1998 Ford Escort

1998 FORD ESCORT
12,700 MILES • 4 CYL • 2WD • AUTOMATIC
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JOE1979
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i have a 1998 ford escort. when in idle the steering wheel vibrates, but runs fine when accelarating. when i turn my ac on or the heat the vibration gets alot worse. Do you have any ideas what could be causing this?
Aug 12, 2010 at 5:11 PM
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JACOBANDNICKOLAS
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It sounds like a very low idle. What RPM does it idle at? Also, have you checked for vacuum leaks or has the check engine light come on?

Let me know.
Joe
Aug 13, 2010 at 9:01 PM
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JOE1979
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im not sure what it idles at, i dont have a rmp gage. i have not checked for vacuum leaks, not sure how to do that. yes , the check engine light is on. i took it to autozone to have them check why the light was on and they said it was the egr.
Aug 14, 2010 at 4:45 PM
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JACOBANDNICKOLAS
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Remove the egr and check for carbon build up in the intake and the egr valve. That could be the entire problem. Also, there are vacuum hoses on the engine. They run from the intake to various components. Many times they dry rot, crack, come disconnected... and a rough idle is what you get. Take a look and see if everything looks okay.

Joe
Aug 15, 2010 at 12:12 AM
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JOE1979
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I cleaned the egr valve, that doesnt seem to be the problem. I also checked for vaccum leaks, didnt find any. I found that my front motor mount was bad. I replaced it, the vibration got better in park and neutral but still the same in drive. I noticed when im in drive idling, when i turn my streering wheel left or right the vibration gets much worse. Do you have any more ideas what the problem is? Thanks for your feedback
Sep 5, 2010 at 11:41 AM
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JACOBANDNICKOLAS
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You are placing more of a load on the engine when turning. That causes the RPM's to drop making the vibration more pronounced. Have you checked all motor mounts?
Sep 6, 2010 at 12:31 AM