It takes 5-30 oil that's SM rated.
According to the ( 1996 ) Ford Escort Owner Guide : ( 5W-30 is the PREFERRED oil )
5w/ 3o is the correct oil type...
SM rated 5W-30 weight of oil.
5 w 30 - according to the 1998 Ford Escort owners manual
It takes 5-30 oil weight and rated SM
5-30 weight rated SM
5W-30 oil in your engine ( according to the Owner Guide )
A possible reason the engine dies when the oil light comes on in a 1999 Ford Escort could be because it is in major need of an oil change. There also could be an oil pressure problem because the oil pump may need to be replaced.
With engine oil filter change ( 3.8 liters / 4.0 quarts of engine oil ) for the 2.0 SPI engine in a 1997 Ford Escort according to the Owner Guide
According to the 1997 Ford Escort owners manual ( 5W-30 ) certified for gasoline engines
Mercon automatic transmission fluid.
Spark plug tube seals need changing