1995 Ford Escort Blowing Engines

[susie828]

I have a 1.8 L Escort that got an engine replaced at 165,000 miles (bad idea, i know) with an engine that had 100,000 miles. Three weeks later (luckily w/in the warranty period) it blew that engine. Why does this keep happening? The mechanic who is dealing with my problem is full of bs and says that they're going to put another used engine in and not find out what is causing the problem...this is upsetting because chances are the next engine will blow too and maybe not w/in the warranty period this time...what could be the cause of this?

[bigrod118]

well lets think about it, 165000, and 100000. that a lot of fucking miles, its old and you dont nkow how bad the last person beat the shit out of it.

[Ford Mondeo ST220]

There is always a risk in puting in a used engin in a car but not always!
Due to ware it can be on its last miles but i can be well served with regular oilchanges and modaratly driven.

Or is it your drivingstyle that kills the engins?

I have bought a few used engins that are still running as well as a new unit.

Reg/Dimman

[WissNX01]

YOu get what you pay for. Best bet is to have the original rebuilt. How do you drive this car?

[RatLabGuy]

More details, please - when you say "blown", what do you mean? There are a lot of ways an engine can fail - are we talking bend rod, blown piston, etc? Cracked block? Did both of 'em fail in the exact same way?
knowing what the failure is might help diagnose what's going on, whether it's bad luck or something systemic.

From what I've gathered, the 1.8s are mazda-created, and if treated well should last a very long time - I don't blame you for getting a used one w/ 100k slapped in there, I'da done the same thing - sometimes it's just not worth the $$ to go for a complete rebuild.

[susie828]

The car started losing power and stalled out a couple times right before the first time it blew (I had just driven 2 hours on an interstate @ 75-80 mph). The engine finally stalled out completely (10 minutes off the interstate) and overheated, while black smoke came out the tail pipe. It wouldn't start (I was only 3 minutes from my destination, so I decided to let it cool and try again). Luckily I was able to start it again and it ticked all the way to my destination. From there it could start it, but you could tell something was seriously wrong and it was towed.

The auto place said it was probably a cracked block...although they didn't confirm that finding.

The second time it blew, I was going 75-80mph on the interstate for only about an hour. I slowed down behind this turtle (probably luckily) to 60mph and I lost acceleration power. I downshifted to 4th, and still nothing. I pulled off to the side of the road and it stalled completely. There was no visible smoke, no overheating and it wouldn't start again. I might mention it was quite hot that day...as if it matters...