1998 Ford Escort bogging down under a load

Tiny
RONNOR58
  • MEMBER
  • 1998 FORD ESCORT
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 140,000 MILES
I am losing power during a climb up hill, it runs smooth and does not miss fire. It will bog down during the climb and I have to pull over to the shoulder to continue traveling since my speed has dropped so much I cannot stay with traffic but the engine does not die. There is a slight hesitation upon acceleration. The spark plugs and pcv valve have been replaced, and I cleaned the air flow sensor and installed a new air cleaner. It appears to have the problem only during a low vacuum condition. What components could cause this problem
Sunday, December 20th, 2009 AT 2:20 PM

1 Reply

Tiny
RASMATAZ
  • MECHANIC
  • 75,992 POSTS
Oxygen sensor
Catalytic converter
Dirty fuel injectors (cleaning the injectors often fixes this).
Bad MAP (manifold absolute pressure) sensor
Bad TPS (throttle position) sensor
Bad or dirty MAF (mass airflow) sensor
Low fuel pressure (leaky fuel pressure regulator or weak fuel pump)
Vacuum leaks (intake manifold, vacuum hoses, throttle body, EGR valve)
Bad gasoline (fuel contaminated with water or too much alcohol)

Sometimes, what feels like a hesitation is actually ignition misfire rather than lean misfire. The causes of ignition misfire may include:

Dirty or worn spark plugs
Bad plug wires
Weak ignition coil
Wet plug wires
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Monday, December 21st, 2009 AT 4:20 AM

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