91 escort 1.9

ok this car was free so i don't want to put alot of money into it. when i start the car you can hear a loud pinging sound. it wasn't doing it when the exhaust was off. but when i fixed the exhaust it started making the pinging sound. i think it's the lifters. the seem alittle loose. but i dn't know what the torque is for them. thinks for any help...

I not a mechanic so sorry I can't help you. But the reason I'm posting cause I posted this question before and got no responce.

What can I do to get my escort to increase the speed I'v got a 88 ford excort 1.9 I don't know what else you need to know to help me. but post back and help me out please.

thks in adv ...

mine has the same engin size as yours.
Also if you get a responce maybe they might look at mine and help out too.

clogged cat converter?