Three Festys, Three Mysteries...

[festyxfi]

Hello all...and Merry Christmas!

All three of the festys in my life currently have small mysteries afoot. No better place I can think of to get them solved than here.

1) 1989 L. daily driver. For some strange reason the drivers side floor fills with water while driving in rainy conditions. Further baffling, it won't drain out the same place it came in. A few weeks back I went camping up north in heavy rain, the floor had 3 inches of water sloshing around when I went to bed, and still there the next morning. This car is from Idaho and has zero rust, so that isn't the problem. I have crawled underneath several times looking for some way that water can spray up from the tires into the interior to no avail. Right now the carpet is removed. Has anyone had this problem?

2) 1992 L. approx. 160K, 5-spd. runs very well most of the time, starts fine in the morning and some of the time when warm, but after long drives (gas stop for example) it turns over and over without starting. I first thought I might be wrongly applying my carbed starting technique to an EFI (pumping the gas once or twice) and thus flooding it, but it even does it if I don't pump. If I wait for 10 minutes or so, it will start, but seems to me to be flooded. I also think I smell gas. Another factor in this is, it gets terrible MPG (the worst MPG from a festy I've ever got) as low as 28-32MPG from the normal 42-46 I normally can achieve with little effort. Do the injectors go bad on these cars? Is it the disty?

3) 1993 L. approx. 160K, 5-spd. runs great, doesn't smoke or burn any oil to speak of, but has what can only be called "chocolate milk" in the radiator (or the consistency of it) I've flushed it twice, but given time it returns. There's never water on the dip stick, it doesn't lose water. Like I said, a complete mystery. I should add, a friend's 95 aspire has this exact same issue going on. Runs great, just has brown sludge in the radiator.

Anyone that can shed light on any or all of these mysteries will be much appreciated.

thanks,
Brenton

[David88]

1 Check the seal where the antenna base attaches to the body. also the taillight seals to the body. Those leak as well.

2 Check the plugs and wires. If you haven't changed the for a long time, go ahead and do that.

3 You have a leak in the head gasket. Engine oil is getting into the cooling system.

[Mike McKown]

Hello all...and Merry Christmas!

All three of the festys in my life currently have small mysteries afoot. No better place I can think of to get them solved than here.

1) 1989 L. daily driver. For some strange reason the drivers side floor fills with water while driving in rainy conditions. Further baffling, it won't drain out the same place it came in. A few weeks back I went camping up north in heavy rain, the floor had 3 inches of water sloshing around when I went to bed, and still there the next morning. This car is from Idaho and has zero rust, so that isn't the problem. I have crawled underneath several times looking for some way that water can spray up from the tires into the interior to no avail. Right now the carpet is removed. Has anyone had this problem?

2) 1992 L. approx. 160K, 5-spd. runs very well most of the time, starts fine in the morning and some of the time when warm, but after long drives (gas stop for example) it turns over and over without starting. I first thought I might be wrongly applying my carbed starting technique to an EFI (pumping the gas once or twice) and thus flooding it, but it even does it if I don't pump. If I wait for 10 minutes or so, it will start, but seems to me to be flooded. I also think I smell gas. Another factor in this is, it gets terrible MPG (the worst MPG from a festy I've ever got) as low as 28-32MPG from the normal 42-46 I normally can achieve with little effort. Do the injectors go bad on these cars? Is it the disty?

3) 1993 L. approx. 160K, 5-spd. runs great, doesn't smoke or burn any oil to speak of, but has what can only be called "chocolate milk" in the radiator (or the consistency of it) I've flushed it twice, but given time it returns. There's never water on the dip stick, it doesn't lose water. Like I said, a complete mystery. I should add, a friend's 95 aspire has this exact same issue going on. Runs great, just has brown sludge in the radiator.

Anyone that can shed light on any or all of these mysteries will be much appreciated.

thanks,
Brenton

1. There's a rubber plug under the brake booster. Make sure it's there.

2. Ignition breaking down from heat?

3. I'd say the brown residue in the radiator is combustion blowby from a blown head gasket or cracked head. Do you see any bubbles in the coolant?

[FB71]

I agree with Mike and David;

1. check the rubber plugs in the firewall, check the antenna seal, and look for water coming in at the bottom corner of the windshield.

2. Ignition module is on it's way out.

3. Blown head gasket, most likely. Slowly pushing oil into the coolant system.

[FestYboy]

2: possible injector locked open (can cause poor hot starts, poor fuel milage) check your plugs to see whichone is the culprit.

[WmWatt]

2.a) if it's the ignition module and it that's inside the distributor in your model, try remving it and re-seating it in di-electric heat transfer paste available at electronics stores. It's the stuff they put under the CPU in computers to help keep them from overheating. You can also take the ignition module to some parts stores and they will test it for free. Take the usual precoation of discharging any static electricity on your body by grounding yourself before touching the module, and put it in a plastic bag to insulate it while it's out of the vehicle.
b) if it's not the ignition module perhaps there's a vacuum in the closed fuel system? I don't know much about that but perhaps removing and replacing the fule filler cap would get the car to start? Cars used to quit because the fuel evaporated in the gas line on hot days and created a vaccum.

[Levitan]

Oh how I love watching the diagnosing of problems with our beloved Festys. Keep us updated on all the results Brenton!

[festyxfi]

You bet! Thanks everyone for the priceless knowledge. As soon as it rises to temps in human tolerance I will apply it all...

Why Sarah just HAD to have the only house in Mn. without a shop is beyond me. I've nearly left her for this many times. I usually say, "How about we move your office at work into the closet for awhile (without heat) just to see how it feels.

Brenton