The Art of Repairing an Old Car: A Step-by-Step Guide

When it comes to repairing an old car, many people are intimidated by the prospect of tackling complex problems. However, with the right tools and a bit of knowledge, anyone can learn to fix their trusty vehicle. In this article, we'll take a closer look at the repair process for an old Ford Escape.

First things first, let's talk about code trouble. Sometimes, codes are easy to decipher, but other times they're not so much. "So what is code?" you ask? Well, in the world of car repair, a code refers to a problem that's being detected by the vehicle's computer system. It could be anything from a faulty sensor to a malfunctioning fuel pump. In this case, our old Ford Escape had a code for a power outage. "So what happened?" you might ask. Apparently, the VCI connector probably ran out of power and needed to be recharged.

Now that we've identified the problem, let's take a look at some live data from the vehicle's onboard computer system. This is where things get interesting. The live data shows us all sorts of information about the car's systems, including fuel trim, transmission data, and even a rundown of any trouble codes. "What does it all mean?" you might ask? Well, in this case, we see that the short-term fuel trim is 1.5, while the long-term fuel trim is 7.7. This means that the car is running a little bit lean overall. Now, some people might think that's bad news, but trust us, it's not so much of an issue with older cars like this one.

Next, we take a look at the engine performance. The engine is humming along just fine, with no signs of hesitation or trouble. However, there is one thing that's worth noting - the tire pressure monitoring system isn't working anymore. This is likely due to worn-out sensors and batteries over time. But don't worry, the car still has a pressure gauge to keep things simple.

Now, let's talk about gas mileage. This is where things get a bit more complicated. Our old Ford Escape gets around 20-25 miles per gallon on the highway, which isn't terrible considering its age and size. However, if you're looking for better fuel efficiency, you might want to consider upgrading to an all-wheel drive or two-wheel drive model with a four-cylinder engine. And if you're feeling fancy, there are even hybrid models available that get around 40-50 miles per gallon on the highway.

Finally, let's talk about the positives of owning an old Ford Escape. Despite its age and size, this car is surprisingly comfortable to drive. The cornering is nice and smooth, and it handles like a dream. Of course, there are some downsides - like the fact that it's got a bunch of junk in the backseat. But hey, who doesn't love a good treasure hunt?

In conclusion, repairing an old car can be a daunting task, but with the right tools and knowledge, anyone can learn to fix their trusty vehicle. Whether you're looking for better fuel efficiency or just want to enjoy the ride, there are plenty of options available out there. So next time you see an old Ford Escape driving down the road, don't be afraid to wave hello - they might just be one of your neighbors!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enrev up your engines okay the lady just bought this Highlander why did you buy a Highlander well believe it or not she's got a Mazda Tribute that has 380 000 miles on it and it still runs but as you can see she lives in Connecticut everything rushed because of the salt on the road in the winter doesn't matter whether you're driving on the beach in the ocean the salt's down and it destroys them now of course anybody who knows cars is no surprise because a Mazda Tribute is really a forward Escape that's when Ma's done Ford Ford owned a bunch of Mazda which they later sold off we're calling the Ford Escapes Mazda tributes and everybody and their brother knows Ford's rust away like no tomorrow because they don't call them right and it's no surprise so her stools runs good I gotta say but the body's all rotten away and when they ride away you know let's face the facts time to get a new vehicle it's the beginning of the end so she just bought this juice now it's got 155 on it as we look in the door hey in Japan this thing was made in Japan and this is why I tell people yes the regular seats because these are leather seats and see she got a nice cover you got it because they cracked now the reason people buy these in under the hood memorable valve timing V6 3.3 liter engine very dependable Toyota engine hooked up to an automatic transmission that can basically last forever the only real downside of this Highlander is that it says four wheel drive but it's really all-wheel drive I mean what's in the name so this thing only gets 19 miles a gallon combined 16 in a setting and you can get about 22 on the highway now when you buy a new one you got to pay more because it costs more to make them use sometimes doesn't make all that much difference in the price of the vehicle but they weigh more they have more Wheels driving they have more friction so they're going to get worse gas mileage interesting enough it rolled 380 000 miles Mazda that's really a Ford Escape she gets better gas mileage than that and they both have v6s and they both are four wheel drive so you don't get these things for gas mileage you get them so they will last forever which they often do now the usual Toyota faded headlights you can keep polishing them away or you can do like I did with my wife's car and buy brand new ones these things were sixty dollars a pair now the only downsize of this is it's an older one and as you can see it's got a rubber timing belt but she is in luck just a few miles ago it had the timing belt change now a lot of people say ah Toyotas they are never break I'll just leave the old one on but this is the 3.3 liter Toyota V6 one of the only engines they ever made that's an interference engine take my wife's 2001 ES 300 Lexus it's a three liter engine it's non-interference if it breaks I put another belt on no harm done if this baby breaks Pistons will hit the valves if you go more than 20 miles an hour and then goodbye engine it'll Bend everything inside so she was smart she had that done and she probably never have to think about it again now you can see she had struts put on they were out and she had a power steering high side hose put on and valve cover gaskets but she's lucky she has a guy who works on RVs who does honest work because she spent 600 bucks having all their work done and often I thought oh Connecticut boy she's going to get ripped off but no she's on Social Security she lives in a more of a rural relish area and this guy works on RVs he works on cars too and he did a really fair deal for him so not only should get the right vehicle she's got the right mechanic to work on the thing at the same time let's look under here see if this thing's rusted out and lo and behold it is not because Toyota knows how to rust proof their vehicles and I haven't seen her Mazda but being a rebash Ford I'm sure the Mazda the fenders are all running away she's shaking her head yes they would all be rotting away but this isn't so this is actually a very good vehicle for her to drive in Connecticut look they have a leaking sunroof which then notorious for my wife had a Toyota Chrysler and a leaking sunroof but rather than put this tape and plastic what I did was I put silicone sealer bead on the inside closed I hate sunroofs they get all they leak so if you got a choice don't get a sunroof because it's going to leak even on a Toyota so let's start it up it sounds like a Toyota engine with 150 some Thousand Miles it can run basically forever now theoretically the valves need to be adjusted right but nobody ever does because unlike the Honda that has little screws the Toyota to adjust them you would have to measure them all write it on a piece of paper then you got to take it all apart take the shims out measure the shims and buy shims that will add or subtract so much to make the right adjustment it's a gigantic pain in the rear end right but it's a Toyota they last forever okay my Celica it's a 94. 250 000 miles the valves have never been touched it still runs perfectly fine now yeah she still works fine of course it's a Toyota she did have worked on on the struts and stuff but like I said it is not a rust bucket now this is because at some point in time somebody replaced this right well this is plastic you're going to have to sand it all down or whatever and have it painted correctly and clear coated then it won't do that again or if you could find one it's already painted it's just two bolts holding it out you can pop it I'll put another one on find a good one in the junkyard you can just swap it out if you wanted well plug a stand tall fire up the old hotel here that will turn everything off turn the fan off have the key on while it's reading stuff you can say it's got 155 738 miles on it doing its thing reading it and ready read the VIN number now we'll get ready to do a scan it's thinking and here we go and of course we're talking dinosaur it's got a CD player and yes a tape deck for those of you who don't know what a tape deck is they had these tapes that were magnetic tapes and people played music on them but nobody really messes with tapes anymore the problem is they degraded over time and they would wobble and get stuck and then you'd grab them and the tape and hang on you throw them out the window so now we see there's nothing wrong there's no code so we'll go to the engine and we're gonna look at live data so we'll go to engine and ECT now the power outage the other day and the VCI connects probably ran out of power so I'm gonna have to recharge that so instead telling my other autel because that doesn't have a VCI connector it's just got a regular plug which often works better we're the engine on an ECT now here's all the live data so we'll start whipping through it especially goes to shelter sometimes simpler is better rather than having a complex power supply box this is a cord and a plug all right here we go we're gonna go through everything on this line now we'll look at the fuel trim okay short-term fuel trim 1.5 0.74 same thing on fuel trim one and two now the long-term fuel trim is 7.7 that means that it's running a little bit lean long term but an old car you would rather have one that's running a little bit lean because this thing uses enough fuel as it is if we fix this and it got the long-term fuel trim to get lower so that it was running less lean you can watch gas mileage a lean engine Burns less fuel electronic throttle all that stuff good remember this is color coded it's a different color it's got a problem injector millisecond is good the EVAP system is good transmission data is good no backup camera so we got to look behind it and it's a Highlander so guess what it's high up in the air so we're gonna have no problem going over to big old bump here all right over the bump we go now these things are pretty heavy Vehicles that's one of the reasons they don't get such great gas mines so I'm predicting even though it's old the ride over these horrible Rhode Island roads shouldn't be too bad and I'm right it isn't really bad at all now the only thing doesn't work anymore is the tire pressure monitoring system I'm sure that the tire pressure monitoring sensors are all gone the batteries have worn out when they're this old but she's got a pressure gauge so she doesn't care now it is a V6 engine nobody's coming we'll give it some gas sounds good Chef's good now I could feel a slight bit of hesitation because like I said it's running a little bit lean but believe you me she's not happy with the gas mileage as it stands now you make it run richer it's going to get worse gas mileage and as we drive around it's old but it's still a very comfortable driving experience in this thing you know corner is fine you got a bunch of junk in the back so it's rattling around that's not the car that's just all the junk she's got in the back seat I don't hear any bearing noises oh what do I think of her deal well they're a monster tribute also known as Ford Escape she likes that it gets better gas mods but when they rust the way they rust away she made a smart move getting this because it's not rusting it runs fine they get bad gas mods on their all-wheel drive and she didn't watch my video on that until she bought it I saw her I'm my wife's Matrix especially when I told her it gets 37 months a gallon on the highway she said that's my size well you can't find them there's hardly any good ones out there no she told me she just probably drives about 20 000 miles a year I guarantee you this thing will hold up her wallet hold up buying the gasoline part that's the only downside of these things so if you're worried about that get a two wheel drive version and if you're really worried about it you can find an old two wheel drive version with a four-cylinder engine they have a lot less power but they also get better gas mileage and of course if you're going for a modern one I mean you can get hybrid and they do get quite a bit better gas mods they've only got a four-cylinder engine and a hybrid battery pack but just price one of those and then you'll think hey maybe buy one of these for Seven Grand isn't that bad of an idea after all so if you never want to miss another one of my new car repair videos remember to ring that Bell\n"