Ford Escort ZX2

freddy_k · July 2002

The Sunfire is a POS built for drivers who don't really care very much what they drive as long as it's cheap and comes with some free featurs "Pontiac-built for drivers" is one of the funniest, misleading slogans I've ever heard. I have yet to meet a car enthusiest who drives a Sunfire.

hudrahead · July 2002

2002zx2man: The Sunfire would not be my personal choice either-------- but that's what the gal wanted and let's face it a MSRP of 17K less 3k rebate $1500 in GM card points and another $1500 from the dealer puts the thing @ 11K, fully loaded,Monsoon sound, Sun Roof, AT, power everything AND that sweet 2.2 Ecotech motor (very impressive engine)so smoothe you actually need to look @ the tach to see if it's running at idle,(something you can't say about the ZX engine for sure), no kiddng !! The handling is not as crisp as the ZX but for a grocery getter type it's plenty good enough. A lot of people must agree as they outsell the ZX by something like five to one. Everyone to their own taste as they say.

regards hud

:)

verozahl · July 2002

right on, freddy_k!

caesarslegion · July 2002

The new fires and cavs with the 2.2 ecotec engines are far more advanced than the old 2.2 engines. The new body styles are also a big leap in the right direction imo.

2002zx2man · July 2002

I guess with all the Pontiac incentives, it's hard to pass up. When was the last time you saw a ZX2 commercial? I see freakin Sunfires on TV everytime I turn it on. Advertising sells, which is why the ZX2 isn't selling as much as it could.

The incentives are needed, however, since you are paying almost the same exact price for much less features (ex, anti-theft, remote keyless entry, power locks, power windows, etc). I walked out of the Ford dealership with 11,500 to pay. Not too bad for a much better automobile.

2002zx2man · July 2002

I did not see "what the gal wanted.." in your previous post. That's explaining a lot, actually. Not being sexist (which I am, naturally), but I do not see any guys driving Sunfires in my area. I believe that is a good thing.

tomcat630 · July 2002

"The new body styles are also a big leap..."

All GM did was change grilles and taillight panels on the 2003 J cars. No "new body styles" at all!

I'm glad the ZX2 is around at least one more year.

hudrahead · July 2002

2002ZXman: I was very pleasantly surprised at what GM has done with the 2002 Sunflops. That engine has totally transformed the car into a pretty nice piece. granted, the basic design is dated but it takes GM about 10 years to debug/perfect anything they build unles they just give up before that. Witness such gems as the Fiero, Riata Beretta etc . LOL

Also surprised at the near perfect level of fit and finish as well. The factory at Lordstown finally got their act together. Perfect paint, panel fit and interior plus NO squeeks, rattles or leaks (yet). The pix of the re-skinned 2003 Sunfire are VERY nice. Too bad it will only be built for a year before they start all over again in 2004 with the euro platform thing.

by the way my son had a ZX2 (1999) he loved the thing, put 88K on it, no probs. Fell in love with a Mazda Proto5. Nice car as well but pricy.

regards HUD

:)

caesarslegion · July 2002

with the new body style. Gm could spice it up with the classic plastic body cladding we see on the Aztec.

2002zx2man · July 2002

Hud:

I've seen the pics of the 2003 as well, and they are MUCH easier on the eye than previous models. You mention the ZX2's engine being rough at idle, but I don't notice anything too unusal, probably because my old Honda Accord's idle was extremely high (you almost wanted to put on the emergency break at a stop light just to make sure the car wouldn't take off...it had a mind of its own).

Not slamming the Sunfires, as they have come a long way, but I just feel they have a longer way to go. ZX2's aren't perfect either, well...for me they are. I love the damn things. LOL

hudrahead · July 2002

ZX2man: I wish Ford would keep the ZX2 in the lineup and tweek it into a SVT version as they have the ZX3. I know the looks of the ZX3 appeals to the "baggy pants" bunch but the looks are just too goofy for my taste. I would buy a ZX2 for sure IF they would offer it in a factory turbo or supercharged version.

The only other drawback I found in the ZX2 was the gearing. It really needs a taller 5th gear or better yet a six speed. 95% of my personal driving is interstate and that 'lil 2.0 winding away at way over 3k rpm @70 mph on the other side of the firewall gets a little tiresome. It really needs a higher gear to slow it down.

enjoy your car you'll love it.

hud

:)

rickgonz · July 2002

In case you liked the Start concept car, you can add your voice to:
Ford Start

vjoe_udo · July 2002

I got my ZX2 in early 98 and it has been
very trouble free, but I'm having a problem.

I get in, turn the key to start the car and
I hear a click and that's it. I turned the
key a few more time and samething.
I open up the hood and look around, leave
for about 10 min. Come back and it starts.

This happened 2 times in the last month.
Any guesses on what the problem could be?

2002zx2man · July 2002

vjoe:

Not sure, considering I don't know much about the ZX2 engine or ignition components, but it sounds like the early stages of a problem with an electronic ignition module, or your ignition module ignitor (same thing, as it goes my tons of names). I had one go out on my older car, and I needed a small fortune to fix it (when you're in college, everything is a small fortune if you need to buy something).

Hope it's something less expensive!

tomcat630 · July 2002

"I wish Ford would keep the ZX2 in the lineup"

There will be a 2003 ZX2 and maybe a 2004. The front face is changed to a real grille. 15" wheels are standard, along with a CD player.

Edmunds has pricing information already.

2002zx2man · August 2002

Just keepin this alive.

freddy_k · August 2002

It's been 1 year without my Z and I don't miss it at all :-)

2002zx2man · September 2002

Well...I was thinking another post would have been more enthusiastic. Oh well...3 months with my 2002 Z and it's running beautifully! Yeah....that's better.

2002zx2man · September 2002

4564 miles, no problems yet. Anyone have any word, or pictures of the 2003 model yet?

tjackson2 · October 2002

Just changed the front brakes on daughters 99 zx2.
65000 miles and no trouble except for rough idle which seems to be a common problem. Can anyone tell me the torque on the 2 bolts on the brake calipers that i removed to change the pads?
thanks.

2002zx2man · October 2002

Here they are:

http://community.webshots.com/album/51644644CenePh

charliemike · October 2002

Okay, maybe not words of warning, but some advice from someone who's been there.

1. Replace the pads diligently. Otherwise, you're looking at about $700 to do the front calipers and rotors. The way the calipers are designed, if the pads go down too far, then the caliper piston comes out too far and the caliper is toast.

2. Replace the timing belt before 100k miles. You might want to consider replacing the water pump too as it has to be removed to do the timing belt and it will save you labor costs.

3. When you replace the timing belt, I highly highly highly (see a pattern?) suggest you replace the VCT sensor as well. I just had my timing belt done two months ago for $700 (including the water pump). Well on Friday I had the VCT sensor go out and the timing belt has to be taken off to get the VCT sensor swapped out. So that's another $830 ...

Feel free to email me at dcar85@aol.com with any questions. I infrequently check this board.

caesarslegion · October 2002

I like the look but you can see the taurus-ish look to it. I thought that ford was going to stop making these cars? Does anyone know?

2002zx2man · October 2002

There are SO many rumors about the end of ZX2 production. 2004 is the last year of production recently rumored.

caesarslegion · October 2002

I really like the look and new design they have going. I think ford makes a good 4 cyl motor. Mine is over 160k and still going. I do worry about the automatic transmission. Its shifting ok but seems to not like fast take offs. I cant blame it. Do you know if the prices will be around the same? Say $13k or so.

2002zx2man · October 2002

The MSRP for the 2003 ZX2 Premium is $230 cheaper than MSRP for 2002 ZX2. However, there is a $3000 rebate incentive for 2002's now. 2003 DO NOT come with a 6 disc CD changer, but have only a single in-dash cd player, which is decent looking.
2002 with the $3000 back incentive for the same car as the 2003 with a different face is such an awesome deal. Too bad I bought my 2002 in June! Damn me!

caesarslegion · October 2002

Ha ha ha ha I hear ya. Seems alot of car for the money. I will have to take a closer look next time Im around a ford dealer.

charliemike · October 2002

I'm still trying to figure out how this all happened, but I'm going to give you a heads-up and hopefully it will make sense.

I had my timing belt replaced at 100k miles. All went well for two months after that. Last Friday, the 11th, I was driving along and the car started hesitating and then cut out. Fortunately I was able to make it to a service station.

The car would not idle and would cut out when put in gear, no matter how much the accelerator was pushed down. So I called a tow truck and brought it in.

Upon diagnosis, here's what they found:

1. The timing belt guide pullies had melted due to one or both pully bearings seizing up.

2. The Timing belt tensioner was replaced because the tension on the belt was not correct (apparently).

3. The two-month old belt was replaced.

4. The oil control solenoid was bad. You can't see it on the big diagram I made, but I included it here:

Total charges with towing and labor: $1173. When you get your timing belt changed, I'd highly recommend that they replace the pullies at the same time so that this doesn't happen to you. Most of the charge was the labor costs.

I'm getting a good friend that's a mechanic to do a post-mortem for me and see if what I was told is legit. I will keep everyone up-to-date.

hudrahead · October 2002

charliemike : The whole story sounds factual. The doofus that replaced the belt should have replaced those pulleys no matter how good they "looked" ! Failure of the pullys and tensioner is all too common on this engine. They should have known better. My son has a lot of experience with the 2.0 twin cam engine in SCCA events. They change that belt after every two or three races and inspect the tensioner and pullys every time. Did those guys that did your work replace the waterpump too ? Shame on them IF they didn't.

Big bucks for a "econobox" belt job.

HUD

:)

charliemike · October 2002

I'll have to double-check the receipt but I know that they offered it to me. I think I had it done, but I'm not totally sure.

Thanks for the information ... I'm going back to the original dealer tomorrow to find out what is going on with these pullies. I'm not too happy about the whole thing.

drive10 · November 2002

My 99 zx2 has over 60K on it. At 60K i had the tires replaced. I think I am still on the original brakes also. I dont change oil regularly and the Ford dealer gets upset with me when I finally come in. I one time went almost 20K miles on a oil change and it did not even go low. Maintenance on this car is real low and gas mileage is good also. I usually get over 30mpg. I took a look at new cars wanting something with more utility and a bit quieter. Funny thing is I like the way this cheap car drives and rides better than alot of the new cars I looked at. My zx2 has allot of power, I barely have to touch the gas, it just zips along. I had transmission mounts replaced a few times but this is my first stick. Do you guys think it will make it to 100K without any repairs other than oil changes and brakes? Is there anyone out there with high mileage zx2's, over 100K?

charliemike · November 2002

I have 111k on my car and it's going okay. Make sure to replace the timing belt around 100k. You should also replace the water pump and all the related timing belt pullies and oil control solenoid to save you about 8 hours of labor costs.

tjackson2 · November 2002

any one had the O2 sensor go bad around 65000 miles? daughter is at school, engine service light came on, and they want $240 to relace it. 75 was to put it on the computer. don't know if they are doing a job on young girl.

snooky1234 · December 2002

My 2001 ZX2 (automatic) has 32,000 miles on it.

The Ford dealer offers an extended warranty called ExtraCare that basically covers the works, I think, including most electrical components. (For a cost of $1350, this will take me to 5 years, 100,000 miles, which I estimate I will have reached by the end of my fifth year of ownership.)

Ford Motor's BaseCare is also available for a few hundred dollars less, I think, but that mode of coverage doesn't include the "High Tech" electrical components such as power doors and windows, keyless entry, and speed control.

Actually, I ought to point out that these are not really extended WARRANTIES, and instead are actually entitled Extended Purchase Plans, because there is a $50.00 deductible per service/ incident which must be paid.

Edmunds doesn't mention much about "Extended Warranties" outside of a brief paragraph above a referral to one of its partners, so I don't know whether "extended warranties" are typically worth it, if they're likely to be worth it in the case of the ZX2 particularly, or if this seems like a good price for the protection it's offering to afford me. And is having the plan backed by Ford directly worth whatever premium I might be paying by purchasing from Ford directly, rather than by buying an extended "warranty" from an outside company?

Any help would be appreciated.

charliemike · December 2002

I bought one for my ZX2 back when I purchased it in 1998. I had it up to 75k miles. I crossed that mark after my third year. I was really glad I had spent the extra money on it. My car never had a warranty claim in the 106k miles I drove it so it was more for piece of mind than actual need.

2002zx2man · December 2002

Man, the resale value on Z's drop like an anchor. Why do some cars' resale value drop faster than others? I know the obvoius reason; domestic vs. import. Other than that, I have no clue.

smyliegrl · December 2002

I was wondering if any of you other ZX2 owners have had this problem. I own a 1998 ZX2 Hot with 51,000 miles on it. I had a bad fuel injector on cylinder #1. When I had it fixed, they started the car and it ran fine for a while. Then, it freaked out! The head gasket blew. Now, it only has 51,000 miles on it and I can't figure out why the gasket would blow. I have never had any other problems with it, and I don't drive it very often. Any suggestions, or comments?

Thanks!

Mr_Shiftright · December 2002

Could be that bad injector was running that cylinder very lean and thus very hot, but could also be a coincidence. But 51K is really too few miles to expect head gasket failure from "natural causes". I'd say 80K and up would be bottom line for this type of failure.

ralex2 · February 2003

I would love to buy your S/R shift knob if you go with an aftermarket knob..... Would you consider selling it to me?

zx2shakes · April 2004

Rough is an understatement. My car had 34K miles and I couldn't take it anymore. I know there are others like me because I read about them here. Something I haven't read about is a Service Bulletin that was published for the ZX2 to help alleviate this problem. The article number is 03-15-15 and if you take your car to a Ford dealership while it is still under warranty they should perform the procedure outlined in the article for free. BUT, make sure they perform all the steps necessary and ask for proof. I took my ZX2 to 2 different Ford dealerships for help. One did the first half of the procedure and the second, basically blew me off saying a certain amount of vibration is "normal" for these cars and that they completed the procedure and there was nothing else they could do. So I walked away. I'm no mechanic so I trusted them. Come to find out they never finished the procedure and I paid $375 for a private mechanic to do it. Reason being, I was on the brink of insanity and thought I needed a second opinion. The mechanic printed off the article for me and showed me proof that Ford had not completed the procedure. I let him finish it and he was able to decrease the hard vibration by about 50%, but any amount of decrease was a relief. This message is just a warning that Ford CAN do something about it, you just have to push them to do it. Article 03-15-15 was published on 8/4/03. Needless to say I am never buying another Ford again.

autonuts · April 2004

tell me if you have had any experience towing a small trailer for small jobs =/<1000lbs. with any year escort? Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks!

Kirstie_H · January 2005

discussion re-opened by request.

kirstie_h, Host

Future Vehicles & Smart Shopper Discussions

Roving Host

atomtan2 · January 2005

My 2002 ZX2, 38K,manual tranny has an error code of "PO125 The pcm has determined that the amount of time it took for the coolant temp.senser to reach an input value consistent with closed loop operation was too excessive" Any suggestions on what is causing this?

kramvols · February 2005

I just came across this site today and would like to ask if anyone knows if the 88 EXP(which I race in a pure stock class)would match a motor swap with the escort GT or the ZX2? I have the 1.9 liter non-HO head on my EXP with approx. 90 hp. The H.O. head found on the Escort GT has about 110 HP. If not an engine swap, do you think a head swap would work?

Thanks

orgzx2 · February 2005

I've got an org. 99 zx2 with 95,000 miles and have had some bad luck with wheel and hub bearings, alt.or went out, and theres alot of vibration when sitting at a red light, and theres a prob with the fuel system, if it sits for period of time the fuel bleeds back from the egine, so to say the least it has it prob but ill give it probs, the engine has had NO probs, quick for a small 4 banger and handles well all and all u can't beat 5 grand for a 99 loaded with sunroof 6 disk changer, ac, power everything, emborderd seats, and fog lamps, and a 30,000 mile warrenty on a car with 95,000 miles.

kevbob · February 2005

Hi
Where can I find a copy of this bulletin. My daughter has a 99 zx2 with 62000 miles. It runs great but I hate the way it idles when its in gear.
thanks kevin

beliver · February 2005

Save your money and just live with it ! I can guarantee you that nothing will smoothe out that rock crusher engine. My son and i spent endless hours and a lot of money trying and nothing works. It is just in the design. His had a rough idle from day one "new" and only got worse as the miles built up. At 43,000 he and I gave up and dumped it. Every one we talked to that had any year ZX2 had the same problem and no Ford dealer we know of could make that sucker smoothe out !!

believer

crossbreed411 · March 2005

i had a zx2 for 2 years (bought with 80k on it, sold to my sister with 110k) i never had anyproblems with it except for that idle vibration. the fix i found for it was a procedure off of a service bullitin in "all data" it said to loosen the engine mounts, then with the engine off, ignition on, put the transmission through r,n,d,L,d,n,r,p to do it a few times then tighten the engine mounts down again tot he proper torque, it has worked for the 3 years since i did the procedure but has rescently come back. my sugestion is that if you cant do it yourself, save your money, just throw it in neutral when sitting if it bothers you a ton. i loved that car and still do, someday i plan to get one with real hihg mileage and doing a full engine swap from a cobra including PCM and all electrical. of course ill have my work cut out for me with the whole changing it to rear drive and such but i think it will be worth it to surprize people and have a one of a kind

heartmd · March 2005

Can someone tell me the basics of how to change the transmission oil and the fuel filter for a 98 Escort SW?
Thanks
Kris

naatz1 · March 2005

I just picked up a 99 ZX2 automatic with 96000 miles on it, mainly for my 18 year old son to drive. We'd been looking at other smaller cars mostly Prizm/Corollas since my daughter has an 02 Prizm for a year and has had good luck with it plus their ratings are very high. However with $2.15 gas they sell in hours at asking price. This is my first Ford ever and our part time mechanic friend has driven them for years and recommended the Escort ... it has generally good reliability ratings too. Again we looked at a couple used 99 4 dr sedans but they were priced over book and not dealing much: I just happened to see this ZX2 from a private party and it worked out. This guy had it for a year but already has 2 other vehicles which is why he wanted to sell it; seemed to take very good care of it using synthetic oil and other new parts like platinum plugs and serpentine belt ... a mechanic checkout showed it all to be in real good shape as the original owner did a lot of highway driving.
It's considerably snazzier than the 4 drs too (one reminded me of a "grandma car"). The 6 CD changer is a nice feature and other than the engine vibrations which are well documented in this forum I have no gripes (I have not owned a 4 cyl FWD car since an 87 cutlass ciera so how I forget those 4 bangers shake!).

I was able to spot the oil filter behind the alternator as a bit of a challenge, but other than that most service has been done. The former owner did not change the timing belt so I am assuming that along with water pump and while at it new antifreeze would be a good summer 100Kmi project. Any other thoughts from readers on things to watch for?
Ideally we'd like this one to get the kid through 4 years of college up to 140K miles.

Ford Escort ZX2

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