New Guy...Just picked up a 93 Ford Festiva 5sp

[Joeyman]

Hello all I am from St. Louis Missouri, My brother and I just purchased our first Ford Festiva. I have seen this car for many years one block over from our parents house. The car has been sitting with a flat tire for quite sometime and just recently we noticed the car was moved from under the carport where it lived most of its life to the street with the hood open. Quickly I told my brother now is the time we must ask them if they want to sell the car. After several attempts on knocking on the door and no answer we left a note on the door asking if they were interested selling the car. A couple days later we get the phone call. We are now the proud owners of a 93 Festiva 1.3L 5Sp manual with A/C, 1 owner with 77K miles $500 bucks. She needs a good cleaning and also new brakes up front.

Only other thing I noticed is that the clutch pedal is rather funny. It only takes about an inch of downward clutch engagement when you let off it to get the car to move. So sitting in the car. Press pedal down about an inch put it in 1st gear and let off. Its rather odd. I've driven many other stick shift cars and I have never experienced something such as this. Anyone have a clue if this is normal? I have a 89 Mustang and to adjust the clutch cable you lift up on the pedal with your foot. I tried this on the festiva on my test drive and it did not work.

[Joeyman]

[TWFodor]

Nice looking Festy! Good find!

As for your clutch question: Where the cable attaches to the transmission in the engine bay, there should be a nut at the end that you can adjust. That is how I adjusted my clutch pedal when it had a similar issue. It might take a few tries to get it where you want it.

[Greywolf]

First of all - that's a VERY nice catch for only $500.oo !!!

The clutch isn't self-adjusting. It is cable operated, and you will find an adjustment for it on the transaxle where it connects to the clutch bearing fork.

This is the beginning of your education into "How Worx an Automobile" :blob3: Enjoy it! All of this becomes a lot of fun!


The real beauty of such a simple and straight-forward car is that almost everything that it takes to keep it sweet is well within most peoples capabilities

[Joeyman]

So its something pretty simple to do? and not to big of a deal?

[Greywolf]

The best first move you can make is get a manual for the car (repair manual) but for anything not in whatever book you get - a lot of us here have the factory service manuals, and we share info all the time.

YES IT IS a simple adjustment. There is a locknut, and an adjuster nut at the end of the clutch cable at the transaxle.

It's right on top, under the hood, so it's real easy to get to.

You loosen the locknut, make your adjustment, and check the pedal free-play. Once you have it right - tighten the locknut down to hold the adjusting nut in place.

If you have any doubt about what cable it is, look at the clutch pedal under the dash and see where the cable goes through the firewall to the engine bay.

Find the same spot under the hood, and follow the cable to the transaxle.

DO NOT tighten it up too much. There needs to be some play, so that the clutch fully engages when the pedal is let off.

[firebush357]

Looks like it is in good shape. Have Fun with it!

[Joeyman]

thanks for your help. I"ll give it a try tomorrow as I have some free time to play around with the car.

I just found it rather odd that all you had to do was press down on the clutch pedal about an inch or less before putting it into 1st gear and letting out. On all the other vehicles I've driven you have to almost push down all the way to the floor. It threw me off when I first took it around the block.

[Joeyman]

I have another similar car, a 1994 Suzuki Swift with a 1.3 4cyl 5sp manual trans that I have been driving daily for a few years. I average 38mpg with it sometimes I can get 40


hope to do the same with the festiva. I had been looking into getting a 3cyl 5sp geo metro but hadn't found one yet.

[TominMO]

Welcome to the forums. I'm in STL too (south city, near Bates and Morganford); where are you? You should come over to my garage for a mini-meet. I might even have some parts you want/need, and can go over a lot of little repair tips.

At least get a Haynes manual, it's better than nothing. And get a factory service manual if you can find one (eBay?). Both are handy for various things.

[Greywolf]

It sounds to me like it is adjusted just about PERFECT...

* I also have a Suzie Swift. It needs an engine, but I look at that as an opportunity to make it FASTER!

The thing with small hatchbacks is that they handle like a sportscar - but can carry a superb amount of cargo. On 3-Cyl Geo Metros, I dunno if I would go there again. With the Swift you have A/C, Metros just don't have quite enough engine so that they can afford to.

But you CAN retrofit a later (GEN-2) Metro 4-Cyl into one with air. It means putting all the parts including the dash plumbing and ducting in it to get it right.

Seems to me a bit more trouble than value - unless all you want is a "FRESH AIR" car

THE ONLY ADVANTAGES I CAN SEE:
1) If you want to drop a BOMB engine and trans into one - a 3-cyl won't have a tweeked body
2) If you are going for high MPG, the 3-cyl is the best answer

THE VERY BEST place to go online for Suzuki Swift info is the GEOMETROFORUM.com (GMF)

They have a high rate of forum traffic and enthusiasts all about Metros and Swifts

~Tell them "Greywolf" sent you


* On manuals:
Haynes and Chilton bounce off of eachother. What the one manual lacks - the other usually has. At fifteen bucks a pop, I question which is more useful. I think I would go with Chiltons by preference, Haynes tends to be more of a "Three Stooges" manual, just look at the three guys on the back cover... :laughing6:

I think of them as Curly, Larry, and Moe

* Have you ever noticed? If you look at the back of several Haynes manuals, the guys change jobs. On one, the Photographer is the blonde California Community College looking guy, and the writer/author is an old office bound type. Look at a few more, and all of a sudden the camera is in new hands...

The shaggy black haired guy even has the camera on one of them.

I tend to think they're a bunch of posers, and that is why 75% of my non-factory manuals are Chiltons.

Chiltons also tends to have much better electrical schematics and YOU NEED THAT if you get into any wiring hassles


Once again - that is a very pretty car. You got an excellent deal - now check out the underbody and floor pan to see if there is any rust.

IN FACT! Do that immediately, and take pictures

[Joeyman]

Welcome to the forums. I'm in STL too (south city, near Bates and Morganford); where are you? You should come over to my garage for a mini-meet. I might even have some parts you want/need, and can go over a lot of little repair tips.

At least get a Haynes manual, it's better than nothing. And get a factory service manual if you can find one (eBay?). Both are handy for various things.

Small world we live in affton near 55

once I get this car going just might have to do that. Need to get brakes for it 1st, state inspection and license plates then I'll be ready to roll.

[Joeyman]

It sounds to me like it is adjusted just about PERFECT...

So are you saying that it is normal that everything is happening at the top of the clutch pedal?

[Greywolf]

You want to be able to engage and disengage gears quickly - without any slop - by just touching it. Freeplay should be minimal, the less movement of the pedal the better.

THINK RALLY CAR


If you were going to build a race car, the first thing you would do is strip off any extra weight. The next thing you would logically do is make it responsive....

But as I said, leave enough freeplay so that the clutch fully engages.

I know - all of this is new to you.

I'm guessing that your Mustang needs a clutch adjustment, not this car

[Joeyman]

You want to be able to engage and disengage gears quickly - without any slop - by just touching it. Freeplay should be minimal, the less movement of the pedal the better.

THINK RALLY CAR


If you were going to build a race car, the first thing you would do is strip off any extra weight. The next thing you would logically do is make it responsive....

I'm guessing they came like this from factory?

anyone's festiva the same way?