Fiesta mk6 1.25 Zetec

[TGPlayer1]

Another one added to the collection!

Ok well technically it's my girlfriend's car but as I'll be maintaining it I'll keep a log of it on here.

It's a 2005 Fezzy with 82000 on the clock which we picked up yesterday for a satisfyingly low price of £650. We went to look at it a few days ago but bought it undriven, so it was a fingers crossed moment when I pulled off the driveway! Thankfully it's a little gem; drives spot on and is in fantastic condition, with just a few small areas of paintwork needed. It's been lowered and has a fancy JVC stereo, but the suspension is getting changed back to standard for insurance reasons.

So the first job was cleaning it, which I did yesterday, and tonight I'm doing an oil service and fitting the standard springs, and I'll paint the brakes black as they have been done in red, which is fine if you're driving an Alfa, but a 1.25 Fiesta with drum brakes doesn't have the same effect!



We haven't got a name for it yet, but I'm sure we'll think of something.

Now I've just got to sit on my hands because I've been given strict instructions not to change anything without permission from my girlfriend :-(


P.S. You can see it's been lowered but I'll take a photo on flat ground as it's even lower than it looks in that photo, so if anybody is interested in buying the lowering springs they can have a look. I'll make a for sale post in the fullness of time too.

 

[tuonokid]

Hi Tom
That's my daily runaround nearly. Before you go out in the dark the headlights are sh1t and check the inside of the wheels as they are made out of philidelphia cheese so if it's been lowered they're probably knackered. Puma 9 spokes look ace as they have a little more offset and are much stronger (and cheaper). Engines are good with a 100K cam belt change, I think.
Probably the leather will be peeling off the steering wheel and the original CD player will be swapped or knackered.
Other than that a smashing little car
Barry

 

[TGPlayer1]

[post]358278[/post] Hi Tom
That's my daily runaround nearly. Before you go out in the dark the headlights are sh1t and check the inside of the wheels as they are made out of philidelphia cheese so if it's been lowered they're probably knackered. Puma 9 spokes look ace as they have a little more offset and are much stronger (and cheaper). Engines are good with a 100K cam belt change, I think.
Probably the leather will be peeling off the steering wheel and the original CD player will be swapped or knackered.
Other than that a smashing little car
Barry

Plans are to change the headlights to the facelift ones, get some better alloys - not sure what but like the idea of Puma offset. I think the cam belt is 110K or something, the steering wheel is in tip top condition and the stereo has been changed!


Also I've got the standard springs on it now, it took a little longer than I'd hoped to change them but it's all ready for her to stick the L plates on and we can get out on the road k:

 

[tuonokid]

Hi Tom
Yeah I've got a 6A now and the lights are 10x better. I had to replace 2 snapped front springs on my old MK6 and what a stupid design and a PITA they were to do. I gave up with my spring compressors as I thought getting an 18" spring into a 9" gap was going to be dangerous so I shipped the strut off to my local garage.
Barry

 

[TGPlayer1]

Not really been any updates in Fiesta world - I fitted my Mondeo 16" rims to it but the gf wasn't impressed, so I bought a radio instead :lol: It's got bluetooth so she couldn't really complain, but otherwise we've just been using it for the purpose we bought it - teaching her to drive.

It was MOT time a week ago and Stan (that's what he's called) failed miserably. Luckily no rust to contend with, but he needed a new rear damper, the headlights adjusting, a blowing exhaust fixing and the handbrake was performing at 14% :!: The damper and headlights are easy peasy but the exhaust has had an aftermarket back box fitted which doesn't quite fit at all, so that was a PITA job, and it's still slightly blowy, but I might just get away with it as it's nowhere near as bad as it was. The biggest issue was the handbrake, as it doesn't appear to have any way of adjusting the shoes with the drums still in place, so I had to take the drums off, rub down the lip with a power drill and various attachments, wind the shoes out so i can just get the drums on and then adjust the lever as necessary. The results of all this - barely any improvement whatsoever :-( So i'm hoping it will be *just* over the required limit (I think it's 20%) and it'll pass, as the long term plan is to upgrade the brakes to full ST150 set-up.

The re-test is tomorrow so if everybody could cross their fingers for me at 12:30 that would be great k:

 

[zinc2000]

The re-test is tomorrow so if everybody could cross their fingers for me at 12:30 that would be great

Would cross my fingers but I will be eating my Birthday lunch so guess you are on your own on that one :grin:

 

[TGPlayer1]

Well happy birthday to you fella!

It seems you weren't needed anyway as it has now passed with no advisories :grin:

 

[TGPlayer1]

I just stumbled across this, completely forgot I’d made this post. Anyway, to sum up the last 21 or so months; not long after the MOT, the whole front end felt very boaty, as it turned out both front dampers were utterly blown and were doing no damping, so some new items were promptly fitted. After that Stan spent a long time sat in a corner of the car park after the missus failed her driving test twice and basically gave up, and as I was using the Civic at the time there was no need for him. Until June of ‘18 when I retired the JDM whip and got the old Fezbomb back on the road. One MOT (needed a wishbone to pass) and full service later and he was pressed in to action, ferrying us to te Lake District for a weekend away. Things were mostly a-ok except that the front brake discs were warped to buggery and the front wheels (i’d bought a set of escort rims earlier in the year) were just a tad too buckled and were vibrating like crazy at around 70mph. Also, the OSF wheel bearing was grumbling it’s d*ck off. So all these issues were sorted and everything seemed fine. However, as is always the case with me, things were not fine in the Fiesta department, as the ABS light came on and the system was kicking in almost all the time, rendering my brakes somewhat useless and my seat somewhat brown and smelly. A new ABS sensor was fitted and the issue was not fixed, so I deduced it was the magnetic ring on the bearing (and yes I did fit it the right way before you ask :roll: ). In the short term (now become pretty much long term) I’ve unplugged the sensor to disable the ABS altogether, so at least I can stop, in the dry...

Then everything was hunky dory, for all of about a week when the EML decided to rear it’s ugly head. Turns out the catalytic converter has had it’s day and isn’t doing so much converting anymore, so that needs changing, I just haven’t faced up to it yet.

Not long after that the battery threw in the towel. Then the already pathetic handbrake decided it wanted to be on all the time, as it turns out the cable was rusted to death and seized up, so I managed to loosen it off and proceeded to not use the handbrake for approximately 2 months. Sometime last November I pulled the finger out and put a new cable on it, and joy of joys the handbrake is better than ever and I can do endless ASBO handbrake turns - good times :grin:

And so we are up to date, with both the ABS and EML still lighting up the dash like a Christmas tree, the exhaust fumes becoming ever more toxic and the car generally falling apart beneath me as I drive along k:

P.S. I also came across a set of genuine Ford roof racks so I fitted them one day last year, and am still yet to actually strap anything to them.

I’ll post a picture as and when I remember, but until then it’s fingers crossed Stan the tragic Fez doesn’t succeed in his mission to kill me, either by crashing or causing total mental breakdown.

 

[red]

:grin: take the roof rack back off then, they always make a dreadful noise if you have bars on top of them.

It sounds like the little Fez might need some work.. or..

 

[TGPlayer1]

Don’t remember if I mentioned it, but I smashed the passenger wing mirror on a parked car a few months back, so that needed replacing too.

On top of this the lower engine mount has given up and I’m experiencing some pretty severe axle tramp, so that’s next on the list to sort. Well, that and the fact that the cold air feed from the grill to the airbox fell off as I was driving a few weeks back :roll:

 

[tuonokid]

Hi Tom I hope to fix the mirror you don't have to take off the joystick cover on the inside of the door. If you do make sure you replace the two plastic clips that hold it on otherwise it will be pinging off every time you open the door. You wouldn't believe how annoying that is!!!!

 

[TGPlayer1]

Unfortunately it does involve taking the rubber johnny off, but the new unit came with all the clips and whatnot so it doesn’t ping off, but it was a right fiddly bugger to get back together.