Hi All,

 

Thank you for welcoming me to the forum. I bought my daughter a £400 fiesta freestyle 1.25 2002 as her first car. I have always had older cars and don't think about relative value more about how long I can keep it going for............ But this one is making me wonder what to do. Especially as I now live in Jersey and they closed the scrap yard down a few years ago......... (You peasants will buy a new car..... and we don't want old cars cluttering our streets........).

I bought from a guy who said the engine light was on because it need a new co2 sensor. Do not think this is the case as ten days after changing the sensor the engine light is back on....... And in ten days has used about 4 litres of oil. I must admit a bunged in all the bits of oil from around the garage but has since used that in another week or so such that the oil light came on. I have added 3L 5w30 and she has driven it for two days and will check the oil level over the weekend. 

I have been told that I must use the correct oil but cannot imagine it would make that much difference to oil consumption.

 

I have the chance to acquire a 2000 LX 1.2 for spares with supposedly a good serviced engine. Think the people are more honest than the guy I bought my fiesta from.......

Is there anyway of cross matching engine numbers?

Might it fit?  How much work to swap an engine on a driveway? Been told to remove the manifolds and the difficult bit is the clutch and gearbox. It is amazingly rusty!!!!

I am just an amateur, with no access to heat or air tools but not to bad with a  set of spanners but normally reserve myself to smaller jobs, servicing, fuel injector pumps, heads, broken body parts. Never done an engine before.

 

Thoughts and suggestions welcome.

 

Thank you.

 

If they are both same cc engine size and look the same when you open the bonnet I believe they are interchangeable ( I think 1.2 and 1.25 is the same engine and size)  But that’s not an easy job with no experience and on a driveway. I did once take the engine out of a mk1 fiesta 1100.  I got the car up quite high at the front on axle stands.  I then got trolley jack underneath the engine and gearbox unit (without separating them) disconnected everything and lowered engine and gearbox down on trolley jack.  Needs one person operating jack, other person steadying engine.  The pulled trolley jack out from under car with engine on the jack.  Decent garage quality trolley jack.   But I can’t really recommend doing it.  Plenty of scope for disaster and injury. 

There wasn't a 1.2.  Only 1.25 or 1.3.  I expect it's just a wrongly advertised 1.25 so worth checking the .gov database if the engine is still in a car with number plates.

Swapping an engine is a bit of everything, mechanics, electrics, plumbing, etc.  But ultimately it is all fairly straightforward.  If you can remove the engine and gearbox together with a hoist, they're easier to split apart when out of the car.  It's also worth replacing the timing belt on the new engine while out of the bay.

If you have a local tool hire shop, you can probably rent an engine crane cheaply...though it's been 10 years since I rented one as I bought one after the first time!

Thanks Tomsfocus and isetta, guess the answer is change the engine over, will see if I can get an engine hoist............

 

Add it to the list of jobs!

Any suggestions on videos to watch etc?  I did the steering rack just before she passed her test so am invested in it!

 

Thanks

That sort of oil consumption is ridiculous, it must be smoking out the exhaust a lot? Is it visibly leaking anywhere?

Chances are the O² sensor code is actually the cat being destroyed from all the oil passing through it. Cat performance will throw an O² sensor code, chances are the new sensor is possibly ruined too.

I must say I admire your perseverance with such an old low value car! Is it the old shape fiesta or new shape being as 2002 was a crossover year? 

Am I right in thinking you folk in Jersey don't have an MOT? But in any case I'd be checking for rust on a 2002 Fiesta before considering such work. 

I will add you would definitely need an engine hoist unless you are Hercules! 🙂

You will inevitably come across seized bolts that won't budge with hand tools. Beware of manifold studs snapping, they'll be a nuisance to extract without the correct tools. 

Air tools and heat are a must really when dealing with such an old car

Cheers