1989 Ford Escort LX from North America - Comments

Timing chain failed twice.

Piston ring failed and car started consuming oil very rapidly.

Oxygen sensor failed once per year due to the exhaust being polluted by the oil.

Car would die out of nowhere relentlessly, especially in cold weather. I could be cruising at 30 mph, but the minute I took my foot off of the gas it would die. This was while moving at 30 miles per hour. To keep it running I would be at stop lights pushing the pedal down some so that it didn't sporadically die.

This car has to be one of the most poorly made cars on the road. The interior is acceptable and it is moderately comfortable, but the car itself is not at all dependable.

The timing chain seems to periodically wear out. It had to be replaced twice. One of the piston rings failed and the car ate huge amounts of oil. Every other week I would have to add a quart.

As for performance, this car was remarkably slow. I could floor it and people would pass me by giving me looks that questioned why I was moving so slowly.

The speakers deteriorated and eventually rotted out, unbelievably. I replaced them before the car stopped running at 74000 miles and was towed away to a charitable organization.

Um OK man first if you would take car of your car it would be still running I got one that has 91k on it and it runs beautfully. there is no timing chain on the 1.9 and if you would have changed your oil once in a while you would not have burnt up a piston ring.

I had a escort the worst car I ever drove every part you think off I replaced the car takes as much oil as petrol.

Oil consumption... Weeeell, I don't know if escorts have the same problem, but as you may know, Saturns are pretty notorious for oil consumption as well. In the Saturns, the oil control rings would get carbon deposits in them causing them to stick. The newest fix to the problem is to run some top engine cleaner through the cylinders. To do it, you pull all the plugs, and pour the cleaner into the cylinders. After this, you let it sit for some time, crank the engine to clear it out and repeat. Once you have done this to your liking, (once is enough sometimes) simply crank the motor to clean out the excess fluid (watch for spray!) and put the plugs back in it. You should probably check the oil for contamination before you start it. The first time you start, it will smoke and probably run poorly for a while, but it should get over it.

I've preformed this on several vehicles and it diminished the oil consumption significantly. I've seen cars going from 2-3 every hundred miles go to nearly no oil consumption. I can't guarantee this will work for you, but it's definitely worth a shot if you're trying to escape the oil clouds!

The car actually does have a timing chain. It is a wire with knots in it and over time the knots are worn out, thus resulting in the chain's failure.

I agree, this car was crap. My sister had bought one brand new off the lot. The horn never did work and the cloth interior was tearing up the first year she had it. On top of all that it has to be the ugliest thing running the roads. It is a good thing her husband totaled it by running it into a ditch full of water and their insurance paid the thing off. Piece of junk at best.