Ford Fiesta 1.25 - Unstable / wobbly engine or wheels?

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Tue 5 Apr 2011 19:49
Ford Fiesta 1.25 - Unstable / wobbly engine or wheels? - Drive_R

Hi

Hoping someone here could help or give me any pointers.

I have a Fiesta 1.25 zetec V reg and has been running like a dog for the last year. Essentially, when trying to accelerate, it would seem hesitant. I thought it was dirty injectors, having used various injector cleaners like Redex and other fuel cleaners to no avail. I tried these having had spark plugs and HT leads checked.

It turns out it was coil pack related, which has now been recently replaced. However I now feel when under acceleration, the engine seems flappy / wobbly. It may be worth mentioning that prior to the coil pack change, I had work done on the front left coil spring and the droplink replaced on the front right . The drivability since that point (before new coil pack) was not good. I experienced what may be related to unbalanced wheels or a tracking issue - would the replacement of the droplink / coil spring affect this aspect?

Above around 30-40mph in a straight line, the steering feels more wobbly than I would expect, but the other issue is cornering to the left above 15-20mph, I feel that the front right wheel is about to come off or another to explain it would be that it was in a groove - just doesn't feel right.

Could anyone shed any light on above please?

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Tue 5 Apr 2011 20:34
Ford Fiesta 1.25 - Unstable / wobbly engine or wheels? - kevyg

hi i have the same problem with my citreon,especialy when cornering i got the same feeling like the wheel was gonna fall off,i replaced the wheel hub and bottom arm and track rod end,now when cornering its fine,but hasnt stopped the wobble at speed.it might be worth getting the hub checked.hope it helps

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Tue 5 Apr 2011 21:10
Ford Fiesta 1.25 - Unstable / wobbly engine or wheels? - Peter.N.

Its likely top be tyre related, not necessarily balance more likely that you have an 'out of round' tyre, this is caused by ply separation causing a bulge on the tyre, try fitting the spare or swapping the front wheels with the rear. You can sometimes see which tyre it is by jacking the wheel just clear of the ground and rotating it, you may see the clearance change as the wheel rotates.

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Fri 8 Apr 2011 09:27
Ford Fiesta 1.25 - Unstable / wobbly engine or wheels? - Drive_R

After further reading, it may be the driver side draft shaft causing the engine to feel wobbly, vibrating under acceleration. How much will it cost to get this repaired by a mechanic?

As to the front right wheel feeling unstable, as if the tyre was on edge especially in left hand bends / cornering, it may be wheel bearings being out. Again, any ideas as to the cost involved to get this aspect repaired?

Thanks

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Wed 13 Apr 2011 09:17
Ford Fiesta 1.25 - Unstable / wobbly engine or wheels? - Drive_R

Can anyone help me diagnose please?

Other things not quite right:

There's noticable whirring from the engine compartment when idle / stationary, but this goes away when the clutch pedal is pressed down - does this suggest a clutch related problem?

There's seems to be more road noise coming from the tyres, even when cruising in second gear say in slow moving traffic. Here I could also feel what appears to be every bump from the road surface through the steering wheel. Even at this low speed, there's some noticable road noise and rumbling from the tyres into the chassis.

The power delivery from engine to wheels appears 'loose', in that it's not as sharp / tight. The other day, when I started the car to warm up, after several minutes, I noticed the exhaust condensing water (no smoke/clouds, which I believe/hope is normal), but it seems to chock - coming across spluttery. The engine is also quite spluttery when in motion.

Any advice would be appreciated.

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