Mk6 fiesta ST Common problems

[zain611]

Hey everyone, thought I might ask about what are the common problems you would get with the mk6 fiesta ST. If the ultra low emission zones do go ahead and extend the area to the whole of London I'll have to change to a petrol car made from 2005 - 06. 

Was looking at the STs and they aren't going for much. Here's one with 95k miles and it's going for £1990. I got my zetec s 1.6 diesel for £1900 so shows how my zetec s holds the same or more value. Claimed 50mpg, £230 Road tax and 7.9 secs to 60mph so ain't bad on running costs compared to the 3 series and audis I've seen. 

 

My ZS 

[TomsFocus]

There's no way you'll get anywhere near 50mpg from an ST150...stop reading those book figures!! 😛

Realistically 30-35mpg average with mixed driving.

Idle is a big issue on them, the idle bounces about, can be helped with a throttle body clean and reset but I never did find a fix for mine, most people just put up with it.

The gearboxes are rubbish, fairly common to blow big holes in them, seems to be just luck how long they last though, some fail early, some last well past 100k.

The wheels can bend easily, not helped by very low profile tyres, but the ZS wheels bend easy as well anyway lol.

The engines are pretty reliable tbh, they're restricted to 150bhp (when they could produce a fair bit more easily) so the engine isn't strained at all.  They also use a cam chain so there's no belt to worry about...though the chains do eventually slacken and rattle.

Big mk6 issue is brake pipes, they seem to have made them out of paper thin steel so they rust through easily - definitely something to check on any mk6 now.

[zain611]

Thanks tom yeah lol I know you won't get the claimed mpg but I'd normally minus 20mpg from that. My 1.6 diesel is claimed 72mpg and I get 50mpg from it. Could the idle problem cause it to stall? 

Gearbox was something I've heard aswell. Is it different for engines? Only thing really id look for is if it shifts gears properly. I've heard something about the steering going stiff as the engine boils the brake fluid. How was ride comfort in your ST? Probably is a bit more worse than the zetec s considering the 17s and slimmer tires. 

I actually had that problem with the brake pipe breaking during an MOT inspection. Changed both sides going to the rear brakes. 

[TomsFocus]

Just now, zain611 said:

Thanks tom yeah lol I know you won't get the claimed mpg but I'd normally minus 20mpg from that. My 1.6 diesel is claimed 72mpg and I get 50mpg from it. Could the idle problem cause it to stall? 

Gearbox was something I've heard aswell. Is it different for engines? Only thing really id look look for is if it shifts gears properly. I've heard something about the steering going stiff as the engine boils the brake fluid. How was ride comfort in your ST? Probably is a bit more worse than the zetec s considering the 17s and slimmer tires. 

I actually had that problem with the brake pipe breaking during an MOT inspection. Changed both sides going to the rear brakes. 

Tbh if you're only getting 50mpg from the ZS then you're likely to average less than 30mpg from the ST with the same driving.

Mine never actually stalled on it's own, but I did have to give it some revs during slow parking manoeuvres to make sure the revs didn't drop too far.  It mainly bounced the idle with the clutch in rolling a few yards up to junctions etc.  I had to adapt my driving style to it and drop to first gear and hold it in gear until the very last second, where usually I'd roll up to a roundabout in 2nd with the clutch in.  It was annoying in traffic though as I'd just 'bump' the clutch in to edge the car forwards then coast a few yards...but the idle would be jumping up and down by 500rpm while the car was rolling which makes you look a bit of an idiot lol.

The gearbox is the same basic box on the ST as on the small petrol models...it's just not really strong enough to take the abuse of the ST tbh.  Not to worry you but they usually fail without any warning.  

Yes, I'd forgotten about the boiling power steering fluid.  Because the PAS reservoir is very small and bolted to the engine it cooks the fluid easily on track or even fast road driving.  It's easy to change  the fluid though.  And you can even buy a reservoir relocation kit to stop it boiling at all.

The ride was pretty hard tbh, but they are designed to be quite stiff and obviously there's almost no tyre sidewall to soften the impacts.  You have to basically stop for speed bumps lol.  That said, it's probably about the same level of comfort as an A3 S-Line.

Have you thought about a Focus ST?  You'd have to pay a bit more, but they also hold value much better than the Fiestas.  More toys, space and comfort.  A lot more power and the fantastic noise from the 5 pot engine....  

[zain611]

Was just looking at focus ST. Not too bad on price and like you said will sound great with that engine. Lol I'm not sure now. When I think about it the ST is the same as my zetec s except the wheels and engine. I'd be happy if the rules don't go forward. I've heard of a group pointing out the governments plans and that owners themselves normally change their cars. 

[Paulie1968]

I know this is an Old thread, but I think most people need to be looking out for ST150 oil burning problems, the oil control rings and valve stem seals are a big problem with people burning a litre or more of oil on every tank fill.... The engines are great but if theyve been run dry thats another matter

Steering fluid can boil up, Steering HP hose tends to seep fluid, Seat catches break otherwise all good. I always got 38mpg on a 'B' road 25 mile run to work. I pulled it off the road because of the amount of oil it was using. I love this car as its fun to drive and have no plans to sell it (future project one day)

[zain611]

Thanks for your view @Paulie1968. I'm thinking I might just go for a zetec s again but with the 1.6 petrol engine. The London mayor is planning on setting up low emissions zones and extending that to the whole of London in 2021. Basically diesels made before 2015 and petrols made before 2005 are going to be charged £12.50 a day when driven in London as they want to tackle air pollution. Probably have to sell my zetec s in 2 years 😢. If I get a petrol zetec s I can swap some bits over from my current one into it.

I'm sure also the 1.6 Duratec engine is reliable. 

[TomsFocus]

If you go for a petrol ZS it has to be an Anni edition, preferably in Signal Green!!   Bear in mind the 1.6 petrol will feel slower than your diesel though, non turbo and not much torque on them though they're nippy in town.  They're fairly reliable but very thirsty.  My mates one keeps dropping coolant from various areas, we've replaced pretty much every hose as well as the tank and cap now lol.  

Did you see 5th gear last night?  They were showing the new electric black cabs for the ULEZ, which get around the plug-in issues by having a petrol engine as a generator (so it's classed as fully electric, not a hybrid) and was quite interesting tbh.  They cost daft amounts though...£60k iirc!! 😮   Not that I'm suggesting you become a cabby lol.

[zain611]

On 9/7/2018 at 12:30 PM, TomsFocus said:

If you go for a petrol ZS it has to be an Anni edition, preferably in Signal Green!!   Bear in mind the 1.6 petrol will feel slower than your diesel though, non turbo and not much torque on them though they're nippy in town.  They're fairly reliable but very thirsty.  My mates one keeps dropping coolant from various areas, we've replaced pretty much every hose as well as the tank and cap now lol.  

Did you see 5th gear last night?  They were showing the new electric black cabs for the ULEZ, which get around the plug-in issues by having a petrol engine as a generator (so it's classed as fully electric, not a hybrid) and was quite interesting tbh.  They cost daft amounts though...£60k iirc!! 😮   Not that I'm suggesting you become a cabby lol.

I just saw your post now lol. I actually did see a green anniversary on auto trader going for around £2300 with decent mileage which is a bargain. Only made about 1000 of them in that colour. My dad however isn't a fan of the colour. You'd of think a anniversary model would be for the ST as that's the top model but strangely ford used the zetec s. I remember watching a Jamie FYD video of him test driving one which was owned by a 19 year old. The owner ruined it in my opinion. A rare car shouldn't really be modified heavily for example my zetec s I've done a few subtle mods but nothing to ruin the exterior. Stuff like uprating the brakes to ST ones I think isn't a bad upgrade probably increase its value. 

Something I'd like to ask is what would I have to look out for when going to see a ST? I'd say check the gearbox for no crunching gears excluding reverse, engine runs nicely and is able to pull and check for any fault codes. Would I have to worry about idling as I've heard it comes down to the age. 

[TomsFocus]

32 minutes ago, zain611 said:

I just saw your post now lol. I actually did see a green anniversary on auto trader going for around £2300 with decent mileage which is a bargain. Only made about 1000 of them in that colour. My dad however isn't a fan of the colour. You'd of think a anniversary model would be for the ST as that's the top model but strangely ford used the zetec s. I remember watching a Jamie FYD video of him test driving one which was owned by a 19 year old. The owner ruined it in my opinion. A rare car shouldn't really be modified heavily for example my zetec s I've done a few subtle mods but nothing to ruin the exterior. Stuff like uprating the brakes to ST ones I think isn't a bad upgrade probably increase its value. 

Something I'd like to ask is what would I have to look out for when going to see a ST? I'd say check the gearbox for no crunching gears excluding reverse, engine runs nicely and is able to pull and check for any fault codes. Would I have to worry about idling as I've heard it comes down to the age. 

Yeah I'm not sure why they used the ZS for the special editions, they still did the same with the Mk7 ZS Red & Black editions.  If your Dad doesn't like the green ones, how about a Radiant Yellow Celebration? 

Mods are a very personal thing tbh, some people see any mods as bad, others aren't happy unless the car looks like it crashed through Halfords.  I try to appreciate anyone's mod choice but like to keep things subtle on my own cars.

As for viewing an ST150...listen to the engine to make sure the cam chain isn't rattling.  Reverse will crunch unless you come to a complete stop as it's still non-synchro on those, but make sure the gearbox shifts in the forward gears alright, particularly at high rpm as the synchros on 2nd and 3rd can get a bit weak if driven hard.  Check the power steering pump doesn't make too much noise but be prepared to replace the fluid as it will probably be boiled.  Check the brakes work well.  It's not really practical to do on a test drive but I'd want to check the rear brake pipes for corrosion as soon as possible on any Mk6 now.  You'll notice if it idles badly as soon as you try to do a slow manoeuvre as the revs will bounce about and you'll probably stall it.  Seems to be a common issue but I managed to change my driving style to compensate and lived with it.  Also check it has all the trim and centre caps as they frequently get stolen.  And while thinking about wheels, check the alloys and tyres aren't damaged, they're very low profile tyres so easy to damage on potholes etc.   The other stuff is just general stuff, air con probably wont work as the cars are 10+ years old, seat handles will probably be broken lol, and check the heated screen works if possible.

[FatHead1979]

On 7/13/2018 at 12:13 PM, TomsFocus said:

Have you thought about a Focus ST?  You'd have to pay a bit more, but they also hold value much better than the Fiestas.  More toys, space and comfort.  A lot more power and the fantastic noise from the 5 pot engine....  

ST225 (In Electric Orange) =