I have a 90 Escort Pony 1.9L 4 spd man trans. Bought in a couple years ago for my son, and has been a good little car. Even after he went out and bought his own F150 4x4 Kids truck...(loud pipes big tires ect) He still drives the Pony most often. Hmmmm 30+ mpg vs. 12 mpg = go figure. anyway, I digress.
The Pony suddenly acts like it has a clogged fuel filter. But even when replaced, still acts like it has a bad filter. Stumbles and surges and bucks...... Well, like a bad Pony. (sorry couldn't resist If it's not a bad filter causing this, what could it be?
Son said that he and some friends changed the alternator last week as it was shot, and shortly, if not right after it won't run right. Could something in the elec system be messed up? Could he and his buddies have messed up the timing?
A little help please

 

Check to make sure they didn't knock off one of the plug wires or a vacuum line somewhere along the way while changing the alternator. There shouldn't be any way they could have messed up the timing unless they loosened up the distributor and gave it a whirl, but the distributor is on the opposite end of the engine from the alternator. The only other way to have messed up the timing would have been taking the timing belt off and not getting the timing marks realigned properly, but the timing belt doesn't need to be messed with to change the alternator. My money says it's something very simple like a plug wire off the plug, a vacuum hose that got knocked off, a bad plug or plug wire or a cracked vacuum line.