1999 Escort overheated

[rationull]

Apparently my sister was driving home yesterday, going up a hill on the freeway, when her 1999 Escort (2.0 CVH engine) started pouring white smoke from under the hood. She noted the temp gauge read hot, too, and pulled over on the shoulder at the top of the hill. Called my dad and called AAA. Meanwhile a CHP officer shows up and tells her this "happens all the time" and to drive down the hill and get off the freeway to wait for the tow truck!

She doesn't know much about cars so while I suspect she thought it might not be the best idea, she trusted the officer, started the engine, and drove down.

At any rate, they got it towed home and my dad checked it out today. It sounds like one of the radiator's plastic tanks had burst. Compression check yielded 175 and 180 PSI for cyls 1 and 4, but 2 and 3 read 135 PSI

Not a good sign. My dad said he was going to get a new radiator (turns out they're pretty cheap), take off the valve cover and retorque the head bolts, and see how it runs.

This is kind of a bummer. The Escort is/was a nice driving little car and my sister liked it a lot (her first car). The [censored] thing is it may have been OK if it hadn't been driven after the initial incident. I don't know how much coolant was left as she drove it to get off the freeway.

I don't really have a question. Just venting mainly. Although if anyone has any insights or experience with overheating CVH engines, let me know. From what I've read they're not like to survive overheats. Hopefully it can at least get running well enough to get her back and for to work (which fortunately does not involve the freeway) for a few weeks while they look for a replacement.

 

[tig1]

The cyl. head is almost certainly damaged because it's aluminum. They last well but will not take much abuse when over heated.

 

[JHZR2]

Yeah, driving it after the incident seems to be a major issue. After an overheat or incident where the needle starts to move, it seems that the ONLY thing to do is turn off and remain in-place.

I also believe this is more important for all Al or mixed-metal designs. Perhaps all-iron engines are more robust...

 

[StevieC]

If the head/engine is done, I wouldn't bother replacing it I would look for a new car because it's already 10 years old.

So sad...

 

[rationull]

Originally Posted By: StevieC
If the head/engine is done, I wouldn't bother replacing it I would look for a new car because it's already 10 years old.


Yeah a new engine or cyl head is most likely not in the cards for this car if the current one is toast, although it is a possibility. Too bad, good car. I have a feeling that this summer may not be the best time to buy used economy cars but w/ the market the way it is, we'll see. Hopefully there won't be a repeat of the $10k Metros from last summer!

 

[rationull]

I'm curious if anyone has any thoughts on a highway patrol officer telling a motorist to go ahead and drive away in a car that's obviously overheated, when said motorist is already waiting for a tow truck. I mean, I could see it if you're stuck in a traffic lane over the crest of a hill and it's a safety issue, but AFAIK that was not the case here...

Doesn't that seem kind of irresponsible?

 

[JHZR2]

My thoughts too. I'd have a calm but relevant response to that request, and essentially would leave it on them to tow it from that spot, at their cost, else I'd be waiting.

 

[Virtuoso]

I'd file a complaint with the CHP; not that it would do anything.

 

[StevieC]

Originally Posted By: rationull
I'm curious if anyone has any thoughts on a highway patrol officer telling a motorist to go ahead and drive away in a car that's obviously overheated, when said motorist is already waiting for a tow truck. I mean, I could see it if you're stuck in a traffic lane over the crest of a hill and it's a safety issue, but AFAIK that was not the case here...

Doesn't that seem kind of irresponsible?
When I was younger my mom was driving up in our Caravan and she turned left and the drive shaft snapped and the van made a horrendous noise. My mom shut the car off put it in neutral and coasted to the side of the road (where she wasn't interfering with traffic).

We didn't have a car/cell phone back then so we got out and walked across a small field to a nearby shopping center.

My mom called for a Tow and we returned to the van. In the meantime a police officer showed up and told my mom that she had to move the vehicle from the side of the road because the shoulder was too small and it could be dangerous.

My mom being the "good law abiding" citizen that she is listen and proceeded to drive it around the corner and into a private shopping center parking lot making the horrendous noise and with the remaining part of the drive shaft taking out part of the oil pan, brake line and damaging the muffler section connected to the engine.

Needless to say my dad was

because it probably would have done minimal damage if she left it where it was.

 

[brianl703]

They put push bars on police cars for a reason...

 

[StevieC]

Originally Posted By: brianl703
They put push bars on police cars for a reason...
Most of the cruisers up here don't have these...

 

[rationull]

Originally Posted By: brianl703
They put push bars on police cars for a reason...


Well, push bars wouldn't have worked in this case anyway given she was parked at the top of a hill. I suspect the guy just didn't want the tow truck picking up the car on the shoulder for some reason. There may have been a valid reason, I really can only speculate.

 

[StevieC]

I just had a thought... Weren't push-bars for the PIT maneuver that seems to be practiced in the US, where they nudge a car a certain way to cause it to spin and loose control so they can then box the suspect in and bring the chase to an end?

I think this is banned up here or only allowed to be used if absolutely necessary because of safety regulations, where as in the US it's more freely allowed.

(Don't quote me on this, I'm just under this impression for some reason, and don't know where I got the information from, and/or how accurate it may be.)

 

[brianl703]

No, the push bars are roughly in the center of the bumper, I don't think they'd be used in a PIT maneuver.

 

[Cutehumor]

I just left Tampa, FL. Traffic was horrendous. It was rush hour and there was a fender bender with two cop cars on scene. they were in the left shoulder pulled over. but it backed up traffic for over ten miles. The cop may have told her to move it even if it was not blocking traffic because a massive traffic rubberneckin would occur.

 

[The_Jeff]

IIRC the first push bars I remember hearing about in suburban MA were in Boston... with all the tunnels and Storrow Drive without breakdown lanes they had to push cars to pull-offs. Like all good fads they may have reconsidered since then.

I ran out of gas on a toll road a mile away from the gas station. Was immediately picked up by a good samaritan and dropped at a service plaza. They had all these 1 gal gas cans for sale just for my situation. Someone caught on and gave me a ride in a "refuling service" truck, even using the No-U-Turn median cutthrough which was kind of cool. I was not charged for this ride. I suspect the toll authority was involved.

I would not worry about blaming the CMP, the car could have blown the gasket first then the added pressure blowing the rad side tank. Or maybe a lifter bled down while the engine was off with the valves open on cyl 3? Fix the rad, fill it with water, and see how she runs.

Even if you do have head problems there may be quickie shortcuts to get back on the road. For example, ziptieing the timing belt to the cam sprocket(s?) and holding them from the hood with a bungee cord while lifting the head by the exhaust with a jack and slipping a new gasket in. (I don't know your engine design-- but if you're going to junk it, get creative!)

 

[rationull]

Apparently there was a bunch of white greasy gunk near the hole in the radiator. Oil in the coolant maybe? It's possible the rad was clogged up with junk and that caused the overheat and the burst (in either order). Last I heard they installed the new radiator today and flushed the cooling system. The car seems to run fine in the driveway but there is some white smoke.

I love the ziptie + bungee cord idea! I don't think taking the head off is too big a deal on this engine. I'm not in the area to help, unfortunately. I think the car's fate will come down to how much $$ my sister wants to spend on it, how much time my dad will spend on it, and whether my sister feels like replacing it. Sounds like even with no more work it'll probably be good for getting her to work and back for a while as long as the internal leak isn't too bad.

 

[rationull]

I don't think much progress has been made on the car besides that first compression test although my dad's going to do cooling system pressure test this weekend possibly. The main question at this point is whether if it's just the head or head gasket it's worth it to rebuild or replace the head or whether my sister should just find another car. I think the assumption is that the head could be replaced for around $800 (or significantly cheaper if my dad does it himself) but I don't know any accurate numbers yet.

Does anyone have any idea how long the 4 speed auto transmissions are generally good for on these cars?

Meanwhile my sister is looking at Kia Spectras on craigslist.

 

[rationull]

Oh, and here's an under-the-valve-cover pic if anyone's interested. Nice and clean. My sister's only had the car for around 15k miles I think and supposedly the cylinder head's only been on the car for around 55k (115k miles on the car).

 

[StevieC]

Originally Posted By: rationull
I don't think much progress has been made on the car besides that first compression test although my dad's going to do cooling system pressure test this weekend possibly. The main question at this point is whether if it's just the head or head gasket it's worth it to rebuild or replace the head or whether my sister should just find another car. I think the assumption is that the head could be replaced for around $800 (or significantly cheaper if my dad does it himself) but I don't know any accurate numbers yet.

Does anyone have any idea how long the 4 speed auto transmissions are generally good for on these cars?

Meanwhile my sister is looking at Kia Spectras on craigslist.


If it has been rebuilt before then it will last the life of the car as their were "updates" that most shops will put into place that changes oil flow in this transmission to better cool the parts. (This is what I was told when I rebuilt my partners, and I saw the "updates" on paper.)