Should I be worried about my little Fiesta 1.25?

Noni Juice

Noni Juice

Noni Juice

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Joined
21 Oct 2006
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Hi there,

A couple of months ago on my little R reg Fiesta Ghia X 1.25 the spark plug came through the top of the engine, that got fixed but there are some little problems that are worrying me.

-When I change gear and lift the clutch up after changing gear there is a squeak noise, is that just the way I am lifting the clutch up?

-The rev does not stay idle, it kind of goes up and down.

-Sometimes the car will hold revs by itself, e.g. I'm stopping at a mini roundabout and as I'm at standstill the car will still be at 3K revs. This happens every now and then. I don't know if this has anything to do with it but I seem to notice it more if I'm braking on a downhill slanted road?

Thanks for any replies.

P.S. These problems where there before the spark plug came through the top of the engine too :)
 
I just need to clarify because I think you may have been glossing over this...the spark plug "came" through the top of the engine? what the......

First problem may be the clutch release bearing so may need a new clutch - how many miles are on it.

The second 2 problems could just be the idle control valve
 
Ah it's not much to worry about. Your car seems to have more or less every common fault you can get :p

When you lift the clutch up, that squeaking sound is the clutch release bearing, mine does it sometimes, its nothing to worry about as long as the clutch works fine, the next time the clutch is out, get the bearing changed.

The idle issue is caused by the idle control value which can be cleaned with carb cleaner or if that doesn't do it you can just change it, it's not expensive.

The rev problem is probably the throttle position sensor.

All simple to fix things really. Your Fiesta is ok really :)
 
I think he means it stripped the threads on the block. I saw it happen years ago on our old Mk2 Astra, made quite a pop but was quickly fixed at the local garage.
 
If it blasted out like a rocket you'd be talking about a new head and possibly a new bonnet :p. The plug lead probably just popped off or the connector on the top of the plug snapped, not always obvious as the plugs and leads are all hidden by a cover.
 
While it was running because of the pressure? Whats the cure for that - tap it and replace with a plug with a bigger thread?
 
Either way it looks like he's had that issue fixed, maybe the thread was crossed and it wasn't held in securely enough.

The remaining issues are small ones and are easy enough to get sorted. I highly doubt the coil is at fault as that normally causes a miss rather than idle issues.
 
Agreed, nothing sounds too bad for a 12 year old car. Clutch may be at the end of its life but even that cant be too expensive on one of these?
 
The clutch is fine, it's just the bearing which gets a bit tired. People have had a new clutch and bearing and after a thousand or so miles the noise comes back. As long as the clutch operates fine it's not a major worry, just get the bearing and slave cylinder seal done when the clutch is being done.
 
If it blasted out like a rocket you'd be talking about a new head and possibly a new bonnet .
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It does happen - seen it in a friends Zetec in a Westfield. Usually happens when the engine is started due to the enormous amounts of fuel needed to start an engine and the high peak cylinder pressures attained. Never heard it happen on an iron head though. No need for a new head if this happens - just drill the threads out and tap to the next size spark plug - which is exactly what we did. Still going strong 20k later.
 
Janesy B said:
The sparkplug didn't come out of the engine, If it did the car would be dead now.
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Not necessarily.

A friend of mine serviced his Jetta before going to France on a driving trip. Halfway to Dover a plug (that he had forgotten to tighten fully) popped out with some force. It made a nice reverse dent in the bonnet but the car was otherwise fine. He replaced the plug and there was no other damage.
 
Hi there, should have explained the spark plug thing abit more.

The thread in which the spark plug was in went so the spark plug came out through the top of the engine (not really, it just popped out).

The car needed a new engine top (I dont know much about cars so Im guessing thats what its called) as the old one the mechanic tried to re-thread but it would not work for whatever reason.

Thanks for the replies.
 
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