St elmo's fire?

[Icedawg]

I just bought a Festiva that has been neglected awhile. The tranny has failed, and I think it is the shift gate, based on what I read here. But the engine is making a very odd sound, and I am hoping someone might know what it could mean.

When you get close to the top of the engine you can hear a kind of hissing, electrical cracking sound. It might be electrical, or it might be a vacuum leak. The engine seems to run fine, although the temperature gauge showed it was starting to get hotter than the half way mark when I turned it off after 20 minutes. Any suggestions on how to start diagnosing this?

[mechanicaldj]

PLEASE READ THIS :

http://www.fordfestiva.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3590

THEN ASK YOUR UPDATED QUESTION AGAIN!!!!!!!!

[eye_of_ra93]

Have you replaced that thermostat and also checked for coolant leaks? The engine will clip out when hot, you may have a thermostat that is stuck or maybe radiator is clogged. Crackling sound could be the water boiling? I would check all your coolant hoses and replace that thermostat, flush the radiator and check all vacume and hoses around the throttle body and injection system. Is is carborated or Fuel Injected. Check your hoses regardless and that thermostat as well as radiator. If she's running hot you need to check that oil too, lack of coolant could of caused it to run really hot and burn up some oil, or you might also have low oil causing it to run hot too. Check it out.
I imagine folks here might have some other ideas too on possible causes. Keep us posted on what happened and give us more details if you can.

[Icedawg]

Well, I've been torched (or is that gas soaked) for bad postin'
It is a 93 Festiva, the badging is gone so L or GL is hard to say, it is a 5-speed standard, bone stock, does not seem to have power anything, efi (I do hate carbs, at least RX7 carbs.).
The oil is full but very dirty, the coolant is full. There is a coolant flush valve installed in one line and it was steaming just a wee touch (tiny ephemeral wisps on occasion). Otherwise the best I can do to describe the problem is given in the first post. The noise occurred from when it first started, so boiling seems a touch unlikely as the cause, but ya' never know. The noise is not near the very slight steam source.
What thermostat is being referred to in the last post? Is it in the water pump? Or the T send for the gauge?

[Safety Guy]

When my ignition is on but the engine is not running, I can hear a very quiet "kind of hissing, electrical cracking" sound from the area of my air plenum/throttle body. I first noticed this when I began trying to start my B6 after the swap (my fuel lines were hooked up wrong, which was the problem). I noticed this noise, which I thought might be the problem.

I heard it again last week when my Dad and I were bleeding my brakes.

I have no idea what it is, but you have to be within two or three feet of the air plenum in a quiet area to hear it.

My car runs fine.

How loud is your noise?

Karl

[ericsmith32]

Do you have a new catalytic converter? Certain cat's make that sort of noise.

[eye_of_ra93]

Did you loose the throttle body idle screw? Its on top of the throttle body, the engine will run but rough and it will make weird noises. I would replace all the vacume lines and also check fuel lines and make sure that sound isn't fuel hitting a hot engine. Check to all the clamps, the intake hose that comes from the airbox to the throttle body likes to back out once in a while, atleast mine will when not tight snugly fitted and tightened down clamp that holds it in place. Do you have any drip marks on the pavement? Sounds can be hard to pinpoint sometimes cause you get kind of an echo or amplified sound when looking around in the engine well area.
Where do you live? Maybe its a snake up in there? Just kidding man, check out those things and see what others might recommend.