I hop into a borrowed 98 Escort Station Wagon (borrowed from my step brother for the summer) this morning and when I start the car, I hear this loud pitched noise. I didn't think much of it until I started backing out of my space and noticed I could barely turn my wheel. It look me awhile to turn the wheel enough to get back into the space after I had backed out of it. Luckliy I have another car (98 Sentra) and I drove that one to work.

What's wrong with the Escort (beside the fact that it's a Ford and a shitty car)?

6/27/2007 7:42:29 AM

Sounds like either the belt is slipping badly or broke that drives the power steering pump. Not really a big deal.

6/27/2007 7:56:05 AM

/thread

6/27/2007 8:05:05 AM

well all fords have a ugly power steering pitch. make sure there is fluid.

but yeah. its def. a power steering issue.

6/27/2007 9:04:52 AM

def. a belt issue. because im betting u had a hard time with the break as well. That belt or ur drive is bad

6/27/2007 9:05:53 AM

Quote :

"def. a belt issue. because im betting u had a hard time with the break as well. That belt or ur drive is bad"

HUWHAT??? Oh I see the brake belt must be connected to the WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT???

6/27/2007 9:08:14 AM

Last time I checked the vacuum brake booster has nothing to do with a drive belt.

GTFO

6/27/2007 9:14:59 AM

in our van...the belt is what gives you power steering and power breaks. it has happened to us before. the belt broke and the steering and the breaking went bad.

u dont think its true. take a car that is automatic. put it in neutral and turn the car off...try turning and stopping the car.....its extremely hard

so wtf are u talking about

6/27/2007 9:15:57 AM

well first things first check the fluid.

we had a ford that always leaked. had to keep it topped off every few weeks. the SOB would whine. no brake issues though.

it was a powerful ford. and aerostar to be exact

6/27/2007 9:28:22 AM

^^ no fucking shit sherlock, without the engine running, you have no intake vacuum, so the vacuum brake booster won't work, if all you have is shitty advice, don't offer any at all

6/27/2007 9:30:34 AM

not all cars have the vaccuum booster for breaks. different vehicles have different components ass.

then if u want to test what i told u, run ur car and break the belt and see if im right. if im not, then ur cars different but dont tell me im wrong when thats what fucking happened-backed by AAA and two mechanics that looked it over later. so dont fucking act like u know shit cause ur far from it just like the rest of us

6/27/2007 9:41:16 AM

6/27/2007 9:41:28 AM

Quote :

"so dont fucking act like u know shit cause ur far from it just like the rest of us"

you are the only one that doesn't know shit, the only light duty vehicles that have hydrualic brake boosters are 3/4 and 1 ton trucks

Quote :

"but dont tell me im wrong when thats what fucking happened-backed by AAA and two mechanics "

I am an ASE certified master automotive tech, and have 4 ASE certifications in medium and heavy duty trucks.

[Edited on June 27, 2007 at 9:45 AM. Reason : and learn how to fuckin spell BRAKE]

6/27/2007 9:44:38 AM

so you know how a 1990 Chevy van works without having to look at it or look it up.

doubt it

and im talking about the big ass conversion van with the big block

[Edited on June 27, 2007 at 9:46 AM. Reason : ?]

6/27/2007 9:45:37 AM

Yes, I do as a matter of fact.

[Edited on June 27, 2007 at 9:48 AM. Reason : Unless it was a 3/4 ton or 1 ton G series, then it had a vacuum booster.]

6/27/2007 9:46:29 AM

then enlighten me about how our belt broke and the power steering and power brakes quit

6/27/2007 9:47:12 AM

Quote :

"not all cars have the vaccuum booster for breaks. different vehicles have different components ass"

Quote :

"and im talking about the big ass conversion van with the big block"

Quote :

"Unless it was a 3/4 ton or 1 ton G series, then it had a vacuum booster."

No cars on the road today have hydrualic booster brakes, a van is not a car, mpst 3/4 ton and 1 ton trucks and vans have hydraulic booster brakes.

Once again, you are a dumbass that contradicts yourself because you have no idea what the fuck you are talking about.

[Edited on June 27, 2007 at 9:51 AM. Reason : dumbass]

6/27/2007 9:51:03 AM

taking awhile to look it up huh

dude, its not a big deal if u know the vehicle or not. and eventually ur going to agree with me that the belt breaking affected both of those power abilities. but ur going to make some excuse why ur explanation is right. i dont know the specifics of why it happened or exactly what did, but i do know that my dad has worked on that car since we got it new in 1990. he knows it better then anyone else but still needs help for some technical things. and i know from him and the other mechanics that the belt breaking affected both.

regardless if u are certified or watever u are or how much u want to say u know the car. i know im right and i dont need to debate it anymore.


^and in response................

Quote :

"Last time I checked the vacuum brake booster has nothing to do with a drive belt. GTFO "

i told u that not all vehicles are the same and that they have different components. so what uve said this whole time was wrong because u didnt think to ask about the vehicle.

6/27/2007 9:57:15 AM

http://www.trombinoscar.com/chevtruck/cv900303.jpg

this van is identical to ours except for color

u have changed what u said from 3/4 to 1 ton trucks

then u said trucks and vans
then u said 3/4 and 1 ton G series

this is a 1990 chevy g20 van.....

yea a mechanic, right

[Edited on June 27, 2007 at 10:04 AM. Reason : but yes, it is a 3/4 ton van with hydraulic lines]

6/27/2007 10:03:20 AM

I stated that no cars have a hydraulic brake booster, you, with no automotive knowledge whatsoever, reffered to an issue with a 3/4 ton van with a hydrualic booster that has no relevance to this situation whatsover, so once again if you don't know what you are talking about STFU.

Quote :

"in our van"

I assumed you meant a minivan or 1/2 ton van, not a full size one, there is a big difference in the braking systems, either way, it has nothing to do with a escort.

[Edited on June 27, 2007 at 10:04 AM. Reason : A 1990 G20 is a 3/4 ton van, which in the automotive realm is considcered a truck, along with SUVS.]

[Edited on June 27, 2007 at 10:07 AM. Reason : ]

6/27/2007 10:03:57 AM

i do know what im talking about.

we had a mercedes that had hydraulic lines because i helped my dad change the lines out.

so once again u dont know wtf ur talking about

not all cars have had vaccum brakes all the time

you have to remember
im not automotive savvy..........so i dont know the difference between a motorcycle and a dump truck

dude, i was talking about a van that has the chasis and only the chasis and engine of a chevy truck.....thats why they consider them trucks. today we have trucks and cars and suvs with similar chasis and engines because they have changed the market. need better gas so u get smaller engines and cant pull a big trailer or another car. u find small suvs that have similar chasis but better suspensions and shocks, of cars

its not all the same and i understand that and i was wrong to say hey my van did this, so ur car MAY be doing the same thing

i never said he did or this is whats wrong. i simply agreed with the guy who already said it was a belt problem

[Edited on June 27, 2007 at 10:13 AM. Reason : k]

6/27/2007 10:06:21 AM

God damn you are fucking thick, all cars have hydrualic brakes, that is not what is in question here. I am talking about the brake booster. In a vacuum booster system, it is powered by engine vacuum from the intake. In Heavier trucks, it is powered by hydrualics from the power steering pump.

Quote :

"Last time I checked the vacuum brake booster has nothing to do with a drive belt. GTFO"

A 98 escort has a vacuum brake booster, the drive belt breaking would not affect the brakes whatsoever, nor was it even mentioned in the post, so tell me where I am wrong again?

Quote :

"def. a belt issue. because im betting u had a hard time with the break as well. That belt or ur drive is bad"

You however seem to think it has a hydraulic brake booster (wrong), I have no idea what the fuck you mean by the drive is bad (wrong), and you spelled brakes (wrong)

[Edited on June 27, 2007 at 10:14 AM. Reason : dumbass]

6/27/2007 10:09:44 AM

i know........but ever since u said i was wrong in what my van had and what happened to it, we were off track.

now u are back to the initial statement that the brakes wouldnt be a problem for the escort because it has a vaccuum booster for the brakes...which is powered by the intake.

heavier vehicles have hydraulics from the power steering pump



but let me ask you this.......isnt the intake run by the belt
because i know the belt on the chevy g20 van runs the hydraulic pump

6/27/2007 10:17:06 AM

Quote :

"but let me ask you this.......isnt the intake run by the belt"

omfg, did you just ask this?

The engine pulls air in through the intake manifold, creating a vacuum, the vacuum booster is connected to the manifold by a hose and increases brake power, it has absofuckinggutly nothing to do with the belt on this car.

6/27/2007 10:20:54 AM

i meant that the belt would have knocked out his power braking like our g20 van lost its power braking because the drive that connects the belt and the hydraulic pump is either broken/cracked/or simply not working because the belt is not spinning it.

i use drive loosely in meaning the "drive" where the belt is connected to a wheel that is connected to a drive that connects to the pump. my dad helped a guy whose "drive" cracked and had to be replaced, when the belt snapped off

6/27/2007 10:20:58 AM

Quote :

"isnt the intake run by the belt"

gg man just quit already.

we got your point, you have a 1990 conversion van that broke a few times and your entire experience with automotive repair seems to be based out of you talking to guys at AAA.

6/27/2007 10:22:11 AM

thats what i thought. we had an old mercedes that had the belt associated with the vaccuum pump. thats why i asked wat u meant

6/27/2007 10:22:34 AM

Once again vacuum boosters have nothing to with accessory drives, and the "drive" you are reffering to I assume is the crankshaft pulley/ harmonic balancer.

^ Jesus christ you are throwing some shit out there, was the mercedes by any chance a diesel?

[Edited on June 27, 2007 at 10:24 AM. Reason : ]

6/27/2007 10:23:36 AM

no, the one time it broke and we lost power, we had to have AAA come tow it and he said yea, ur right, the belt snapped on that one.

the mechanics from two different shops gave us that info


yes, i dont know as much as some of you when it comes to vehicles because i have only had to work on the vehicles my parents own, which me, my brother, and my dad all keep up and rarely use a mechanic
but no, my knowledge is not based on just the van and ur right i just dont know all the terms that you do. but i can still fix the fuck out of a lot of cars.

6/27/2007 10:26:16 AM

the one i was talking about yes

see, i didnt know that was the difference because the mercedes has had vaccum problems before

not any other car we have had. not even the non-deisel mercedes and the chevy s-10

[Edited on June 27, 2007 at 10:28 AM. Reason : and yes, the crankshaft is what i was talking about even though i called it a "drive"]

6/27/2007 10:27:57 AM

Diesels do not have a throttle plate and generate little to no intake vacuum, therefore requiring a belt driven vacuum pump for HVAC controls, brake booster, etc.

Quote :

"no, the one time it broke and we lost power, we had to have AAA come tow it and he said yea, ur right, the belt snapped on that one. the mechanics from two different shops gave us that info yes, i dont know as much as some of you when it comes to vehicles because i have only had to work on the vehicles my parents own, which me, my brother, and my dad all keep up and rarely use a mechanic"

So, you maintain your own cars, but had to have it towed because of a broken belt? OK

[Edited on June 27, 2007 at 10:30 AM. Reason : ]

6/27/2007 10:29:37 AM

alright....that helps clear me up when it comes to the vaccum for deisels

so ur saying all cars, no matter year or type, all have a vaccum booster system hooked up to intake

with the exception of what?

6/27/2007 10:31:22 AM

we had it towed because we were in the middle of no where without an extra belt to put on.

now we carry a belt in the van with us and i can put it on if it ever comes off or breaks

[Edited on June 27, 2007 at 10:33 AM. Reason : we used the free tow to get to a place with tools on hand and to get a belt]

6/27/2007 10:32:23 AM

Quote :

"so ur saying all cars, no matter year or type, all have a vaccum booster system hooked up to intake"

Quote :

"No cars on the road today have hydrualic booster brakes"

Once again you need to work on you comprehension skills.

Quote :

"we had it towed because we were in the middle of no where without an extra belt to put on."

You can drive it without power brakes or steering.



[Edited on June 27, 2007 at 10:40 AM. Reason : ]

6/27/2007 10:39:49 AM

ud be surprised it actually nearly locks up and took us into a ditch. the brakes and the steering was so hard that he couldnt keep it on the road we were on. ill remind u it was a free tow. so why not?

and yes i know what u said about the booster system

i was simply trying to ask u a question which u still didnt answer. i asked if all cars no matter make or year, all have the booster system without exception.

its a legit question even if u already said no cars on the road today have hydraulic booster brakes
i asked about vaccum booster systems

[Edited on June 27, 2007 at 10:47 AM. Reason : and yes, i know the exception is the big trucks and vans, i mean any others]

6/27/2007 10:45:42 AM

Quote :

"HUWHAT??? Oh I see the brake belt must be connected to the WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT???"

AHAHA!

this is the same guy that was talking about a long block won't fit in his vw yesterday.

Quote :

"the only light duty vehicles that have hydrualic brake boosters are 3/4 and 1 ton trucks"

nah, alot of the bigger gm cars had hydroboost systems also.

the original point still remains though, on the vehicle in question a belt has not a damn thing to do with the brakes.

6/27/2007 10:48:46 AM

^ basically a truck, but definately not an escort

6/27/2007 10:53:45 AM

Quote :

"definately not an escort"

yeah, that's the main point anyway.

6/27/2007 11:09:07 AM

yes, i acknowledged that after 69 helped me to understand the differences.

the escort in question didnt have brake problems let alone the belt doesnt affect the brakes,

I FUCKING GOT IT


and about the vw
I didnt know what they meant by the long block because i hadnt heard of it. i asked what it was after i said it wouldnt fit. so i was saying ok, forget wat i said, im asking now cause i dont know

[Edited on June 27, 2007 at 11:11 AM. Reason : k]

6/27/2007 11:10:43 AM

LOL at this thread. Thanks for all the help though.

So back to the issue at hand...

These are the main points I got out of this thread:

Quote :

"Sounds like either the belt is slipping badly or broke that drives the power steering pump. Not really a big deal."

Quote :

"well all fords have a ugly power steering pitch. make sure there is fluid. but yeah. its def. a power steering issue."

What should I do to fix this? Could I do this on my own? My knowledge in cars is very limited. I could check and replace the power steering fluid but replacing the belt might be a little difficult for me.

6/27/2007 1:48:34 PM

check to see if the belt is still there first, then check to see if the power sterring pump pulley is turning

6/27/2007 2:05:04 PM

i don't know where any of that stuff is

I'll try to look online somewhere to see where all that is

6/27/2007 4:46:44 PM

Quote :

""HUWHAT??? Oh I see the brake belt must be connected to the WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT???""

hahaha my dog is looking at me laughing

6/27/2007 4:54:08 PM

Quote :

""but let me ask you this.......isnt the intake run by the belt""

hahahaa oh god the people in the nexxt building must have heard me laughing, this is great. the guy truly is clueless! makes slowblack look like einstein.

6/27/2007 5:39:26 PM

omfgroflmaoorlyyes

6/27/2007 5:46:00 PM

^^^^disregard that comment

I just got home from work and checked under the hood (i didn't have any time this morning)

it looks as though a strand from the belt was severed and forced the belt off

I'm definitely going to need a new belt

it looks like an easy fix but the belt doesn't look too accessible

Any suggestions?

[Edited on June 27, 2007 at 5:50 PM. Reason : yo]

6/27/2007 5:50:17 PM

To install:

1. Position the drive belt over the accessory pulleys.
2. Insert the 3/8 in. drive ratchet or breaker bar into the hole of the automatic tensioner, then pull the tool toward the front of the vehicle.
3. While holding the tool in this position, slip the drive belt behind the tensioner pulley and release the tool.
4. Remove the tool from the automatic tensioner.
5. Check that all V-grooves make proper contact with the pulley.

6/27/2007 6:07:08 PM

I'll do it for $40 where it sits.

6/27/2007 6:56:37 PM

How much is a new belt?

and how long will it take to finish?







[Edited on June 27, 2007 at 7:14 PM. Reason : Is $40 a fair price?]

6/27/2007 7:02:48 PM

$40 is more than fair, especially if he's coming to you.

6/27/2007 7:29:37 PM