Known Problems With The Ford Festiva?

[drddan]

:thumbs_up:

My Pontiac Montana seats

http://www.fordfestiva.com/forums/sh...ontiac+montana

[ryanprins13]

Keep the rear brake automatic adjusters lubricated well. Mine seized and rear brakes and handbrake stopped working.
If you drive gravel much buy any used headlights that are in good shape you can find. They are hard to come by and get smashed very fast. I usually try to seal the cracks with glue for a couple years before replacing them.
Check air intake and pcv system for cracked or split hoses.
Dont forget to change your green coolant at proper intervals.
Same with the timing belt.
I have never had the front wheel shimmy, its always tire balance related for me, 12's seem to be hard to balance for shops.
Watch brake lines for rust.
If the speedometer needle vibrates up and down the cable needs to be lubed.


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[Bert]

I'm sorry if something similar has been posted, and also can't seem to find any good answers for my question, but again, my apologies.

I recentley ( Week ago) bought a 1993 Festiva, automatic, 173,200 KM'S. I'm wondering what problems occur often with these cars? Stuff I should watch out for? I really do love this car and want to keep in running nice for a long time. Any info would be great!

Thanks!

Maybe not what you want to hear but these cars, unfortunately, have now become old! Any and all old cars inevitably require lots of new, newer and obscure (think wiper/heater motor, linkage etc type stuff) parts, some of which (new 12" tires/coil springs/distributors) are becoming very difficult to come by. And trying to troubleshoot via ancient OBDI is a PITA. They are easy to work on (except front wheel bearings and front rotors) and the current trend of using hidden fasteners and removal tricks all over the place is mercifully not prevalent in Festys. The bumpers are actually functional (try nudging a tree when it's -20 in a modern car) and ground clearance is excellent if you're looking for a bona fide 'curb hopper'.
Also I see that you're in Ottawa. No amount of rust coating, oil spray or washing is going to buy you many more salty winters on the road. I sold all three of my 93s in June of last year along with a mountain of spare parts to an enthusiastic group of guys in Carlsbad Springs. I don't know if they became members on here or not, or whether they were merely setting the cars up for a private demolition derby.

[bhazard]

Anybody mention front sway bar bushings?

[Movin]

If the wheel weights are not trimmed by hand to a very specific weight then the 12" wheels are not balanced good enough. You will have shimmy.