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Ford Escort Engine Problems

24

Comments

  • mightypinonmightypinon Member Posts: 1
    i have a 1996 ford escort that just went out on me. When i was driving it, the highest speed was 40 then after awhile, it died on me...so i had it towed and now all it does is make a whining noise when i turn the key and doesn't try to start....any suggetions?
  • mstaevskimstaevski Member Posts: 4
    Hi guys,
    I have recently changed the thermostat of my 97 Escort and since then the check engine coolant light randomly turns on and off every few hundred miles. The T-gauge never shows higher temperature than normal and is working properly, neither the engine overheats. The light can stay for a minute or two and then it goes off. Or it just flashes and does not remain on all the time. Did anyone have ever had problem like this? I guess it is just a matter of loose contact or shortcut that activates the sensors.
  • oma1oma1 Member Posts: 3
    My son attempted to change my plug wires. I say attempted because he took them all off AT THE SAME TIME!!! and of course neither one of us knows which hole to plug them into. Can someone PLEASE HELP? :cry:
  • oma1oma1 Member Posts: 3
    I should tell you it's a 96, 1.9L. :confuse: :sick:
  • oma1oma1 Member Posts: 3
    Not all Escorts are loud. I have a 96 LX hatchback. Purrs like a fat cat. I love this car. It's the most beautiful shade of purple. 219,000 miles and no major problems. A little TLC goes a long way. :)
  • pawpawx5pawpawx5 Member Posts: 1
    Can anyone tell me what might be causing this escort to surge when driving along when I accelarate its starts gerking and bucking then starts loseing power then will smooth out if I back off the throttle. this car has a carburetor engine">
  • gillian1gillian1 Member Posts: 1
    Hello everyone, I am hoping for some much neede help especially in this weather.
    My 1.8 Lt turbo diesal S reg. has a heating problem. the thermostat has been changed but to no avail. the blowers are working but just blowing cold air, regardless of what setting is used. I would be grateful for any advice and help.

    thank you
    Gillian
  • mstaevskimstaevski Member Posts: 4
    Hi guys,

    I have on my 97 Escort a check engine light message that reads P1443. The book says it is Evaporative emission control system - vacuum system, purge control solenoid or vapor management valve malfunction. I had this exact error 3 years ago (at 61K miles) and had to replace the purge and flow solenoid kit. Now I have 131K miles and I assume it is the same malfunction. Could it be something else and how can I troubleshoot? What would happen if I don't replace the solenoid? Would the fuel tank pressure decrease the gas mileage? I recently reset the computer and would wait to see if the light appears again. Might be from the tank cap too... Any ideas?
  • charnedcharned Member Posts: 1
    I have a 96 Ford Escort 1.9 liter. The transmission is a 4 speed manual. I need to know where the fill hole is located. I thought it would be on the side some where but, I am unable to locate it. Anybody know it's location on the trany? :blush: It is a front wheel drive.
  • rromano4159rromano4159 Member Posts: 1
    change the throttle position sensor
  • dgboyddgboyd Member Posts: 1
    its bucking & surging can anyone help me out
  • sirfrancis1_22sirfrancis1_22 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 97 escort not a wagon, It has 141,358 miles on it. I changed the oil three days ago, and the motor now has a loud knocking in the top only when I accelerate, it also has a rough idle now, can someone give me an idea what is causing these problems?
  • chrisqchrisq Member Posts: 1
    I had the same problem when I had to replace my thermostat. If your engine is still overheating, Its the heater core. You might have to replace it.
  • heygenheyheygenhey Member Posts: 1
    I just brought a 96 Ford escort and the engine light is on, it has 71000 miles on it. Could you please advised me on this Thanks
  • macker007macker007 Member Posts: 1
    You've probably solved your problem by now, but for me, I had similar problems and it actually turned out to be a spark plug problem........a couple of them had developed small cracks in the ceramic heads. They were Champion plugs, and I don't think correct replacements. Once they were replaced with Ford plugs, the car ran as it should. Another common problem (especially if you have a lot of miles on the car) is the spark plug wires. Quick, cheap and easy replacement.

    Hope you fixed your trouble..........

    Scott
  • vcook1040vcook1040 Member Posts: 1
    i have a 1995 ford escort, it stopped running yesterday, mechanic says timing belt broke and locked up the engine , he says it will cost 900 to fix ? is this possible ? before it broke down, the last couple of months it was sputtering when i slowed down but would stop on take off, pushing the gas peddle ? has about 200k miles well maintained car

    help
  • utsa08utsa08 Member Posts: 1
    I need some help really quick!! I blew the engine in my 02 Escort (sedan) and I was wondering what other types of cars have the same engine, so that I can replace it! I know my engine is a 2.0L SPI2000 I4. I was going to have it rebuilt but I dont have that much time till school starts. Please email if you know! mhicks0308@aol.com I have called mechanics and they all want to see the car (and charge me!!). :cry:
  • lardog3lardog3 Member Posts: 1
    Ok everyone I am stumped.
    1.9 litre
    Car would not start battery is new and tests perfect. I sprayed start fluid in and the car started. went to local shop they said fuel pump was weak, I had them change the fuel filter and the car started fine. a few days later it wouldnt start again so i bought a new pump and installed it the car still would not start without starting fluid sprayed into tube leading from air filter. checked the fuel pressure and got about 38 LBS at the fuel rail. checked fuel pressure regulator and it is fine. I built test leads for every sensor on the engine and they all fall into the specs from chilton manual. I had the EDIS module from the front fender checked and they said it was perfect. I found that I have no spark when the engine is cranking, If this is true how does it start with starting fluid? If there is no spark during cranking is the problem the EDIS module in the engine compartment or is it the ECM module in the tunnel by the stick shift?
    I am lost. I usually understand these issues but I cant figure this out. Is there a cranking mode in the EDIS module?
    The lack of spark thig makes no sense I also changed coil pack plug wires and plugs.
    Someone please give me an idea of where to go next.
    I also tried reding any codes with an analog meter as described in the books and there are no codes.
    Also when I do start the car with fluid it runs perfect.
    The car has 192K on it and I love this car but I am out of ideas of what to do next.
    Please help.
    Lardog
  • bmachbmach Member Posts: 3
    00 ford escort 2.0 d.o.h.c. head cast #RF978M6090R74 trying to find out if the LIFTERs are Hyd. or Adjustable ? most all of our eng. catalogs tell us that up to 1997 {Hyd.} , almost has to be Hyd. , when cust. brought Lifters [1 was missing the top shim? or whatever they are called ! If are Hyd. Please send Vlv. Clearance & Torque Spec.s : cam caps & etc.
    THANK U
    butch @butch's auto & diesel machine shop :confuse:
  • seminormalseminormal Member Posts: 1
    It's been sitting for about a year. Ran when last parked. New battery, cranks well. No spark or fuel at carb. Any Ideas?
  • candycanelovercandycanelover Member Posts: 1
    Does anyone know where we could get a 1999 Ford Escort Engine in the Upper Midwest area for a reasonable amount? (Minnesota, Wisconsin, South or North Dakota or Iowa. Thanks for any help you can give.
  • escortfordyescortfordy Member Posts: 1
    ran fine ..started missing ...stopped working ...has spark ..no fuel ...test light at fuel pump comes on very dim ...could it be the relay ?
  • anglhededanglheded Member Posts: 1
    My 1999 Ford Escort feels like its not fully getting gas when i push the gas pedal and tends to die and i have to wait a little bit to restart. We took it to the mechanics and they ran a diagnostic and it said that the idle air control valve needed replaces so we did that. But it was still doing it. so then it was said the fuel filter needed replaced so we did that. And still not working. SO we ran diagnostic again and said nothing was wrong. The mechanic said he thinks it might be the fuel pump pressure. Im hesitate to spend money again if that's not the case. Should i take it somewhere elsei was told also it could be the PVC valve. Help please.
  • curlysue1curlysue1 Member Posts: 6
    take your car to advance or auto zone and let them put it on their little computer that tells what codes your car is throwing, and it wont cost anything. It could be one of several things, number 1 I would check my gas cap to make sure its tight, if that's not it then it could be an oxygen sensor which can run you anywheres from 40.00 to 50.00 dollars a piece. Mine is a 98 ZX2 and it has a front o2 sensor and a back o2 sensor. The back one is pretty easy to install, but the front one is pure hell trust me I have put one on mine before. Alot of times the gas you get always, always, always put reg unleaded in these cars and nothing else. I have someone that works on mine, who works at the ford place, and thats how I know so much.
  • curlysue1curlysue1 Member Posts: 6
    this could be your feul filter clogging up or it could possibly be your feul pump. That would be my guess.
  • curlysue1curlysue1 Member Posts: 6
    there is a sensor that is at the back of your motor that controls the idling of your car it will be located on the top of your motor in the back about middle ways. If you tap on that sensor and it makes a difference in the way your car runs then maybe thats what it is. Mine would run wide open and if I tapped on that sensor it would idle back down to normal.
  • curlysue1curlysue1 Member Posts: 6
    sounds like your catalytic convertor may be stopped up, need to have it checked
  • curlysue1curlysue1 Member Posts: 6
    it could be you alternator belt or even the alternator belt tensioner. I put a cheap belt on mine and the thing wined really loud, you could hear me coming a block away, so I had to go back and buy the more expensive belt and thats what it was. As for timing that car you better take it to someone who knows what they are doing, that can be tricky business.
  • curlysue1curlysue1 Member Posts: 6
    #1 if it isn't broke dont fix it, #2 these cars aren't racing cars, I have had my 98 ZX2 for 10 years and I have only had to do maintenance work to my car, because I dont race it and I dont change things that dont need to be changed and I keep up the oil changes on it. I also take it for routine checks to make sure fluids, belts etc, are okay. Its probably because you messed with things that should have been left alone.
  • dadgeniusdadgenius Member Posts: 4
    You blew a lifter on the #1 piston.Have the head rebuilt. :(
  • dadgeniusdadgenius Member Posts: 4
    The other day the guage started showing half way to hot (12pm position, but no problems) Today and the last 5 days it goes to the 2pm position, yet no problems.Engine feel cool. :confuse: Fan comes on at the 11pm position and stays on until i shut off motor.Guage goes all way down after 10 minutes.What's wrong?
  • dadgeniusdadgenius Member Posts: 4
    Yes the belts wear and break after 100,000 miles and cost that much!The broken belt may have damaged your tune up.
  • dadgeniusdadgenius Member Posts: 4
    Battery, alternator and timing on tune up ok?
  • kingsa1kingsa1 Member Posts: 1
    my 93 escort 1.9L runs fine up to 50 mph but then as you start to go past that it starts to buck and you have to let off the gas and step on it hard to get it to downshift to get past 50-55 mph then it runs fine again any thoughts?
  • tracethistracethis Member Posts: 3
    My daughter's car died yesterday for the second time in two months both after driving 60-80 miles on the highway in the rain. Starts missing and dies after 1/4 mile. First time started up and ran perfect the next day (dry weather).
    After first time added dielectric grease to coil pack, ECU? connector and plug wires (new plugs and wires already). Ran great for short distances and two rainy days around town. On way back to school in the rain died. Going tomorrow to try and diagnose seems electrical? maybe fuel??
    Don't have a service manual. Any ideas
  • wee_kevillewee_keville Member Posts: 1
    Mine did that to it has 221,799 miles on it. It started doing that then a nocking noise,then it started losing oil pressure and it blew.What the problem is the rod and the bareings are so worn out that they don't hold together. So now im replacing the motor with one that has 50,000 miles on it hope that helps out some!
  • mcwllwmcwllw Member Posts: 2
    I had the tensioner break on the serpentine belt and the timing belt broke at the same time :sick: (is that possible? :confuse: ). I had it towed to the Ford dealership, all they came up with was the tensioner and serpentine, at an astronomical price to replace. So I took it to another mechanic (ASE certified) and he told me the dealership mis-diagnosed the car. He said the timing belt was broken and there is a 50/50 chance it damaged the valve(s). My understanding is the engine is non-interference and would not have damaged the valve(s). Anyone know for sure if the engine is non-interference?
  • sillyman63sillyman63 Member Posts: 1
    I am working on a 2000 escort with a 2.0 L engine. It was brought to me with a knock in the engine that appears when the A/C compressor kicks in and also under a quick decceleration. I have replaced the A/C compressor and the catalyst, thinking the knock was coming from one of those components, but it still knocks. I also have checked the engine bearings for wear and the pistons for cracks or breaks, but all are fine. I inspected the rocker arms and valve lifters for wear and found nothing to be wrong with them. The noise seems to be coming from between #2 and # 3 cylinders. Any input on what could be wrong would be greatly appreciated.
  • tracethistracethis Member Posts: 3
    I wanted to let anyone know who has this problem that the problem was the fuel filter. Not alot of fun to change but doable compared to soem of the other thoughts I had.
  • xwesxxwesx Member Posts: 16,780
    It may be due to moisture getting on the mass airflow sensor. The sensor tends to get more sensitive to moisture if it is somewhat dirty. The problem manifests itself (early on, anyway) more readily on the highway due to higher speeds and more road spray. The good news is that if this is the problem, a quick cleaning with a fuel system cleaner should resolve the issue entirely. Or, you can replace it, but that is far more expensive.

    The sensor is located inside the air intake pipe, just inside of the air filter (between the air filter housing and the intake manifold).
    2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100, 1976 Ford F250
  • xwesxxwesx Member Posts: 16,780
    Hah! I should have read the rest of the messages before I responded!

    Odd that the fuel filter would act up only in the rain...
    2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100, 1976 Ford F250
  • smirshkahovensmirshkahoven Member Posts: 4
    I have a 97 Escort wagon with 49k miles. I've had it since 25k miles, about 3 years.
    Check engine light has come on and off at least twice, but it's been a long time - at least a year. I remember twice thinking that the car felt excessively hot when returning home from short (30 minute drives) and made a mental note to ask someone about it which I never did (coolant was OK).

    Car has never got great mileage, 20-22 mpg, mostly local.

    Here are the issues - flaky temperature gauge will register correct temperature at cruise or at stop, but when I let my foot off the gas or the car shifts or occasionally when neither of those conditions exist, the gauge drops to zero - sometimes it recovers immediately, sometimes in a few seconds.

    Car surges at about 1 second cycles when at a stop when car is warm - IF the A/C is ON the idle is fine - if A/C is then shut OFF the car resumes surging when the cooling fan stops.

    There is some sluggishness getting up to highway speed - not terrible, but noticeable.

    There is a sound in/near the engine compartment while accelerating that sounds like the exhaust system, but there are no leaks.

    Plugs and wires are new, serpentine belt new, fuel filter new, air filter nearly new, IAC cleaned, throttle body cleaned, new muffler and pipes. No apparent vacuum leaks.

    Does anyone have clues about any of my issues? My next thoughts are EGR, O2 sensor, throttle position sensor, replace IAC, but in what order or is any one more likely than another. I don't see how any of those will cure the temp gauge although they could help the other issues.

    Thanks for any help you can give.
  • gruchowgruchow Member Posts: 3
    It could be the timeing has jumped and you need to replace the timeing belt. if you have never done this before it takes about 4 hours or so lots of little parts to take off to get to the timeing belt.
  • gruchowgruchow Member Posts: 3
    I have the same year escort and the same problem did you find any help on what it could be.
  • token2token2 Member Posts: 5
    1st things 1st is it auto or manual trans? if auto trans parked check noise in nuetral and put in deive, engine should have bout same idle, big change and noise its bad mounts. 2nd check is exhaust put ur hand over tail pipe if you here air excaping it exaust
  • header1974header1974 Member Posts: 10
    I am getting service engine light on code P0171 system running too lean, In May of this year they replaced the converter when same light went on. Do converters go that fast again or can it be related to the converter and give same trouble code?
  • header1974header1974 Member Posts: 10
    My 2001 escort has always idled rough when sitting at light or stop sign when in gear. Does not do it when in park. It smoothes out when you accelerate and have been told by mechanics that this is common in the ford escort? any one have similar experience and am I being told the right information? thanks Header1974
  • dano32dano32 Member Posts: 5
    i have a 97 escort with the 2.0. the car drives fine when moving, but when i stop it will die wether it is in nuetral, park, or in gear. it doesn't die instantly, it will idle rough for a few seconds, then die. i have a check engine light on but when i went to have it scanned, we found that the plug for the scanner was bad. is there a way to access a check engine light blink code? or a way to bypass the plug? or does anybody know what could be causing my condition? (it has a brand new fuel filter, that's the first thing i did) i asked about the blink code at the local ford dealership and, all i got was blank looks, then an offer to change my scanner plug for a mere 5 or 6 hundred bucks!!! thanks a lot ford!
  • xwesxxwesx Member Posts: 16,780
    Try cleaning the Mass Airflow Sensor, which is located along the intake line between the air cleaner and the throttle. It may be that the sensor is giving poor feedback. I experienced the exact condition you describe with a '96 Subaru Outback. It would also illuminate the CEL when this happened, but a scan of the system would not yield any codes (and the plug was working!). A knowledgeable mechanic suggested the MAS, so I gave it a shot (I replaced mine w/ a used unit) and never had another problem with stalling.

    As for the plug not working.... what is the problem? Physical damage? Otherwise, there may be a bad fuse that controls it. This happened to me on a Dodge Caravan - the link port was protected by a 10A fuse that had blown; replacing the fuse solved that hiccup. ;)
    2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100, 1976 Ford F250
  • dano32dano32 Member Posts: 5
    well, i was going to clean out the mass airflow sensor, when i noticed the vacuum hose to the fuel pressure regulator was in really bad shape...cracked up real bad, so i cut a piece of line and replaced it, and just on a whim i started the car, drove it for a few minutes, and what do you know? it ran great!! i guess it's fixed for the moment, but while it's fresh in my head i'm gonna clean off the sensor anyways. also i checked the fuse for scanner plug, fuse was good and i inspected the plug itself, and it appeared fine. i'm going to track this problem down though in case of future problems. thanks for your help i really appreciate it when people reply to the post quickly!
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