Hi All, I just completed an alternator replacement on a 2002 V6, have to say it wasn't nearly as problematic as the internet would have me believe, took me 2.5hrs and I used the RH driveshaft removal method - I was working on a RHD vehicle so the brake booster and some a/c lines prevented the alternate method of the alternator being pulled up the back of the block and out. Incase anyone finds it useful here is the sequence I followed:

1. Loosen the big CV hub nut with the wheel on the ground, loosen wheel nuts.
2. Remove the battery
3. Jack and place two stands under the subframe crossmember
4. Remove the Front RH road wheel
5. Turn steering hard right to give best clearance for the following
6. Remove the RH plastic lower engine bay shield (3x 10mm socket)
7. Remove the brake caliper (2x 7mm Allen bolts/pins)
8. Suspend the caliber on wire from the strut/spring so the brake hose isn't put under tension
9. Turn steering hard left to give best clearance for the following
10. Remove the ABS sensor bracket bolt on the strut (10mm socket), to prevent the sensor wire being stretched/broken
11. Remove the hub nut, check the CV joint is loose in the hub
12. Remove the 2x strut-to-hub bolts (15mm socket)
13. Pull the hub towards you, push the CV joint into the hub, it should just pop clear of the hub - if not check you have the steering hard right. Check to make sure the ABS sensor wire isn't caught on anything and stretched.
14. Remove the 2x intermediate driveshaft bearing retainer nuts (2x 13mm socket) - visible along the driveshaft upper side
15. Pull the driveshaft out and put in a safe place - there is no circlip on the inner end so mine came out pretty easy.
16. Use a 3/8ths drive wrench or bar to remove tension from the drive belt - there is a 3/8ths square socket in the tensioner arm for this purpose, remove the belt from the alternator pulley and fold out of the way
17. Remove the 3 alternator mounting bolts (some cars have a stud and nut in the top location apparently but mine was 3 bolts (3x 15mm socket) Top bolt needed a long extension and wobble-joint to access, bottom bolt just a socket wrench through the driveshaft opening
18. Rotate the alternator so you can see the rear, unplug the 3-pin connector and unbolt and remove the Battery cable (10mm socket) - easy now you can see them
19. Push the alternator up out of the way
20. Remove the alternator mounting bracket from the engine block (3x 13mm socket), it comes out through the driveshaft opening
21. Bring the alternator down pulley-first through the driveshaft opening and remove

Refitting is, as they say, just reversing these steps, I check the slop in the strut-to-hub bolts and decided an alignment wasn't necessary as the affect on camber was small and consequently any toe change tiny IMHO.

I found nothing too tight for normal hand tools, I used a 15" 1/2" drive bar at most.

In summary I didn't find it too bad a job, the old alternator had a sticker on the rear dated 01/04/2002 so highly likely the original unit so 16yrs not too bad. The fault was caused by worn brushes starting to give intermittent contact and flashing alternator light on the dashboard.

Hope it helps...

 

Thanks for the write up. I've got to do this job on my daughter's 2003 Escape this weekend. Her vehicle just barely turned 100K miles. 100K miles and it needs an alternator replacement. An original alternator that can't make it past 100K miles? Perhaps old age killed it....
OTOH, my '97 F250 clicked past 250K miles this past weekend....on the ORIGINAL alternator. Of course, it's much easier to change.

 

This was my partner's daughter's car, 280,000km so around 175,000 miles probably depends on how dusty the area can be where its used, its in a good place to collect dust and water thrown up by the wheel :-(

 

Is this a 2wd or 4wd? I have a '02 4wd and removed the mentioned parts and couldn't get it out. Ended up watching a Youtube vid and tying a string to the alternator and twisted and turned it to work it out the top and back in. Was getting frustrated and almost cut an access hole in the floor!

 

 

As posted previously, I did this job back in August. Simonsi had a pretty good post about it. The only thing I want to add is that I took out the passenger side motor mount bolt located next to the engine and put a jack under the oil pan to raise the motor. This only had to be done while the alternator was being taken out and the new one being put in. Realistically, the alternator on an early V6 Escape isn't an extremely hard job, it's just somewhat time-consuming. I would recommend you replacing your alternator with a high-quality unit. I replaced mine with a Remy brand new unit that I got off of Rock Auto. I don't think you can go wrong with a rebuilt Motorcraft unit, but you must remember that a rebuilt unit has already suffered from many thousands of miles of heat, so I'm not so sure that it would last as long as the original unit. I guess that's a topic for another discussion. Another topic is replacing the alternator out the back side of the engine. In my opinion, the easiest way to go is out the side by pulling the right, front axle, but that's just me.
I will say one thing about the new, cheapie alternators that are flooding the market. About a year ago, I put on a new alternator on my Jeep that I purchased from Rock Auto. This was the brand that has three capitalized letters to it. About a month after installation, it failed on a Saturday afternoon with my son driving it, 500 miles away from me. The only place open was a Firestone store. After they installed a new alternator, they charged me $550 for the repair. Yes, I got screwed on that, but there was nothing I could do about it. The lifetime warranty on that alternator really didn't matter at that time, did it?

 

The plate was probably the issue, maybe couldn't get the bolts loose and didn't want to break them off. It's been a couple of years now, but kind of remember not being able to move the alternator forward, so that was probably my reasoning to consider cutting a hole in the floor. Still consider that an option, to make an access panel, like these Escapes have for the fuel pump. Could cut a section of floor out of a parts car and a smaller hole in the keeper. Thanks for the info!