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01 ZX2 Issues (any info will be helpful)


ssejuela
12-06-2005, 12:56 PM
I'm new to this forum and wondering if anyone can share some insight on the issues that I am having with my ZX2. My car gets extremely loud (sounding like a riding mower) when the car is idling for any period of time, Whenever I apply the brakes the car shimmys, My passenger side window works when it wants to and will only raise or lower in inch increments where I have to wait 5 minutes or so in between efforts to raise the window. I have kept the maintenance up on the vehicle (oil changes every 300 miles, tire rotations, brake pads, tune-ups, etc.) It just seems that the car wants to fall apart now that I am 8 payments away from payoff. I only have 95,000 miles on it and have recently invested almost $2,000 in repairs and maintenance. My latest issue is that the car warms up and and thermostat gauge will rise above cold and then never move all the way to the middle (between cold and hot) like it normally does. I have driven for over an hour and it still remains by the cold side. I made sure that I had antifreeze, i thought it could be the thermostat sticking but I had it replaced about a year ago. Any info anyone has on these issues or similar experiences would be appreciated.

Paul78zephyr
12-07-2005, 08:23 PM
Hi,
Im fairly new to this forum myself and also have a 2001 ZX2. My car has 84000 miles on it . Ive had a few of the problems you describe although there always can be more than one cause of any problem.

I needed to have new outer tie rods installed recently as both side were very loose and this could definately cause the 'shimmy' you mentioned. Outer tie rods wearing out in the 50-80K mile range is very common on Escorts/ZX2s. I also needed a new front wheel bearing and this can cause loosness in the front end. Definately have the front end looked at.

I also had a problem about a year ago with my temp guage reading funny. It turned out that the temp guage sender (located on a small coolant fitting on the drivers side of the engine, I think near the thermostat housing) had somehow become a bit loose and was leaking a small amout of coolant into the electrical connector on it. I cleaned/dried out the connector and wiggled the sender a bit (it seals with an o-ring) and the entire problem went away.

Your power window problem I have not encountered but from your description its probably a bad switch, bad motor, or a loose connection in the wiring. Thats a tough one.

Be on the look out for any problems with the AC where you either have no AC or intermittent operation. The AC just seems to quit. Thousands of Escorts and ZX2s since 1997 have had this problem which can be difficult to diagnose if you are not aware of the problem which can be traced to the CCRM (Contant Control Relay Module). The CCRM is a small electronic 'box' located in the engine compatment directly under the air filter housing. The CCRM is itself controlled by the PCM (main vehicle computer). There are small relays in the CCRM which control the operation of the engine cooling fans and the AC compressor clutch. A solder joint failure to one of the relays causes the signal to the AC compressor clutch tom fail causing the AC to fail (or fail intermittently). The CCRM can be removed, dissassembled and repaired if you have some basic mechanical/electronic skills. A new CCRM is over $300 from Ford. To learn more about this problem simply do a Google search on 'Escort CCRM'. Ford has no recall on this problem even though they should.

I also had a weird situation with a blown fuse that caused many interior and exterior lights to be out. I quickly discovered the short circuit was in one of the two small bulb sockets for the licence plate lamps which are in the trunk lid. The bad socket was completely melted and burned due to corrosion from water, dirt, etc getting in the socket due to the bulb lens being cracked. I had to cut out and replace the socket by splicing in a new one. I also replaced the cracked lens and now noticed my other lens is cracked so I am watching and checking that socket for corrosion.

I hope this info helps. If you have any other questions let me know.

Did you see my post (newer than yours) about my question concerning the replacement of the serpentine belt?

Paul

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