Old Fiesta diesel - dying?

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
Thu 9 Dec 2004 19:02
Old Fiesta diesel - dying? - Nickdm
A couple of months back I bought a 1997 Fiesta Ghia 1.8 diesel as a second car for local trips. One previous owner, it's got 2 years MOT (I'm in France), 140k miles on the clock, starts first time, doesn't smoke, and as long as I keep the revs around 3000 it sings along (noisily I grant you).

But when I change up through the gears a bit soon, or negotiate sharp bends or roundabouts without changing down from third to second, the whole car just jerks and "kangaroos". To pull away I need to drop another cog.

Should I be worried that I've spent my hard-earned on a car on it's last legs? Or is it just normal that this wheezy old torque-free lump can't pull itself along? I'm ignorant about diesels, but I believe there's no distributor or spark plugs to point the finger at?

BTW, all the locals (French) swear that old Fiestas are a much better buy than their Peugeot/Citroen/Renault counterparts!

Easily fixed, or do I put up with it? It cost me more than you might think to buy - used motors in France fetch higher prices than in the UK.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 9 Dec 2004 19:34
Old Fiesta diesel - dying? - No Do$h
As lumpy old diesels go, this is quite a solid one. Plenty of grunt at 1500rpm and usually starts running out of puff around 3000 so definitely a problem. I'll bung this over into technical for you where you are more likely to get a techy response.


No Do$h - Alfa-driving Backroom Moderator
mailto:moderators@honestjohn.co.uk
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 9 Dec 2004 19:58
Old Fiesta diesel - dying? - bikemade3
Change up later, change down earlier, and as a lonshot what state are the engine mounts?
Reply | Report as offensive | Link

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