WS Fiesta- kangaroo-ing

[brydie76]

Hi all,

As the title says, my Fezza is playing up a bit. I start it up, reverse it out, drive a bit and then stop. I then go to drive off, and it starts jumping like crazy- goes from no acceleration to a ton, then to none, then goes off like a rocket at 4,000 rpm. As it often happens turning out of a T intersection, it is not an ideal time for it to occur- especially when I take a fairly tight spot to turn (eek!)

Any ideas on what is happening? Seems to happen when engine is cold, and outside temp is chilly too. Not sure about other times, but today I didn't have much fuel left. The engine is the 1.6 Duratech paired with a manual.

Thanks in advance!! : )

(yes, I did post this on another forum too in case people frequent that one. I tend to be impatient and you guys will probably have a better specific knowledge of Fezzas)

[vhcbm]

Common issue, most call it the "cold start issue" there is a bit on here in the ECU update thread. Supposedly an update fixes it which the dealer will do for you for free (well they're supposed to).

Ways to try an avoid it is leave the key in the stage where the lights come on the dash ... leave it here for about 3 seconds or till a few of them go out before starting and then let it idle for 20 seconds. I've also heard of cases where changing the spark plug leads also fixes it however try the ECU update first.

[Fez WQ]

Yep mine does it also a common problem, just let it warm up a little. There is no real fix for it as yet. But the best fix at present islet it warm up a little first. Its a bit annoying, it only does it when the engine is cold. I find the best trick is to turn the car to were all the dash lights come on then wait a few seconds then start it.

[GoesLikeAZetec]

we havent tried to have it fixed yet, but agree with the others... only takes 25sec of letting it idle and it wont bunny hop....

thats of course if its happening on cold morning starts.. if it's doing it once its warmed up, it might be something different

[brydie76]

It is cold starts only at this point, often when I do jump in, turn the key and head straight off.

Decided to try the let it sit option today, no issues noted (although I will give it a few weeks before declaring it a solution). Watched the revs as well when she started up. Think I need the ECU update- regardless of the temp (one start up was at 7 degrees, the other at 17), revs sat at about 1100-1200 on idle. For the first 10 secs of idling as well, the revs would occasionally fluctuate by 100-200rpm, which I found a bit odd. Oh well, will see if I can duck in one evening and get the update applied (bit annoying at the moment, working about 45 mins away from the dealer as opposed to the usual 5 mins...)

[vhcbm]

yea mine jumps 100rpm every now and then as well, seems to just be it trying to warm itself up. let us know how you go getting the update.

[brydie76]

Ok- took it in, and understandably they couldn't do much without actually experiencing the problem. They said they would hook it up, run diagnostics and apply any updates. Got her back, they said they applied an update (pcm one per the sheet I got?). Only thing is, I know how to do that diagnostics mode thing on my car. A few months ago I took a photo of one of the codes that I thought was my ECU revision- RCAO. Did it again tonight when I got home- same code popped up. Have I been taken for a ride or is this the wrong code/something I won't pick up in diagnostics?

[Fiesta_Man69]

Originally Posted by brydie76

Have I been taken for a ride?

I'm astounded that brydie of all people would ever consider that they had been taken for a ride by a Ford dealership.....

But seriously, yes, I'm aware that a PCM update exists for a 'cold start' problem - indeed it was applied to mine (even tho it didn't that issue) but here's the rub: the Fiesta was designed an engineered in Germany, it underwent extensive cold weather testing in Europe and sells thousands of units in Europe every year. How can there be a 'cold start' issue, especially when Aussie winters are comparitively mild? And as several people have stated, their cars have this problem.

So it affects Aussie Fezs but not European? (And yes I'm talking about Germay made WS here too, not the Thai WTs)

It seems thres a different tune for Aussie cars, and a tune that isn't working all that well, based on Aussie Fezs owners that actually frequent this site and have reported problems...

If only we could buy the (European tuning house) Superchips ECU tune from Ford Aus - 110kW without touching a thing.... (and I bet no stalling or running lean too).

Leaving it to idle for a minute every morning adds up over a whole year, if you think about it..... 6 hours in fact, if you drive every day...

[LeadFoot81]

The Mrs and and I both have WS Zetecs (one auto and one manual) and neither of us has experienced this problem in the time we've owned them.

Hope you get yours sorted Brydie.

[brydie76]

Thanks leadfoot, I didn't have time to check it this morning to see if it was idling higher, but it didn't jump when I drove off. So hopefully it will be "fixed".

Worst case scenario, I will leave the car at the dealer until it shows the symptoms. Only problem is that it doesn't do it consistently- it will sometimes not do it for weeks, and others will do it 3 times over 2 days!

And worst case beyond that, I'm driving to the central coast/cessnock to get one of those dealers to have a look. Maybe a little dealership may be more willing to have a dig around for the problem- the Cessnock one is where my parents bought my last car (17years ago!) so we have a relationship with that dealer. Thinking of going there for services anyway...

[Hulsty]

Anymore on this issue? Our 2010 model still does this. Only started happening after a software update in 2012.

[Fiesta God]

Easy fix. Start the car. Sit there for 30 seconds. Then drive off. It shouldn't happen.

Easy fix #2. Start the car. Take off in first and give the car extra revs. Change gears into second and give the car extra revs than normal. It shouldn't happen.

Just a quirk of the car, mine has only done it maybe 2-3 times but I always let the car idle for 20 seconds or so before driving off.

[Ms_Jam]

In what follows, please bear in mind that other contributors to this forum will probably know more than me.

But I had this problem - the engine cutting out soon after starting - after a service. Friends suggested that I should give it the Italian tune-up (pedal to the metal), but I didn't take their advice. I just doubted that the problem was in the fuel line. The Fiesta hardly ever is driven off main roads; and I use BP Ultimate 98 all the time, which I would hope is cleaner than some other options, and in addition it is said to have a good detergent in it anyway.

All I did was just let it idle a little longer than usual, and the problem went away.

For what it is worth, I suspect the problem had something to do with the car's computer. It is supposed to learning all the time, and maybe it had to relearn things after an adjustment was made. Pure speculation, of course.

But I have also noticed that after a country drive of a few hours (with some freeway and a few big hills), the engine purrs noticeably more happily. I guess that could be because it has burned up some rubbish inside, but I have not noticed this improvement with older vehicles. So again, I wonder whether the computer is responsible, doing its homework so to speak.