Sudden power loss and sound change

I have a 1998 Ford Escort SE that suddenly bogged out when i accelerated from a stop sign. It was a simple acceleration, nothing quick or forced, but the car all of a sudden dropped in speed and started making a loud bogging noise and a HUGE drop in power. I replaced all the spark plugs and checked compression on all cylinders as well as the spark plug wires-everything checked out fine. I dont think the fuel injectors are bad or else the idle would be rough...i would think...i still get a decent amount of exaust exiting the tip, so i dont think the exaust is blocked. The air filter and intake is also fine. My stepfather and I also sprayed under the hood to check for leaks-there were none. Does anyone have a possible diagnosis? Please help.
Thanks,
-Josh

Josh, welcome to Automotive Forums. Does it function like this all the time now? Or is it just sporadic? I think it is starving for fuel. Get in it and turn on the key to ON but don't start it and listen for the fuel pump to run for a couple seconds. It'll make a whirring sound If that is occurring then we know the fuel pump isn't at fault. Put some alcohol in the tank to absorb any moisture in the bottom. You might have some water in there. That would make it bog down. Another thing it could be is the fuel filter is clogged up. Could you post back and let me know what it is doing now? From what you said it has a good idle and isn't hard to start. If you get it up to speed does it bog down when you press on the accelerator? Sure sounds like the fuel filter is plugged. It is at the bottom of the firewall on the driver side. You may have to take the battery and tray out to get to it. Can you tell me anything else about it. A well described problem is a problem half-solved.

Yes, it now runs like this all the time, however, it is still running on the same tank of gas since it happened, so there still might be a possibility there might be water in the tank...Yes, it does lack power when you press the accelerator all the way down. And yes, i do hear a whirring noise when i engauge the ignition, so im pretty sure the fuel pump is ok. Another variable i thought about is if the fuel injection fuse was burned out or what not, but i dropped it over the air intake (oh the joys of fixing a car). So now i gotta take off the Air tube to get at it...lol. I guess when i say "Bog out" it just makes a loud noise, like there is a hole in the header, but it only makes that noise when you wamp on the accelerator. If you press on the accelerator slowly, it doesnt make the noise, so im guessing the cylinder isnt getting the sudden rush of fuel when you push the accelerator down all the way... It just frustrating trying to get up to speed when you NEED to... (ex: merging onto a highway), but once it gets up to speed, there is no change. (it sounds normal and drives normal) Oh yea, and when i rev it up to 5000 rpms before shifting, it goes a lot slower than before (ex: 2nd gear could leave me at about 50-60 mph @ 5500 rpms....now it leaves me at about 45 mph....) Ohhh....another thing came to mind....what about a clogged catalic converter?
Thanks for your advice!
-Josh

p.s. would Isopropyl Alcohol be ok or rubbing alcohol? And how much?

Do NOT drink isopropyl!! Very bad for the insides! I prefer some Kentucky mash ... about 2 oz per day. (LOL)

Isopropyl would be good for the tank ... unfortunately the stuff you will buy at Walmarts or most anywhere else already contains a high percentage of water and will not absorb anymore. If you can find some 80%, or higher, then that would be OK. Never go over 5% by volume.

But, from your symptoms (which I don't fully recognize) I don't think water in fuel is your important issue. I would expect a dropped valve seat in cyl #4, but you say the compression test was good. ?????

lol....yea, that stuff burns your eyes.......but clears your sinuses....

Yes, the compression tests were good (according to my stepdad) They were 156, 172, 160, and 160.

As for the symtoms, its pretty much when i accelerate. There is no take off power at all and when you push the pedal TO THE FLOOR, it makes a loud noise......like a Beaner car....with a half-ass exaust system....with holes in it.....Kinda hard to mimmick through a message, but instead of sounding like, vroooooommmmm, it sounds like BAAAAWWWWWWWW.......if that helps....lol.

well, its not the fuel filter, i just changed it. I also dont think there is water in the fuel....i filled up this morning and put a bottle of HEET in the tank......same problem.....

I had a problem with my engine and it sounded a lot like what you describe. I had replaced the timing belt and didn't check the timing marks before putting it back together. Stupid me. It was off a couple teeth on the gears. When I drove it it would cruise all right but when accelerating it just went Baaaaahhh and wouldn't go anywhere. I'm thinking your timing belt slipped and is retarding the valve timing. Hence, Baaaaaahhhh! Timing belts last about 98,000 miiles. I had one break at 97,000 and another guy here on the forum (It was a 98) had his break at 99,000. If you haven't replaced the timing belt you ought to go ahead and do it. I think it will solve your problem and eliminate the chance of being stranded out on the highway if it does break. They don't give any warning. It's about 2 hours labor and the belt is only $20. You ought to go ahead and do it. Probably solve your problem.

Hey
i dont have alot of experience with fords so correct me if im wrong, but couldnt this be a bad tps (throttle position sensor) i had a few cars with very similar symptoms and that was the culprit, one ove them was my 93 eclipse, it just had a dead spot and would rev up slowly ok, but if i opened the throttle quickly, it would bog down similarly and it was ok once u got up to speed, just a quick thought before u have to replace timing belt, although that sounds like another great possiblity too.
good luck

I fixed the problem!!!! I got a new car......lol....
It was on its last legs and really wasn't worth fixing.....it is missing 3rd gear.....lots of body damage......it is no longer a "reliable" car to take to work and back.......
(To Everyone)--Thanks for all of your help!

I did the same thing... got an 06 Pontiac GTO :D

Nice.....unfortunately i didnt have the money for that, so i just got a Cobalt LS

OMG!!!!!!! I FOUND OUT THE PROBLEM!!!

After i bought the new car, i sold my escort to my buddy, which he used as a commuting car (36 mpg compared to his Ford Ranger-15 mpg)

But ever since, we've been trying on and off what the problem was.

THE TIMING SKIPPED 6 TEETH!!!

So we checked all the timing components....bad tensioner....

Therefore...belt and tensioner was replaced, fixing the car back to its original engine noise.

Just thought i would share....lol.

OH! THEN i found out that Cobalts dropped in price, which pissed me off even more......

Thats life, i guess....

I've always wondered what the outcome was with your car. Skipping 6 teeth will definately retard your valve timing. I was off only 1 tooth and it ran reallly bad. Just no power at all. I'm surprised it ran at all with 6 teeth skipping. Thanks for coming back and letting us know what the outcome was.

anything to help... im sure ill be here for a while. I would like to eventually get a toy car (when im like, 35) and just drive this one until the warranty dies...