thinks they are a good idea. It will be interesting to see if there are more developments on it though. It could make battery maintainers a thing of the past.

 

Just checked on Costco site and they are now offering AGMs for our trucks. Looks like if your local doesn't have them they will ship it for $199 but I assume the extra $20 is the core charge which you get back when you bring the core to your local. That's how it was with the Oreilly AGM.

 

It just happened today that I had to replace both 4 year old lead/acid batteries on my two VW's. The only reason that I mention this and to keep it on topic is while I was reading about the differences between flooded Lead/Acid vs AGM is the AGM does much better in hot weather. Well, I now live in southern AZ and the batteries that I installed in Seattle before I drove down do just fine up to about as hot as it ever gets in Seattle. I had a pair of lead/acid batteries go 9+ years in the F550, but nothing lasts forever and I replaced them on the truck before I brought it down. They only lasted two years in AZ and sharing the same engine space as a hard working 7.3 that was giving me some overheating problems for a long time as well.
Bottom line, if you live in the sunbelt, just get the AGM.

 

I put a Costco AGM in my TDI. Have you noticed if the Tucson Costco stores carry the group 65 AGMs yet? They didn't have them earlier this year. My Superduty is now the only vehicle we own with FLA. AGMs in 4 vehicles.

 

I didn't check, and Costco's website is set up very poorly to the point that you cannot check inventory without actually going to the store and seeing what is there. They can certainly order in what you need if they don't have it. Annoying when you live an hour's drive away like I do down in Rio Rico. I suppose an old fashioned phone call to the service desk would work just as well, LOL.