Want to improve your WS fiesta engine

Fi.ES.TA · 30-06-2011, 06:39 PM

Back when the WS was launched i joined the forums like a few other members
there was a thread that for the life of me i can not remeber.But basically it was a discussion about air intake i posted a picture highlighting what i wanted to do regarding getting more air to the engine,i did'nt follow through with it due to the car being fairly new and i did'nt want to void my warranty.
Well 2yrs on i have had enough and decided to do the modification and void my engine warranty.
Well what improvements have i made you are thinking.
This picture is of the modification for those familiar with the air intake.

I have taken the whole plastic peice of crap that ford moulded over the airbox intake off,i cut it away to let the car breath why ford designed it like that i do not no but obviously they had there reasons.Well my reasons are exactly what i thought it would do.

I have no more jitering and juddering in 1st gear at low revs in traffic its as smooth as a well yeah you no.
Gear changes are much smoother,increased throttle response and wait for it...........................Increased fuel performance.
this is only my first test on a full tank of fuel but this is what it used to show.Quarter of a tank 150klm new reading i gained 34klm,Half a tank previous 300klm new reading 350klm ive still not emptied the tank yet so i cant give maximum gains just yet but i will update and let you no.
I no it probally seems far fetched but beleive me removing that crappy bit of plastic has made a massive difference,im due to buy a K+N Filter so you would think this would improve also but we will have to wait and see.

PS.Im not asking anybody to perform this modification this is just my findings on my engine,i am mearly putting it out there.But i will say this that peice of plastic is doing nothing good for your engine.

vhcbm · 30-06-2011, 07:27 PM

How easy would it be to re-apply? Because you could just put it back on when you take it for a service, nobody would know. I have the K&N and too me my fuel consumption isn't as good but I may be wrong.

Fi.ES.TA · 30-06-2011, 07:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vhcbm

How easy would it be to re-apply? Because you could just put it back on when you take it for a service, nobody would know.

Not possible i looked into it,you have to replace the whole front end its all moulded to the bumper.

trumpy73 · 30-06-2011, 08:23 PM

may be a stupid question but water would not get in right?

Fi.ES.TA · 30-06-2011, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trumpy73

may be a stupid question but water would not get in right?

No mate no water will enter and what water will,would dissapate before it even got to the filter or if you go beach cruising on straddie then its a high possibilty it would ;P

vhcbm · 30-06-2011, 10:01 PM

Yea I just had a look at mine while I was cleaning my engine...Yes I did just do that. Looks like you have to cut it off is that correct?

Looks like you blew your warranty by changing that Blue pipe with the stock to your air box as well ;)

Fi.ES.TA · 01-07-2011, 07:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vhcbm

Yea I just had a look at mine while I was cleaning my engine...Yes I did just do that. Looks like you have to cut it off is that correct?

Looks like you blew your warranty by changing that Blue pipe with the stock to your air box as well ;)

yes you have to cut it away.

i changed the silicone hose back to stock everytime i had a service lol ;)

Franco Cozzo · 01-07-2011, 08:07 PM

Don't worry my Focus had the same stupid setup as well, I think its to do with emissions and noise, rather than whats best for performance and fuel economy.

I'm looking into this on my Fiesta as well.

Fiesta_Man69 · 01-07-2011, 08:56 PM

Great mod. No doubt it will see an overall improvement in every aspect of the engine. It's a pity that engines have to be so strangled to comply with the tree huggers; ironic that modifying and voiding the warranty actually sees a reduction in fuel consumption i.e. better for the environment. It's a great mod for anyone out of warranty (or just about to go out) as the police would never defect you for it (unlike a pod filter/obvious aftermarket set-up with custom box etc.) Well done.

Ps: before and after dyno figures would have been interesting too.

In Focus · 02-07-2011, 10:50 AM

Yep, a good one. I just had a look at the Mrs' WT to see how it looks stock, and I can see why it wouldn't be easy to reverse - it looks like that section is part of most of the front plastic bumper.

The bonnet would probably help funnel the air into your intake. I can only imagine Ford had a good reason to add the extra bit - directing air to the radiator perhaps?

I could see someone making some money from a production aftermarket bumper version of this, given the number of Mk 7 Fiestas being sold in the US as well as UK these days. Depending on how big a section has to be replaced, of course.

Fi.ES.TA · 03-07-2011, 12:04 PM

Ok as i mentioned i would report back once i emptied my tank of fuel.
just of late i have been getting 570 to 575klm per tank and thats not
doing sensible driving.with the new mod i have got 607klm to the tank and this isnt driving sensible either
so the difference speaks for itself.

trumpy73 · 03-07-2011, 04:27 PM

My fuel consumption varies by that much without doing anything to the car depending on a lot of other factors so I don't think I'd want to 'butcher' the vehicle and potentially lose the warranty for 30ks.
I'm not being an ahole btw as you weren't preaching for everyone to start cutting their vehicles. I'm just giving my opinion.

Fi.ES.TA · 03-07-2011, 06:13 PM

Fuel being one of the factors for the mod wasnt my concern,the concern i wanted to rid was the crappy juddering in 1st gear in traffic at low revs and getting more air into the engine.I also forgot to mention i have a peice cut out between the blades of the grille directly infront of the intake thus having air rammed down the gaping opening,this you cannot see unless your level with it.

PS.Opinions are all what forums are for ;)

trento · 03-07-2011, 09:04 PM

Nice one steve!

Had the entire airbox out today trying to decide what I'm going to do with it, not to sure about cutting the front bumper but I'm definently going to do something with the CL "gills" Also looking at fitting a K&N Xflow pod filter inside the standard (modified) box.

will keep you posted.

Fi.ES.TA · 03-07-2011, 09:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trento

Nice one steve!

Had the entire airbox out today trying to decide what I'm going to do with it, not to sure about cutting the front bumper but I'm definently going to do something with the CL "gills" Also looking at fitting a K&N Xflow pod filter inside the standard (modified) box.

will keep you posted.

Cheers trent i still reckon adding a K+N filter will improve it again.

trumpy73 · 03-07-2011, 11:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fi.ES.TA

Fuel being one of the factors for the mod wasnt my concern,the concern i wanted to rid was the crappy juddering in 1st gear in traffic at low revs and getting more air into the engine.I also forgot to mention i have a peice cut out between the blades of the grille directly infront of the intake thus having air rammed down the gaping opening,this you cannot see unless your level with it.

PS.Opinions are all what forums are for ;)

ah that makes more sense now as I was struggling to understand how much extra air will be sucked in with the grille blocking the intake. Also funny about the 1st gear juddering. I've never had that issue. I guess it's another one of those Fiesta quirks that some people experience. Mine pings like a bastard.

In Focus · 03-07-2011, 11:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trumpy73

ah that makes more sense now as I was struggling to understand how much extra air will be sucked in with the grille blocking the intake. Also funny about the 1st gear juddering. I've never had that issue. I guess it's another one of those Fiesta quirks that some people experience. Mine pings like a bastard.

Higher octane fuel might fix the pinging. Worked on my Focus.

trumpy73 · 03-07-2011, 11:43 PM

I've been using 95 which has made some difference but still there quite a bit. 98 wasn't better so I didn't see the point of spending the extra $$. I'm also hoping may be over time and full synth oil will improve. Still only done 9000K.

vhcbm · 04-07-2011, 12:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by In Focus

Higher octane fuel might fix the pinging. Worked on my Focus.

You're not the only one that higher octane fuel has fixed pinging issues so definitely try it.

Twinpiston · 04-07-2011, 04:50 PM

They need 95 as a minimum anyway!

Fiesta_Man69 · 04-07-2011, 07:33 PM

According to Ford customer service line 8/6/11 @ 4pm team leader Troy stated "the Ford technical line has advised me that pinging is a characteristic of Fiestas." I gave him 3 chances to change his response, even telling him in detail what it was and what damage it would cause. He maintained his previous stance.

Mine has pinged since day 1. Always run on 98. PCM update did sweet FA. Will be selling the fiesta before the warranty expires, seriously looking at the brand new Kia Rio 3 dr with the 106kW 1.6.....

trumpy73 · 04-07-2011, 08:19 PM

I don't want to take this thread off topic but I'll bet anything the majority of fiestas do ping and Ford doesn't have a clue about what to do. The only reason they haven't had more complaints is because as you indicated previously most of the owners are female and don't know what a ping is. Heck most blokes don't know it. Also most people drive with the radio on. The only way to hear it is when the vehicle is under a little load (nothing major even on flat roads) and the window is down with the radio off.
Fortunately for Ford the above combo is pretty rare for the demographics that drive this vehicle so they get away with selling an inferior product. By the the the valves get shot it will be well and truly out of warranty.

paulo7 · 05-07-2011, 07:26 AM

ok, so going out on a limb here and admitting to using the 91 fuel only!
Yes it pings a bit but I drive a lot on 80 and 100k roads for a minimum of 40k for work, so a lot of cruising. So far so good! Touch wood! (he says hanging on to the desk for dear life!) After all it says you can do so in the manual just that its not optimal.
Just thought I'd share my experience...

somers181 · 05-07-2011, 09:28 AM

I tried the 98 when i first got the WT Fiesta in January then switched to 91 also, as i drive in peak hour traffic every day the pinging is rare when it happens, with 8,500kms on the clock i get about 7l/100kms at present and hoping this will improve. I have swapped the standard air filter with a pipercoss sports air filter and it has made minor improvement to economy and some improvment to low down performance. I would like to do something to improve the airflow but don't want to have warranty issues......

Fiesta_Man69 · 05-07-2011, 03:36 PM

Exactly trumpy: Ford is clearly aware of the prob but the $$ in recalling every Fiesta means they'll sit on their hands and let the owners suffer. I've been quoted anywhere between $6-9K for a new engine installed by a Ford dealer, thus why I'll be selling up and moving on, never to return to the Ford brand, as are (at last count from several different Fiesta threads) 25 other customers. This site represents barely 5% of Fiesta owners which is truly a worry.

Pinging is do wide spread that no one should seriously consider the upcoming Fiesta ST turbo - pinging in a turbo motor means an even quicker engine death.

Sadly, it will be a new model direct injection 106kW Rio or turbo Hyundai veloster in the next 12-18 months.

GoesLikeAZetec · 06-07-2011, 06:39 PM

the fez used to ping at 91 especially noticeable in summer.. ever since we swapped to 98 it went away...

small_ford · 07-07-2011, 07:11 PM

I wouldn't get too wound up about the light pinging you experience. I have a 2004 model 1.6 Focus 5 spd manual in New Zealand, same engine (minus the VVT) as the new Fiestas have, it pings occasionally going uphill on a light throttle, it has 140,000 km's on the clock now, has never missed a beat, just had its first cambelt change and the mechanic (not a Ford mechanic loves Toyotas) remarked how good, clean and strong the engine is. The engine has an anti-knock sensor so it is not going to have serious knocking problems. Don't foget it runs on an 11 to 1 compression ratio so more likely to ping lightly than a lower compression engine. I have always run it on 95 RON, it gives good economy at 7l/100km on commute into city. The 2.4 Accord engine also has a tendancy to ping, so it is in pretty good company.

trumpy73 · 07-07-2011, 08:33 PM

that's reassuring to know. I'm sort of over my pinging now anyway. Just turn up the radio and hope for the best

Fiesta_Man69 · 07-07-2011, 09:47 PM

Pinging at full throttle at 5000+rpm ain't good, nor is it acceptable. Nor should it be: one car pinging every now and then is completely different to newer cars pinging all the time on 98. I spoke to Herrod - the premium Ford tuners in the country: they categorically stated that on 98 there should absolutely be zero pinging, esp since the cars designed to run on 95, can run on 91 and even E10. The ECU should adjust the timing so the engine doesn't lean out and lunch itself. There is obviously a widespread problem in the WS onward cars as so many members are describing pinging, despite running on 95 or higher fuel. As I've said before a PCM update does nothing: Ford is clueless (ie usesless) when it comes to this.

trento · 07-07-2011, 10:09 PM

I don't think I've ever experienced this pinging issue but I've always run it on Vortex 95 and had it serviced by one of the oldest dealers in Oz. Not sure if that's the fix or the fact that mine is one of the original WS shipment (Build date Nov. '08) And before you criticise I do know what pinging sounds like.