Ok heres whats going on...
My parents have a 94 escort that used to run great until a few weeks ago. We swapped cars so they can take a road trip and while i was driving the escort..it died. Turned out to be the alternator so we replaced it. It ran perfect for about a week..when all of a sudden my dad was on the freeway and he said he lost power. He used his signals to move over (so im guessing it wasnt the battery or anything) but it wouldnt turn over again when he tried to start it. Got it towed home thanks to AAA and its been out front since.
Heres what doesnt make sense...we checked the spark, its blue so im assuming its a solid spark. Checked the fuel..we can hear the pump turn on..injectors are spitting it out, and theres a brand new fuel filter with 0 miles. When i put the new filter in, we checked if there was pressure pushing and sucking the fuel and there was. Timing belt is fine and upon taking the valve cover off..we can see that the valves move up and down while its trying to start. I know that most cars have to be at TDC but in the manual it says that this car isnt adjustable?
Basically..theres everything there to run an engine but its not running.
We have replaced the ignition coil (distributor-like), the fuel filter, the alternator, and spark plugs.
Once again..it cranks when you turn the ignition key, but it doesnt fire up. there is spark and fuel but its not firing. PLLLLEASE help cus its driving me nuts. thanks guys!

 

oh yeah its a 1.9L not 1.8 or 2.0.

 

I'm kinda in the same boat. I have a '98 Escort ZX2 with a 2.0L and I have a very similar issue. A few months ago the alternator went out and I had to get it toad and a new alternator put in. Just a week ago I noticed that it wasn't driving right. I noticed a small banging sound but by the time I got home from work that day the car felt as if it had less power and running really rough. To boot when I turn the engine off it keeps going for a few seconds, back in the day I would check the carburetor. But with fuel injection I'm at a loss. This brings me to your issue. I also checked the spark plugs and cables to no prevail. I had new plugs and cables put it a year ago and I'm getting fuel and a spark. My Escort turns over but cylinder 1 isn't igniting. I think if I keep driving it I'll be in the same boat as you. My father and I are at a loss at why that cylinder won’t ignite when it's getting fire and fuel. I have to drive this car to work, so if we can't figure it out I'm going to take it to a mechanic. I'm sure it will be pricey maybe even more than the car is worth, but still cheaper than a new car. If I get it running either way I'll let you know what the problem was, hopefully it will help point you in the right direction.

 

Do you know what a cylinder leakage test is? You put each cylinder at TDC of the compression stroke and hook up the gage with 100 psi of pressure. Anything under 15% or sois good. Wherrever you are losing compression you will gear a hissing noise.

 

I was just wondering if the OP ever found a solution to his problem. I am having the same exact issue and no one seems to know the issue.

 

Gentlemen, It seems like the timing belt has lost a few teeth. The only way to confirm this is to remove the cover and check the timing marks on the cam and crank gears. If the tensioner has failed , the belt will allow the crank to move , but not the cam. You may even see some teeth missing on the timing belt. That would explain why you have fuel and spark , but no compression.

 

I replaced the timing belt and the old one was in perfect condition, no missing teeth, no streching. It is in perfect time (checked by two different mechanics) but it still only will crank and not turn over. My car acted exactly like the OPs car that it stalled on the highway and would never restart. After spending enough money on people constantly saying timing belt I want to find the real answer.

 

Could you please tell me how you know you have no compression. If the pin on the cam gear has sheared , sure the belt will look fine ,but the valves aren't opening and closing at the right time , therefore ,,,no compression. Sounds like someone did half the job and did not follow through and check everything thoroughly. I don't want to be a wise a-- , but if two mechanics checked the cam timing , why couldn't they tell you what was wrong?

 

Compression test came back with 30psi or less for all four cylinders.

 

Let's hope you don't have any bent valves due to the possibility of the valves being down when the piston came up.