Flak

As you probably know, I own a 93 ford escort; and i'm having a few problems with it. They may be related, i'm not very mechanically savy so who knows...

First off, the car will not pass Emission standards after trying twice. The first time, the car had no thermostat in, and it failed on Hydrocarbons (should be 1 or less, it was 2.5). The second time after the thermostat was installed, it failed on Hydrocarbons (2.2) and Nitrogen Oxides (needs 2.2 or less, read 2.9). Also, the second time it was tested I took their advice and ran it for about a half hour with some highway driving before it was tested.

The second problem is an overheating issue. The temperature gauge seems to go up particularly fast when the car idles (all the way to H) and it also rises (but not as fast) during normal driving. I have installed a switch to the fan relay that allows me to switch on the fan if it's overheating, which usually prevents it from going very high. Of course it is worse on a hot day as well. When the original thermostat was in, it would shoot out lots of white smoke and sputter when it got really hot, and seemed like it was ready to die. Running it with no thermostat, it didn't get hot at all. With the new thermostat it gets hot, but no white smoke.

Hope this is not too confusing or long; any and all help will be greatly appreciated and feel free to ask if you need more information for diagnostic purposes. Thanks.

 

Sterling_Six

OK first things first...What is the Thermostat Temp Rated at???
Second Have you noticed any small Leaks??(Oil--Antifreeze)
Thrid...Check your Oil...What color is it???

Why I ask these questions is you mention (White smoke and sputters) THIS MAY be a sign of a Blown Headgasket...But it could be you put the wrong type of Rated Thermostat in....you should have one rated at about 180*F to work well on the Escorts..

One more thing...who is servicing this car???

Flak

it does leak a small amount of oil...i'm not sure what the thermostat is rated as; the old one was replaced with one from a junk car that should have been the same make/model. and lastly, my father has been servicing the car..

jwko

I would replace the used thermostat with a new one. If it still heats up I would look at the radiator both externally for any obstructions blocking airflow and internally for clogged tube passages. Could also be a water pump impeller issue. The impeller has been known to rot away and totally stop the circulation of coolant throughout the cooling system.

White smoke from the exhaust is a sure sign of a blown head gasket or a extremely overheated engine. Not good either way.

I can't help you on the emission issues, maybe someone will come along with that info.

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