Replacing corroded battery part

My daughter has a 1998 Escort ZX2 2.0 4 cyl. When it wouldn't start recently, a friend looked in it and saw that the battery had leaked and corroded through some wires. He pulled out the part that needs to be replaced - a little black plastic box about the size of a spool of thread but flat/square; it has three yellow things on the end that look like little telephone plugs, and two red plastic covers of some kind. (Hope I'm not losing you with these technical terms!)

Three local parts stores said we have to get a replacement through the dealer. The dealer says the part is $300 and will cost $200 to put in. Ouch! I'd like to look for another option - maybe a used part? - but don't know where to look or even what the proper part name is. Someone thought it was a "voltage regulator" but I don't know.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

My daughter has a 1998 Escort ZX2 2.0 4 cyl. When it wouldn't start recently, a friend looked in it and saw that the battery had leaked and corroded through some wires. He pulled out the part that needs to be replaced - a little black plastic box about the size of a spool of thread but flat/square; it has three yellow things on the end that look like little telephone plugs, and two red plastic covers of some kind. (Hope I'm not losing you with these technical terms!)

Three local parts stores said we have to get a replacement through the dealer. The dealer says the part is $300 and will cost $200 to put in. Ouch! I'd like to look for another option - maybe a used part? - but don't know where to look or even what the proper part name is. Someone thought it was a "voltage regulator" but I don't know.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

yes i have seen what your tallking about you can go used from a junk yard but also can resplice the wires (if that works in your situation) I checked into a negitive cable one time for my '99 and was 200. I couldnt imagine paying that much.

If you were able to remove the part with relative ease then I certainly wouldn't pay $200 to have it put back in. Gotta watch these dealers! :evillol:

If you were able to remove the part with relative ease then I certainly wouldn't pay $200 to have it put back in. Gotta watch these dealers! :evillol:

Thanks, Nova & Tumbleweed! We ended up taking the car to a local service center (not the Ford dealer) and they replaced the battery and made the repairs - all for about $200 total. Thanks goodness for honest, reliable mechanics!