Neglected 1988 Escort valvetrain pics.

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FCD

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Oct 22, 2015
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Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain
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
cry.gif


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
 
Not very sharp looking under the valve cover ! :-(

I applaud you for trying to do some maintenance .

If I recall , years ago , I used a product containing oxalic acid to clean a cooling system . Seemed to work pretty well .

I read that synthetic motor oil cleans as goog or better than dino oil . Might try some ?

Best of luck with the timing belt . If left too long & it breaks , it will ruin your day ! :-(
 
is that related at all the the one we had in the US?

IIRC My grandparents had a early 80's escort wagon..
it popped the headgasket and almost self destructed.
 
That is a SWEET car!! Is it a convertible?

I'd go with Ford's US spec 5W30. I bet it'd wake that car up!! My sister had an 89 Escort and it would get rubber all the way into 3rd gear
laugh.gif
 
Super-Duper, AA+ car. Clearly garage kept. How are the tires & brakes?

Clean & seal the battery & terminals and inspect underhood grounding points.
Doll up that rats nest on the positive side.

Consider stretching a piece of fabric (leg from a pair of panty hose) over the interior air intake at the firewall.

Get a "piggy bank" and don't dream up jobs to do because enough are on their way.
Someone (her mechanic?) came up with the idea of using water only in the cooling system so you know other surprises are coming.

A 30 year old car changing its ways will protest sooner or later.

Also, cars have feelings so go easy on adding modern things. They don't like it.
Equate that to an old, crusty football fan seeing his son wearing an earring.

Seriously, keep an eye on the hoses. I don't think the chemically superior hose material of today was in use then.
Feel vacuum hoses too. They crumble away and feel like graphite.
 
Great looking car, terrible maintenance history. I hate to see such a great car with such a neglected history. Good job with your maintenance schedule so far.
 
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
That is a SWEET car!! Is it a convertible?

I'd go with Ford's US spec 5W30. I bet it'd wake that car up!! My sister had an 89 Escort and it would get rubber all the way into 3rd gear
laugh.gif



I have read the MoterCraft synthetic blend is pretty good oil . Or go with Pennzoil , Mobile , etc. full synthetic .
 
Sharp looking car. If the valve train isn't noisy and the exhaust isn't blue, I wouldn't worry. I would be really curious about the water pump impeller, but if the engine runs cool... You may want to check transmission fluid.
For a 30 yr old car, it looks pretty good.
 
Originally Posted By: Rand
is that related at all the the one we had in the US?

IIRC My grandparents had a early 80's escort wagon..
it popped the headgasket and almost self destructed.


The one that was sold in the US was related to the Mark 3 ( 1980-1986 ) European Ford Escort, mine is a Mark 4 ( 1986-1990 ) they had the same CVH engines just with a lot more emissions equipment and no real sporty versions but the GT which was a appearance pack.
 
Originally Posted By: andyd
Sharp looking car. If the valve train isn't noisy and the exhaust isn't blue, I wouldn't worry. I would be really curious about the water pump impeller, but if the engine runs cool... You may want to check transmission fluid.
For a 30 yr old car, it looks pretty good.

Valvetrain does make some noise ( more when hot than cold ) Ford CVH tend to wear out cams because the valvetrain oiling system is not very good, but no blue smoke and it doesn't use any oil.
 
Originally Posted By: Kira
Super-Duper, AA+ car. Clearly garage kept. How are the tires & brakes?

Clean & seal the battery & terminals and inspect underhood grounding points.
Doll up that rats nest on the positive side.

Consider stretching a piece of fabric (leg from a pair of panty hose) over the interior air intake at the firewall.

Get a "piggy bank" and don't dream up jobs to do because enough are on their way.
Someone (her mechanic?) came up with the idea of using water only in the cooling system so you know other surprises are coming.

A 30 year old car changing its ways will protest sooner or later.

Also, cars have feelings so go easy on adding modern things. They don't like it.
Equate that to an old, crusty football fan seeing his son wearing an earring.

Seriously, keep an eye on the hoses. I don't think the chemically superior hose material of today was in use then.
Feel vacuum hoses too. They crumble away and feel like graphite.


Thanks!, yes it's in very good and 100% original condition, we have a big show locally coming up in 2 weeks and i will be taking it there for sure.
I use it as a daily but we have no road salt here and it's sunny 300 days on average out of the year so it's not rough on the car at all and my commute is all highway driving, so far it has not "protested" at all, been totally reliable.
Tires are ok but will be replaced in a few months, brakes are ok, not spectacular.
 
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
That is a SWEET car!! Is it a convertible?

I'd go with Ford's US spec 5W30. I bet it'd wake that car up!! My sister had an 89 Escort and it would get rubber all the way into 3rd gear
laugh.gif


Yes it is a convertible, it's the original roof too and it's in good shape, i've bought some liqui moly products to keep it clean and protect it.
In Europe Ford recomended 10W-40 or 15W-40 for these engines, this engine has Mechanical Bosch K-Jetronic injection and it runs rich when cold so fuel dilution is higher than with most cars.

My car is the Xr3i version, the second most sporty model with 105 Hp and Bosch K-jetronic fuel injection, it pulls quite well for its age and is very fun to drive, the msot sporty version in Europe was the RS Turbo with 130 Hp.
 
Originally Posted By: FirstNissan
Great looking car, terrible maintenance history. I hate to see such a great car with such a neglected history. Good job with your maintenance schedule so far.


Girl's car
 
Originally Posted By: maxdustington
Originally Posted By: FirstNissan
Great looking car, terrible maintenance history. I hate to see such a great car with such a neglected history. Good job with your maintenance schedule so far.


Girl's car

Why? men can't enjoy convertibles?
I get way more compliments from men that i do from women about the car.
 
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