Ford Escort 1.8D 1.7L kms and still going strong

[stable rock]

Hi friends, it’s an old model but sharing the experience with you all,

Model- 1997 Ford escort 1.8D LX.
Odometer reading-1,70,000+
Top speed-140(as shown on speedometer) on the way to Cochin from Bangalore
The car was purchased on 17th August 1997. The car has been used for personal as well as personal official purposes (Myself and dad).We had a tata estate at that time and was fed up with Estate and we bought this escort diesel.
From beginning it was giving around 12-13km/l in the Bangalore city and on highways it always gave above 17km/l. The ground clearance was a problem from the beginning but I got used to it .As you all know the diesel escort is sluggish and bit hard to drive in the city with AC on but as said before me got used to it.
The tyre were replaced at an average of 40000 km.

The major works done till 1L kms are,

1. Suspension was overhauled at around 70,000 in 2000.
2. Radiator was replaced at 80,000Kms due to leakage in 2001.
3. The fuel pump and nozzle got calibrated at around 90,000kms for11k because of low mileage and pick up.

The car was regularly serviced at every 5000 kms at an authorized service station of Ford till 2001(approx. around 95000kms).After that the car was serviced at a local workshop were the service charge was very much affordable. The engine timing belt was changed at around 1L kms.

Again the suspension and steering column(new) was overhauled at around 1,25,000 km in Cauvery ford and the car gave no major trouble and it crossed the 1,50,000 mark easily in 2005.the usage of the car got reduced since we got an Innova in 2005.

The car started giving some sort of trouble for the first time after almost 8 years. The engine started overheating while I was on the way to Mysore. The problem was with the cooling fan and got it repaired for Rs 400 by a road side electric workshop. But this happened like once in every 2 weeks and I was afraid to take the car out.Every time electrician changes the cut-outer(don't know the correct name) and the cooling fan works for few days. At last I got this problem fixed by a good mechanic for Rs 1000.The car gave me Major trouble at 1,60,000 kms.

At around 1,60,000(by Jan 2007) the car was in a totally bad shape.The problems were,


Suspension, power steering(oil leakage),gear box oil leakage, Body paint faded, AC compressor not working and a little rust in the boot section.
Thought of selling the car but the price offered was less than 80k so decided not to sell.
On Feb 2007 the car was taken to a workshop in Trichur to make it in top condition. The suspension was done for Rs.14000 this time(parts were purchased from J.C ROAD, Bangalore).
The parts repaired and replaced were,
Power steering unit(secondhand)for Rs.8000,suspension,clutch overhauled,new tyres, Ac belt, Timing belt, New AC compressor for 16k,Number plate ring (as seen on Ford escort orion) Rs. 1000(used),Left side ORVM,And few more small mechanical parts.
The total bill at 1,60,000 was around Rs70,000(including painting, tinkering and the mechanical works).



The car was given to me on March 17th 2007 like a brand new one and I was very happy even though I spent 67k.The same day I got seat covers and a new Sony MP3 player with JBL speakers at rear and Philips speakers on the front door.
The car engine is untouched even after 1,70,000kms and the main reason for that might be regular oil change and servicing at every 5000kms.The car is in excellent condition and now the odometer reading is around 1,70,000+ and is in my hometown.


Cheers

[Su-47]

1.7L Kms, thats quite some distance.Good stuff man!

[GTO - Touring]

Great review. The Ford Escort surely matches with your TB handle. The reason why you are happy with your Escort is that it is the Orion series. Escorts earlier than this provided nothing but a trial run for Ford India, and were prone to several issues. Busted clutches, problem with hill climbing, overheating and premature wear on the rear suspension were known problems.

The 1.6's are a steal in the second hand market. You could get a decently maintained car for 50 grand!

[JayD]

Nice to see such a well loved escort!
@GTO, i don't think his car is an orion, he has mentioned something about putting on the orion's boot accessories.

[Mpower]

Wow man! It takes guts to drop 1.7 lakhs on such an old horse. Congrats and here's to another lakh.

[Nitin]

Wow!! Thats quite some attachment to the car.
1.7L kms! For quite a while,I had doubts if any car could take more than 1L kms with the Indian roads & climate. You've beaten it by 70K kms.!!

Way to go buddy! Its a good machine,and it looks like you'll be able to keep it going for another 1L kms,at this rate!
cheers:

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by Mpower

Wow man! It takes guts to drop 1.7 lakhs on such an old horse. Congrats and here's to another lakh.

You mean it requires a bit more than just that.

A wonderfully kept car, i sincerely hope you do not burn your fingers in keeping her that way. cheers

[abhik]

Kuddos!! to you bro!!
1.7lakh kms on the odo and still goin strong wow!!
And i guess after such a long time with her, she most definately has made a soft spot in your family's heart. And that probably explains you spending that kind of money on it and trust me those pictures just tell me every penny was worth it.
Infact i get a certain feel good factor looking at a ford engine doing that much in Indian conditions and roads as i own an Ikon myself but wasnt happy with the early expenses, ofcourse it was second hand though, but i maintain it well and hope to spend a long(good)time with it like you have.
I know there will be people telling you that spending 1.6lacs on a 10-11yr old car considering the fact that its not even worth half that amount in terms of resale. But dont pay heed to such comments because one is mature enough and probably had a solid reason to do what you have done.

[ramzsys]

Can anyone please give an idea about the life of the ford endura 1.8 diesel engine?

My 2002 ikon 1.8D has done 1.2L kms(highways mostly) without any engine work done(regularly serviced at ford).

[stable rock]

Originally Posted by GTO - Touring

Great review. The Ford Escort surely matches with your TB handle. The reason why you are happy with your Escort is that it is the Orion series. Escorts earlier than this provided nothing but a trial run for Ford India, and were prone to several issues. Busted clutches, problem with hill climbing, overheating and premature wear on the rear suspension were known problems.

The 1.6's are a steal in the second hand market. You could get a decently maintained car for 50 grand!

Hi GTO,
Its not the Orion model.I just got that sticker after the painting job and i got a second hand number plate ring to support the orion tag.Overheating was the main problem i faced but after 1.5L km but got it rectified ,other than that not much problems with the car till now.
Cheers

[stable rock]

Originally Posted by ramzsys

Can anyone please give an idea about the life of the ford endura 1.8 diesel engine?

My 2002 ikon 1.8D has done 1.2L kms(highways mostly) without any engine work done(regularly serviced at ford).

If it is regularly serviced and well maintained it should easily cross 1.5L kms without any trouble according to my experience and your car comes with an improved engine compared to my 97 escort 1.8D.

[quentin]

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[benkey2]

this proves ford vehicle lasts long , atleast in built quality. around the world, whether ford rules the market or not, they maintain the quality in each and every aspect. but unfortunatly, in india their A*S*S is not so great.

[JRD]

great man.. I loved this car, its built like a rock literally. We had one of these but not the orion edition the LX diesel. Got bitten by the ford A.S.S when they decided to stop the escort's production one fine day.

[deadman]

wow! nice report!..car looks very good even after 1.7l kms.