bad gas milage in 2000 zx2 #HELP#

[mattzx2]

Hi guys. My name is matt and I have a zx2 that has 135K on it. 5 speed.
I decided to get a tune up on it and replace the timing belt and plugs and wires. After I did that I have noticed that my gas milage is 20 mpg now. use to be 31 32.
I have a check engine light that has been on for a year or so.
It comes on and goes off . My guess is o2 sensor. I will replace it this weekend.
And the weather has gottin a little cooler.


Any thoughts ???

[02sl1]

I am not a ford guy, but id imagine that you might need a new fuel filter. You are probably correct with the o2 sensor, but I'd also recommend that you get that code read (scangauge or I think autozone reads them for free). Good luck!

[silversol]

are you sure you instaled the timing belt correctly and not a tooth off?

[mattzx2]

O please please dont say that.
The shop I used was a terrible choice ! They didnt tighten down the water pump pulley and it flew off !!
It does have a new fuel filter on it.

It runs good and drives good. Do you guys think if the timing belt was a tooth off it would still run good ?
I hate to take it back to them and have them tear it all apart.

Im going to check for vac leaks and look at the pvc and get my code checked after work.
I got a million other "life things" to worry about besides this dumb thing !
I try to do the right thing and spend $800 on maintenance items and now I got this ! GRRRR "sorry just venting"

Thanks for everyones help on this !!!

[Ford Man]

The first thing I thought of when you said the timing belt was changed was that the timing was off by a tooth. I'd have the codes checked and see what's going on with the check engine light. I've had 02 sensors go bad on my '88 Escort and the mileage would drop by about 25%. If you had a vacuum leak it probably wouldn't be running smooth. You could always pull the timing cover off and line up the timing mark on either the crankshaft pulley or the camshaft pulley and see if the pointer on the other one is lined up or not if it is then you'll know that's not the problem. I've changed several timing belts on my '88 and if you are not very careful when you put them on the pulley will turn enough to be off by a tooth. It is also possible that you have a brake dragging.

[mattzx2]

Ford man THANK YOU ! Please stay with me on this one... Im losing sleep over this !
I went to auto zone and there has no codes been thrown since the work was done 3o days ago. I had a picture over the lite it so I assumed it was still on . But no codes.

I installed a K&N filter at the same time as the work. I cleaned it and oiled it with my motocross filter cleaner and oil. I picked up some mass air flow cleaner to make sure it didnt suck that oil in there. Im also going to clean the filter again , just incase its over oiled. Not that I believe it is.

I looked around in the engine bay for any vacum line leaks and didnt see anything. Not that I would cause I dont know what I am looking for.
Can someone tell me where the pcv is ?
Heres where I am at .

Timing off " car runs really smooth and good" ?
Mass AF dirty ?
02 sensor bad but not throwing a code ?
Brakes dragging " rolls down hill really easy though" ?
K&N filter over oiled not breathing right ?
Vac leak " car runs really smooth and good" ?
PCV ?

Anything else

[bowtieguy]

did you change the plugs yourself? if not, i hope your mechanic was not so incompetant to let debris fall into the cylinders. is the car suddenly using more oil?

i would take out the k&n filter and go w/ a stock paper one.

if it threw a code previously, it should be stored. might need to take it to a shop w/ dealer type tech tools.

try a good quality fuel system cleaner like amsoil or chevron. does that car have an EGR valve?

check this out. might help you find a reputable shop in your area...

http://cartalk.com/

about half way down it asks you to give your zip code. best of luck!

[Ford Man]

The PCV valve on my '97 Escort is on the left (from drivers seat) front side of the engine. What model is your ZX2? I have a Chilton's service manual for Escorts between the years of '91-'99. If you'll send me your email address through a personal message I'll scan a picture in the service manual that shows where the PCV valve is and email it to you. If you didn't have any codes the problem must be intermittent. On Ford's if the problem doesn't exist within the last 3 starts (I think it's 3 starts) the check engine light will go out and stay out until the problem arises again. The best way to check to see if you have a brake dragging or not is to jack up each wheel and see if you can roll them freely by hand. I've never gotten the timing off by a tooth so I don't know how much effect it would have on how smoothly the car ran. Maybe someone else will chime in on this. Have you taken a good look under the car at the gas tank and checked all the fuel lines to make sure you don't have a leak somewhere? I have a K&N air filter in my '97 Escort too, but unless it is over oiled to the point it's choking the engine it shouldn't be effecting FE. I am still suspecting that timing is the issue since there were no codes pointing to any emmisions related components and you said that the FE dropped right after having the timing belt changed.

[mattzx2]

Thanks for everyones input. I cleaned the K&N and mass airflow last nite and checked for any vacum leaks I could see. Plug wires are tight and no smell of gas anywhere. Still looks like Im in the low 20s in milage. The car runs like a top. Im going to go ahead and replace the front o2 senser all though its not throwing a code. I will check the brake drag too. But there is no brake smell at all. Im so frustrated. I didnt spend a dime on this car sense it was new and decided to "freshing" her up and now look .
The timing belt I will try to check. Looks like I can just pop off the top part ???
THANKS TO EVERYONE !!

[R.I.D.E.]

If its a twin cam motor DO NOT LOOSEN THE HARMONIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There is no locating key for the engine drive pully (harmonic balancer). If you remove it you have lost the proper position and can wreck the engine.

Check the service manual for the proper procedure if you must remove this part. You have to lock the pulley in position with a rod before you loosen the bolt.

One of my firends took the pulley off because it was damaged in an accident. Fortunately he did not turn the engine over. The dealer and another repair shop did not want to touch the car.

We checked it the old way, removed the valve cover and made sure the cam to crank timing was close, before attempting to turn the engine over. Then we checked for TDC with a spark plug removed, made sure the camshafts were positioned coprrectly, and installed the new harmonic according to the service manual recommendations.

The engine ran perfectly with no codes.

I don't know if this applies to your situation but everyone should heed this warning.

I would replace the front 02 sensor as you have stated and see what it does for your mileage. If no codes are coming up that is your best gamble.

regards
gary