Hi all

My 1.3 felicia has been cutting out generally when pulling away from junctions etc and then takes about 5 mins to restart. There definitely seems to be a lack of power it seems to go nowhere in 1st gear and top end I can only get 60mph any ideas?

Cheers Dewi

3 likely sources of that problem could be throttle body, crank sensor or Map sensor

Cheers, Also the fuel consumption is really high would this point one of those problems in particular?

tbh honest it's anybody's guess, after checking all the usual things you need to do a diagnostics check to try and find the problem, whereabouts you from?? maybe somebody local to you can help you

edit: forgot to say, what's the temperature guage do?? normal?? that would point to the coolant sensor

Temperature guage usually just under halfway so i presume this normal? I only generally do short trips no more than say 5 - 10 mins. I'm from Caerphilly South Wales.

So whats cheapest and easiest to check/change first? Thanks Dewi

as a quick trial, i would simply unplug the coolant sensor and churn round like that for a while and see it it improves or changes

Thanks Mate, I know this'll prob sound daft but i'm no mechanic and have no idea where the coolant sensor is? somewhere close to the coolant tank i presume? Things tight at the moment and want to try and remedy things myself lol! Could you describe? Cheers.

ok after looking around on forum found coolant sensor to be located by thermostat housing is this correct? So if I remove it and drive around with it unplugged will it affect the car at all? What in essence does this sensor do and if it is naffed would it cause all of my felicias problems: low of power, very low top end speed, stalling and poor fuel consumption? If removing it does solve the problem (hopefully!!!)why is there a need to even replace it can i just leave it out?

Cheers Dewi

the temp sensor probably wont cause all your problems as for the diagnostics if your in the aa or rac phone them the next time it wont start.when they come out one of the first things they should do is plug in the diagnostics . hope this helps m8

it uses the coolant sensor to partly work out how much fuel to inject into the engine, obviously a colder engine needs more fuel, if the sensor has brokened it may be telling the ecu that the engine is cold all the time so it would overfuel, you wouldn't remove the sensor as such as you would be left with an 'ole, but unplugging it would have the effect of letting the ecu kind of temporarily substituting it's only value instead rather than pouring in fuel.... i'm not suggesting that it is the fault but it's a starting point to work on rather than throwing money at stuff

my felicias problems: low of power, very low top end speed, stalling and poor fuel consumption?

i'm sorry, but that just screams out valve too tight or burned, that or a very, very lean mix

The first thing I think of is a misfire, so change the plugs and HT leads (if applicable).

Ok I have just found the problem regarding loss of power and low top end speed - I have a naffed accelerator cable!!! The threaded bit by the throttle body has snapped and very loose, the throttle is only opening slightly!! So simple after all. I have just temporarily fixed it by placing a chunky plastic sleeve on it to take the slack and WOW what a difference. Im sure I'll get more than 60 out of her now!!!!

I nearly hit the wall behind my garage as I pulled out it was that powerful pmsl!!

So this just now leaves the stalling problem and low mpg which hopefully will be down to the coolant sensor. I have unplugged it and will change if I find it to be any better and hopefully my felly will be well again!!!

Cheers for all your help guys. Will update when I know anything.

By the way I was looking for HT leads as suggested by Ken O Neill however it seems as though I don't have any. It looks like I have an ignition unit which pulls off the spark plugs as a whole. Is this normal?

yeah it's a coilpack.

Hence the "if applicable". We're talking cars in a transitionary period, where you might find any of double-ended coils using lost spark, modified Kettering Arc using the EMS rather than points to control coil triggering, or individual coilpacks, and I've seen more than one of these on the same model and engine size!

Well i havn't a clue what should be where really just a novice lol!!

Regarding the coolant sensor I unplugged it and it made the stalling much worse so have had to plug ut back in. Any suggestions?

Cheers

Well i havn't a clue what should be where really just a novice lol!!

Regarding the coolant sensor I unplugged it and it made the stalling much worse so have had to plug ut back in. Any suggestions?

Cheers

yes, look for a disconected vacuum hose, or a vacuum leak

How would i actually identify a vacuum leak? after checking the hoses they seem fine none broken that I can see. Are there any hoses in particular I should be looking at?

You can't always just look at hoses. Some models have a habit of cracking hoses in places you can't see.

Others (and some of those are VAG cars) have internally braced hoses, and the bracing collapses, part-blocking and sometimes blocking the hose: These hoses need squeezing to see if they're soft to the touch. They usually look like they have a woven mesh inside them with the weave at 45 deg to the line of the bore on a straight run.