[Davescort97]

From '91 to '96 the 1.9 liter SOHC was put in the standard production cars. The GT had a 1.8 liter DOHC engine which wasn't made by Ford but by Mazda. Only about 8 % of Escorts have this engine. From '97 to '02 the 2.0 liter SPI (split port induction) SOHC engine was used. I think this is the best engine. The port for the valve intakes opens for power and then reverts back to a partial opening under normal power for better fuel mileage.

The only common problem I'm aware of is that the intake seat on the #4 cylinder of all years of the 1.9 and 2.0 engines has been known to drop into the cylinder causing major damage. This usually doesn't occur until the engine has approx. 170k miles and seems to happen to about 20 % of Escorts with this many miles.

The engines for all models and years are noninterference engines. If the timing belt breaks it won't cause any damage. The belts in 91 to 96 models will last about 90k. The belts in the '97 to 02 models will last at least 120k.

There are no years to be avoided except that Ford didn't really get the Escort right until they came out with the 3rd generations which were from '97 to '02. I think by the time these models were produced most of the glitches and bugs had been worked out.

Pro's and con's. The Escort gives very good mileage on gas. The cooling systems are very good and the hoses will last 12 years or more. This is when I changed mine. They weren't bad I just wanted insurance that they wouldn't fail or leak. The brakes are very good and will last 70k if you don't treat them badly. The 5 speed transmission is almost indestructable. I've never heard of anyone having a problem with one. The clutch on mine has 190k on it and works as good now as the day I bought it in '97. All years have a stainless steel exhaust system which will never rust out. The electrical systems are excellent, except for the fact that if you drive a lot at night you can expect to replace the headlight bulbs every 4 years. All in all, there are very few con's. --Dave