1991 Ford Escort GT from North America - Comments

Had to replace a fuel injector and I recently threw the timing belt. The timing belt was my fault - it was the original and it made it over 86,000 miles. The injector was also original, so I have really not had any problems with the car that were not either routine or my fault.

I hate the automatic seat belts. Not only do these belts have all the annoyances of other automatic seat belts, but they have a hair trigger. They lock up and will pin you against the seat seemingly if you hit even the tiniest of bumps or if you turn, accelerate or decelerate quickly (anything faster than granny driving being "quickly" in this case). This has caused me considerable frustration... it is difficult to turn and check your blind spot if the seat belt has you crazily glued to the seat (this happens to me a lot on exit ramps). Imagine if airbags had such a hair trigger!

I have had the same experience as another reviewer with the hydroplaning problems. Nothing serious really, and the front-wheel drive helps to minimize it even if you do hydroplane. As long as you drive to the conditions you should be fine. But if you are one of those that thinks rain, etc. shouldn't slow you down then this is not the car for you. Actually, people like that shouldn't be allowed to drive at all.

It is surprisingly roomy and it's even pretty comfortable unless you are going on long trips. The seats are kind of hard and nineteen hours of driving in one stretch will really make you want cushy expensive seats.

Overall, I am extraordinarily happy with my Escort GT. I have not maintained it as well as I perhaps should have and it keeps going. It is very economical, has superb power, it's small and has an almost zero turning radius. Makes driving in Houston almost bearable.

I have a '92 Escort GT and I agree with every word you said. It is a VERY FAST car. A good all season car if needed.

I also hate the automatic seat belts. Those are a nightmare to get around. But the only time I have problems with it is when I am trying to get out of the car. I hurt my side on the hard plastic part. OUCH.

I love this car and am getting a custom exhaust system done on it soon. Can't wait to race.

I don't know what kind of transmission fluid my 1991 escort takes and I am getting mad?

I hate the little 1.9 letter engine.

I agree to I own a 91 escort gt to two. I got mine for free though my buddy lets his friends take it for a night and went joyriding with it through a field ad left it there when it died well my buddy gave me the car cause he thought the transmission was out of it so I took it to a shop and they told me it was just a clutch I put a clutch in it and she is great I love this car she is so fast man it's a sweet ride I just invested $600.00 in a system in it she sounds pretty good I have pics of it if any one wants to e mail me its steve1820022000@yahoo.com, but yea the escort gt is an awesome car.

I went out to find a replacement car for my wife to drive after she totaled her second 5.0 Mustang. I thought that the little Escort GT would be a suitable slap in the face. I griped about the car as soon as we got it. Complained that it sure wasn't a Mustang GT... I've never experienced a better car (overall) than this little Escort GT. My wife puts an easy 1000 miles on it every week. It has NEVER left either of us stranded.

The Mazda based 1.8liter DOHC is just an awesome little engine. We got the car with 100K miles, and we're going on 200K now. I've maintained it regularly myself. Replaced a waterpump, alternator, (3) timing belts (I was in there, what the hey?), all regular tune up parts several times, battery, gauge cluster (bad speedo), brake pads (twice), thermostat (twice), and misc small stuff. Generally, the parts have been quite inexpensive.

I should attend to the gas tank, as it leaks when full. The emergency brake has always been unsatisfactory. The side window defrosters are ineffective, and the side windows tend to get very dirty, very quickly, right in my line of sight. Road noise can be really loud, and I sometimes feel that a 6 speed gearbox would have been a good option for highway driving. No problems with the tranny, and as far as I know, the clutch is original. The entire exhaust is original and intact. The headlights and foglights are really crap, and I'm not saying that because I want those horrible blue headlights or anything; the foglights may as well be LEDs, and the headlights may as well be kerosene lamps. These are worse than any old set of sealed beams.

I really hate the automatic shoulder belts too. I'm 6'1", 225lbs and find that getting in and out of the car is tough, but then I regularly drive a K5. The seats are certainly not luxurious, but we found our friend's Acura Integra to be far less comfortable. The AC will keep up with the hottest days, but when it's clutch kicks in, it is apparent how many horses it takes.

This little car gets up and motivates. It's not a sports car by any means, but it is surprisingly quick. On-ramps and passing are no problem. Braking is quick and sure with the 4 discs.

If this car was a different color than teal, my wife would probably just drive it into the ground. Should have found one in white or black; something that doesn't look so dated. Anyway, we like this little Escort GT so much that we're currently shopping for a Mazda Miata which has a very similar engine, but with a great deal more appeal. We'll likely sell the Escort GT for $1000 less than we paid for it, which isn't bad for over 100,000 reliable miles.

We run a 1991 Ford Escort GT as a Stock Car on dirt tracks in the Midwest. It is extremely reliable and talk about fast! It will out run the boys who think Mitsubishi is the way to go. The only Mitsubishis that can beat us, are the ones getting into the motor and working on stuff. We have a few who are getting their chips changed. Our motor is completely stock.

My 1991 ford escort isn't starting up most of the time, I had replaced the distributor and got the car to run, but I get white smoke from the muffler and it seem to smell like gas, now the car idols funny and it went from a full tank of gas to empty in a matter of an hour just by leaving the car running, my guess is it's the number 1 fuel injector because that's the one that seems to fill up and soak my spark plug. if any one has an idea please e-mail me at jm03976860@hotmail.com thanks. (1991 ford escort gt 1.8 DOHC)

I have a 91 Escort LX, and after an engine and tranny rebuild, it runs fine, but the only peevs I have is the wiring after about 180k kms is garbage, and the severe lack of parts for a model (by vin #) that according to Ford doesn't exist.

As for your engine problem, I would venture that it's not gas/fuel, but oil as that is what caused me to rip apart my engine (thought it would be prudent to rebuild rather than repair, was cheaper). The oil comes from the valves and the guides, you can get new valves through napa for about $30 cnd a cylinder, and a good head shop can either knurl the guides or bore and put in new guides (the latter is expensive, but makes the head last much longer).

A simple test to see if it is oil from the valves is to unplug the injector and start the engine (after you clean the plug of course), If it gets wet, then you're looking at taking the head off and it will run you about $70 to just check as the headbolts and gasket must be replaced (the headblots are stretch type and they actually shrink after a couple of good runs so don't over-tighten them).

Have fun and remember all mistakes are covered in gold.

What else would you want? I have a 1991 GT. I bought this for my sons first car. I took it to get the oil changed one day and fell in love with it. I gave my son my BMW 318i. I had to change some things to make her perfect. It is easy to get in and out of. I am 6ft 2" and 220 to boot. I like the seat belt being auto. The a/c rocks. The 91 body style is very nice too. Here are some of my changes that make my GT a Mustang and Corvette eating machine. I added 17" Wheels. Went with a 3/4 " sway bar and included a econo drop kit. Now she hanles remarkably well. Went.50 over on the pistons. I also had some cam and lifter work done so it would handle the Turbo Charger thrust. I was having trouble beating the Corvette so I added one last thing that smokes it now. This would be a dry shot of nitrogen oxide. I start laughing everytime I push the button as there eyes grow large as I pull 3 car lengths on them and they can read my license plate that says NITROGT.