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  • car stalls

    I have an '89 Festiva, carburated, manual tranny... It's been running great untill the other day, now at idle it will suddenly die as if being shut off (engine and oil light come on), If I try to start it it just turns over unless I shut the ignition completely off and then back on again and then it starts right back up and runs perfect for about 15 to 20 seconds and shuts off again, the stalling seems to be consistant with a click sound from under the dash, like a relay click... is there a ECU in this thing? any info would be helpful...
    Thanks,
    Scott

  • #2
    sounds like a relay yes, its prolly the relay to the ignition. Replace it and it should be fine
    Fun and Festy!
    www.zappascomputers.com.au
    My Festy, My Girls Festy and My Hillman Minx

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    • #3
      sounds like the iggy switch becoming faulty check under the steering column check the black relay it might be clicking a sign of going bad also check the wires to see if its grounding out and see if the wires are hot ? a sign it might be grounding out
      Last edited by 1988redfordfestiva; 08-23-2010, 09:57 PM.
      FORD BUILT TOUGH SINCE 1987-1993 FORD FESTIVA LX

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      • #4
        Thank you gentlemen, I'll check that tonight, I'll keep you informed...

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        • #5
          Well I replaced the relay and it did the same thing, out of desperation I decided to jump the + side of the coil to the battery to see if it would keep running, now it won't run at all... just turns over but no spark... Did I blow something, the ECU? the distributor?... fuses are good... I miss old cars, If I wasn't so manly I would cry...
          My part cars ECU looks the same but with different #, it's a '91 EFI and mine is a carbed '89. Will it work? Is the fuel and spark systems integrated or are they separate?

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          • #6
            I've never owned or even worked on a carbureted Festiva and don't have access to a Service Manual for one, but from my reading on this site I would guess that your problem could be with the ignition module, igniter, which is an integral part of the distributor.

            The distributor is a hot place for an electronic component and over time heat can damage such a part. And when it fails, it is often in very unpredictable and inconsistent ways until it finally stops working altogether. Many times I have read of strange behavior where the car runs perfectly for a time, then suddenly refuses to start. Then after a while it will start and run fine for a while. I suspect these failures are related to the heat that builds up in the distributor.

            I would check all the electrical connections on the coil and the distributor. Make sure they are all clean and tight. If this doesn't help I would find a used distributor from a carbureted Festiva to swap into your car to see what effect, if any, it has on your problem.

            I am surprised that there is so much voltage drop between the battery and the positive terminal on the coil, but there will still be enough current trough the primary windings to create a spark when that circuit is interrupted by the igniter and collapses.

            The ECU is almost never the problem, so don't start suspecting it until you have exhausted all other possibilities.

            John Gunn
            Coronado, CA
            John Gunn
            Coronado, CA

            Improving anything
            Improves everything. Copyright 2011 John Gunn

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            • #7
              I'm glad you mentioned the igniter. Last night I was looking things over, I have 11 volts to the coil so began to look to the distributor as the culprit, then discovered the main ground wire from the block to the chassis was never reinstalled and probably caused the igniter to overheat. (this car has only been on the road for a month since repairs from a front end collision my boy was in)

              Just purchased a shop manual to properly check all voltages but it's a week away, could have went with a Haynes but have never found them to be accurate.

              A new igniter runs $187 locally and a whole rebuilt distributor is the same price, online I found the igniter for $111... I hate the thought of paying that kind of money when I'm not sure...

              Thanks John

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              • #8
                ^ ask around, someone here has a used one.
                -Greg
                Euro-bprt...WORLDS FASTEST FESTIVA !!! 11.78@115.9
                BP, G trans, Megasquirt/ 550cc inj. t3/t3 (tbird) Garrett, REAR TURBO!!!! AND AC!!!!
                Redneck Engineer
                FOTY - '09
                5x Festiva Madness Attendee...FM 3,4,5,6,8
                http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpCZ7...9Pwqw-oe8s2OYQ
                http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vU_eX...9Pwqw-oe8s2OYQ

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                • #9
                  Call different suppliers. When I replaced my ICM I got prices double the lowest that I paid. Even if it's some distance away it can be used at a parts store which advertises it will match any competitor's price.
                  Original owner of silver grey carburetted 1989 Festiva. 105k km as of June 2006. 140k km as of June 2021.

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                  • #10
                    Oh yeah, I forgot to mention you can take the module out of the distributor and get it tested for free at some parts retailers.
                    Original owner of silver grey carburetted 1989 Festiva. 105k km as of June 2006. 140k km as of June 2021.

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                    • #11
                      I've seen 'em cheap on the bay.

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                      • #12
                        Thanks for all the info, R&R'd the distributor with a rebuild ($150), she runs great. yah I could have gotten buy cheaper but this was faster and she's worth it, I bought her six years ago for $2 and she's never let me down...

                        Thanks again,
                        Scott

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