1999 Fiesta 1.25 Zetec drinking oil

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 26 Jul 2007 16:06
1999 Fiesta 1.25 Zetec drinking oil - mjf41
Hi all, newbie first post so hope you can help.

Got a 1999 1.25 Ford Fiesta Zetec with 75K on the clock that the wife runs around in that up to now has been relatively trouble free, the car that is not the wife.

Car had a major service last December but about a month ago it started to run really hot so I checked the water which was ok so I then ckecked oil and there was next to none in the engine!!

This doesn't seem right to me as it had an oil change with the major service so I topped up the oil (approx 4.5 litres) but have noticed today that the dipstick is on minimum so that's approx 1.5 litres of oil gone in a month!!!

Not sure what could be causing the oil to be used up so quickly so if anyone could enlighten me it would be appreciated.

Engine looks relatively clean and I haven't noticed any blue/dark smoke from the exhaust. The car is parked in the same place every day and I can't see any sign of an oil leak on the road so it's a mystery to me.

Your help is appreciated.

Thanks.

Deleted your post in Discussion - this area has a lot of expertise, expect some questioning !

- PU
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 26 Jul 2007 17:11
1999 Fiesta 1.25 Zetec drinking oil - normd2
try following the car for a few miles and see if there isn't actually blue smoke. Also you don't say how many miles were done in that month.

Norm thanks, you must have posted the instant I "hid" the other thread over in Discussion - PU
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 26 Jul 2007 18:02
1999 Fiesta 1.25 Zetec drinking oil - Galaxy
Is the engine making any strange noises or is it excessively noisy?

Have you looked at the coolant? If so, does it look "clean", should be either orange/red or purple, if manufacturers fluids have been used.

That is a very large amount of oil to use. Running it on 0.5 L of oil also won't have done it much good.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 26 Jul 2007 18:04
1999 Fiesta 1.25 Zetec drinking oil - Galaxy
That is a very large amount of oil to use. Running it on 0.5 L of oil also won't have done it much good.

Sorry, I misread your post.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 26 Jul 2007 18:13
1999 Fiesta 1.25 Zetec drinking oil - yorkiebar
The total capacity with new filter fitted is listed as 4 ltrs for this engine.

If you have added 4.5 or even 4 ltrs of oil and engine has been running without excess noises/lights on dashboard then I assume oil is being used suddenly.

Oil light should have been indicating ages ago, when level dropped to about ltr or so in engine because of lack of oil to pump around causing pressure light to come on!

If its not losing it (oil leaks) or burning it (smoke out the back) then its being absorbed somewhere else.

What mileage is being done in a month. Does it smoke heavy when started and then die down? Do you get puff of smoke when you change gear? is coolant level rising at same time as oil level dropping? Does it lose oil every trip or howoften? Is engine bay clean or more oily than when you bought it? Any evidence of cluthc slipping?

Any more info?
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 14 Aug 2007 17:30
1999 Fiesta 1.25 Zetec drinking oil - mjf41
Sorry for late reply but have been away for a couple of weeks.

I don't have access to the car for a couple of weeks so I wont be able to check coolant / smoke at gear change etc. Mileage is average I guess, approx 750 miles per month mostly short town journeys.

From memory the engine bay is a bit grimy/oily but only as much as I would expect for an engine thats done approx 75K

No evidence of the clutch slipping, smoke from exhaust when started, warning lights on the instrument panel or excess noise.

I'll check out coolant and smoke from gear change as soon as and let you know results.



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

Choosing a child seat can be a quite baffling experience – there are so many sizes, types, brands and price points available that you might not know where to start.

How to choose the right child seat