I bought my 2001 ford ZX2 new, at 74,000 miles the spider gear shaft came loose and busted the case at hiway speed. I had to have a new case and the trans repuilt, this was in 2006. The car now has 13,000 miles on the transmission and it has a viberation sometimes when it shift from first to second when staying with traffic when leaving a traffic light.. It's not a hotrod, I'm 71 years old and I'm slow..

ford escort/ focus engine 2.0 l spi sohc 1997-2004 has been identified as an intereference engine and that means very likely valve to piston damage
( auto data timing belt information )
note-- up to 2002 year Ford has not recommended a timing belt interval for changing
Ford has however recommended a replacement every 120.000 miles using the service history as a guide
however good professional trade practice recommends every 60.000 miles ( 100.00klms) and the replacement work should include replacement of the crank and cam shaft seals and idler pulleys involved ( the biggest destroyer of belts is oil)
recommended labor time is 2 hours
if the belt has broken then head removal and valve work will add up to 5 hours to that time

new spider gears or possibly u-joints in your rear drive shaft. Or it could just be a cheap rear i have a jeep and its done it since i first bought it.

If the wobble is very noticeable at low speed I would first suspect the tyre or tyres. Start by changing each front tyre with the spare and see if that affects the symptoms.
I am assuming that you have checked that the wheel nuts are not loose?
I hope I have been of help but please do not hesitate to ask if you have any further questions.

They don't have marks on the gears. You have to remove the valve cover and put a flat bar through the back ends of the cam shaft to lock them in place in the correct time.

Maybe not. Not all engine have an interference problem. Many wil be fine after the belt is replaced and the valve train is retimed. Was there a lot of noise? If the engine just stopped without much fanfare you are Ok. Check with your mechanic or dealer to be specific.

It sounds like you have a partial blockage in the cooliing system if it stayes at regular operating temperature at lower speeds. Placing it in first or second gear and driving at hiway speed RPM's will cause the the same temperature problem if this is the case.

have u looked at the top mounts allso could be gearbox or engine mounting allso is it front wheel drive could be drive shaft joints

Titans are known for weak rear ends. Contact an independent shop that rebuilds truck transmissions; look in the Yellow Pages.have them rebuild it; it'll be done right. Trade the truck for a Toyota Tundra, Tacoma, Ford or Chevy.

If it is a manual transmission you will have to removed the speed sensor from the transmission. Fluid should be at or near the top of the gear on the sensor.

.how to set the timing on a 2000 ford sescort zx2 and why does it idle rought it a dual kam 2/0 timing belt broke and the engine was fixed in a shop but i dont think they know just how to set the timing right when im going up hill and the car shifts back the engine reves up to about 3000 rpms the engine sounds lick it is pinging real loud sounds like it not set right