Hi there, can anyone out there help me please. my car engine management light flickers on /off and when accelerating or going up hill, or under load....the engine starts missing and spluttering, but when simply coasting it runs fine. I have supposedly had the plugs and leads changed/checked at local garage, but problem still there. any help much appreciated. cheers.
ford ka engine problem
- Thread starter robali
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It could be almost anything but chances are it's one of the many sensors fitted to car engines these days. Your garage needs to get the Ka hooked up to a diagnostics unit (assuming they have one!); once the fault code is identified, it's usually just a matter of looking it up to see where the problems lies. Without diagnostics, you could still be throwing money at it without a cure until next Christmas!
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I'm having the exact same problem with my Ford KA. It first occurred in September - the garage ran an engine diagnostic and fitted a new ignition coil. Then just a week or two later the problem reoccurred. A friend looked under my bonnet and saw the spark plugs looked a bit loose and secured them - this seemed to provide a temporary fix for a month of so... then the juddering and the engine light problem came back. I took it back to the same garage at the end of Nov who said my spark plugs were totally corrdoded and replaced them and the leads. You probably won't be surprised to hear that just a few days ago the same old problem has come back. I am loathe to keep throwing money away when the problem doesn't seem to get fixed! I can't afford to pay for another engine diagnostic and am a bit concerned that the garage missed something the first time...
You should go back to the (same) garage & complain that you still have the same problem. I’ve been closely associated with small workshops most of my life in one way or another & it's getting more & more difficult to find a good, small independent able to work on modern vehicles; if you can find one, stick with them. I’ve had problems which they have failed to successfully diagnose & fix first time around in the fairly recent past & as much as I loathe saying it, with diagnostics, it's sometimes better to go to a main dealer. They are more expensive but at least they have the approved kit & you stand more chance if the fault re-occurs within a short time period.
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Sounds like the ECU could be the problem, If you have a weak spark on 1 and 4 or 2 and 3 plugs then that's a pretty sure sign.
Not cheap though. At least £250.
Someone I knew took his M reg petrol Peugot 405 to the main dealer to have a full service and an MOT.
It failed the MOT !
A bit surprised he took it back and they decided to replace the sensor at the end of the exhaust. That was £90 plus labour but it failed the MOT again!!!
A bit perplexed he started asking around and was suggested a back street expert who with very little time and no charge ( !!! ) said the fuel filter needed replacing!
The service invoice showed that this had been replaced ( or rather charged for!!! ) so he decided to replace to himself and take it back to the MOT station. It passed !!!
Clearly the filter had NOT been changed so he complained and was given back about £320 !!!
He took £30 to the back street expert to recompense him for his free advice which turned out to be correct !
My experience of three London Peugeot main dealers is that they all had fraudulent or bad practices. The only one who had a totally perfect experience was one in Bedworth near Coventry, they did the suspension job at the quoted price while I waited at the agreed time! Full marks to them!!!
Tony
If you read my post again you will see “with diagnostics” in front of the bit you’ve highlighted. If you have an ECU or sensor problem, trying the cure it without access to suitable diagnostics & knowing how to interpret the results can be rather hit & miss. For general service work & MOT’s etc. I believe your best bet is still a good small independent workshop; if you can find one!
