Just co-purchased a 2003 Ford escape with a I4 and 5 spd with a blown head gasket. Is this a common issue for the I4 and how hard is it to replace? I put new heads on my 87 B2 so I am somewhat mechanically able, but everything I have done has been on boring old push rod engines. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

went and looked at the car as it is not at my house. PO says they overheated it once, had the thermostat and another piece replaced and it ran OK for a bit. He came out to it after running somewhere and all the coolant was dumped on the ground. He says it spits coolant out the side of the engine. I started it and let it run till it started to warm up and the oil looks fine, so I am hoping its just the head gasket and not the block or the head.

While researching on how to remove the cylinder head, it seems I will need a couple specialty tools, 2 in particular. A TDC crank stop and a flat bar for holding the cams in place. I understand the TDC plug, but do I need to use the bar when removing the head?
Thanks

 

Does anyone know if a 2.0 from a 2000-03 focus will swap in the escape? They both use the 2.0 zetec, but I cant find any information online about them being interchangeable. Local salvage yards want double the amount for an engine from an escape than one from a focus, this is if I decide I don't wanna tackle digging into the engine. The salvage yards only want $200-$250 for a focus engine but want $375 and up for an escape engine.

 

somebody please answer.. i have the exact same question. also what about from a 1999 contour? will it fit in my 03 escape?

 

I'm shooting from the hip on this one as I have no experience with the I4. I'm sure others will hop in and correct me if I'm wrong.
From what I can tell with the V6 the blocks are the same but mounts are different for other vehicles with the 3.0L. That said, I would venture a guess that the interchangeability would be similar on the I4 with exceptions for maybe some hoses and wires.

There are some interchangeability references online and a quick search on one of them indicated your 2003 is interchangeable with 2001-2004 Escapes, Escape hybrids, and the Tribute. You should not need to change anything on those models.
Like I stated though, if the block is the same, then it's only mounts/hoses/wires more than likely if you venture outside those models. If you got your hands on a long block or even a complete engine you *should* be able to swap things around and be OK.

I personally would dig into the head and see what's up before looking for an alternate engine. Gasket sets are readily available and you can pull the head to determine the course of action without buying anything.

 

Guess i should updated this thread, but completely forgot about it. The engine in my Escape turned out to be just fine. The previous owners mechanics diagnostic was wrong. All it needed was a new thermostat housing and a coolant cross over tube, the metal one that runs behind the catalytic converter on the side of the engine. I stopped looking into whether other model zetecs would swap over, couldn't find any information on it as it was, but i dont see why they wont. Just have to be careful because some came with VVT and some didnt.

 

The Focus from 00-04 are Zetecs 2.0 In 04 Ford started putting in the 2.3 DURATEC in some of the 04 models I seen wagons and sedans most with auto trans..In 05 all Focus got 2.0 Duratecs except the 2005-2007 Focus ST they are 2.3 with 5 speeds no auto where offered.In 08-11 just 2.0. On the Focus site I use they will change out the heads on there 2.0 to the 2.3 for better performance. So I would think they would work.Special tool is probably for the cams. VCT variable cam timing. also A mazda 2.3 Should work.And a 2.5 Duratec. This is if you have a duratec and not a zetec