The gap I found out is .54 since I just gapped mine.
The 1996 Ford Escort 1.9 L spark plug gap is ( .054 inch ) according to motorcraft.com one of Fords websites
In a 1995 Ford Escort : Both the 1.8 and the 1.9 liter four cylinder engines have : ( 4 spark plugs )
The spark plug gap for a 1996 Ford Escort with a 1.9L engine should be between .052 and .056 inches. Spark plugs come preset, however, and do not need any adjustments.
Motorcraft AGSF-34EE
For 1998 Ford Escort ZX2 with a 2.0 16 V Zetec VCT motor use Champion Platinum RE 7PYP6 spark plugs.
It is 0.054
The most common cause of a 1996 Ford Escort to idle rough is bad spark plugs or bad spark plug wires. A plugged air filter will also cause it to idle rough.
According to one of the Ford websites : For a 1988 Ford Escort , 1.9 litre four cylinder engine : The spark plugs are gapped at ( .044 inch )
For a 2001 Ford Escort ZX2 : The 2.0 liter Dual Over Head Cam , Zetec four cylinder engine has : ( 4 spark plugs )
According to one of the Ford websites : For a 1987 Ford Escort , 1.9 litre four cylinder engine : ( the spark plugs are gapped at .044 inch )
you probably need new coil packs.
Go to home depot!