93 escort gt possible fuel delivery problem

I just had my water pump replaced on my 93 escort gt, drove it home with no problems. After about 30 mins it would not start and I could smell gas. I could hear the fuel pump hum. The next morning it started with no problem but would barely accelerate, on the highway I put it in OD at 50, it would shift then drop speed repeatedly. The following morning, it started and went, still with little acceleration. Then that afternoon at a stoplight it died when I tried to leave from a stoplight and would not restart. After several hours I had it towed. It then started, I took it around the block, same acceleration problems, then died upon trying to leave from the stop sign. Whats going on??

If you had this done at a shop you should certainly take it back to them and tell them what is happening.

In order to replace your water pump the timing belt had to come off. They could have possibly messed up the timing when putting it back together, or it could be something simple like spark plug wires being loose.

I would bet the gas smell is due to one of the cylinders not firing, either due to timing or a loose plug wire. Plug wires you can check yourself. Let the shop check the timing.

It wasnt done at a shop, one of my buddies did it in his garage. No one has looked at it yet but people we talk to keep insisting its the fuel pump, but I was not thinking so because I can hear it. Thanks for the suggestion, will check that out.

It doesn't sound at all like a fuel pump problem... especially since the work that was done was on the water pump.

So if not the fuel pump, then what? Does this thing have a Crankase Position Sensor or Camshaft Position sensor that was bumped during the repair? How about the timing belt off a tooth? Is it involved with the repair like on older Escorts?

What I know about this engine is that it is a 1.8 liter 4 cylinder, its fuel injected and its an automatic. Plugs seem to be fine and a new fuel pump didnt fix it either. Im putting more into this car than its worth. Any other suggestions of what could be wrong? It has dual overhead cam.

It's a long shot but symptoms sound like fuel tank is not venting. Next time it dies loosen the fuel cap and see if it sucks a bunch of air.

How old is the fuel filter?

I still suspect you are not running on all cylinders. Have you verified the timing is correct? How do you know plugs are good... and if they are good, one still may not be firing due to wiring problem. The #1 plug, behind the alternator is frequently the problem... it can be hard to get the plug boot seated back on properly. It is also possible that the wire was damaged when it was removed.

Timing and plugs are really the only things that were messed with in the process of replacing your water pump. I would focus on those.

Check the easiest and most obvious things first. The PCV valve could be stuck open or could have a vaccum hose leak going to the intake manifold. It's only a few bucks and should be replaced every 30,000 miles anyway.

The intake boot could have a hole in it. The VAF (vane air flow) meter could be bad. Unplugging it should make the mixture go to rich by default. If the engine runs the same after unplugging it you need to change it.

Normal maintenance items should be taken care of like plugs, wires, fuel filter and air filter as mentioned before.

If the timing jumped a cog or two it would cause the valve timing to be retarded and you would have the symptom of low power upon acceleration. Does it just make a noise like baaaaaah and not accelerate when punching the gas? This is the symptom of the timing being off a notch or two. From what you describe I think this is the problem. Since it's the hardest thing to check do the other things first.