Hi. This is a first post for me on this forum and I need a little help.

I recently became the proud owner of a 2000 Ford Escort. The engine and automatic transmission are in excellent condition. There are some minor problems, but these are being fixed.

The problem is the fuel economy. I've been keeping track and I'm getting less than 20 miles per gallon. According to the government rating, I should be getting 22 mpg in stop and go traffic and approximately a combined 26 mpg. User experiences on other sites indicate that this estimate is correct or even underestimated. I am an experienced driver who is easy on the acceleration and speed. This is Houston, so sometimes using the AC can't be avoided, but I usually just roll down the windows to save on gas. The tires are new and properly inflated.

The only thing I can think of that might be affecting this is the fact that when you put it in drive, it will accelerate to 30 mph on its own without pressing the gas pedal. Higher speeds seem normal, however. Idling seems fine. When the car is started, it idles high at first (2000 rpm), but immediately eases down to a bit below 1000 rpm. I also suspect a belt might need to be replaced, as sometimes turning on the AC will shake the car a bit until it's accelerated a little.

What can I do to increase the fuel economy to a more typical experience? Is there anything I should look at other than what I've already described?

Also, I've seen a product in the auto parts store that is supposed to be added to the freon and claims to make the AC run better and save gas. Does anyone know about this? Does it work as advertised?

Thanks in advance.

 

Make sure your drum brakes aren't sticking. Ensure that the e-brakepart of the the drum brake adjuster is free and not rusted frozen. I just had this problem and this was the cause.

 

Do you have a check engine light? If you do start by having the codes checked, that will probably lead you right to your problem. I have a 2002 Escort with a 2.0 automatic that I bought for my son to drive and he is getting about 30-32mpg in mixed driving, so something is definitely off on yours. When I drive it I can usually get about 32-33 mpg in mixed driving, but I've also got 33 years of driving experience. We took it on a highway trip of about 250 miles and driving it 55-65 mph we got 40mpg. A few things that can be done at little or no expense is be sure the tires are at max sidewall pressure, clean the MAF sensor, (MAF cleaner is available in an aerosol can at any auto parts for about $8. a can) check to make sure all the wheels are rolling freely, (no bad wheel bearings or dragging brakes), check all your vacuum lines for cracks, cuts, or come off their connection and replaced or repair as needed. Is the transmission shifting into O/D as it should on the highway? A bad 02 sensor will usually cut fuel mileage by 25-35%, but if the 02 sensor is that bad you should have a check engine light. Also take a look at the timing belt, sometimes they will shear off teeth and the engine will still run, but it is running out of time which will hurt gas mileage. If it is a timing belt issue it will probably shear off more teeth soon and the car will stop running all together. How long since it had a new air filter, spark plugs and plug wires? The shaking when you turn on the A/C is a pretty common problem with Escorts.

 

just to add in transmission/drivetrain that the gearing of the vehicule speed sensor is not the same on ford/mazda

I have an escort gtx with ford BP tranny, with a protege cluster mazda Vehicule speed sensor , and my speed is falsed by 10 km at 100 kmph even if I have a protege VSS and the cable...
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