New project car: 1999 Ford Escort ZX2

[Black2na]

honestly see what a buffer can do to your paint. i took a pink 03 lancer from this

to this

 

[Kaido]

honestly see what a buffer can do to your paint. i took a pink 03 lancer from this

to this

Yeah, I'm debating which route to go. The clear is pretty worn on the roof, but I can definitely buff it. And I just got my tools out for it (thanks to a minor basement flood = forced cleaning :biggrin. And the red DOES look nice and doesn't need that much touch-up...

 

[Kaido]

Got Torque Pro setup with the $23 Bluetooth OBD-II scanner. Pretty easy once I found the port haha. Failed an O2 sensor right off the bat.

Shifting is iffy. I took it around the block and it was okay, except for 3rd not wanting to go in all the way, but when I started it up again it was chunky in almost all the gears.

 

[Black2na]

also for tires if you dont feel like getting new wheels you can always throw a set of these on

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...idewall=Blackwall&partnum=96HR4Z1SS&tab=Sizes
15k mile life but great in the rain and super sticky!

would make a massive handling improvement and for half the cost of a wheel and tire combo. that and a pretty subtle shock and sway bar combo should make that little car handle pretty flipping awesome! if you wanna add springs do eibach sells a spring and sway combo that would work pretty awesome and they are designed to work together. then go hit a few autoX and make the WRX boys cry

 

[Kaido]

also for tires if you dont feel like getting new wheels you can always throw a set of these on

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...idewall=Blackwall&partnum=96HR4Z1SS&tab=Sizes
15k mile life but great in the rain and super sticky!

would make a massive handling improvement and for half the cost of a wheel and tire combo. that and a pretty subtle shock and sway bar combo should make that little car handle pretty flipping awesome! if you wanna add springs do eibach sells a spring and sway combo that would work pretty awesome and they are designed to work together. then go hit a few autoX and make the WRX boys cry

Nice! Are they usable at all in the snow? I'm pretty lazy & just use all-weathers all year long until they go bald

 

[Kaido]

Finally beat out my wife. She got 29.2 mpg on her 2013 Civic (city) and I got 31.2 mpg on my 1999 Escort ZX2 (city/highway). Whoo!

 

[Black2na]

Nice! Are they usable at all in the snow? I'm pretty lazy & just use all-weathers all year long until they go bald

NOOOOOO they will kill you in the snow and that car is pretty bad in the snow with allseason tires due to how light it is BUT

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...ewall=Blackwall&partnum=765QR4AMAXA&tab=Sizes

set of those and the car will be a tank in the snow. I have those on my 07 cobalt and love them! not to mention helps you get more life out of your tires! and if the car dies you can easily sell them off to someone in winter for close to what you paid!

 

[CrackRabbit]

Got Torque Pro setup with the $23 Bluetooth OBD-II scanner. Pretty easy once I found the port haha. Failed an O2 sensor right off the bat.

Shifting is iffy. I took it around the block and it was okay, except for 3rd not wanting to go in all the way, but when I started it up again it was chunky in almost all the gears.

Which O2 sensor failed?
The stalling and sensor failure reminds me of an issue I had with a Focus where the PCV tube had rotted out and was causing it to suck air into the throttle body.
The car ran like crap and would stall constantly and eventually threw a front O2 sensor code.

 

[Kaido]

NOOOOOO they will kill you in the snow and that car is pretty bad in the snow with allseason tires due to how light it is BUT

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...ewall=Blackwall&partnum=765QR4AMAXA&tab=Sizes

set of those and the car will be a tank in the snow. I have those on my 07 cobalt and love them! not to mention helps you get more life out of your tires! and if the car dies you can easily sell them off to someone in winter for close to what you paid!

Wow, cheap!

 

[Kaido]

Which O2 sensor failed?
The stalling and sensor failure reminds me of an issue I had with a Focus where the PCV tube had rotted out and was causing it to suck air into the throttle body.
The car ran like crap and would stall constantly and eventually threw a front O2 sensor code.

Full OBD-II was:

Fault code: [P0136] O2 Sensor Circuit Malfunction (Bank 1 Sensor 2)

http://www.dtcsearch.com/P0136/?from=Torque

The car has not stalled since the speed sensor was replaced (been over a week now, and it was doing it pretty consistently before), so I think that was the culprit. However, it failed emissions last month, so I have to get the O2 sensor fixed before I go in again.

 

[CrackRabbit]

Full OBD-II was:

Fault code: [P0136] O2 Sensor Circuit Malfunction (Bank 1 Sensor 2)

http://www.dtcsearch.com/P0136/?from=Torque

The car has not stalled since the speed sensor was replaced (been over a week now, and it was doing it pretty consistently before), so I think that was the culprit. However, it failed emissions last month, so I have to get the O2 sensor fixed before I go in again.

Sensor 2 is the rear (after cat) o2 iirc.
If you have an IR thermometer you should be able to see if the cat is functioning by checking the temperature after driving it (but while running). Normal exhaust temps should be about 300*F the cat should be somewhere between 5-700*F if it is functioning properly.
At the age of that car having the cat burned out wouldn't surprise me especially if it wasn't running right before you got it.

 

[Kaido]

Sensor 2 is the rear (after cat) o2 iirc.
If you have an IR thermometer you should be able to see if the cat is functioning by checking the temperature after driving it (but while running). Normal exhaust temps should be about 300*F the cat should be somewhere between 5-700*F if it is functioning properly.
At the age of that car having the cat burned out wouldn't surprise me especially if it wasn't running right before you got it.

Nah, car was running & was in-use, it just stalled occasionally due to the speed sensor. But since it needs to pass emissions, O2 sensor it is. I'll pick up an IR thermometer & check it out.

 

[ElFenix]

Zx2 is all of 3 feet long, why do you even have blind spots? the mirrors can't be that bad

 

[Kaido]

Zx2 is all of 3 feet long, why do you even have blind spots? the mirrors can't be that bad

The car has great visibility, more of a proof-of-concept project for fun.

 

[Kaido]

Sensor 2 is the rear (after cat) o2 iirc.
If you have an IR thermometer you should be able to see if the cat is functioning by checking the temperature after driving it (but while running). Normal exhaust temps should be about 300*F the cat should be somewhere between 5-700*F if it is functioning properly.
At the age of that car having the cat burned out wouldn't surprise me especially if it wasn't running right before you got it.

The IR thermometer will be here Friday. Can a cat be cleaned, or should I just replace it if the temperature is off?

 

[BUTCH1]

For the stalling issue, inspect the intake boot for leaks.
Check the rubber hose to the PCV.
Also give the throttle bottle a good cleaning.
Inspect the idle air valve and if its crappy looking, chuck and replace.

All this + check the fuel filter and fuel pressure on the rail..

 

[CrackRabbit]

The IR thermometer will be here Friday. Can a cat be cleaned, or should I just replace it if the temperature is off?

No a cat-con can't be cleaned, if it is bad it would need to be replaced.

What happens in the cat-con is this, the hot exhaust gases enter it where they interact with the honeycomb of catalyst materials (usually a mixture of ceramics and metals). The catalyst material causes chemical reactions that release more heat (hence why it is hotter than the rest of the system) and break most of the exhaust down into CO2, N2 and H20.

Over time the amount of catalyst material reduces until there isn't enough to "fire off" the chemical reaction needed, though usually the catalyst will last longer than the life of the car. Also things like burning oil or coolant getting into the exhaust system can also damage the ability for the cat to function as it should.

 

[phucheneh]

If the rear O2 was throwing a code due to the converter (or an exhaust leak, or anything else that was not wiring or the O2 itself), it would be a signal code. Not a code for the circuit.

Signal is still commonly the O2. Heater circuit is commonly the O2 (heater burned out). 'Signal circuit' would generally indicate a wiring issue, as malfunctioning O2's will not typically create a break in the continuity of the circuit. Proper diag would be backprobing the O2 at the connector and checking the output. If that seems normal, check it at the ECM.

 

[Kaido]

All this + check the fuel filter and fuel pressure on the rail..

Stalling issue was fixed with speed sensor replacement. 2 major issues now:

1. Gunky shifter (shift linkage bearings bad?)
2. O2 sensor failure (will check Cat temps then see about replacing O2 sensor)

 

[Kaido]

No a cat-con can't be cleaned, if it is bad it would need to be replaced.

What happens in the cat-con is this, the hot exhaust gases enter it where they interact with the honeycomb of catalyst materials (usually a mixture of ceramics and metals). The catalyst material causes chemical reactions that release more heat (hence why it is hotter than the rest of the system) and break most of the exhaust down into CO2, N2 and H20.

Over time the amount of catalyst material reduces until there isn't enough to "fire off" the chemical reaction needed, though usually the catalyst will last longer than the life of the car. Also things like burning oil or coolant getting into the exhaust system can also damage the ability for the cat to function as it should.

Ah, okay. So I'll check the temp & see where it stands. A replacement is $170 online, so not too horrible.

I'm also thinking about adding a Thrush muffler, it's the only one I like the sound of ($30 on Amazon). Nothing obnoxious, just a bit more growl for fun. If I have to replace the Cat, might as well do it all! Any tips on selecting a size & mounting it? It also looks like it'd need a tip (chrome, of course ) to cut out the raspiness, are those pretty standard bolt-on things?

 

[Kaido]

If the rear O2 was throwing a code due to the converter (or an exhaust leak, or anything else that was not wiring or the O2 itself), it would be a signal code. Not a code for the circuit.

Signal is still commonly the O2. Heater circuit is commonly the O2 (heater burned out). 'Signal circuit' would generally indicate a wiring issue, as malfunctioning O2's will not typically create a break in the continuity of the circuit. Proper diag would be backprobing the O2 at the connector and checking the output. If that seems normal, check it at the ECM.

Torque Pro readout as follows:

Fault code: [P0136]
O2 Sensor Circuit Malfunction (Bank 1 Sensor 2)

Emissions Readiness s/DTC
Misfire: Complete
Fuel System: Complete
Components: Complete
Reserved: Not avail
Catalyst: Incomplete
Heated Catalyst: Not avail
Evaporative Sys: Incomplete
Secondary Air Sys: Not avail
A/C Refrigerant: Not avail
O2 Sensor: Incomplete
O2 Sensor Heater: Incomplete
EGR System: Not avail

So you're saying it's throwing a code because it detected a malfunction, not because the sensor itself is broken?

 

[Kaido]

So apparently this car takes manual transmission fluid, which I wasn't aware it even had. Could that be the cause of the weirdness with shifting? Synchromesh seems to be the most popular. Anyway, 3rd is the worst; it alternates between:

1. Shifts fine
2. 3rd gear is blocked about 70% pushed in
3. All the gears randomly, including reverse

The other option is to do the shifter linkage fix. If that's it, are these the right bearings?

http://www.corksport.com/corksport-bronze-oil-shifter-bushings.html

 

[phucheneh]

I honestly don't know what you're asking. ECM's never set DTC's 'because a part is broken.' They detect something that is considered a manfunction, which generally falls into one of two categories:

1) A circuit is broken. Basically, points A and B are not touching, even though they should be. This can be in regards to an input (sensor) or an output (usually a solenoid).
2) The ECM (or PCM or TCM) is receiving a signal from something, but it's not the signal that it wants or expects. This is pretty much all on the input side. This can be a signal that is totally out of range. Like, say, an ECT with a resistance that indicates the engine is currently running at 800* or something. Or it can be a good signal(s) that indicate a problem with another part. Like flagging misfires based on the input from the crank sensors, or setting an 'incorrect gear ratio' code based on the input and output shaft speeds of the trans.

Hopefully that kinda makes sense.

In this case, your code is for a low voltage from the rear O2. This could mean the ECM is seeing a voltage SLIGHTLY lower than it wants to see, which would likely be from a bad O2...or it could be seeing no voltage whatsoever. I can't remember if the circuit actually being open (failed continuity check) will generate a different code or not. P0136 is just 'low voltage.'

You should try and monitor the rear O2 voltage with your scan tool. Even though it will update really slowly, you'll be able to see if it's got any activity, or if it's just 'flat-lined' at 0v.

Either way, it's not indicative of a bad catalytic converter. I will correct myself and say that it COULD be an exhaust leak, though. Low voltage = lean = higher concentration of oxygen than it should be seeing. I had initially brainfarted and thought P0136 was indicating no continuity on the signal circuit instead of just low voltage.

But low voltage can also mean the O2 is just not able to generate a voltage in the proper range anymore.

 

[ElFenix]

The car has great visibility, more of a proof-of-concept project for fun.

ah ok.

i wonder if i should install a video setup on my sister's car. she's always running into stuff.

 

[Kaido]

ah ok.

i wonder if i should install a video setup on my sister's car. she's always running into stuff.

The parts are all available on Amazon for super cheap too - you can get a 7" LED screen for $33:

http://www.amazon.com/Camera-Monitor...dp/B007SLDF7O/

If you need an angled camera for under the corner bumper or under a side mirror for the blind spot, those are only $18 a pop:

http://www.amazon.com/E366-Type-Colo...dp/B006W48GUE/

etc etc. there are reverse-sensing cameras & monitors too, some with infrared LED's for nightvision, for around the same price too.