[poneypower]

Greeting everyone. I have a 97 escort that I use as my work vehicle (I drive to customers sites for service calls) and it recently starting giving me problems. I was driving home and when I attempted to accelerate the car just bogged down like it was dumping a ton of fuel. When I got home, i left it running in the driveway while I got the mail and it started to run really bad and then died. I could not get it started again. It acts like it wants to start but just turns and turns. I pushed it into the garage and checked the following:

fuel rail pressure is good
spark is good (changed the plugs just to be sure)
fuses are good
fuel filter is almost brand new
fuel cut off switch is fine
coil is new

I'm thinking maybe the timing has jumped and that is why it bogged when I hit the gas. Any one else with an idea. Until I get this fixed I have to drive my F250 gasser and let's just say the fuel economy isn't the greatest. Thanks!

 

[Sparky34kv]

How many miles on it, and have you checked the timing belt? Are getting a Check Engine Light? Did you fill up recently, a load of bad gas can cause all kinds of problems to come up.

 

[poneypower]

~150k on it. I have not yet checked the timing belt, I am going to get to that this weekend. No check engine light, no DTC codes. The car was on 1/4 tank when it did this, I ran to the gas station last night and got 5 galls of premium and ran some heet in there too, but it still won't start. I'm venturing a guess that when I take the timing cover off I will find that it has jumped some teeth. Two plugs showed signs of too much timing and two were fouled with carbon which I think means a rich condition. If the timing was all wrong it would account for the plugs being that way right?

 

[FordMan59]

My guess would also be the timing belt. Just in case you didn't know the Escort engine is non interference so it's just a matter of replacing the belt. No engine damage.

 

[Sparky34kv]

I don't know what is different from a 2nd generation to a 3rd generation motor, if they are pretty much the same you should be able to look through the gap between the engine and belt cover and see if it is at least moving when someone cranks the engine. Two nuts hold the cover in place, you could take them off and pull the cover back to get a better look at the belt condition as well, if the engines are not too different. Does it sound like it is trying to start at all?

 

[poneypower]

yeah it wants to start just never does. I'm gonna get a belt today during my lunch. Should I get just the belt or the kit with the tensioner too?

 

[poneypower]

well i got it all apart and the timing belt was missing a ton of teeth. Belt seemed to be pretty brittle, maybe dry rotted. I stopped by Advance auto parts and got a replacement timing belt and serp belt since that was shredded as well but the timing belt from them was considerable smaller. I got one from the ford dealer on order. How do I go about setting the timing back to normal once I get the new belt? Just put a socket on the crank pully and turn it clockwise until the timing marks line up?

 

[LariRudi]

While you're at it

well i got it all apart and the timing belt was missing a ton of teeth. Belt seemed to be pretty brittle, maybe dry rotted. I stopped by Advance auto parts and got a replacement timing belt and serp belt since that was shredded as well but the timing belt from them was considerable smaller. I got one from the ford dealer on order. How do I go about setting the timing back to normal once I get the new belt? Just put a socket on the crank pully and turn it clockwise until the timing marks line up?

Is this like the Gen 2 in that "while you're doing a timing belt DO A WATER PUMP TOO"?

Don't bolt it up until some experienced folks clarify this....

Good Luck; glad you found your problem so easliy; great help on here, huh?

LarryR : )

 

[juggalo]

well i got it all apart and the timing belt was missing a ton of teeth. Belt seemed to be pretty brittle, maybe dry rotted. I stopped by Advance auto parts and got a replacement timing belt and serp belt since that was shredded as well but the timing belt from them was considerable smaller. I got one from the ford dealer on order. How do I go about setting the timing back to normal once I get the new belt? Just put a socket on the crank pully and turn it clockwise until the timing marks line up?

u should definitely replace the water pump while ur down there. and u r right about the timing marks on the crank but the pulley should be off when ur doing this cuz the sprocket has a notch on it and should line up with the mark in the oil pump pointing up. the cam gear needs to be timed as well so just move that like u would with the crank but leaving the cam gear on and move it till the pointer on the gear is pointing up.

 

[HyBrad]

Guys.. this is a '97... 2.0 gen3 motor. I'm assuming it is single overhead cam? (The timing belt only goes around one pulley at the cam?)

 

[LariRudi]

SOHC

Guys.. this is a '97... 2.0 gen3 motor. I'm assuming it is single overhead cam? (The timing belt only goes around one pulley at the cam?)

Yip. on Gen 2 1.9's, it says so, and on Gen 2 1.8's, there is a cam [and cover] on EACH side of the "spark plug" row.......

I'm imagining YOUR plugs are on the side of the engine facing the front, right? Thus SOHC.

LarryR : )

 

[juggalo]

hybrad, the 2.0 spi's should be like the 1.9's havin the timing belt goin around the cam gear to the crank sprocket, to the water pump, to the tenioner and back to the cam

 

[poneypower]

hybrad, the 2.0 spi's should be like the 1.9's havin the timing belt goin around the cam gear to the crank sprocket, to the water pump, to the tenioner and back to the cam

yup. got the belt from ford and it is the right one and only double the price! I'll take care of the water pump too. Thanks for all the help!

 

[poneypower]

everything done, car runs great. thanks for all the help. Glad I found this place! This is the only work car I have so when it goes down it's a major pain. Luckily this is the first thing that I really needed to ask questions on, hopefully it stays that way. thanks again.