chugging...

[ajb999]

every now and then when it's cold and i start my car it kinda makes a chug.. chug.. chug.. sound(don't know how else to describe it. this goes away anywhere from 1 - 10 secs. engine is running fine and sounds normal except for this. if i turn it off and restart it it doesn't do it. any ideas? runs like normal when this happens. i just don't want something small turning into something big.

thanks,
adam

[mattswabb]

Festiva, Aspire, Ferrari?

Carbed, FI

Come on you should know to post what your driving

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

[ajb999]

sorry. i was really tired and in a hurry. 92 L EFI 177k miles

[ajb999]

wish i had a ferrari though. that way i could sell it and do what i want with my festiva and still have money.

[mattswabb]

Start with the simple stuff. Plugs, wires, cap rotor.

[ajb999]

i changed the plugs a week or so ago and cleaned up my connections. cap looked good. why would it only do it for such a short time? at one time i though i was getting a little oil in the gas at the plugs. could it be that i am and when it sits overnight the oil and gas sitting in the lines separates. then when i start it, it doesn't fire right because there is some oil in there. thing is, lately i haven't been burning or losing any oil. would running a fuel cleaner maybe help? sorry, i'm new to doing more advanced things other than changing oil, oil filter, plugs, air filter, easy stuff so any help is greatly appreciated.

thanks,
adam

btw, you meant wires going to the plugs?

[batstiva]

btw, you meant wires going to the plugs?

Yeah, pretty sure he meant plug wires. From disty to plugs. :wink:

[packrat427]

Yes the plug wires ,Festivas are very sensitive to the ignition being up to par ,any weak spot in the plug,wires ,cap ,rotor. area espcially when wet outside can result in poor performance.
what kind of gas do you run .
Try running a couple of cans of Seafoam thru your tank next time your tank gets low ,drive a little ,then fill it up ,also try a different brand of gasoline.

[ajb999]

i think i may just replace the wires. they don't look bad but i think i've seen some here or on e-bay for pretty cheap. anyone know how much a distributor is. guess i'll have to check that out too. i run 85 octane gas. didn't think it would matter too much with the little b3 but could be wrong. i don't always use the same brand station either. maybe one of them has lower quality gas. i'll have to watch that. thanks. what do most of you run?

[packrat427]

87 is the lowest I run ,and I do treat it to 93 often ,If I recall the b3 is higher compression than some .
I get my best mileage with premium -92 or 93 octane
try changing brands one time on a fill up ,see what happens
I have never even see 85 octane before ?

[ajb999]

most places don't have 85. i've noticed that on road trips if you get of montana all they have is 87, 89, and 92. maybe i'll try filling up next time w/ 89 or 92. we don't see 87 here just 85. strange.

[darkdan]

You must be at a high altitude if you have 85.


If your best mileage comes from 92 to 93 octane you either have advanced timing or carbon build up in the combustion chambers. FP60 by www.lubecontrol.com man

[ajb999]

i live in montana. altitude here is just under 5000 ft. but it goes up to 6000 in just a few miles. didn't know that was why we had 85 octane.