Team-BHP - My Ford Fiesta 1.6 SXI completes 13.7 years and dies by drowning!

@nairrk---that was a great comparo! Thanks.

I do remember driving that car on the way to Shirdi in Dec, 2002 and it felt a lot, lot better than my WagonR. However it did not feel planted on the road, especially on winding roads and at mild turns on the highway. The rear seat was cramped too.

I came to know much later that the 1.6 avatar of the Accent was a rare breed.

Maybe this is not the right thread - mods please remove if required but I do find a lot of Ford Fiesta experts here and I need some help with my Ford Fiesta 1.6 SXI . I brought this on Oct ,2009 ( ~ 9 months ago ) from Lathangi , Bangalore . I am very happy with the car except that I have a niggling issue. Most of the times the car doesn't seem to start on first attempt. It starts , the rpm goes up and then it stops . Second or thrid start is generally fine . I had taken it some time back to the workshop and the dealer suggested that the battery was low on power . They re-charged it for ~ 5 hours . Still after 1-2 days the problem still persists. First time it generally does not continue to start . I shut down the A/C & music system particularly before I shut my car to make sure that no battery is drained . But still car starts only on 2nd or 3rd attempt. After that there is no problem and I have driven it effortlessly for ~ 200 Kms at a stretch. I have developed a certain kind of fear due to this and generally do not stop me car even in big jams on the road. Can someone suggest what is happening here ?

+1 to Nairrk, it doesnt look to be a battery problem at all. Usual suspect in these cases is starter motor, but I guess not in this case because the car does start on the first attempt too. My bet would be on Fuel Supply / ECU. (while looking at used Fiestas I did come across one car which would similarly rev high up - but that was during idling, not while starting. Still, it felt like an engine mapping issue for that car). As nairrk said, best bet might be to show it to some other workshop, hopefully it shouldn't be that tough to figure out.

Quote:

Originally Posted by esoteric_su (Post 1968283)

Now thats one strange problem but definitely not with battery I guess and would second Nairrk opinion. If it was battery it would get drained in the first attempt and never start on second/third attempt. To eliminate the battery as the culprit, try installing a second battery and then see the results. Did the dealer try this option?
If thats done and still issue persist, I think then fuel - quality, blockage in lines or starter motor to be suspects.
Try another dealer for sure.

The car starts even on the first attemp, but soon goes off. after couple of such attempts the engine keep running. so imo this can be a problem of erratic fuel supply in the begining which is getting ok only after couple of engine start.?

Checked on the owners manuel, on page 99, they say something about this fuel cut-off problem and how to reset the switch etc.

Thanks for the suggestions - I think it might be issue with fuel supply and quality as well after reading your opinions. Actually I sarted to see this issue after I filled up regular petrol once from IOC bunk . After that I remeber I started to notice the issue.Then I changed to Xtra premium and still saw issue . After that I filled up from Shell ( the max price version ) and still see the issue . Most of the times - engine starts and then stops on first attempt . Second or third time its ok and continues to rev. Strangely after Lathangi charged the battery - I did not see isue for 1-2 days . But again battery charge is not a problem as some of you mentioned correctly I think since then the car would not start at all .

As others have already stated, it does not seem to be a battery problem. Either the fuel supply is at fault, or that the battery is not getting charged properly---is that part called the alternator regulator? Old cars had dynamos, but the M800 had an alternator regulator for sure, and I'd faced this issue with my 800 long ago.

I am also curious to know if it starts on the first attempt after a long drive.

@esoteric, better have it checked with another service center promptly..

Have never faced this issue (well except a couple of times, but it may have been cranking issue)..quite a few time with the fan blower on & ICE on have also started the engine.

1. Does it happens everytime you start the ignition or only after the engine has rested for a while?

2. Is your car usually parked on a slope or flat surface?

3. Before taking to the service center, try adding IFTEX System G Additive for Petrol - pls refer manual regarding this and check if any difference is there.

Finally gave my car for servicing yesterday and got her back nice and clean. Cost me Rs 4673 in all, including oil and filter changes, air and Pollen filter change, Engine oil and filter change, 5 wheel rotation, balancing, alignment, waxoyl touchup, etc.

All minor sounds reported in the prior page seem to have been rectified. Only the left rear window roller mechanism needs a part replacement, which I believe will come in a few days. It will be replaced free under EW. However, the window rolls up a bit more smoothly now.

Will update in the coming days after I drive her some more---so far it has done only 22650 on the odo in 40 months!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by suman (Post 1985972)

Nice te hear that all has been fixed :). I normally avoid alignment & balancing at the Ford workshops - for one, their charges are higher & I'm not too sure they do a proper job. For me, all wheel & tyre related stuff is taken care of by the place I buy my tyres from.

Thanks---but how much does the tyre shop charge? In my case I was charged around 890 for 5 wheel balancing, weights and alignment.