Sluggish for the first 10 minutes...

[Festiva_newbie]

Here's the deallio. 91 Ford Festiva LX, 251 000km on it (is this car going to die soon?), seems to be running fine, I put a new muffler on, turns out I didn't clamp it right and I wasn't trusting it so I pulled it off. I'm currently driving without a muffler, but it seems if the car sits there for 8+ hours, give or take, when I start it, and begin to accelerate, it almost chokes but still accelerates. If I floor it, it's really fast on how it chokes accelerates, chokes, accelerates, etc... I find if I drive it hard for 10 minutes, it clears up.

I've noticed it's been recently when the weather has been between -4 and 4ish... The weather is rainy\humid. Is it humidity that is getting in because of the lack of muffler, or is it just a coincidence that it's doing this since I don't have a muffler? Any ideas?

Thanks guys!

[Tim]

Could be your spark plug wires.

I've had similar problems in damp weather because of them.



Regards,

Tim

[Festiva_newbie]

I just put brand new, high end, top of the line spark plugs in there (Store here was doing a retarded clearance, scored all for $4, and it's the titanium something something, with the double spark, spark splitter something something I dunno HAHA) Anyway, the wires could be something to look at...

They are really easy to change, but are they pricey to buy?

And wouldn't bad wires cause the problem all the time, and not just for the first 10 minutes?

[darkdan]

Traditional plugs work best.

Gimmicks like 2 or 4 prongs and split this and thats don't work properly (or as advertised).

Maybe you have bad plugs even though they're new.

[Champ 98]

Even Bad wires will dry out after they are heat soaked, ... around the 10 min mark ...

[Festiva_newbie]

Traditional plugs work best.

Gimmicks like 2 or 4 prongs and split this and thats don't work properly (or as advertised).

Maybe you have bad plugs even though they're new.

Turns out the problem had to do with the exhaust... I don't have a problem since the pipe rusted out and dropped and dragged for a few minutes where I was able to pull over and tear it off HAHA

I think the pipe was bouncing back and forth creating a clear path for the exhaust, and then a break in the pipe cause it to choke and so on...

I don't have the problem anymore, but my entire exhaust system has gone to shit. It's all in the backseat HAHA People turn around when they hear me coming now P