[Ford Man]

I'm not sure whether the 2.3L in the Pinto's were non interference engines or not. I do know that some of the engines in the first few years of the Escort were interference engines, but were later changed and I think all the 1.9L and 2.0L Escort engines are non interference. I think it was the 1.6L Escort that was interference. I know the 1.9L in my '88 Escort Pony is non interference, because I've had the timing belt come apart on it twice in 513K miles. My suggestion would be change the timing belt. With this being a bare bones car it should be a pretty simple job with no accessories to get in the way so it can probably be changed in a couple hours and probably under $15. for the belt. Of course I've done it a few times on my '88 Escort, but I have it down to where I can do it in about 2 hours start to finish without rushing through it. If the car has been sitting for 20 years and the timing belt is 32 years old and hasn't been in a climate controlled environment it has probably rotted and cracked. The older Escorts timing belt change interval was supposed to be 60K, but I usually let it ride until about 100K. The water pump bearing seized on my Escort which caused the timing belt to shear some of the teeth off. I think the timing belt change interval on the latter model Escorts was raised to 100K. If the Pinto is in as good shape as it appears to be I wouldn't use it for an everyday car but try to keep it in good shape with low mileage. I saw the first Pinto I'd seen on the road in years only a couple weeks ago. I'd also give it an oil change before firing it up and with all the advancements in oil over the last 30+ years the little engine will probably last a long time.