Expert: Erik H. - 7/9/2005

Question
I have a 1993 Ford Escort 1.9 liter, manual transmission.  It idles fine, but unless I accelerate very gradually, the rpm's increase and the car stalls and will not excelerate.  This occurs in any gear and has been getting gradually worse over the last while.  It is especially noticeable when going up hills when more acceleration is needed.  As a result, I have to downshift to attempt to maintain speed.  I recently replaced the exhaust manifold gasket and will be replacing the passenger side drive shaft due to a bad CV joint.  Could this possibly be a timing issue?

Answer
Hello and thanks for the question...I'll try to help.
With the age of the vehicle..it could be a timing belt issue. I would check and replace it IF it is needed. Also, have the computer system checked for fault codes......and diagnose and repair as needed.
Erik