anybody know about escorts?

[BOSS302Man]

I have a '91 Escort GT with the 1.8 that I bought new and still have and drive almost every day. It's an early built car and the 1.8s had crank shaft problems the first half of the year in '91 and you guessed it, I have one of them. I wound up rebuilding the engine fix the crank issue. The problem is the front snout at the timing gear for the belt. There's a keyway that almost broke on mine. If this car is a later built car, which I'm guessing the odds are good it is because it's Caymen green and they brought that color out later in the year, you should be safe on that issue. other than that, the 1.8 Mazda Miata engine they put in there is pretty much bullet proof. I used to run mine to 7 grand all the time. The crank issue came up at 180,280 miles. I have almost 200,000 on the car now and with the fresh rebuild, I still run it up to 7 grand at times.

I get 31 back and forth to work and 34 on a trip. Car has a 5 speed. Still had the original clutch in it when i rebuilt and considered putting it back in. These cars have a hydraulic clutch and is REAL simple to change when they fail, which is pretty rare anyway. My daughter drove this car while in college and she would like to have one now. I'd consider buying the above car.

 

[Jason]

All I know about escorts is that Greek is $75-150 extra.

 

[almostclueless]

All I know about escorts is that Greek is $75-150 extra.

My mind fixates on the chick from "big fat greek wedding". Not a troll, but not gonna draw much money. Do they use windex for perfume?

 

[kunar]

I have a '91 Escort GT with the 1.8 that I bought new and still have and drive almost every day. It's an early built car and the 1.8s had crank shaft problems the first half of the year in '91 and you guessed it, I have one of them. I wound up rebuilding the engine fix the crank issue. The problem is the front snout at the timing gear for the belt. There's a keyway that almost broke on mine. If this car is a later built car, which I'm guessing the odds are good it is because it's Caymen green and they brought that color out later in the year, you should be safe on that issue. other than that, the 1.8 Mazda Miata engine they put in there is pretty much bullet proof. I used to run mine to 7 grand all the time. The crank issue came up at 180,280 miles. I have almost 200,000 on the car now and with the fresh rebuild, I still run it up to 7 grand at times.

I get 31 back and forth to work and 34 on a trip. Car has a 5 speed. Still had the original clutch in it when i rebuilt and considered putting it back in. These cars have a hydraulic clutch and is REAL simple to change when they fail, which is pretty rare anyway. My daughter drove this car while in college and she would like to have one now. I'd consider buying the above car.

sounds like you know your stuff. it looks like the build date is 6/91, so thats pretty late in the year. i should be okay on the crank issues? ill probably be going at the end of the week to buy the car, as long as everything goes well.

 

[Danger06Ranger]

I wish I still had my 98 Zed X, great mileage and pretty quick with th A/C off.

 

[lil red]

id say look at all the door gaps to make sure nothings twisted
i doubt it is but its worth a peek, and if there even or look like there normal go for it

you can probably pick up parts for cheap at a junkyard
and the core support shouldnt be too hard to fix, i pulled one out with one pull(with a slide hammer, and straightned it with a small hammer.
it looks like an easy, one weekend fix if you have the parts, and looks like a good, reliable car

go for it, if its at a good price

 

[bobbywalter]

wire a headlight on it, and put a t belt in it....



and carry on.

you should see my escort....fargin deer wait in gangs to attack that poor thing...they hate it.

 

[koda6966]

I have a parts escort of the same generation except a wagon, It's in the "Damage Photos" thread, or whatever it's called.
I don't know that much about shipping parts so I might not be able to get them out to you if you need/want anything..

 

[BOSS302Man]

sounds like you know your stuff. it looks like the build date is 6/91, so thats pretty late in the year. i should be okay on the crank issues? ill probably be going at the end of the week to buy the car, as long as everything goes well.

You'll be fine with that crank. You won't find many GT's in junkyards and most items are unique to the GT since it's based on a Mazda Protoge'. You're better off looking for the same year Protoge's than GT's. If you have trouble finding parts at parts stores, try that also.

Good luck and if and when you get it running, the GT's are a blast to drive! Can't even compare to a standard Escort with the 1.9.

 

[kunar]

You'll be fine with that crank. You won't find many GT's in junkyards and most items are unique to the GT since it's based on a Mazda Protoge'. You're better off looking for the same year Protoge's than GT's. If you have trouble finding parts at parts stores, try that also.

Good luck and if and when you get it running, the GT's are a blast to drive! Can't even compare to a standard Escort with the 1.9.

yeah, its all pretty much there other than the front end damage. it runs fine, i havent driven it yet but i will in a few days. the radiator holds water, but the fill spout is busted off. ill probably drive it home like that but thats it. compared to the 1.9, its something like 130hp vs 90hp or something along those lines. from what i hear, this car is almost all mazda. its built on a mazda bg chassis, and its a mazda engine. did the protoge have a 1.8 and the miata had a 1.6?

 

[kunar]

well here it is, my $700 escort gt

pics are here

 

[BOSS302Man]

You got a deal in my book. Good little cars. Check your back springs, they often get rusty and break. Jack the car up by the body and let the suspension hang, you should be able to tell their condition. Mine were broke after my daughter was done driving it for a bunch of years. I bought Eibach lowering springs (1 - 1 1/2 ") and makes the car handle really great. I don't know about coilovers, heard good and bad about them.

 

[847alexc]

Good luck finding some parts

I know that the front grill on the escort GT's had off-center slots to allow air to pass through the radiator ect., these may be more difficult to find than the standard escort grilles which may not fit.

 

[BOSS302Man]

I know that the front grill on the escort GT's had off-center slots to allow air to pass through the radiator ect., these may be more difficult to find than the standard escort grilles which may not fit.

Nope, you can buy new ones on ebay for about 20 bucks shipped. One of the very few things that is easy to get. Someone must re-popping them for the LX owners to 'upgrade' to a GT. Kinda of cheasy in my book. You want a GT, get a GT.

 

[BOSS302Man]

Did you get that Escort running?