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Automotive/1983 ford escort 1.6 L with carb

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Expert: - 11/5/2010


Question
My work vehicle is 1983 ford escort it has 70,000 original miles it started acting up by bucking when i accelerate and has no power goin up hills and has a flutter in the exhaust i changed plugs put new fuel pump on and cut catlytic convertor off and fixed exhaust leaks but still bucking when give it gas and no power to pull hills it cranks and idles not sure what it could be someone said it could be the timing or firing order is off but it does not backfire as i was told it would do if firing order was off please help if you can thank you.

Answer
Note that I do not have a Ford Escort, and so do not have any shop information on that family of vehicles, so my comments which follow are general:

I wouldn't worry about the firing order being off, as firing sequence is a mechanically-fixed parameter of camshaft design, and not subject to being scrambled around.  

However, the problem as described does have the hallmark of a slipped timing chain (or possibly timing belt, in this case), specifically one in which the camshaft was "left behind" a tooth or two when the engine was accelerated, this being the most common mode of slippage of worn timing components.  The resultant across-the-board retarding of the timing will not too noticeably affect the sound or smoothness of idle, but will make itself known by a substantial reduction in pulling power.

One way to check this out would be to compare what a timing light tells you compared with the specification for initial advance setting.  (Again, I cannot offer anything in regard to the Escort engine, but can offer that older Ford V8s such as the 302 and 351 - and also the FE-block 352/361Edsel/390 - typically called for 6 to 10 degrees BTDC at 550 RPM in blocked drive, with vacuum advance disconnected and well below the speed at which centrifugal advance becomes active.  I have found that 8 degrees BTDC has always worked well for driveability and low CO emissions, 0.5 to 1.0 percent or less with the carbureted versions of those engines.)  If your initial timing proves to be very low, or in the retarded region of the timing marks on the crankshaft damper, then I would suspect a timing chain problem.  First, however, I would check to see that this is not just a matter of the distributor clamp having loosened, allowing the distributor to rotate.  If the problem of low power was one of sudden onset however, a slip of the timing chain/belt is the more likely cause.

Fortunately, it appears not to have gone so far ... yet ... as to bring about interference problems between pistons and valves - a common outcome with close-tolerance engines.  So I would not wait to check this out.

Regards ... EGK

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Ernest (Ernie) Kenward

Expertise

The challenges I most enjoy are thoughtful technical questions of a trouble-shooting nature in both electrical, power electronic and mechanical systems, mainly automotive but also machine control and small-machine PLC applications. Please note, however, that I am NOT a walking shop manual! I DO, however, make it a point to have those manuals and other service literature for those vehicles I DO own, and highly recommend that anyone serious about maintenance or modification of their vehicles do the same; MOST of your answers WILL be found there. For that matter, I do NOT go out of my way to acquire shop manuals for any vehicle I do NOT own! That being the case, any general query to me along the lines of "What is the meaning of this code read from the ECU of my 2015 XYZ?" or "Where is the fuse for the windshield washer pump found?" (try your car's electrical distribution panel for a start!) will not go far. What I do offer is a pretty good collection of literature, insights and hands-on experience with 1950s to 1980's Ford products (plus a developing database of information and practice with the Mercedes diesel cars), along with an engineering perspective and the ability to design and implement custom control, electrical and mechanical subsystems for vehicles. For that reason, I am happy to make my thoughts and efforts available to those who are of like mind and/or are seriously making a point of learning about their vehicles. Use the Opportunity to Learn!

Experience

A key skill in my work and hobby pursuits both is STRATEGIC TROUBLESHOOTING. I am a senior instructor in Electrical Engineering Technology at a leading Canadian polytechnic, my areas being Electrical Power and Industrial Control, electrical and electronics design and manufacturing, and AutoCAD and related CAD/CAE software - plus equipment problem-solving and new equipment design and prototyping. Hobby-wise, I have 30-plus years of experience in auto restoration, mostly in electrical and mechanical systems. Ongoing projects include a 1959 Edsel Corsair, my 1978 Ford E250 class-B motorhome conversion, and the care and upkeep of my Mercedes 300CD. My vehicles become engineering test beds for electrical and mechanical upgrades as ideas present themselves. This includes the design and production of circuit boards to restore or enhance features for which no OEM replacement parts are obtainable, or where better specifications or reliability can be had via newer concepts. Regarding the E250 RV conversion, I designed and continue to revise a custom power distribution system, managed by a Programmable Controller (PLC); this has made most revisions as easy as uploading new firmware as I develop it. The "mini" PLC is a powerful device for custom automotive control systems. One good example (there are many) would be the Moeller "Easy Relay"; these offer a wealth of control, monitoring and variable-and-status display options for such projects. A good example project which has worked well is that one for my RV noted above, which has been on the job - revised in firmware only - for a decade now. It is a load management and charging control system to avoid the sulfation-induced early failure that often befalls deep-cycle batteries used in RV power applications. The battery installed in 2003 lasted long enough to more tnan pay for the PLC that contributed to its longer life ... and the PLC will be there for the next battery as well!

Organizations
IEEE - senior member ... past WCC Student Activities; SME - senior member ... past chair, greater Vancouver chapter chair 318; Edsel Owners' Club - have served in various capacities on chapter executive during seventies; have been Power and Driveline resource on the Edsel Owners' Club "E-team" for more than a decade.

Education/Credentials
Graduate of UBC

Awards and Honors
Certificates of appreciation from IEEE and SME for work in student and chapter activities

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