My 1995 escort zx2 idles very roughly and has a hesitation when you first accelerate from a stop.It dosen't hesitate all the time but it does idle roughly all the time.. any ideas. Mechanic said the rough idle was common on this model.. I don't believe him!

Check your pcv valve/system,EGR valve,check for vacuum leaks,faulty
Spark plugs and/or wires,cap and rotor, clogged fuel filter,fuel pressure,possible weak fuel pump.Check for extremely dirty air filter,
Always start with the basics first, good luck!

Actually it is very common in all escorts between 91 and 05 at least it usually starts between 70k and 100k miles. My boyfriend has a 2000 Escort ZX2 and I'm still working on figuring out exactly what the problem is... one person with a 93(?) said that they changed the TPS and that fixed it, but taking it to the dealer they spent somewhere between 500 and 600 dollars. But if you know much about working on cars you can buy the TPS for about 25 dollars at an auto parts store.

One other person with a newer model said they replaced it and that didn't fix it though. But I think if you know what you are doing with Cars that the TPS is worth a try. Or if you have a friend that would help you with it.

Hope that was helpful...

Love these old posts.

The original question was posed about a month before I came to AMHD. I would have recommended cleaning the throttle body, throttle body ports, and, particularly, the Idle Air Control Valve and hoses with brake cleaner. Also, I would have suggested checking the idle speed.

Love these old posts.

The original question was posed about a month before I came to AMHD. I would have recommended cleaning the throttle body, throttle body ports, and, particularly, the Idle Air Control Valve and hoses with brake cleaner. Also, I would have suggested checking the idle speed.


I Don't know how to check the idle speed, it's done electronically, it doesn't just have a little bolt or whatever on it that you spin to adjust it. Honestly I think that if I could figure out how to adjust my idle rate to 900 or 1000 rpms that would fix the problem... but like I said, I haven't been able to figure that one out yet... any ideas?

Is there a throttle cable that you can slightly take up on?

The link below may help:

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/cars-trucks/faq-how-troubleshoot-repair-maintain-hondas-46563.html#post219948