Hello, this is my first post on this splendid site, so please be gentle!
At the moment i have an Escort 1.3 Hcs it's covered 74,000.(93,L)
It's using oil, and visibly smoking upon start- up, however not when warmed up, having inspected the plugs all four are a light sandy colour. I suspect one or more piston rings has gone down.
Obviously i cannot sell the vehicle in this condition.
If the car was in good condition it would be worth ,say, £750-£800.
I have been getting some estimates for a reconditioned engine varying between £500- £650.
The body work is not totally mint(a few rust spots here and there), and i also have the bouncing speedo needle!
I am at a loss as to what course of action to take and would appreciate any tips/pointers anyone could give me.
Just to add further to my dilemma i have been offered a diesel mondeo, or would that be a case of "out of the frying pan, into the fire".
thanks.
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Smoke on startup but not when warm could be the valve guides that are worn rather than the rings. Have a compression test carried out, you may just need a reconed head rather than the whole engine.
On some cars it is possible to remove the sump with the engine in position, then with the head off remove the pistons. You can then deglaze the bores and refit the pistons with new rings and new big end bearings. Recon the head while its off.
Ask a local garage to do a compression test to see if it shows the nature of the problem and whether they would do the work as described above. It should work out a lot cheaper than a whole engine swap. You would also know what you are getting - beware of cheap recon motors.
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cyd,
thanks for the reply,
i had two seperate garages look at it and they both said piston rings.
i must admit i thought it was the valve stem oil seals!
i haven't had a compression test on it, i think that would be a smart move before i go any further.
as for the recon engine i was going to go to QES, they seem a reputable company, however like you said you can't be too sure with recon's what with the thriving market for imitation parts these days.
thanks again for your info, much appreciated.
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I go along with Cyd on this. You could also try the following:
With the engine hot, cruise for a while at a highish speed in top gear then change down to third and take your foot right off the accelerator and let the engine do the braking. If enough smoke comes out of the exhaust for you to see in the mirror, oil is getting past the inlet valve guides.
I mention this because I would have expected oil to get by the valve guides when hot because the oil would be thinner then.
I assume that it is blue smoke, not black, that you are seeing on start-up. Black smoke would indicate an over-rich air/fuel mixture.
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Dizzy,
one garage i went to left the car ticking over for about 10mins, he then pulled out the oil dipstick and there was visible BLUE smoke coming out of the dipstick tube/holder!
He mentioned something about back- pressure.
I was also told to cruise down the motorway at about 80mph and take my foot off the accelerator at the same time as checking my mirror, there was no blue smoke, i done this a few times and i couldn't see any sign of smoke.
thanks for your reply.
cheers
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There should be a depression at the dipstick tube with engine idling;if fumes come out then it's either a bunged-up crankcase vent system or trouble with pistons/rings.The motorway check(or down long hill,throttle closed) should show up worn valve guides.
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We had another sick HCS Escort on the forum not long ago. try this:
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?v=i&t=63...7
If this were my car, I would cut my losses and stick it in the nearest auction. I would guess that the clutch will be nearing replacement, and it would be silly not to change it while the engine is out. Add in some engine mounts, oil, antifreeze, maybe a new exhaust downpipe, and other odds and ends which are near the end of their life and easier to change with the engine out, and you could be looking at £750 or more. You'd have to really love this car to spend that kind of money on it.
Richard Hall
bangernomics.tripod.com
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I don't think reconditioning is ever worthwhile these days, except for an unusual car or a classic. Get another engine from a scrapyard, or put some 20/50 oil in it and sell it.
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I ran a lot of my vehicles out to 150,000+ using 20w/50 in the summer and 10w/30 in the winter.
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Ah-ha (not the pop group). Back pressure - yes!! Blocked or partially blocked breather pipe - check all the pipes and run them through with spray carb cleaner. If you've had this back pressure for some time you may have excessively worn the oil control rings.
Surely the car is still passing the MoT since it's OK when warm? Use good oil, change it regularly and keep those pipes clean. Otherwise leave it alone and just keep running it till it dies, which could be years.
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