Here are some details of a problem I had with my 99 Felicia 1.3 Mpi (98,000 miles). It took me a while to track it down (slow worker)– hopefully this may help anyone similarly afflicted.

Symptoms were:

1. After running down a long slope with throttle closed, a serious misfire when accelerating again, which slowly cleared. Or, if you came to a halt, horribly lumpy idling –if caught quickly it could be cleared by revving to 4000+ for a few seconds. If you weren’t quick enough, absolutely no response to the throttle – even if floored - just horrible shaking and misfiring. Switching off and restarting was the only way out.

2. Almost no engine braking on slight downhill roads. With the throttle only just crackedopen, speed would slowly increase to around 50mph in 4th or 60mph in 5th. Even on the flat, it didn’t want to go slower than 35mph in 4th

You only got any engine braking with your foot completely off.

3. On declutching for changing gear etc., the revs took about 5 seconds to sink back towards idle speed.

4. Absolutely no starting problems cold or hot

5. Slight increase in fuel consumption, but not that much

At the time (February) the coolant level was dropping (noticeably but very slowly), and I was getting a little mayonnaise under the oil filler cap, and a build-up of grey/white deposits on sparkplug#3, so immediately jumped to the head gasket conclusion. So, I changed it, (all-day job for me) noticed + removed grey/white deposits only in #3 cylinder, saw evidence of inlet manifold gasket leak also at #3 cylinder – old head gasket didn’t look at all bad though.

Put back together, it ran a bit smoother and quieter, but symptoms 1-5 above still happening.

Finally began to think about the lambda sensor – read that lifespan is about 80,000m if you’re lucky – found I could get one for £55 – so changed it.

Whilst changing it, found the real cause of the problems – one of the four wires on the wiring loom side of the sensor connector had broken off.

Two of the four wires (black and brown - heavier gauge) power the heating element in the lambda sensor – these were in a right state! The brown had broken just outside the connector, leaving only an 1/8th inch stub sticking out, also the insulation on the wire had cracked/deteriorated/gone brittle. The black was still connected, but the insulation was breaking up – The two other (thinner) wires were completely OK ???

Managed to solder in a short length of wire to repair the brown, and taped up the insulation on the black – No more problems!!

I 'm not sure if the two heater wires are marginal on current rating, or whether the particular wires had poor quality insulation. With the connector being clipped to the thermostat housing, perhaps heat was a factor - but then you'd expect the two thinner wires to have suffered as well.

Anyone noticed after a cold start, the tappets get incredibly noisy when the temperature gauge reaches the 70 degree mark, and stay noisy until the thermostat opens (about 1mm above the 90 degree mark on mine)

and then stay quiet after that?

cheers

Have you got the old lambda sensor? Try dropping that back in. I have read on the net that Bosch branded are the only brand worth buying, and other brands tend not to last. Edit: yawn, read it as a problem but it's a problem solved good one

On a google :-

Lambda sensors / exhaust oxygen sensors

Replace 30-50K, well I didnt know this before.

Are these on N reg 1.3 ?

Anyone know a cheap source ?

Thank you doberdoy:), 'found I could get one for £55', where did you source ?

I've just been searching the net.

Just Lambda, Suppliers of zirconia and titania lambda sensors by post is the cheapest I can find for a bosch for the Felicia. No idea how much one from the dealers is. I think most people replace them when the car starts running bad or emissions tests fail.

Bosch themselves say 60k miles for these types (they are heated and I assume they are 1st generation) Lambda Sensors, No. 1 worldwide but obviously Bosch is after the ££££

I didn;t know you had to replace the lambda sensors every 60K - learnt something new today! I wonder how long mine has been in there?!