1988 Ford Escort XR3i valvetrain pics

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Engine is running fine so letting the oil clean over time is a good idea. Avoiding additives and flushes is a good idea too. And using an oversize filter is good also.

I would use a full synthetic high mileage oil though. Something like M1 HM 10w30 or 10w40. And I would be tempted to run an oil filter with a known higher capacity like a Fram Ultra.
 
Knew someone who lost a bearing after putting kerosene in to clean up things. An oil passage got blocked by some loosened sludge.

Unless he will be tearing down the engine, I would leave well enough alone.
 
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Yeah, also do an oil analysis. Look for copper. tin, lead - sign of bearings going south, especially lead. IF car has good compression, lot easier to change out bottom end bearings than damaging crank journals.
 
If those 'before and after' were just with the oil alone, I'd just continue doing periodic oil and filter changes as you have. That's amazing if just oil alone has removed that much sludge.

No need to get aggressive with the flushes when the HDEO is doing its job. Keep on posting pics if you can periodically. I see nothing invalid with your approach.
 
Originally Posted by borgward
Check out Ford Escort Owners Association - https://www.feoa.net/


I live in Spain we have plenty of clubs in Europe
smile.gif
 
I'd be very tempted to get it hot, drop the oil, refil to the brim with diesel, let it sit for 24hrs, drain, refill with cheap oil, run&flush, refill with good oil.
 
Originally Posted by Olas
I'd be very tempted to get it hot, drop the oil, refil to the brim with diesel, let it sit for 24hrs, drain, refill with cheap oil, run&flush, refill with good oil.


Maybe, i guess i could do that.

But i think that as the engine really runs completely ok and has no problems other than a bit of hydraulic tappet noise ( nothing out of the usual with the Ford CVH engine ) , maybe i'll just continue what i'm doing, short OCI's using HDEO and a lrger Zetec EFL600 Motorcraft oil filter.
 
When i bought it, in fact it burned some oil, but that stopped after the first OCI with the Shell Rimula HDEO, i assume the rings were somewhat stuck.

I know that previously, before i bought it, the car lived mainly on a diet of Motul 20W-50, as i have some reciepts from the previous owner.

The engine felt sluggish, so i changed the oil just 2 weeks after buying the car, the engine has since then progressively "loosened up" and feel more responsive and rev happy than before.
Thankfully the Bosch K-Jetronic injection system has proved trouble free, as they can be a pain to diagnose and expensive to fix.
 
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Odd that escort must be too old to have had the zetec engine. But the zetec was available 1992 onwards and iv seen xr2i and 3i that have the 1.8 zetec. Even rs2000 had zetec.
 
Originally Posted by slybunda
Odd that escort must be too old to have had the zetec engine. But the zetec was available 1992 onwards and iv seen xr2i and 3i that have the 1.8 zetec. Even rs2000 had zetec.


Mine is a Mk4 ( 1986-1990 ) the Mk4 didn't get the Zetec as it didn't come out until 1991 ( for the 1992 model year )

The XR2i at first had the CVH, from 1989 until 1991, then it got the Zetec too.
Ford waited until the Zetec was ready to release the Mk5 XR3i.

But the RS 2000 had the N7A engine derived from the Sierra's DOHC engine, not the Zetec.
 
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