fiesta 1.25 zetec - sticking valve??

Honest John Back Room » Technical matters
What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
View Threaded
Fri 28 Mar 2003 09:33
fiesta 1.25 zetec - sticking valve?? - Pedro(gone fishin')
My wife has a 1.25 zetec Fiesta 1998 R Reg which has done 42000 miles. It has developed an intermittent fault whereby it misfires and will then throw blue smoke. Diagnosed as overfuelling by garage with limited equipment but by the time it was taken for a complete diagnosis evrything was giving a perfect readout. Sainsburys fuel was being used with some short trips and four 30 mile motorway blasts per week. She has switched the fuel to Shell (hopefully more detergent)and I've put through a bottle of "Greased Lightening" fuel system treatment. Everything was fine for 250 miles but now it has started again. After misfire the left hand plug (looking from the front) is black and smells of petrol (not oil). When the vehicle misfires the cat smells (it's called Spooky). I'm obviously concerned about the cat being destroyed (so is Spooky). Also the car uses noticeably more fuel when it's misbehaving. I am aware of the zetec valve problem - does my diagnosis of sticking inlet valve accord with the Backroom experts and is there a quick solution which avoids head off and Ford main dealers? A compression test indicated all was ok. When it is behaving the car flies. Servicing has been every 6000 miles and I have ensured that the vehicle now has 5-30 Ford oil. All suggestions welcome
Pedro (Gone fishin')
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 28 Mar 2003 22:32
fiesta 1.25 zetec - sticking valve?? - David Davies
Sounds as if you have a sticking valve problem,more likely to be an exhaust valve.Ask your garage to try some Forte Gas Treatment used as directed on the bottle.You could also have an oil service done using 5w-30 oil,try driving the car more vigourously and Shell Optimax fuel may help too.
David Davies (Tune-Up Raglan)
Reply | Report as offensive | Link

We give you the low down on how to save on insurance, little-known tricks and tips, what insurance groups mean and how to use insurance aggregators to beat insurers.

Insurance group finder and how to save on insurance

Looking for a garage you can trust? Honest John's Good Garage Guide has thousands of reader recommended garages, plus how-to guides and tips on servicing.

The Good Garage Guide