Ford fiesta

schumacher

hi I drive a 96 ford fiesta and it cuts out when the engine is cold ie every time you start it. It used to cut out every time i stopped and i cleaned the battery terminals and connectors. It has since got better but can be dodgy starting off for a while and when the battery terminals get corroded again which happens every month or so! Is there a solution to this problem, a long term one where my car will never cut out? Or is there something other than the battery terminals wrong with it? Any advice welcome as its driving me mad!

zilog_jones

Which engine is it? Is the 1.3 (1297cc or thereabouts on the tax disc)? Or is it a Fiesta Classic (the old shape)? The idle control valve causes trouble with these - it might just need cleaning out (with carburettor cleaner) or replacing (not expensive, €30-40?). The throttle body might need cleaning out too. I had a similar issue with mine cutting out when slowing down.

The fuel filter may need replacing too as it can cause similar symptoms.

Sorry I don't think it's anything to do with the battery terminals. You can put vaseline on them if you're concerned about them rusting, but I doubt it's the cause of your problems.

schumacher

Its the fiesta classic. I heard it might be the idle spped vlave. Do you know where that is situated because i cant find it anywhere? Thanks

ART6

It could be the battery terminals if they are becoming particularly corroded, and (possibly) if the idling speed is too low for the alternator to provide sufficient power overcome the resistance on idle. In that case the ignition might be running on the battery and not be getting sufficient power from it. However, since the alternator supplies power to the ignition system via the battery, the first step should be as advised already -- clean the terminals, coat them with Vasaline, and make sure they're tight. Then with the engine idling, put a multimeter on the terminals and check that you're getting somewhere around 13 volts plus from the alternator.

The other possibility is the lambda sensor, which when it's on its way out can dusplay the symptoms you describe. If sorting out the battery doesn't solve it, I'd suggest taking it to somewhere like Advanced Pitstop and getting them to run a diagnostic check on emissions. That will show up any Lambda fault.

ergonomics

I posted on a thread by someone with a similar problem and I also had the same problem in my 95 Opel Corsa and it turned out that the distributor cap was leaking. When it was taken off it was green and mouldy on the inside and when replaced with a new cap, it was fine.

zilog_jones

schumacher wrote: »

Its the fiesta classic. I heard it might be the idle spped vlave. Do you know where that is situated because i cant find it anywhere? Thanks

Not sure where it is on the Fiesta Classic, but it's a small metal cylinder (looks like this, maybe different mountings on yours) somewhere on or leading to the inlet manifold. The Haynes manual should tell you (you will need the one for the '89-'95 Fiesta, not '95-'02). There should be two wires connected to it, and there's some o-rings between the valve and the manifold.

Also, every time you disconnect the battery you are resetting the ECU, which may cause rough idling for a few hours afterwards. These engines also suffer from camshaft and cam follower wear, which doesn't help any of this.

ergonomics: These engines have distributorless electronic ignition.