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Seems you still need to continue the diagnosis of what really failed. Take good care of that power steering plastic tank. I had one that got cracked and could only find a replacement one on ebay, from a dismantler junkyard. I would advise starting to pull it apart, maybe doing a compression check - just to have a baseline. Based on your mileage I would figure on replacing the timing belt and tensioner, along with all the coolant hoses, maybe the water pump, and for sure the power steering pump and the high pressure hose attached at the output of the p.s. pump, I have rebuilt several 2nd gen escorts, and like to replace the original pulleys for the serpentine belt tensioner and idler, and check that the pulley still turns freely on the a.c. compressor. There is a bearing inside that pulley that cant be lubricated, and its kind of hard to replace, even after removing the compressor and the pulley; pretty easy to distort the face of the pulley when pressing the bearing out.
You should have a look at the condition of the rubber hoses and the metal lines that connect the transmission oil cooler to the radiator. I have had to replace the rubber hoses, and on one of my escorts I had to replace a section of the metal line that had rusted through.
It still pretty easy (cheap) to get the Ford Escort Tracer service manual from ebay, and the companion manual, the Electrical and Vacuum Troubleshooting Manual (EVTM). The EVTM has all the wiring diagrams in it, but get the one matching your year, since the EVTM does change each year.
We get between 34 - 37 mpg on the open road on our escorts with the automatic. I liked my first escort well enough that I bought one with the 5-speed transmission; though I had to replace the engine head and two pistons. On that one we get 39 mpg on interstates.
If you are going to have the engine out, I would replace the five freeze plugs on the block, and replace the radiator fan motor. The motor with its shroud are fairly cheap now.
It not uncommon for the plastic side tanks on the radiators to crack and leak - and the radiators are still well under $100 for a new one.