Can somebody please help me?

[Festarossa]

Ok.. I've had my festy for over 4 years now and it's never let me down. So my wife keeps nagging on me to sell it because she sais that it's too small & dangerous! Anyways, after years of her nagging, I've decided to sell it So, I listed it on Craigslist the other day (September 12, 2009) for $1150 and I've received plenty of calls on it. Here is the problem.... The first person that came to see the car asked me to start it because he wants to hear the engine run, so I proudly said "no problem" and proceeded to start my "Festarossa".. To my surprise and embarassement, it cranked but would NOT start! I could'nt believe it!! I felt sooooo DUMB!! The guy and his wife were watching me trying to start it like I'm some type of moron or crook but the truth is, this car has NEVER failed me. I tried numerous times to start it with no success. Again, it would crank like it's about to start but would not fully run. So the guy & his wife leave and there I am feeling like a jackass not knowing what the hell just happened. I thought that it was going to be a for sure sale! I looked at my wife and said "I feel so stoupid". Anyhow, I opened my hood and began my journey.. Here is what I've found.. My fuseable link unit/box is badly corroded. As soon as I wobbled a couple of the links, they snapped off like tiny twigs. The prongs that come out of the fuseable link box actually snapped and broke off also because they were so weathered/rusted. Anyhow, I removed the F-link box and had no choice but to snip the wires from the bottom of it. I stripped all the wires nice & clean and picked up some new female connectors and 3 large fuses. One was 25amp, another was 40 amp and the last one was a 50amp. So I attached the female connectors to the snipped & newly stripped wires and connected those the the large fuses. On the other prong of the fuses, I had some thick wire the I also stripped and connected to the female connectors and attached those together and connected everything up nice & neat. I then re-connected my battery and gave it a try. The car cranked and started but then was doing the same thing, it would just shut off after a minute or two of driving like somebody turned the key off. I would crank it back and sometimes it would start and sometimes it would just crank. Before all this happened, the car has cut-off on me a few time here & there while driving, but I would put it in neutral while I was rolling and USUALLY, it would start back up. This problem now that I think of it started about 4 or 5 days ago. My question.. Did I reconnect/fabricate the fuseable link incorrectly?? My fuel pump was replaced less than a year ago. Was/is the problem I'm having or was having because of the fuseable link box being deteriated? Either way, I could'nt leave the link box in the condition it was and sell it to someone, that just would be dead wrong! I have a number of people that want to look at this car to possibly buy it but I can't show it to them if it's still doing this. This car has been so reliable to me in the past and I have put a lot of $$ and time into it. Heck, it's even got a remote start!! By the was, it's a 1991 automatic. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.. -Steve

[batstiva]

Get a new wife. That would be my suggestion.:p

I'll have to do a little digging around, but I think 50 amp is overkill on the fusible links.

Here's a link on how another member replaced their links.

http://www.fordfestiva.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13666&highlight=Main+fuse

P.S. This is all your Festy's way of telling you it doesn't want to leave. :wink:

[Festarossa]

Get a new wife. That would be my suggestion.:p

I'll have to do a little digging around, but I think 50 amp is overkill on the fusible links.

Here's a link on how another member replaced their links.

http://www.fordfestiva.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13666&highlight=Main+fuse

P.S. This is all your Festy's way of telling you it doesn't want to leave. :wink:

I can't use those little cartridges anylonger because I completely removed my black F-link box unit because the male prongs in it were so corroded, they broke off. Also, will using a 50amp fuse hurt /damage anything? Why is it an overkill? By the way, that's EXACTLY what I told my wife afterwards, I snapped at her and said: "MY BABY DON'T WANT ME TO SELL HER, SEE!!" She just doesn't understand. I also have a 1992 Saleen Mustang and she's jealus of that car too. Anyhow, back to the Festy, please let me know what I should do. Thanks again...-Steve

[Ogrestiva]

Go to a junkyard and get another fuseable link box and reconnect everything and use the cartridges all and all it should cost you about $10 and an hour and it should run great. where in Mi are you? most junkyards in Mi have festiva's, so it shouldn't be that hard to find. Also what year is it?

[ejp2fast]

Also what year is it?

he said it is a 91 auto at the very end.

I think fuseable links are supposed to be 30-40-30 amp.

[FFesti_90]

Get a new wife.

Can I use this in my signature? Also, dude it's your car tell her to mind her own business, she doesn't drive it. Make her go see the psychiatrist.

[TominMO]

I think fuseable links are supposed to be 30-40-30 amp.

That's what I was thinking too.

[TominMO]

I once was selling a MG Midget. For months the gauges that were electrical did not work--probably a short, or a ground issue. The day I went to sell it, I started it up and all the gauges worked!

Another time I went to look at a car I was probably gonna buy, an older flat-6 Subaru. When the guy started it up, one of the pulleys fell off. Turned out that is a known issue with those motors. Didn't buy it.

[mikec]

didnt you say you were in dearborn heights in orig sale post ?....id call around the local boneyards that are close to you and see if they have any festys around....my sons live in canton and they frequent the yards around the area,,,but contrary to ogres remark about them being in boneyards in MI, they are few and far between now according to my sons, as i ask them to look for me when they go to them...so id look up in the yellow pages and see whats around and get the orig parts and reinstall....just my .02

[eurotiva]

My ford dealer service manual says 15-25-15 amp.

[Festarossa]

Thanks for all your help guys, I will check with a few yards.. My question still remains the same though, will it hurt anything if I use higher rating fuses than it calls for? Also, you think my fuel pump is dying on me? Can those work sometimes and not at other times or do they quit 100%? By the way, my wife usually leaves me alone 99% of the time, it's just the she claims that the car is too small and dangerous and it's because she cares about me blah blah blah. But then I told her that if I sold it, I was going to buy that new electric "smart" car. If you park that next to a Festiva it makes the festiva look like the size of a Taurus! Trust me, she knows she has no-say in the matter and when it comes down to it, it's 100% up to me! I'm not trying to sound like a male shovenist but the bottom line is that I take care of her and she knows when not to cross the line. I told her if she nags on me 1 more time about my Festarossa, I was gonna take away the keys to her Explorer, she backed-off QUICK!! Anyhow, any other opinnions on what else I should check with my sexy-Festy would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! -Steve

[Team Lightning]

It could cause a fire if something shorts.

[Ogrestiva]

My ford dealer service manual says 15-25-15 amp.

they updated it since then. it's 30-40-30

he said it is a 91 auto at the very end.

I saw that right before I posted and forgot to change it.

[eurotiva]

I run larger fuses in mine with no problems, but like ^ said could pose a fire hazard, if you have a short. Fuel pumps can be intermitent.... My wife says the same thing, "It is not safe" and i know this everytime i drive mine. She has been asking me to buy a new car for a while..........so for safety i bought an econoline.... and never drive it... She also has an exploder.

[mikec]

is that what guys are doing ?....swapping out the three fuse links and changing to actual fuses with connectors ?......hmm doesnt sound like a bad idea...my center link always seems to corrode and lose its insulation....so they read 30-40-30 amp ?