This has to do with a Ford Escort. If it is inappropriate for this board please let me know.


I have a '93 Escort with a 1.9L 4-cylinder. It has been stalling lately when cruising down the freeway. I have to pull over and wait about 5 minutes before it will re-start Had it to one dealer, $400, and one private mechanic, $200, with no results. Both places say they get no diagnostic information and can not find a problem. Can anyone help?

 

What does the temp gauge read? Any funny noises? A wee bit more info please

thx

 

Does this model have the troublesome TFI module that was in the news a few months ago?

 

The temp gage reads normal, no funny noises. I have suspected the TFI (ignition) module but can not get the dealer to run any tests on that component. They state no dianostic hits no problem with the car.

When driving down the freeway at 65-70 mph the car justs quits running. I have to pull over and wait for about 5 minutes and it will start and run again. It is intermitant, happens about every 2 weeks. I drive 32 miles to work and this is when the problem occurs. For now it will just sit in the garage, too dangerous to drive.

 

Ok if the dealership says it's not the TFI then you have to look elsewhere. Start at the beginning, you only need three things to make a motor run Fuel, spark and compression.

Let's take some shot's in the dark here,

Could be the fuel pump getting hot and quitting (if it's an in tank electric)

Check your cap and rotor, I had a Mustang quit because the cap was kaput, but it didn't start again until i cleaned it.

Replace the PCV valve, the positive crank case pressure could be building and killing the motor. yes it can happen

Pull the oil filler cap off and check the underside, is there all kinds of creamy white oily stuff in there?

What colour is the coolant? If it really dirty?

 

...and air.

Okay, this car doesn't have a TFI module. The 1.9L Escorts are distributorless, starting in '91, I think. The ignition system consists of a crankshaft sensor, a coil pack, and an EDIS module. The EDIS module is a possibillity, but it's too expensive to throw at the car in hopes of it becoming fixed. This vehicle needs some basic tests done. Fuel pressure, vacuum, compression, PCV, etc.


Take care,
-Chris

 

Ya air would help, my old shop teacher used to teach us the 4 stroke motor by telling us this

suck
squeeze
bang
blow

you can see how a bunch of kids could remember that.

 

I really appreciate the responces.

The Ford dealer replaced the fuel pump, thats all. The problem was still there.

The private mechanic I took it to did a fuel pressure test, it was low so he replaced the fuel filter which brought it up to the correct amount. He also changed the air filter and cleaned the throttle body and air intake. He checked the air sensors and did a "heat bath" of 300 degrees F on the Ignition module and ran the car for 6 hours, it did not stall. The problem did not occur for two weeks after this.

It appears I have no choice but to trade it in. No more Ford cars for me after this fiasco but I will keep my '97 F150.

 

I had problems with a dirty fuel injector once. The car would just stop. Sometimes, it would crank right up, other times it took a few minutes. The trash in the injector would clog the port and when pressure was lost, the trash would drop down and if it didn't immediately clog the injector again, it would run fine.

Jim

 

Thank you all for taking the time to respond. The point is moot now, I am junking the Escort and buying a Honda Accord.


It is just too dangerous and nerve wracking to drive this car. The really bad thing about it is I bought this car new, now have 137,000 miles on it, and it only had to go in for repairs one time. I had planned on driving it for at least one more year but am to afraid for not only my safety but the safety of other drivers on the road. It really irks me that no one can fix the darn thing.

Again, Thanks.

 

i had a 72 maverick did the same thing . had lots of work done on it . finally one day i was talking to a buddy with the car running and was complaining bout how much $$ i had put into it and said the only thing i aint replaced is the starter selenoid as i taped it with a screw driver . the car died . replaced the selenoid. never had a problem again

 

I have a friend that had the same problem and the solution was kinda out there but it fixed the problem. He ended up haveing to replace the roll over switch. Thats the switch that turns off the fuel pump in case the vehicle rolls over. The symptoms were the same as the ones listed in this post.

 

It's been awhile but finally fixed!!!! I gave the car to my brother-in-law. After months of testing he discovered that the connection of the computer was bad. He would start the car, jiggle the box and it would quit. Got a new box at the junk yard and all is well.

Too bad it cost me over $600 at the dealer and a small shop.

 

thats great. I am glad that you also took the time to get back to us about the outcome.
Jes

 

I agree, I think that more people should bring up old posts telling us what the prob was or what the outcome ended up being.