its a 94 ford escort 1.9L
in the morning for the past few days it vibrates the whole car while it is warming up. as soon as i go down the street to the stop sign, it goes away and doesnt come back anytime during the day when i start it up. i asked my auto teacher at school and he said its most likely water in the cylinders=a head gasket about to go(probly just did) anyway, i was going on the freeway to work about an hour ago and i heard the engine kind of die, check engine light came on and i slowed down pretty quick so i pulled over to the shoulder whith the clutch in and as soon as i stopped on the shoulder the car died, i didnt turn it off yet:eek: so anyone got any ideas or similar expiriences before i go taking the head off to replace the gasket if thats not the problem. i really need help. i can fix it if its just a gasket but id like to know before i go tearing into stuff.:D
Thanx in advance

dunno what it is, but you could check to see if it was water in the cylindes by checking the coolant level. if it was leaking enough to cause "vibration" that bad they the level would def. be low.

pull the spark plugs see what they look like. compare them to the chart in the back of a chiltons manual. Maybe try a leak down test that could possibly help find the problem.

Matt

Yeah, I blew head gasket on my DD 4-Runner right before x-mas...so far, I have let it sit outside hoping someone will steal it while I continue to dump money into my currently non-running Scout. Shows where my priorities lay.;)

ok, what about the fuel pump could have gone out or something on top of the head gasket problem?? cuz when i was on the freeway, it seemed like it just stopped firing
i tried to start it in the drive way and it turns over fine so not the battery, but it seems like its not getting gas or its just not firing.
anyone else??
i need to get this fixed by monday:(

Not to be a dick, did you check for the normal, spark, fuel, air, compression? Till you know these you will never know where to start.

Sounds like a fuel delivery problem. Have you changed/checked the fuel filter?

Fuel pump also, Is it in the fuel tank or are you lucky and have it on the frame somewhere. My wifes Astro Van did the same thing your escort did about a year ago and it was a burnt up fuel pump due to a dirty/plugged fuel filter.

ok this is all good stuff, im gonna jack up the car tommarow and check for the fuel filter and pump.
i noticed after i pulled the sparkplugs(which i need to replace) when i went to try and start it, the FUEL CUTOUT light was on. ive only seen this come on before when i didnt have the clutch pushed in when starting it.i checked the fuel cutoff switch in the trunk to reset it if it needed to be, but it didnt. im guessin its probly the fuel filter and pump.
but i still need to figure out the vibration problem when starting up in the morning. is it in fact a head gasket for sure?? if it is i can change that if they have it at the parts store.
thanx for all the help guys

A head gasket is not something you change without knowing it is bad, plus you will want to have the head milled if the gasket is blown. The vibrating could be something simple. You need to do some diagnosis work, always look for the simple stuff first.

A common problem I see here at the dealership with a cold misfire
is the cyl head dropping a valve seat. the steel valve seat literally falls out of the aluminum head when it is cold, then the valve slams it back in. As far as dying on the highway, does it sound "funny" when you crank it? Like it turns over too fast?
pry the timing cover out just enough to see the cam pully, and have someone crank the engine. if the pully doesn't turn, the timing belt is shot.Also very common.

BTW the fuel pump is in the fuel tank, but can be accessed from
under the rear seat. a quick way to check for fuel pressure is the schrader valve on the fuel rail. it is just below the throttle body. It looks like a chrome valve stem for a tire. just push it in and see if fuel sprays out after cycling the key to on. (key on- engine off, the pump will run for about 15 sec. then shut off.)

The bad news about the escort motor is that when the head gasket goes, the head usually goes with it. Took me for ever to find a good head when mine went. Seemed like they were all cracked. Good luck.

If you just want to check the fuel pump real quick, then get by the tank and have someone cycle the key on and listen for the electronic buzz of the fuel pump, you can usually hear them.

Sound like a fuel pressure problem.

The vibration is the morning is the injectors not getting enough fuel pressure to spray right. When the engine is cold the ECU holds the injector open longer to richen up the mixture. Without enough pressure or clogged injectors they just dribble gas. The vibration is caused by a lean miss. When the ECU feels the engine start to die it will play with the IAC valve


The fuel pressure regulator maybe shot or the filter is clogged, pump is shot.

HTH:D

Bob, turned the key on and pushed the valve stem thing and gas came out. so that means the pump works and the filter is allowing gas. what do i do now??

ttt
and i just read in the owners guide/manual thing that the Fuel Cutout light will stay on till the engine fires up.
well as far as i can tell, gas is getting in the cylinders but not firing now. so it may be an ignition problem or im just jumping to conclusions.
BOB I NEED HELP :(

ok i changed spark plugs and fuel filter. the engine seems to be getting gas but it still wont run.
ANYONE???:(

Pull a plug and ground it to the engine, crank it over and see if you are getting spark to the plugs

Check the fuel pressure with a gauge. Just because its running doesn't mean its not bad. Had a similar situation w/my brother's TA last summer.

Pete

First thing you always check is fuses.
The Escort is a 94 so its fuel injected, whens the last time you change the fuel filter? That would be the second thing I would check.
If you had a head gasket go out, normally you will either have oil in the antifreeze, which you can see floating on top of your radiator. Or you will have antifreeze in you oil, which you can see by pulling the dipstick, the oil will look milky in color.
You could have had a timing belt break or stretch and slip, how many miles is on the car, and when is the last time you changed the belt.
This should give you a start.....:skull:

ok my dad was reading the manual he bought for the car and hes narrowed it down to an ignition problem. most likely something with the coil.
he also figured out the vibration was coming from the electric fan that goes on when the car starts, so theres probly something on a fan blade. thanx everyone

Sounds like it needs some Gas
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
And a match.

my money is still on the timing belt.......
is the ignition rotor turing when you crank the engine?

zags, i will check that tommarow
i checked for spark tonight witha wire tester thing and its getting spark to the cylinders but its still not running. i gotta figure out whats wrong tommarow, otherwise dads takin it to a shop:(