2001 Escape XLT - Battery not holding charge...pls help
 

I recently bought a 2001 Escape XLT 3.0. It has about 127,000 miles on it. The truck was runnig fine for about two weeks then it died on me. The other morning after I started the car I noticed that the dashboard lights were out, however the truck seemed to be running fine. After about 20-25 minutes of driving the truck started to lose power. My turn signals lights were really dim, the radio started to cut on and off, and the truck wouldn't go faster than 10-15 mph. After about 2-3 minutes I was able to drive faster but the lights and radio were still not coming on. Once I got to work I noticed that my headlights were also really dim. When I turned the truck off and tried to restart, it just starts clicking rapidly. I went back out to my truck later on while on break and the truck started but again no dashlights/radio and after it started you could hear the truck losing power/charge. My dad changed the alternator to no avail. He says the truck starts but the battery wont hold the charge.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I bought this truck preparing for the birth of my 2nd child. I really can't afford for this to be something really expensive to fix. Please help ...Thank You

Have the battery tested. Simply sounds like a bad battery to me.

Had a battery go dead in my old '97 Ranger. I felt a thud while leaving my house going to work but thought that I let the clutch out too fast. Sitting in the parking lot listening to radio which started to sputter, door locks were cycling ON/OFF and interior lights wouldn't work and no restart of course. Ford Roadside Service jumped me later but after work, no start again. Installed a battery in the parking lot helped by a friend.

A battery can develope sulphate shorts between the plates which blow off or come and go causeing all kinds of weird problems.

Just went through a battery/alternator saga on a GM vehicle. Trying to charge a bad battery after a jump start can cause a weak alternator to go. Not sure if I ever heard of this before but I sure know now and will remember next time. This battery was on a float charger and the indicator light was blinking green as it should.

This battery would charge up but fall flat with the load from the starter on it. Battery problems can be strange!

Test the alternator, your having an alternator problem

The alternator has been replaced and the battery charged and the problem still persist. The truck starts fine when the battery is charged but the dashboard lights & gauges do not work. The truck will run ok until the battery loses it's charge then it craps out.

Could this still be a battery problem? Should I buy a new one first or could it be something else? Fuse? something electrical? I don't know much about this stuff. My dad is a mechanic and is trying to figure out what's wrong.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Have you taken the battery in for testing, as suggested in the very forst reply? Just becuase it will charge does not mean it's good. As soon as a load is put on it it could drop from 14v down to 0 in a mtter of seconds.

And you also have the alternator tested to see if it is indeed working. I had to put 3 new ones in before one would work.

Asking a question is one thing, but asking it again after someone has given you solid suggestions that you won't follow is just plain rude.