New Head Gasket on my friend's '98 Ford Escort

"StoneCold" (StoneCold) 10/08/2014 at 21:02 • Filed to: None

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The 2000 SPI is a terrible engine and should be scrapped and melted to make septic tanks. Shop said the head gasket needed replacing ($1,900, car was bought for $2,200), so we decided to do it ourselves.

Head bolt broke off while taking it out. The corrosion kept the block together until I wretched my back using a 3.5 foot pry bar to bust it off. Then there was the stud. Just sittin' there. Givin' us the bird. Get everything clean (except the exhaust stuff, just threw that on [his idea]), reassemble, start it up. A little bit of smoke, but that's expected since I oiled the cylinders. Idles great. He takes it out and it works great. Total hours on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday working on it? 46 hours, no sleeping; stopped once to go to the bar.

He's driving on 53/355, and it dies on him. We think we messed up the timing belt installation. God. DAMN IT.

Never skimp on dedicating time to getting timing chain/belt right. NEVER.

bob and john > StoneCold 10/08/2014 at 21:07

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thought you oculd do a timing job huh

Agrajag > StoneCold 10/08/2014 at 21:08

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Damn and blast.

Steve in Manhattan > StoneCold 10/08/2014 at 21:42

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Perhaps showing my ignorance here, but I thought messing up the timing belt by a cog or two would cause it to run rough, not to quit after normal operation.

Racescort666 > StoneCold 10/08/2014 at 21:45

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Agreed on SPI. That motor is garbage.

StoneCold > Steve in Manhattan 10/08/2014 at 21:46

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We think the tensioner wasn't torqued down enough and it may have popped out >_<

f86sabre > Steve in Manhattan 10/08/2014 at 21:52

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this. We ran our lemons Escort for two hours a couple of weeks ago after it started running rough. Changed a bunch of things and found it had jumped timing by a tooth. Fixed that and it ran great. Second race on the engine.

Steve in Manhattan > StoneCold 10/08/2014 at 21:58

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Did you replace the belt/tensioner while you were in there?

StoneCold > Steve in Manhattan 10/08/2014 at 23:02

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Nope, bearing looked good and everything.

Steve in Manhattan > StoneCold 10/08/2014 at 23:08

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I suppose that's on the menu now - sad that you have to tear that engine apart again.

orcim > StoneCold 10/09/2014 at 02:47

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I went all anal on my re2.0L Escort rebuild - *every* bolt to spec. Took 3 manuals to get all the numbers I wanted because some were missing spec.

Hopefully you put in a new head. 4th cylinder valve seat fail is a #1 cause of engine oops on these monsters.

Tohru > Steve in Manhattan 10/16/2014 at 10:45

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SPI's are non-interference.

Tohru > StoneCold 10/16/2014 at 10:47

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Agreed on the SPI being shit. Had two of them. Had to replace a timing belt tensioner in a parking lot in the snow on New Year's Eve 2013 because it kept jumping time.