Ford Fiesta Problems

[Ifildur]

Hi all,

I know this has been talked about alot, but I just wanted to get some more opinions.

I have a 1995 L Reg 1.1 Ford Fiesta. Sometimes, when I go to slow down for a junction, the car will shake and I can feel the revs dropping really low. It will then either right itself or stall. Also, I have noticed fuel consumption has increased.

What do I need to check and do with the car.

Thanks

 

[Rolo]

Seems to be a very common problem on this model and year and car. I had the same on mine same year and same reg. I couldnt find a definate solution but found the following worked.

1. There is a fuse for the inj yellow number 20, take this out and start the
car, the car should start and then die. Then start the car and as the engine catches put the fuse back in. This sorted it for me, but every so often I had to do the same exercise again.

2. I then put some engine cleaner in the fuel tank with a whole tank of fuel, got it from Halfords £14.99, it cleans out the carbon and the injectors. Ever since I did that touch wood the problem hasnt come back at one point mine wouldnt even start and if it did it stalled in 5mins.

Good luck

 

[BazzaS]

Start with the easy stuff - first check the air cleaner is actually clean and not all bunged up - renew it if needed. Then retest and do what other poster has suggested.

 

[Ifildur]

I did check the filter, and all around the carb and filter was this greyish/blackish sludge with the consistency of mayo. There were also white bits mixed in. What could be causing that?

 

[stuartinlancashire]

POST DELETED, POSTED A REPLY IN WRONG SECTION

 

[BazzaS]

I presume you cleaned out the sludge. Has it recurred ?
Sludge inside the air filter cover implies something amiss with the engine.
Again start with the easier things first and check the breather pipe between the engine and the air filter cover is clean and clear. Also remember the sludge may have caused a blockage in the carb. If you are competent to do so, take the carb off and give it a good clean out (Haynes Manual useful here).
Dark sludge can come from incomplete combustion blowing back and this may be the result of worn valve stems or rings (it would also result in bad tick-over and excessive fuel usage). So I would suggest you get a friendly garage to do a compression test on each cylinder.
Another possible cause of sludge (tho' this sludge is normally yellowish in colour) is water in the engine oil. This can range from being (a) condensation - lots of short journeys, engine not properly warming up - so go on a long trip; (b) internal leakage via a duff head gasket - are you loosing coolant ?

All the best

 

[Ifildur]

I am not losing coolant. But like I said before, petrol consumption has gone up.

I will look into cleaning the carb, and checking the easier things, and see how things go from there