[Gamer92]

Speaking of vacuum leaks... :doctor:

Got a few minutes today to fix the cracked stock PCV hose on my '99, which has that silly driver's side elbow that guaranteed to crack getting off the intake tube (if the tube port doesn't crack first). Ford hasn't carried it for at least five years (at least at my ghetto dealer). NAPA however sells a coolant hose with a similar elbow in the same-size diameter, so $10, new one on, 'proofed further with a couple of zipties...

The old one wasn't badly cracked... but rocky enough that everytime I pulled the intake tube for service it cracked a bit more. When inquiring about swapping it at NAPA (an island of 150K people doesn't have the 'luxury' of choice in DIY auto parts stores you mainlanders take for granted ), the sales droid claimed PCV hoses were special and that coolant hoses used as such would live very short lives (riiiiight... maybe for diesels ). Pulling the old one, there was a white coating on the inside of it on the valve cover side, but was flexible & otherwise identical to a coolant hose, which is already rated to over 270 degF (SAE 20R3 and 20R4). The plastic PCV seemed fine as well. So if the heat in this hose got high enough to rock up rubber (300+ degF), it didn't do it often enough to hurt anything. Besides, even if it failed every year, it's only $10 to swap it.

Fit perfectly (NAPA pt# 10801, Gates 18801) when trimmed to length. Went for a drive to see what was what...

I'll be dammited... right out of the NAPA parking lot warm, response seemed to go down a hair, but the car became very smooth, esp off-idle and on trailing throttle. If madmatt2024's theory about protective richness in PCM mapping is correct, that's what caused a slight fat feeling to return (and why the car with a leaking PCV hose, felt more powerful off the line -- the MAF was measuring airflow low, as extra O2 leaked in upstream at the PCV port, making the motor run lean). But once the engine shook around a bit and that cracked hose leaked randomly more or less air, the O2 sensors would try to adjust for conditions that were too chaotic -- wasting vast amounts of fuel...

I know this, since on my test drive of ~24 mi, the A/C was on the whole time, and the car seemed to shrug it off (much like it does after you reconnect the battery after a service). Under the exact same conditions, I've watched my fuel needle go a quarter of a quarter tank on the same drive, A/C on. That's 21 mpg, horrible on a mostly-highway, 55-mph run. But after the fix, not only did the car not drop as much power at cruising speeds, but got way less thirsty. First time that's happened with this car -- it would get okay mileage on long drives with the A/C off, but never with it on.

Not to mention, the off-idle stutter's no longer a stutter -- it's a tiny hiccup now. Still there, still due to broken mount rocking... but no more one-one-thousand masturbation pause, until the wheels finally pull me forward. :nailbiting: Trans likes the tighter, smoother engine output as well (think it was either Intuit or zzyzzx who clued me in to the F4EAT autos hating flaky engine output -- this proves that hunch right).

Also noticed other things strong vacuum improved -- the brakes most noticeably. Even HVAC controls sound different, as the doors are vacuum-operated (not as noisy and slightly faster-acting now).

Betcha didn't think a hose elbow could affect your car's demeanor so negatively, huh? Thought I had it covered... apparently not. Thanks a bunch Ford, for not letting aftermarket suppliers sell this part... but the alternative luckily is $10 (prolly $5-$6 anywhere else), snip-snip and on. :thumbsup:

Could you post some pics of how it looks?

 

[kanak]

Just a heater hose from another application. NAPA #10801/Gates 18801. Fit perfectly, just measured the old one against the correct bend on the new. $10 here, prolly no more than $6 on the mainland.

Sheezus, my engine is dirty... but, that's living on this island. What I don't get is the other day I saw an Aston Martin DB9... and its engine will look exactly like this given where I saw it. Same with the Ferrari 458 Spyder... what a waste. Maybe Oprah's teeming mass of entourage. :greedy:

 

[Gamer92]

Just a heater hose from another application. NAPA #10801/Gates 18801. Fit perfectly, just measured the old one against the correct bend on the new. $10 here, prolly no more than $6 on the mainland.

Sheezus, my engine is dirty... but, that's living on this island. What I don't get is the other day I saw an Aston Martin DB9... and its engine will look exactly like this given where I saw it. Same with the Ferrari 458 Spyder... what a waste. Maybe Oprah's teeming mass of entourage. :greedy:

Oh, I thought you were talking about the hose that houses the PCV valve. For that hose you replaced, I got some heater hose from Oreily's and cut it down to fit. Then a short while later I picked up one at junkyard that looked pretty good.

 

[kanak]

Aich, you're both right, ndlm and Gamer -- it's called the 'air cleaner outlet tube'. Of course, no mention of what the hell it does, or why it needs a one-way valve. :sour:

My Toyota had a PCV on the valve cover, tube to the manifold, done and done, thought Ford might have something similar on the SPI. Apparently nothing that simple passes muster at late-90's Ford (they did need to get this ancient lump to pass emissions somehow, I suppose). Sorry for any confusion, gents... but as you can see, I was thoroughly confused. :bucktooth: Gonna go grab a beer and do some reading on this damned SPI smogwork in the FSM. :hilarious::writing: :thumbsup:

 

[Gamer92]

Aich, you're both right, ndlm and Gamer -- it's called the 'air cleaner outlet tube'. Of course, no mention of what the hell it does, or why it needs a one-way valve. :sour:

My Toyota had a PCV on the valve cover, tube to the manifold, done and done, thought Ford might have something similar on the SPI. Apparently nothing that simple passes muster at late-90's Ford (they did need to get this ancient lump to pass emissions somehow, I suppose). Sorry for any confusion, gents... but as you can see, I was thoroughly confused. :bucktooth: Gonna go grab a beer and do some reading on this damned SPI smogwork in the FSM. :hilarious::writing: :thumbsup:

No big deal, it seems there are three different setups with the PCV valve setup. Two have the valve going to the intake manifold, and 2002 and newer have it in the valve cover I believe.

 

[James Nguyen]

On the 97 escort that is the intake flow I believe I could be wrong but hasn't caused me any problems. The pcv valve is next to the header.

My egr is now routed to the air intake instead of the exhaust manifold.

Where did you get your overhead front strut bar I could use one.

Iv got the NS Aftermarket sway bar from a 92 GT escort. Same size so mounted in easily. But i just need a front overhead bar.

Also, what did you do to your air intake? Is that a CAI?

 

[ndlm8888]

Where did you get your overhead front strut bar I could use one.

Iv got the NS Aftermarket sway bar from a 92 GT escort. Same size so mounted in easily. But i just need a front overhead bar.

Also, what did you do to your air intake? Is that a CAI?

I made It from scrap metal around the shop.
@madmatt2024 has a front strut bar forsale
http://www.feoa.net/threads/madmatts-garage-sale-25-udp-strut-bars-headlights-more.82707/

This bar is alil stiffer. Dont know if he will separate the 2. Can't use the back 1
http://www.feoa.net/threads/corksport-strut-braces.82991/

 

[AE Donn]

Thanks ndlm8888 I will read all this over tonight after work.

 

[cklaubur]

What did I do with my 3rd gen today? Barely avoided a wreck, that's what!

By the way, does anybody else's brakes seem to have a slight delay between full application of the pedal and wheel lock? Every other car I've driven without anti-lock brakes have locked almost instantly when the pedal was floored.

Casey

 

[madmatt2024]

^Mine never seemed to have that problem.

 

[kanak]

Mine seem okay -- though a fluid swap is gonna need to happen soon.

Actually, compared to the '78 Ford E-150 Chateau I owned for a scant two months in the early '90s... it's Brembo-like. Much easier to modulate than the Chat or the 7.5L-/6.8L powered 15-passenger brake pedal from days as a tour guide. For a USDM, less of that mush-mush-mush-lock tendency than I remember.

 

[cklaubur]

It just seems strange. The pedal feels just like it always has over the 8 years I have owned the car, but it just doesn't lock as easily as other cars I've driven. Maybe I'm just worried about nothing.

I still managed to avoid the old lady who pulled out in front of me, so the brakes worked like they were supposed to. Maybe I've just never had to hit the brakes that hard and never noticed how they acted in a hard stop.

Casey

 

[kanak]

@Casey -- Ford brakes have always been undersized and underpowered, even on their HD and commercial vehicles until well into the Y2K decade.

Then again the brakes in your Escort may just need a fluid swap and bleed. At least in racing and wrenching on motorcycles, a little bit of air or a bit too much water in your fluid will feel nearly identical in casual use, but that difference will skyrocket when you really need to lean on them. All my street and racebikes had braided lines, brake piston flossing and OCD bleeds, as it's a lot easier to feel when something's not quite right with 'em. :thumbsup:

 

[ebaydept]

Sweet Cars

 

[ndlm8888]

Well last night I replaced a bad inter tie rod. Did an alignment. And drove so great I said this car is the best it has been in year... Then this morning woke up to the starter not cranking so a lil knock with a wrench and it started.. Yay ..then 3 blocks from my house the clutch slave clyer blew lucky I had a spare. Only took 15mins to replace and bleed. Now I have to buy a starter. $130. At the zone or $50. On ebay

 

[kanak]

Swapped a PCV valve. By far the easiest job on this here BG 3gen. :laugh:

That's how trained this car has me -- expect 1-2 hr for a TRE/ball joint and driver's axle, get 5 hrs. Expect 3 hrs for a timing belt/water pump swap, get 6. So judging by where the PCV oil separator is and what the FSM showed, I'd expected a rocky grommet and at least an hour of cursing the service access. Instead, found Ford had tortoise-necked the grommet holder for the valve to be *gasp* right where I could get to it... and since it wasn't baking next to the oven-like manifold... grommet was fine. Unclip hose, swap valve, reclip, squish back into grommet. Felt... Japanese, even. I'll forgive the part where they could've put this whole shebang on the valve cover and skipped the behind-manifold case hole and long hose over the engine, like they eventually did by '02.

That broken engine mount... gotta fix it. Just ordered it with the ($88 ) Time-Sert 12mm x 1.25 kit. Stutter only appears now when WOT from less than 1/4 throttle, but I can feel the stutter now through the steering, which means the trans misalignment is stressing the short driver's axle (which has to move through greater angles than the passenger axle for given wheel travel, so stressing it isn't a good thing).
Not looking forward to wrangling that mount thru-bolt loose, though... hope it doesn't break. :nailbiting:

 

[ShakeZilla19]

I may need a new motor mount or 2 in the future. I occasionally get this weird clunk during shifts.

I sound deadened my passenger door tonight, using Self-adhesive duct insulation. :roflmao:

 

[kanak]

I may need a new motor mount or 2 in the future. I occasionally get this weird clunk during shifts.

When I was doing the driver's axle with the F-R X-member dropped, noticed the front mount was almost new-looking. Tweaked it plenty trying to get the studs through the X-member holes, and it didn't even drop any rocky rubber after 16 years next to the exhaust.

Rear trans mount in comparison, was done a long time ago -- may as well be pink erasers mincing around in there. Why the rear mount is 2/3rds the size of the front one is lost on me. As it stands I'll be installing a new mount that'll fail the same as this one.

 

[madmatt2024]

^Fill the new rear mount with window weld and let it cure before you install it.

 

[kanak]

^Fill the new rear mount with window weld and let it cure before you install it.

From what I've read, Matt... 24 hrs? Does it transmit significantly more vibes into the cabin? Does the rubber need to be prepped before the weld is gooped in?