I bought my 1988 Escort in January, it has 166.000 Km and i am just the second owner.
The car was owned by a lady who bought it locally, she kept the bodywork and interior in mint condition, the original soft top is in great condition and does not leak even in pouring rain.
The engine was not well taken care of however, the oil was rarely changed, and they used Motul 20W-50 Dino, too thick for a Ford CVH with hydraulic lifters, the radiator was replaced just 3 years ago, however they used only water and no coolant
Anyway, i changed the oil 2 weeks after buying it and i have by now drained the cooling system 3 times, it was full of nothing but horrible rusty water.
It's had Shell Rimula R4X 15W-40 HDEO in it for the last 3 months in it now, it's an appropriate viscosity and i like the 1250ppm of Zddp it has, the CVH has flat tappets and unusually high valve spring pressures of over 200 Lbs stock, and i hope the strong detergent / dispersant pack of the HDEO cleans it up over time, i intend to keep using it indefiently.
It's my daily driver and i will probably change the oil / filter again in Octobe ror November when the tourist season is over and i'm off work.
This week i will change the timing belt being an interference engine, i want to take no chances with it.
Rocker cover gasket change 09-05-2018 by Argentum Enim in Sempiternum, en Flickr
Rocker cover gasket change 09-05-2018 by Argentum Enim in Sempiternum, en Flickr
Rocker cover gasket change 09-05-2018 by Argentum Enim in Sempiternum, en Flickr
And some bonus pics
1988 Ford Escort MkIV 1.6 Xr3i Cabrio by Argentum Enim in Sempiternum, en Flickr
CVH by Argentum Enim in Sempiternum, en Flickr
The car was owned by a lady who bought it locally, she kept the bodywork and interior in mint condition, the original soft top is in great condition and does not leak even in pouring rain.
The engine was not well taken care of however, the oil was rarely changed, and they used Motul 20W-50 Dino, too thick for a Ford CVH with hydraulic lifters, the radiator was replaced just 3 years ago, however they used only water and no coolant
Anyway, i changed the oil 2 weeks after buying it and i have by now drained the cooling system 3 times, it was full of nothing but horrible rusty water.
It's had Shell Rimula R4X 15W-40 HDEO in it for the last 3 months in it now, it's an appropriate viscosity and i like the 1250ppm of Zddp it has, the CVH has flat tappets and unusually high valve spring pressures of over 200 Lbs stock, and i hope the strong detergent / dispersant pack of the HDEO cleans it up over time, i intend to keep using it indefiently.
It's my daily driver and i will probably change the oil / filter again in Octobe ror November when the tourist season is over and i'm off work.
This week i will change the timing belt being an interference engine, i want to take no chances with it.
Rocker cover gasket change 09-05-2018 by Argentum Enim in Sempiternum, en Flickr
Rocker cover gasket change 09-05-2018 by Argentum Enim in Sempiternum, en Flickr
Rocker cover gasket change 09-05-2018 by Argentum Enim in Sempiternum, en Flickr
And some bonus pics
1988 Ford Escort MkIV 1.6 Xr3i Cabrio by Argentum Enim in Sempiternum, en Flickr
CVH by Argentum Enim in Sempiternum, en Flickr