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Hello everyone!
I'm new to the forum and relative new to owning a Festiva. I've had "LiL Blue" since August 2013 and use her as a personal transport and work vehicle here on Saint Thomas USVI.
If anybody has been here they know how the roads are and the hills. My Festiva is one of only two left on island. They used to be part of a rental car fleet.
Lil Blue gets put through "Rally Car" paces every day during my travels... about 200 miles a week in steep hilly pot hole ridden terrain.
About myself... I have been a marine mechanic/tech for over 20 years. My first car was an '85 Trans Am with TPI fuel delivery. I am computer savvy and most definitely mechanically inclined.
Here in the islands parts are nonexistent for my 1989 Ford Festiva L... at least I'm pretty sure its an "L." she has had so many owners on island and I'm pretty sure that there have been a number of "island" fixes done to her.
That's the reason I am posting and seeking advice from FF.com. Parts take forever to get here from my "rock" supplier and I don't have "every" tool I would wish to have before I begin to go all "bush mechanic" on Lil Blue.
Foremost... If I have pout this post in the wrong section whatever please don't flame me etc. I have and will continue to use the search functionality of this forum to try to get an answer to my festy's issue. I just need to try to get this solved as Lil Blue is my only means of performing my job as a Pool Tech... LOL it pays the bills.
Li'l Blue is a 1989 Festiva with an automatic transmission and EFI fuel delivery.
What follows are the symptoms/descriptions of the car's problems.
The symptoms occurred overnight... one day she was running like a top... next day...
1. Started the car in the morning and allowed her to warm up.
2. Began driving... only to get to end of the "block" where she stalled.
3. Started her again and she idled as usual.
4. Put her into "Drive" and the same thing stall occurred.
5. Started her again and idle as usual.
6. Shifted to "Reverse" to get out of the road and got about 200 feet then bog/stall.
7. Managed to get her in a safe spot to begin troubleshooting.
8. Started her again and she idled as usual... mashed the accelerator pedal and the engine ran as usual... no hesitation or sputter or miss.
9. Shifted to "1" gear and held the brakes on while throttling up with no problems. Did the same in "2" gear with no problems.
10. Shifted to "Drive" and then bog/stall.
Started to think that the transmission was the problem at this point.
11. By now the car is most certainly warmed up (BTW the temp gauge is not functional... nor is the fuel gauge.)
12. Performed the in gear tests and fount that "1" "2" worked but not "Drive" or "Reverse." Really thinking about the transmission now.
13. Called the boss and let him know the cars was not working.. can't work today etc.
14. Let the car sit for 4 hours or so and tried to get her going again.
15. I had full control of the car in all gears for about 10 minutes then the same symptoms occurred. Also this time she would stall in "Park"
Started thinking that the transmission was not the problem. OH Boy! EFI engine lots of sensors and no way to get OBD data!
I'm going to start going through all the basics I.E. fuel filter, air filter, etc. but I don't think that is what's causing the problem. She starts fine idles fine and ever moves in gear until warmed up.
Any insight would be helpful. If I start to check sensors I run the risk of damaging wiring harness components because she is a quarter of a century old and the harness/connections are definitely showing their age.
The "check engine" light is not illuminated (it works I know this from a previous problem -ignition module- which has recently been replaced and has ran fine for months since.)
Thanks in advance to any helpful person.
If this post is in the wrong place or redundant please just let me know.
I'm new to the forum and relative new to owning a Festiva. I've had "LiL Blue" since August 2013 and use her as a personal transport and work vehicle here on Saint Thomas USVI.
If anybody has been here they know how the roads are and the hills. My Festiva is one of only two left on island. They used to be part of a rental car fleet.
Lil Blue gets put through "Rally Car" paces every day during my travels... about 200 miles a week in steep hilly pot hole ridden terrain.
About myself... I have been a marine mechanic/tech for over 20 years. My first car was an '85 Trans Am with TPI fuel delivery. I am computer savvy and most definitely mechanically inclined.
Here in the islands parts are nonexistent for my 1989 Ford Festiva L... at least I'm pretty sure its an "L." she has had so many owners on island and I'm pretty sure that there have been a number of "island" fixes done to her.
That's the reason I am posting and seeking advice from FF.com. Parts take forever to get here from my "rock" supplier and I don't have "every" tool I would wish to have before I begin to go all "bush mechanic" on Lil Blue.
Foremost... If I have pout this post in the wrong section whatever please don't flame me etc. I have and will continue to use the search functionality of this forum to try to get an answer to my festy's issue. I just need to try to get this solved as Lil Blue is my only means of performing my job as a Pool Tech... LOL it pays the bills.
Li'l Blue is a 1989 Festiva with an automatic transmission and EFI fuel delivery.
What follows are the symptoms/descriptions of the car's problems.
The symptoms occurred overnight... one day she was running like a top... next day...
1. Started the car in the morning and allowed her to warm up.
2. Began driving... only to get to end of the "block" where she stalled.
3. Started her again and she idled as usual.
4. Put her into "Drive" and the same thing stall occurred.
5. Started her again and idle as usual.
6. Shifted to "Reverse" to get out of the road and got about 200 feet then bog/stall.
7. Managed to get her in a safe spot to begin troubleshooting.
8. Started her again and she idled as usual... mashed the accelerator pedal and the engine ran as usual... no hesitation or sputter or miss.
9. Shifted to "1" gear and held the brakes on while throttling up with no problems. Did the same in "2" gear with no problems.
10. Shifted to "Drive" and then bog/stall.
Started to think that the transmission was the problem at this point.
11. By now the car is most certainly warmed up (BTW the temp gauge is not functional... nor is the fuel gauge.)
12. Performed the in gear tests and fount that "1" "2" worked but not "Drive" or "Reverse." Really thinking about the transmission now.
13. Called the boss and let him know the cars was not working.. can't work today etc.
14. Let the car sit for 4 hours or so and tried to get her going again.
15. I had full control of the car in all gears for about 10 minutes then the same symptoms occurred. Also this time she would stall in "Park"
Started thinking that the transmission was not the problem. OH Boy! EFI engine lots of sensors and no way to get OBD data!
I'm going to start going through all the basics I.E. fuel filter, air filter, etc. but I don't think that is what's causing the problem. She starts fine idles fine and ever moves in gear until warmed up.
Any insight would be helpful. If I start to check sensors I run the risk of damaging wiring harness components because she is a quarter of a century old and the harness/connections are definitely showing their age.
The "check engine" light is not illuminated (it works I know this from a previous problem -ignition module- which has recently been replaced and has ran fine for months since.)
Thanks in advance to any helpful person.
If this post is in the wrong place or redundant please just let me know.