99 escort died

i have a 99 escort with 211,000 miles timing belt and headgasket were replaced about 5000 miles ago. recently the car started surging when under load but only after it was warmed up. so tonite i m almost home and i can hear it ticking i barely got it home and the tranny was slipping too, try to restart it will start but it doesnt even sound right when its turning over. like timing belt but it does start but as soon as i let off the gas it dies. it really seems like a bad vacuum loss or maybe a bad drop in compression. is there something that might effect the transmission and the way the car runs /starts etc

Check vacuum first... it could just be sucking air.
You can also try a compression check on the cylinders just in case.

On the top of the intake manifold you should find a port where the vacuum hoses connect. You can disconnect the hoses and plug the ports (careful you don't use something that will get sucked in there). If the car runs better with the ports plugged, reconnect them one at a time and find out when it goes bad to isolate the problem.
If it runs bad with the ports plugged, a vacuum problem exists on the intake manifold itself or you have a problem with the head (compression check).

juat an update when i tryed it this morning same thing barly starts motor seems to be knocking and its blowing oil out of exhaust do you think i took out a piston somehow. why was it tranny slipping after the motor failed could it be something with speed sensor like a transmission vacuum etc

ok here is another mystery that makes me think i may just have a vacuum problem . when im trying to start it after a few seconds the brake light is coming on. but my brake pressure is fine. im wondering if this is a warning light if i lose vacuum to the brakes or could it just be cause by drop in compression or something. any ideas will be appreciated

The brake light will come on if the fluid level in the reservoir is low. You might check the PCV valve. Blow into it one way won't blow into it the other way. This could be causing the vacuum loss. If it is stuck open the engine will suck oil out of it and into the intake plenum making it burn oil. The brake light will come on and should when the igniton key is turned to the Run position. When the engine starts it should go out. MM22 is onto your problem. You have a major vacuum leak.

maybe u should tow it to a mechanic..there i bet they can diagnose and fix the problem much more easily

ill check the pcv and other vacuum as soon as this blizzard passes thru lol it seems to have a roughsound when i crank could i have jumped time it wont start antmore but it trys and it did start the first day i had tried it but like i said when it did start absolutly no idle. tow? mechanic? that dont sound much fun

update on my 99 escort i have it in the garage now and it will start but still not much idle it idles a little bit when its cold but after a few minutes it wont idle. i have noticed that my brakes arnt getting boost. i found a cracked hose up near the firewall where all those small lines plug in im not sure if this is the problem or if i broke it off while trying to disconnect the brake booster anyways doea this sound like something related to the brake booste going bad or do you think i have no brakes because of the vacuum leak. would my car fail to idle if my idle air control was bad and if thats it can i just clean it or will i need a new one

Get your cracked hoses fixed and see where you stand. If the engine is sucking in too much air that could be causing all your problems. Follow each hose from the intake manifold and make sure they don't have any holes.
Once vacuum pressure is back up you may find the car idling normally and the brake booster back in business.

ok so im thinking this is probably a major fix, i have no compression in #4 cylinder had about 130 in 3 so what would this be, the dreaded #4 valve problem ? any ideas welcome

Actually the dreaded valve problem is usually in #1.
If you have no compression you will have to pull the head and have a look inside. If it was a bad gasket I would expect two cylinders to lose compression... so yes, it is probably a valve issue. No telling for sure til it comes off.
If you do not consider yourself to be mechanically inclined, I recommend taking it to a shop. However, you may be willing to do the work to remove the head and reinstall it... that would save you a lot. Then you could just take the head in to be serviced and save money in labor charges.
You would have to buy new gaskets and probably a timing belt too, maybe a water pump for good measure... totally up to you how much you want to take on. If it goes to a shop I would expect a minimum of $300, and that is probably being conservative.

I can get a motor here with under 100k for $300 do you think it would be better just to do a swap? Is a swap very difficult i have done a few b4 so i know the basics of what to do more a time issue with me but summers coming so im sure i can get to it. Im just not sure if its worth putting anything into it since i was gonna sell it for hopefu;; $1000 body is in good shape but with 211k on it people dont want to pay to much was thinking of just putting it on craigs list the way it is and see what i can get

Sure would stink to do a swap and then have that motor lose a valve too...
Probably safest to just get the head repaired and know that your valves are in good shape and have some confidence in your engine.
If you are willing to do an engine swap then I would think you are inclined enough to remove and reinstall the head... just have a shop do the valve work and clean the head up for you. The labor involved with removing and reinstalling the head is a major chunk of the cost for the repair. Doing that part yourself will help a lot.