Couple Of Issues...

[Mike77]

Hi guys, advice needed again if you please.

1,,, Should the petrol flap lock,, I have some kind of spring clip on mine, similar to the ones you use to get on doors to turn the interior light on. Only trouble is, its all jammed up and stuck in, either way it doesn't lock.

2 ,,, How much brake pedal travel do you guys have, the reason I ask is, when test driving the car I noticed the pedal went quite low, and it had an advisory on the MOT regarding this. Now, I had to wait for the car to be ready because they said they would address this problem, in the end they said it was actually in Ford's having a hydraulic control unit fitted at a cost to them of around £330. But although my brakes work, there does seem to be a lot of travel before they do anything, and if I keep my foot pressed on the brake pedal it will slowly travel to the floor ? Any suggestions on any of these would be a great help, regards. Mike.

[Sweeney367]

My filler cap doesn't lock..

And im not sure if its this.. But fiestas have EBD (Electronic Brake-force Distribution) where the force to each brake is adjusted depending on road conditions, speed etc.. It could be that?

Hope this helps

[iNath]

No the petrol flap doesn't lock on MK7s

[Mike77]

Thanks for the replys fellas, I can live with the petrol cap,,, was more concerned with the saftey issues regarding the brakes. It may well be that this car is different than others I've had, just seems to be about 3 inches of travel before it actually starts to brake. But the brake lights come on as soon as I touch the pedal. There hasn't been an issue with stopping, but going to take it out tomorrow and try some emergency stops see how it feels. Thanks again guys.

[DanGersFord]

If you're in doubt the best thing to do would be to take it to a garage you trust if possible a different one from your dealer and ask them for their opinion and if they agree there is something wrong with the brakes I'd take it to the dealer and say you've had someone else look at it and they also think there is still a problem

[wullie1515]

Common problem on fiestas is the ABS Module....it causes alot of travel in the pedal, most likely too be that, in my experience in a ford garage

[Mike77]

Common problem on fiestas is the ABS Module....it causes alot of travel in the pedal, most likely too be that, in my experience in a ford garage

I have just contacted Ford in Warrington, and they have confirmed that it had the ABS module or 'hydraulic control unit' as its also known, fitted last week, but I still feel there is to much travel. Never tried the brakes in another one, so insure if this is normal. Going to pop it into my local ford garage, as they are all linked, and see what they say.

[wullie1515]

Yeah, maybe the brakes were not bleed up properly, only other thing is that the ABS Module they fitted was faulty

[NQbbe]

Since you mention the pedal continue to sink deeper, when you hold still applying the brakes, I'd say it sounds like a leak in the brake system.

If there's a leak, brake fluid will be pressed out each time you brake, and when holding still with the brake constantly on, the pressure inside the brake system will slowly fall (due to it leaking), which is why the pedal continues to sink.

Also if there's a leak, the system will eventually suck in a lot of air (to make up for the brake fluid leaking out). Since air can be compressed much easier than fluids, this will in turn cause the pedal to need quite a bit of pressure before doing anything.

All in all, I'd say my above description matches yours quite well.

To check this yourself, park the car on a plain and preferably somewhat clean surface (for instance a pavement). Apply the brakes long enough that the pedal sinks down some.

Then go outside and check whether there are stains on the ground. If there is, it's definately leaking, and hopefully you can see approxiatemly where it comes from.

If you confirm it's a leak, I'd advice you to get it fixed before driving further, since it's quite dangerous if the pressure becomes too low (you simply won't be able to brake)

Hope this helps :-)

[rikernumber1]

The brake light switch is designed such that the brake lights come on with the lightest of touch on the pedal. I can't speak to the ABS module issue, but having a brake pedal that eventually presses to the floor is not right at all.

[Mike77]

Yes, I'm going to check the fluid, and take it from there. Ford have advised that if I have concerns, that I should take it back in, as the part they fitted is covered for 12months, and there will be no cost to myself. So will just wait and see what is said. Thanks for the replys. I'm quite a competent mechanic myself, but don't want to get my hands dirty with this if someone else can put it right for free.

[wullie1515]

Yeah mate ABS modules are absolute sh*t on the fiestas lol! The amount we do on warranty and retailin my work is unreal! Iv seen fiesta get a new module and still same problem...then needs another module.... Can be down too people not fitting them properly aswell and damaging where the brake pipes go in for simple terms lol

[wase16ll]

another possibie cause is an internal leak in the master cylinder..its a twin system, fluid can by pass an internal seal and 'leak' into the other cylinder...wont have any signs of fluid loss or external leakage.

have never come across this problem myself on an abs system, but the masters havent changed much over the years so must still be possible for this problem to happen..

whatever the cause, it needs finding as pedal isnt right, so well worth get it rechecked

[Mike77]

Cheers Wase,,, I sat in a neigbours fiesta today and the difference between his pedal and mine is worlds apart,,,,, His is sharp and has feeling right from the off, were as mine is spongy and has no effect until its half way through its travel. Just hope they can sort it without trying to fob me off, as Ive only had the car since friday, and apart from a couple of minor things and THIS,, its a great little car.

Oh and I know what you mean about the internal leak issue,, its linked to the clutch also, but it WOULD show a loss of fluid in the resovoir as it would be leaking into the box etc etc. Will check the level in the morning before I make the trip (un-announced) to fords lol.

[wase16ll]

it wont show as the seals im talking about are in the cylinder itself, the clutch is only connected to the resevoir.

what i meant by twin system is the master cylinder has 2 cylinders in one..its a measure to prevent total brake failure.

for eg, one cyl feeds nsf and osr, other cylinder feeds osf and nsr, its the seal between the cylinders that can leak, so fluid 'leaks' internally,

the effect is you lose pressure on the pedal, but the fluid remains in the sealed system...

hope that makes sense

[Mike77]

It makes perfect sense mate, thanks for the info,,, will check levels either way, and make ford aware of my concerns when I drop in on them.