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Escort TD

Chris H

master of boobies
My uncle needs a car so I was given the task of getting one.

Now that problem is it had to be cheap and it had to be something not to good. He just wrecks anything he gets and I couldn't let him destroy a good car.

So I put the word about and heard from a friend his work colleague wanted rid of his Escort which had sat at their workplace for over a year.

Sounded ideal.

I said yeah and today I finally got a look at it. Kevin had said its in great nick for a Ford on a P plate I was thinking yeah heard it all before.

Turns out it really is a great example!

All the tyres were flat, battery long dead etc etc.

I was given the V5 last night so checked what it failed and what it was advised on in the last few mot's. a list but not the worst I have seen.

I was also told the car was parked up when the aux belt broke, I said I bet the alternator had seized I was told it wasn't.

So go see the car, put in another battery and stuck the jump leads on from the van. I primed the bulb on the fuel system. I glowed it 3 times cranked it over it coughed, again it coughed a bit more. Third time and it was running with a rock solid idle.

I am happy to admit it, I was impressed.

Anyway the thing needs work, a fair bit of work to be up to scratch. Heres the pic's

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_escort_20TD_2001.webp

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_escort_20TD_2002.webp

Theres Kevin in the shot

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_escort_20TD_2003.webp

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_escort_20TD_2004.webp

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_escort_20TD_2005.webp

Anyway list so far, front discs and pads, all service items, fuel pump belt, cambelt, brake pipes, alternator, free the air con compressor up a bit.

I really like it, I am also thinking its almost to good to give to my uncle.

[BREAK=Alternator change]

1st Feb 2009

Well today it was off to the scrappy to get an alternator.

What a drama that was.

The TD in the cars is different to the TD in the vans, and its different to that of the normal diesels as well. Its just a normal alt, no vacuum pump or tacho take off as per older diesels.

So I got one out of a 1.4 fiesta, it all looked gravy, got home the threaded hole was at the opposite side and another lug prevented it being fitted. Now I could have made it fit, ground the lug and used a nut and bolt and a drill to get over the thread issues however this is a scrappy alt so doing that would mean throwing away any sort of return I had.

So went back hunted and found a 1.4 CVH in a mk6 escort that was pretty close. All Ford alts are apparently 70 amp units btw.

Got it out without damaging the car, luckily someone had ripped the front bumper off before me.

I also took the lead from the ALT to the starter and the exciter wire.

Anyway getting the old seized alt out of the TD was a nightmare, what a horrendous job that is. The main issue is the fact it has air con. I have never tackled a td's alt with A/C.

Easiest way looked to be whip the bumper off and pull it out the front, this entails 4 13mm nuts and 4 phillips screws, the nuts weren't for shifting easily so another way had to be devised. I had a look and saw that if I unbolted the A/C compressor and then the alt then the mounting bracket I could get it off, and I did what a lot of messing about though.

Anyway some pictures, this picture shows the alt etc out the way, you an see the compressors hoses, the rusty round thing is the starter. Note the poor condition heavy gauge wire.

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_TD_20alt_20change_2001.webp

AC compressor and in front of it the mounting bracket for both the compressor and the alternator.

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_TD_20alt_20change_2002.webp

This picture shows the exciter wire which broke off the poor loom and later fell out of the wiring plug further up. The wire is blue and if you look to the right of my Chamades wheel you can make it out


www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_TD_20alt_20change_2003.webp

The old loom from the alt to the starter and the exciter wire, I replaced it with the one from the 1.4 CVH which was much healthier and a bit thicker.

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_TD_20alt_20change_2004.webp

No more pic's but will get some tomorrow.

Does it work? Well the light now comes on, haven't started the car as the battery is flat and my jump leads are in Stephens car! I will get more pic's tomorrow and get it running as well.

Running total £110

[BREAK=New Parts]

4th February 2009

Yesterday and today i bought some parts for the car.

Brake discs, brake pads, oil, cambelt and fuel pump belt kit, oil filter, air filter, CV boot and brake pipe unions.

Fuel filter I will get later as there was some confusion over which type it had fitted.

There was already a CV gaiter in the car so only needed one, the one in the car is a stretchy type but I bought a proper fitment one as getting the CV off on a Ford is easy.

A pic of some of the bits

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_td_20escort_20work_2001.webp

Here is a picture showing the A/C compressor and if you look beyond it you can see the alternator. As you can see its in a bit of an awkward place!

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_td_20escort_20work_2002.webp

Anyway as I had some time free this morning before I had to take the baby somewhere, so I decided to make a start on some work.

The offside CV gaiter as you can see its leaky, also its been done before and held on with cable ties, and they are still holding! Thats a first!

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_td_20escort_20work_2003.webp

So pinch bolt out, then full lock to the left and that allowed me to pull the hub off the shaft. The eagle eyed among you may notice the brake pipe to the caliper is mounted wrongly, I rectified it later on.

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_td_20escort_20work_2004.webp

Anyway this is the shaft with the CV slid off it

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_td_20escort_20work_2005.webp

The CV off

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_td_20escort_20work_2006.webp

The new gaiter waiting to go on.

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_td_20escort_20work_2007.webp

And that is all the photos as I didn't want to get the camera covered in grease etc. I also fitted the new disc and pads to that side. I am still working on getting the caliper bleed nipple free so i can replace the metal brake pipe right back to the master cylinder.

New Parts £106.56
Alt £20
Car £90

Running total £216.56

[BREAK=Front brakes complete]

6th February 2009

Well done a bit more this morning.

I done the offside disc and pads yesterday, I never mentioned though that the outer pad had broken up as the Ford pads tend to do. Here's a picture

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_escort_20td_20front_20brakes_2001.webp

I then went to work replacing the offside brake pipe from the master cylinder to the caliper flexi. I could have just made a short repair section but again my names against it so do it right.

This is the old pipe I cut off, cut off in sections to make removal easier. As you can see the master end was fine but towards the wheel it got rustier

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_escort_20td_20front_20brakes_2002.webp

Never got any other pic's of the pipe as its to much hassle to get the gloves off get clean use the camera then get back to work.

This is the passenger sides disc and pads on this side both the pads had shed their lining material

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_escort_20td_20front_20brakes_2003.webp

This pic is after I freed off the bleed nipple on the caliper and cut the pipe away mostly, you can see a little bit of the pipe where it goes to the flexi and how corroded it was

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_escort_20td_20front_20brakes_2004.webp

A pic of the master cylinder before the nearside pipe was done

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_escort_20td_20front_20brakes_2006.webp

Since I had got the pads and discs off I wanted to get on with the split gaiter

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_escort_20td_20front_20brakes_2005.webp

This is where I had my first problem, I snapped my breaker bar on the hub nut, it finally went after about 10 years.

So to Halford's to get a replacement, got one at the second store. Came back, chiseled away a load of the nut got the blowtorch on it and again snapped the new bar. Arse.

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_halfords_20bar_20broken.webp

So now I have a bit of an issue I think it'll most likely strip the CV if I do get the nuts to shift, can't get in to grind it. So I think I will remove the strut and the driveshaft and do the gaiter that way. Awkward but it'll get done.

The window washers need sorting out as well. they only spray a tiny amount. Also the diesel seems to be bleeding back to the tank which is annoying so takes a while to start if its been left over night but fine all day after that.

[BREAK=MOT and Taxed]

Well this morning I done the passenger CV gaiter, popped the shaft out of it with the CV still in the hub. Went easier than I thought it would have.

So took it down, MOT'd no problems, smoke test was well within limits, brakes fine and so on.

So it passed.

Then got it taxed for a year £185.

So not bad.

Jobs left to do,

screen washers clogged up after the test so needs sorted.
Cambelt and fuel pump belt.
Wash including inside and under bonnet.
Diesel filter housing.

The car the last couple of days has been a problem to start unless you prime the bulb these things are notorious for going porous, well today it burst so it leaks diesel when its sitting or when you pump the plunger, which means when its left the fuel runs back to the tank. Doesn't leak when the engines running though.

New Parts £106.56
Alt £20
Car £90
Tax £185
MOT £30

Running total £431.56

[BREAK=Niggles ironed out]

8th Feb 2009

Well off to the scrappy first thing to get a new fuel filter housing and washer pump, I also got a replacement coolant pipe as one in it has been nearly rubbed through by the PS metal pipe.

I got the filter housing, pipe and washer pump for 4 quid, bargain. A fuel filter cost £5.

First job was to the swap the filter housing and also fit a new filter. Easy job and never got pics of it, I did get pics of the old filter housing and the old filter off the new one I fitted, in the drain bowl I found bits of paper from the filter element!

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_escort_20scrappy_20parts_2001.webp

This is the coolant pipe that was nearly worn through, the new one has no such issues

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_escort_20scrappy_20parts_2002.webp

Next was the washers, I pulled the pump out and no water came out, I thought maybe it had frozen despite washer fluid being in there. Poked my finger into the hole in the bottle and felt slime. Lovely. Anyway someone had been putting washing up liquid in the system and its slimed the whole lot up.

So with the rubber bung out which not only holds the motor in the bottle but acts as a filter the bottle drained into a bucket and in it was lots of gunge. So I flushed the bottle through with clean water, fitted the new pump and it was working like new again.

My uncle was down yesterday and got a look at the car he is very happy. Although was let down by lack of stereo. Kevin reminded me after I done the other work so went back down to the scrappy and got a new stereo mounting and also a cd player at the scrapyard. That cost £15.

I got the only one with 4 lugs still on it but it had come adrift at the top as the picture shows

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_escort_20scrappy_20parts_2003.webp

So I cracked out the Araldite and bonded it.

I plugged in the CD player to test it and it works fine, the little trim for the front was missing but for the money cannae moan, also came with a cd with Avril Lavigne and boyzone on it.

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_escort_20scrappy_20parts_2004.webp

Some more Araldite and bonded it in as the clips never held it in.

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_escort_20scrappy_20parts_2005.webp

Cage fitted

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_escort_20scrappy_20parts_2006.webp

All done

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_escort_20scrappy_20parts_2007.webp

So all that's left is the cambelt now, the snows started so put the halt on that sadly.

Previous total £431.56

Fuel Filter £5

Filter housing/
washer pump/
coolant hose £4

CD player £15

Total £455.56

[BREAK=Finished]

10th February 2009

Well today I replaced the last of the belts, that is cambelt, pump belt and power steering belt.

Got a few pics not many.

Belts off tensioner and idler removed

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_escort_20td_20belts_2001.webp

The belts really needed changed as the insides of the covers show

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_escort_20td_20belts_2002.webp

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_escort_20td_20belts_2003.webp

Anyway the belts are all on and done and it runs fine etc.

Was out in it tonight to get shopping, 3 up and a baby and damn was it slow, its ok if you work the gears but 50 - 70 in 5th about a minute!

I want the thing gone as its taking up space I need for other work.

[BREAK=Back with issues]

12th March 2009

Took longer than I expected but its not working. I thought he would have wrecked it by now totally but its standing up ok.

Anyway issues, battery, brakes and gearbox.

Battery, now its the battery that came with it so its stood up ok I think. Had to push start it today for the first time, wants a new one.

Brakes, offside front brakes binding on, driving it round the block gets the disc glowing. So a few options, stick sliders, doubtful since I cleaned and greased them, seized piston, hmm, moved back in freely but will work it to be sure, rubber brake hose, this is getting my bet at the minute tbh.

Gearbox, selecting gears is difficult 1st and 3rd worst affected. Noise heard from box at low speeds, will check oil level and hope its low and change box oil.

That's tomorrows jobs sorted out anyway...

[BREAK=New battery, free caliper and adjustment]

13th March 2009

Well up early, started off with the brake caliper. It was indeed very seized.

The sliders were fine it was the piston, opening the bleed nipple never helped to push the piston back so that ruled out a collapsing flexi.

Anyway with a lot of levering and pumping the pedal I got the piston out to almost full extent, I then peeled back the rubber boot, cleaned up the piston then used brake fluid as a lubricant, pushed it back and then worked the piston back and forth until it was free.

I then checked the box oil level which was fine so adjusted the clutch pedal up a bit and seems to be a lot better.

Then got a new battery for £48 reduced from £59 so all done.

[BREAK=Back with issues]

17th June 2009

Firstly a month or two back I got a set of 14 inch alloys for the car, proper escort ones, made the car much better to drive.

Well it came back with a couple of issues today.

1. Interior fan not working.
2. Belt noise.

The interior fan had stopped working, the fuse had blown, the fan was easy enough to spin but the owner likes to switch speeds on it constantly so I put it down to that. Fuse replaced sorted.

The belt noise, well this was easy to spot. The A/C compressor pulley had stuck. There are no 2 ways about this the compressor is fecked. After hitting it with a hammer and chisel it freed off. Turned the engine off and it had seized again. The compressor front hub is rattling about and it no longer works.

So the plan is to bypass it. now the way the routing is if I just get another belt from the crank to the alternator then the back of the belt will be running on the pulley still, this will only cut through it. So the plan is to either remove the pulley or remove the compressor totally.

Anyway a job for the weekend to add to the many I already have.

[BREAK=AC compressor decommission]

20th June 2009

Well the car was dropped off in the morning to be sorted out.

So wheel off, lower arch liner out and I could get to work.

Cut the old belt off, it was very burnt. Next was to undo the clutch mechanism from the pulley, a single 8mm bolt held the triangular outer plate on which transmits the drive to the pump shaft, this off and then the clutch plate

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_aircon_20article_ac_2001.webp

This is the pulley still on the compressor housing, you can see the bearing has failed this is what it was seizing up.

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_aircon_20article_ac_2002.webp

You can see the circlip that holds the pulley and bearing to the compressor body, remove this and then get the pulley off, a combo of levering is the best way. Its a press fit almost so won't just fall off, especially when you factor in corrosion between the aluminium and steel.

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_aircon_20article_ac_2003.webp

Once off you will then see the electro magnet this is what activates the clutch and allows the compressor to work. As you can see this has melted from the heat due to the collapsed bearing

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_aircon_20article_ac_2004.webp

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_aircon_20article_ac_2005.webp

Anyway got a shorted belt this one is a 937mm which is to long so got a 923 which fitted fine. Now I refitted the triangular plate to prevent rust etc on the splines in case at some point I get another pulley to bring it back into service.

So now the belt just runs the alternator, crisis averted!

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_aircon_20article_ac_2006.webp

[BREAK=Clutch arm]

10th July 2009

Car was dropped off as the clutch wasn't working again.

This time it wasn't the end that slipped off instead the thing fractured at the pivot. Anyway down the scrappy and the mondeo used the same one so got a mondeo arm for £3 and fitted it.

Pics of the broken one.

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_escort_20clutch_20arm_2001.webp

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_escort_20clutch_20arm_2002.webp

[BREAK=Brake fluid leak]

Sunday 20th September 2009

Got a call yesterday, brake fluids leaking out, I ask where, he said the back wheel area.

So he drops it off at 7am this morning. I leave it till later before I look at it.

Anyway have a look underneath, not clear where its coming from, got the mrs to press the brake pedal and it sprayed from the rubber flexi.

Now Fords being badly designed this is some bad design right here. First the hole

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_td_20burst_20hose_2001.webp

Now on the fords theres another bigger pipe over the flexi, this slides over the union at the wheel cylinder, this then keep the hose away from the wheel, yes piss poor design. Anyway the thing rots and breaks, the other side is split exactly how I imagine this sides to have done.

heres a pipe of the bigger bit

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_td_20burst_20hose_2002.webp

So I pull the drum, cylinder is fine so then see about freeing off the nipple which I do fine so can re-use the cylinder.

However when I get to the flexi - metal pipe it bursts. So i will just do both sides metal pipes and flexi's. Also good thing I pulled the passenger drum off as the cylinder has just started to leak, so need a new cylinder.

I will order the stuff tomorrow and get it delivered so its there for when I get back from college.

I then decided to remove the broken bit of the other key from the bootlock, my uncle broke it in here ages ago like a muppet. Anyway had to shear off the number plate screws then sort something else out and so on. But took a pic of when I had the lock stripped, you can see the broken bit of key top the left of the barrel

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_td_20boot_20lock.webp

I then gave it a was, and gave the grey 19 diesel a wash then washed my chamade, this pic was taken, escort, my chamade, emmas megane coupe and the grey 19 diesel, the grey 16V is to the left out of the picture, the escort looks out of place tbh...

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_td_20outshadowed.webp

[BREAK=Brake pipes continued]

well got some more pics, to do the pipe to the drivers side I had to drop the tank which was an arse as it was nearly full.

All i got was a pic of the new pipe I made up for the nearside

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_escort_20back_20pipes_2001.webp

To remove the nearside wheel cylinder I had to remove the stub axle and backplate! what a crap design, the axle mounting face hides the mounting bolts for the wheel cylinder, they were also rotten so a spanner couldn't shift them thus had to do it the hard way

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_escort_20back_20pipes_2002.webp

The handbrake issue I felt right away, pull the handle nothing then it engages, obviously something was loose, I popped the cover off and here we are, just a single nut on the adjuster, I added another to lock it and its sorted

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_escort_20back_20pipes_2003.webp

I also drained and flushed the cooling system, had to tap the metal supports back into the header tank and also the small one was actually blocked, cleared that out and it sits a little cooler on the gauge now.

[BREAK=First start of the new year]

9th January 2010

Well apparently the car failed to start before christmas and it was dead.

So I go through today and it starts right up with 2 glows!

Operator error - in the sense the operator is an idiot.

The 2 front tyres were totally flat, the rears down a bit. So pumped them up.

The car apparently pulls to the left (seems to lean as well now).

So its getting dropped off tomorrow to get the glow plugs sorted (theres 2 different sizes - typical), have a look at why its pulling, sort the rim leaks, get it MOt'd and also sort out the tax for it.

[BREAK=Work for MOT]

3rd February 2010

Well had the car for a few weeks, about time I did something to it eh!

Over the last few days I have done work to it.

Fitted new glowplugs, re-fitted the rear view mirror, cleaned it out, fitted new front wishbones, new pads and 2 new tyres.

Got some pics, not of everything.

heres some of the old wishbone

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_escort_20wishbone_2001.webp

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_escort_20wishbone_2002.webp

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_escort_20wishbone_2003.webp

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_escort_20wishbone_2004.webp

oh yeah the bolts all snapped so had to get new ones, £13 for 6 bolts and 6 nuts!

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_escort_20wishbone_2005.webp

Another issue was the nearside calliper was seized on! So the pads were worn to the back plate in less than a year.

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_escort_20pads_20again_2001.webp

www.renault_turbo.com_chris_escort_20TD_escort_20pads_20again_2002.webp

So brakes freed off, new wishbones, new tyres.

Road test, results are in. No longer does it pull to the left, it brakes true, goes better and the bad wheel bearing noise has gone, must have been the tyre making the noise.

MOT on Saturday.

[BREAK=Gone]

30th December 2010

Well my uncle has for months now had no use for the car or wants the expense, he lives less than 50 feet from his work now.

So the car sat for months and occasionally kids would let the tyres down etc so it was given back to me. I told him I didn't want it and had no room for it. i have 4 cars in the drive, 2 bikes and a car in the street.

he brought it over on Tuesday despite me saying don't and left it.

So I thought about selling it (MOT until 6th February and taxed until 31st jan 2011) but didn't want the hassle and it needed cleaned out as it was foosty smelling inside.

So had a look on gumtree called a guy and he said he would give me 120 quid for it and it would be away within the hour.

That'll do.

So its scrapped, got 120 for it paid 90 for it. Fair enough.

I took out the battery, radio and cashed in the last months tax. Shame as it was a good car but no insurance on the street and needing a thorough cleaning for at most 500 quid, not worth it.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Nope he took his cd player out, the din slot thing is in the glovebox. The ISO plugs are there still though he left them.
 
90 quid seems ok but theres work to be done.

It all adds up.

I coudl do the bare minimum but might as well get it right so its reliable
 
certainly wasnt alot of room there! the worst alternator ive done was on a st24 that was horrible the top bolt i had to do from the passenger side wheel arch, with extensions all the way across the car nightmare! but good goin H!
 
I thought the mondeos were ok, the v6's are tricky but thwen again I had a pit/ramps to use.

I love doing rwd transit alts, 10 minutes
 
yep done them at work nice vehicles to work on, clutches are easy to do, also cambelts too as long as you can get the viscous coupling off, damn people who loctite them on !!
 
can do the cluthc ont he new one sin about 40 minutes.

Cambelt, not done a transit cambelt in ages, normally only work on the new ones so its cam chains on them.
 
[Cheeky edit] If it succumbs to the almighty rot I'll have the engine for my van if it's any good! However I shall refrain should it blow up. [/edit...]
 
Last edited by a moderator:
if it blows up you'll have it if its any good...

Am I the only one that thinks thats a daft statement!

The engine is MINT, I was amazed at it, started easily after 1 year without being run.

I done the oil and filter on it today before going out. Really quiet and theres no smoke

Also the air con works on it now as well
 
it would all have been done in a day if I was still at the garage, the joys of air, ramps and shielding from the weather!

I also got the spare key for it today which works fine.

I need a sexy assistant to take photos whilst I work for better pictures and articles etc
 
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