1998 Ford Escort Logo
Janie Hudnall Posted on Feb 25, 2013
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I bought a used 1995 for escort. it has a miss an is getting worse. i changed the spark plugs. i took the spark plug wires off one at a time. 3 of them made the miss worse and 1 did nothing. it's

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Stephen

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  • Ford Master 21,873 Answers
  • Posted on Feb 25, 2013
 Stephen
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Not without more testing.
It could be a fuel problem or something mechanical like a valve.
You would do a compression test next to verify all 4 cylinders have normal compression.
If they do, and that 4th plug wire was providing spark to the plug, I would expect you to find something going on with the injector.

5 Related Answers

daveleeyates

  • 65 Answers
  • Posted on Mar 24, 2009

SOURCE: Ford Escort 1998 fuel pump not working.

good old ford lol, try looking at the crank sensor its located at the front of the engine tucked in right hand side of exhaust manifold and gearbox, two pin plug, i have also known these to have no end of faults with the fusebox.
easy to remove, and solder the connections inside they all suffer eventually, if your not to handy with cars i recommend taking to a auto electrician, easy if you know how. Good luck Davelee

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Anonymous

  • 4 Answers
  • Posted on Apr 27, 2009

SOURCE: 1989 Full Size Ford Bronco 302 won't start

This happend to me before. Go back and check the firing order and make sure the spark plug wires are in the right place. A Chilton auto repair book for your vehicle, available at many auto part stores are really helpful. Check the rotor and distributor cap also and make sure they seat properly. Assuming the distributor itself has not been removed it should start. If the distributor was removed from the vehicle and not installed in the exact position it was before (maybe a couple of notches off) you will have to find top dead center on the compression stroke on plug #1 and check to see if the rotor is pointing at the at plug wire #1 on the distributor cap. The distributor itself can be adjusted by loosening the locking nut and turning it slowly clokwise or counter clokwise to ****** or advance the spark. make sure all your vacume lines are in the right place also. All these procedures can be found in the book.

Anonymous

  • 2 Answers
  • Posted on Oct 06, 2009

SOURCE: 1988 Ford Crown Vic Strange Idle (Getting Worse)

i am trying to install an aftermarket temperature guage with capillary tube into my 1988 crown victoria ltd 5.0 efi. where does the capillary tube mount?

Mackmech11

Josh

  • 122 Answers
  • Posted on Apr 18, 2010

SOURCE: changed timing belt on my 99 ford escort zx2 car no

if you have a no spark scenario i would check your crank sensor located at the top left side of the harmonic balance pulley.the crankshaft (about 11'oclock) a 2 wire plug with a sensor on it check to see if it is damaged or unsecured. this sensor can cause no spark if not working correctly. This sensor is based of frequency not voltage testing is difficult, just make sure that there isnt too muck air gap. and that it is secured.Lastly may want to check timing possible that the belt has jumped some teeth and she has fallen out of timing. maybe a bad tensioner The coil will adapt i think up to 10 degree, ****** or advance. Good luck

Anonymous

  • 642 Answers
  • Posted on Nov 16, 2010

SOURCE: 1999 ford escort I changed the

Remove the plugs from the head. Insert into the coil wires. Make sure they are properly earthed on the engine. Crank the motor and check for spark at each of the plugs.
Refer to the diagram. Cylinders are connected as shown on the diagram in blue. 1 goes to cylinder 1(sparkplug furthest from coil pack), 2 to 2, 3 to 3 and 4 to 4(closets to coil pack).
To test the coil pack use a digital volt meter. Measure resistance between coil towers for coil 1(marked 1 in red on diagram) Value should be between 12000 and 14500 ohm. Do the same for coil towers 2.
Measure resistance between I and C1. If the measurement is more than 5 ohm the coil is defective. Do the same for I to C2.
Measuring voltage at I(Ignition start/run) to ground should be 10V.
I is connected to the 15A engine fuse. The radio interference capacitor is connected between this line and earth at the coil. Disconnect it to see if it cures the problem.
C1 and C2 connect to the powertrain control module.
Bear in mind that aftermarket coil wires may cause problems with misfiring, so see if you cant find an OEM coil wire to replace the broken one before replacing anything else.

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you will need a 5/8 size spark plug socket, with a 3/8" ratchet, and a 4 - 6" extenstion to remove the plugs, and the wires can be pulled off at the spark plug boot, just twist the boot back and forth a little, and then pull them off, sometimes you will need a spark plug wire boot puller, this is very inexpensive, and can be purchased at a auto part store, replace only 1 spark plug and wire at a time, this way you wont get the wires mixed up. also it is recommendable since escorts have alluminum heads to replace the plugs when the engine is cold.
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Remove the plugs from the head. Insert into the coil wires. Make sure they are properly earthed on the engine. Crank the motor and check for spark at each of the plugs.
Refer to the diagram. Cylinders are connected as shown on the diagram in blue. 1 goes to cylinder 1(sparkplug furthest from coil pack), 2 to 2, 3 to 3 and 4 to 4(closets to coil pack).
To test the coil pack use a digital volt meter. Measure resistance between coil towers for coil 1(marked 1 in red on diagram) Value should be between 12000 and 14500 ohm. Do the same for coil towers 2.
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Measuring voltage at I(Ignition start/run) to ground should be 10V.
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C1 and C2 connect to the powertrain control module.
Bear in mind that aftermarket coil wires may cause problems with misfiring, so see if you cant find an OEM coil wire to replace the broken one before replacing anything else.

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merely obvious first... was there a miss before you changed the plugs as you may have put the spark plug cables in the wrong order... a mistake in side by side cylinders wouldn't be that obvious at idle.

Second... buy a bottle or two of gas line antifreeze... well buy a few as it's winter time. add one now and the next time you fill up.... if the spark plug order is correct.... it could possibly be water in the fuel it happens and the gas line antifreeze is actually alchohol... it soaks up the water.

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Replace the Spark Plug wires, they burn through and short to the valve cover/cylinder head causing a miss under load, very common concern with this Mazda engine that was used in your Escort GT. Buy the best wire set you can find, or the problem will re-occur very quickly. Auto-lite makes a good set at a good price, avail at most chain parts stores like Kragen, Auto Zone etc.
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