Automatic Fiesta - Loso

[oldfiesta]

I have a Ford Fiesta - Automatic 1997 1242cc. For several months the revs have been periodically dropping, whether I am at a constant speed, accelerating or braking. Initially the revs were dropping from 1500 to nil then straight back up, now they are dropping by a couple of hundred revs at a time (so at least I'm not nearly thrown through the windscreen now). Diagnostics show nothing each time and the garage hasn't been able to find a fault. Once it completely stopped and the car wouldn't even turn over, after leaving it 20 minutes it suddenly decided to start again but the revs dropped to zero then back to 1500 constantly all the way to the garage, at that time the garage did find the water pump had broken but I was told that shouldn't have caused the problem with the revs.

Typically it never does it when the garage has it, even though over the past few months they have had it for several weeks trying it from cold in the morning, taking it for runs throughout the day etc etc. It has had a new fuel filter, two new coil packs (when replaced the first time it stopped doing it for a while so we weren't sure if the first replacement was faulty), new plugs and leads and a new air intake thing (can't remember what it is called) and another new part that sits close to that.

I've had the car from 3 years old and this is the only major problem it has had in all that time. I love the car and don't want to get rid of it (I only use it to and from work so it does less than 5000 miles a year) but is has got to the stage where my husband panics if I'm a few minutes later than expected in case I have broken down on the motorway.

Does anyone have any idea what is happening to it and how it can be rectified?

[Dan62]

From your symptoms and what has been changed already I would go for the Fuel Pump next.

However, considering the age of the vehicle and especially the type of auto box you have it might be time to think about retiring it.

[oldfiesta]

Hi, thanks for your reply.

Everything I've read after googling the fuel pump seem to indicate it would effect the cars ability to start rather than cause problems during a journey?

On an 11 mile journey to work today my car lost it's revs once after about 5 mins, and was fine for the rest of the journey (about 20 mins in total). It had no problems at all on the journey home tonight, despite it taking 40 minutes and included sitting in a 20 minute traffic jam.

You mention the auto box in your reply, is there a known problem with it that suggests the only option is to retire it? My car only has about 72 thousand miles on it, I've had it from 3 years old and it has never been raced or abused during that time.

[Dan62]

You have an intermittent fault so its very difficult to diagnose that's why you are spending money on it and its not fixed yet.

Your symptoms and the line the garage has taken is fuel starvation or ignition, the fuel pump 'could be' intermittently failing, or again it could be something else !

As for the gearbox, its a CTX, they are nothing but trouble and if you have been lucky enough not to have had any problems with it you are VERY fortunate. When it comes to fixing it or servicing it I doubt anyone will want to touch it and it would cost you a lot more than the car is worth.

I appreciate you have looked after the vehicle, its probably immaculate as well as never being abused but unfortunately its real value when it comes to spending out on parts and garage bills are a risk.

Of course its your choice where you go from here but I hope you see where I'm coming from.

Incidentally, I had a Vauxhall many years ago that used to die on me occasionally, it went on for ages trying different things and taking advise from the garage, finally the local AA man fixed it and it was the fuel pump, that said I don't claim Fuel pumps to be the answer to all problems.

D.

[oldfiesta]

Thanks again.

It probably would be sensible to replace it but it seems cruel to discard it when it could just have one thing wrong with it. Its funny but when it first started doing it I wondered if there might be a blockage or something stopping the petrol getting through but no-one seemed to take this as a sensible suggestion.

I don't suppose anyone has an idea how much it would be to replace a fuel pump?

[Sam C]

I don't think its that involved. The fuel pump went on my BM, and I was only charged an hours labour. Having read up on it, I don't think it even takes that long. It can be done with relative ease I believe.

The part shouldn't be too much. It was £90 on my bimmer so I imagine it would cost a bit less than that. Have a look at Euro Car Parts for an idea on the parts cost.

[oldfiesta]

Thanks. I might talk to the garage tomorrow to price it up and see what they think.