1. Home
  2. General Ford Forum
  3. 2002 Ford Escort engine problem

2002 Ford Escort engine problem

Ok guys..with fixing my hobby dead aerostar in the backyard, ran into a problem with our third car, a 2002 ford escort. bout 2 months back the head gasket broke and had that chocolate creamy look in the oil and had to take it in to get it fixed. Well a month later, it started to steam out radiator fluid somewhere but i couldnt seem to find the source. Strangely the temp gauge only showed bout half way temps. This morning tried to pressurize the cooling system to find out where the leak was.(pumped up to 10psi) Still couldnt find it and a little later..the thing doesnt hold any pressure now whatsoever! So then i tried to crank it up and now it starts for half a sec then seems to lock or wont turn over. So i go under the car and try to manually turn over the crankshaft clockwise and it does for bout 1/4 of a turn then locks. It literallly wont turn over! Is my engine totally screwed? Is this a symptom of a thrown rod, or a totally cracked block? Any advice is appreciated before i throw any money into it..or just get rid of it.

Edwin T.

Reply to
Edwin T.
Loading thread data ...

if you overheated an escort there is a GOOD chance you cracked the head - and/or dropped a valve seat. They are EXCELLENT vehicles/engines but do not stand up well to "thermal abuse"

Reply to
clare

yeah im thinking the same thing. But temp gauge showed mid range temps and it didnt seem overly hot. The mechanic who fixed the head gasket a month ago mentioned that the temp gauge seemed to be working fine and supposedly fixed whatever caused the temps to rise. Someone else also mentioned that it probably droped a valve seat and is hitting a piston which might be causing the non turn over of the crank. Gonna have to call him on Monday to see whats up. (hopefully hes a good standing mechanic and wont try to resist his warrenty)

Reply to
Edwin T.

The problem with the escort is the locationn of the temp sensor. If it is not immersed in water it cannot read accurately - and it is in a position where when the fluid level gets low it does not read accurately - which is part of the reason they suffer from overheating incidents. The driver does not realize the engine is severely overheated until it is too late. My brother has fixed quite a few that have failed that way - and bought a few very cheaply when the customer decided not to fix.

Reply to
clare

Along with what clare posted, if you have another head or head gasket leak, you may have filled a cylinder with water when pressurizing it. Pull the spark plugs, then try to turn it over by hand (as opposed to using the starter).

Reply to
SC Tom

eternal-september.org!mx04.eternal-september.org!feeder.eternal-september.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail

posting-host="y36amNxEBFjJNEF5x4g5PA";

mail-complaints-to=" snipped-for-privacy@eternal-september.org"; posting-account="U2FsdGVkX19/duZ9PchtKJTucqxZfAbmn9lHbV/1VBo="

Ok mechanic found out the problem..apparently it wasnt the head gasket. It was dumping coolant into 1,2,and 3 piston cylinders (which caused hydrolock) and at first it confused him. After he took the thing apart he found that there was a leak coming from the intake manifold and it was dumping coolant straight into the three of the cylenders minus a 4th. He had it fixed within 2 days and it runs fine. (have to change the oil after

100 miles to get all moisture out) Im just glad it wasnt a cracked block or another head gasket failure
Reply to
Edwin T.

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.