:banghead:
if any of you guys can help, 't will be muchly appreciated...

i have a mk3 festa with a hcs engine [the push rod one with the overhead valves and the distributorless ignition], which has had the cylinders rebored, the head skimmed, and was running as sweet as a nut, but gradually getting louder and louder, in a top-end/tappety kind of way.

l was driving up the motorway, pulled into service station, and it died. RAC couldnt start it, as had no compression on any cylinder, and was squirting fuel/air mix out of the top of the carb.

was towed home, where i tried fiddling with the fly-wheel pick-up, and it fired!! for all of two seconds, then made the worst noise in the world [think bricks in a cement mixer] and died. now it wont start again, it turns, it has spark and fuel, and i can hear it trying to fire on one cylinder.... but it is still squirting out of the top of the carb. thankfully the horrendous noise has stopt.

has the ECS fuct up?
if the ECS stops working, and the timing is shot, will this cause the major mechanical noise?

what are the chances of finding a replacement engine?

what other engine will marry up to the gearbox? have heard that some escort engines will - is this true?

any help will be gratefully received

think you will find that the camshaft has worn out,check valve depression and clearance.

a fiesta 1.3 and escort 1.1 and 1.3 with only a little bit of altering to the wireing

Getting hold of an engine for one of these? Easy peasy, the Escort HCS is the same engine, same gear box (I think,) so it is just a stright swop. Check Ebay or somewhere you might find one going for peanuts.
With regards to what it is, before reading the problems with the carb I would have said camshaft/head gasket, but fuel problems could certainly be related to the ECU, it may just require resetting, (contact Ford or a good mechanic, (who knows about ECU's a lot don't!)

Take it easy,
Andy