Guys I was wanting to know the proper way of draining the torque converter on a 4EAT-F ATX tranny on a '99 Ford Escort ZX2.... I looked in my manual and it doesn't mention anything about a drain plug for the torque converter. I would really like to get the fluid and filter changed before it gets any colder here in KS. I bet that mobil 1 ATX will be a lot better for that tranny then the conventional dino oil?

 

I have a ZX2, also a 99, but not an auto. My suggestion is to go to teamzx2.com and ask your question in the forums on there. I used to be in there alot. There are lots of people on there that are very knowledgable on this car. Try it out.

 

I have tried that and they said that you have to get the trans flushed so that's what I am going to have to do I guess....! By the way you think your ZX2 is a real sporty reliable car?

 

I love the little thing. I think there may be a view of it somewhere in my gallery on here. I got it with 46k on it iin 2002, and it just rolled 127,000 this morning. It has been a great car, I just couldn't bear to take the hit and see it go when i got the truck so I kept it. In over 80k all it's needed was, a/c compressor module, cooling fan (worked but noisy), pilot bearing went so i did clutch, pilot bearing, pressure plate, t-stat gasket had minor leak, and also did radiator, 1 rear swaybar link broke. I run the car hard, and it's lowered so the swaybar link probably wasn't the cars fault. I don't think thats too bad for how hard i run it. There is a pic in my gallery. Check it out and let me know what you think. Later.

 

Pretty nice beater car you got, you know I really do like my 99 Escort ZX2. I have never owned a 4 banger until this car came along and it's really pretty quick I must say for an escort? What rims are those that you have? How much is that car lowered by? Did you use eibach springs and tokiko struts, pretty much the basic package that is on the S/R Edition ZX2s?

Jason

 

These little zx2's have been gret for my wife. We have a '98 and just turned 204k and it's still running strong. Just normal maintenance with a a couple of little fixes here and there. And yes, it is a zippy little car for what it is.

 

THe wheels are motegi, I think the model is the MR-6, but not 100% sure (16 inch). It's lowered 1.5 front and 1.8 inches rear.( i may have that backwards). They are progress springs, with Ford Racing Tokico S/R struts (15mm shorter rod). The progress springs are slightly lower than the S/R's eibachs. I love the way it sits, but it is low. With me in it the ground clearance is only about 4 inches, and it rides like a dump truck. The ride is terrible, on bumpy roads at speed it can get exciting, but overall handling is great. Larger swaybars are availible and would help body roll significantly. Also I run 205/50 tires to fill the wheelwells better. Most people run a 205/45 on this setup, but the 205/50 looks way better in my opinion, and the tires are right below the edge of the wheelwells. The rear quarters are rolled for tire clearance. I also have the Ford racing Centerforce S/R clutch. It's a fun car to drive, has some snap, and corners fairly well. Stiffer tires help in corners too, I had nitto's before that were real stiff, but sucked in rain, car would feel like it was floating at 55. Now i went to Cooper Zeon ZPT for the wear rating, but the sidwalls are nowhere near as stiff, and you can feel it in corners, but they are great in rain, and have 10k miles on them and still have plenty of life left. My previous yokahama's were shot at 10k. I'll talk about the Zx2 all day with you if you want, or need to know anything.

 

I am just looking at some valuable front suspension mods.... Will 16's fit on a stock ZX2?

 

They will work stock. The important part is the wheel offset. Mine are +42( I think), and I have 2 mm spacers in the rear to get them away from the struts. But then I had to roll the quarters for clearance on the outside. Stock height that may not be an issue though. Also, wheels wider than 7.5 will not work. The tire size however is somewhat goofy and selection is limited.