20 Most Recent 1992 Ford Festiva Questions & Answers

There should be a black box under the hood that has the fuse inside of it.

I assume you replaced the burned out wire. Is it a fusible link wire? Only advice I have for you is if you've repaired the wires then something on that circuit fed by the wire was burned out as well, so find a wiring diagram for your car or trace the wires to everything it connects to and check them to make sure they are in tolerances. Most sensors and switches can be tested with a multimeter, and you might want to check the wires and connections to make sure you don't have a bad connection somewhere. I assume the Haynes manual would have the information on resistances for all of the components and instructions on how to test them, they usually do. The last possibility is a wire near the transmission got damaged or pinched during the installation. I'm no expert on the festivas, so these are all just general guesses gleaned from my experience on other cars. The last thing I can think of is one of the replacement components may be defective, although it's uncommon it does happen that new parts (my dad for instance one time replaced his spark plugs, and one of the four was dead straight from the factory) from the store don't always work. If that's the case it also means the one bad component may have burned out other things you put on too. And of course make sure everything is plugged in and getting the correct polarity and voltage, which again you'll need a multimeter to make sure.

I think you need to replace the pick-up coil under the distributer cap>The ignition modual can cause this but useually would'nt last for more than a few minutes.If you take off the distributer cap and remove the rotor button and then remove the plate under where the rotor button was you will find the pick-up coil.note;you will need a 5.5mm socket to remove the plate but a 7/32 in. socket can be tapped on.

Hi,

If I understand you right, the problem is at certain times the engine will not crank, that is turn over when you turn they ignition key to START. And at times it will start and run normally.

Might it be that the issue is with the starter system. The starter system is initiated at the ignition switch when the key is turned to start. At this point, the ignition switch then provides +12VDC to a starter relay. The relay is but a remote switch with slightly higher amperage capacity. The starter relay then engages and supplies +12VDC to the staring solenoid. The starting solenoid then performs two (2) functions. It provides the switching action (hundreds amps) from the battery heavy cable to the actual starter motor. The solenoid likewise pushes a small pinion gear along the shaft of the starter motor to engage the ring gear. The ring gear is of course on the edge of the flywheel which in turn is attached to the crankshaft.

Starter system problems could be corrected by:
1. check battery, battery cables and connections;
2. charge the battery if required;
3. clean brushes and guides of brush holders of the starter motor;
4. clean the commutator and commutator segments;
5. check/replace the armature or field coils if determined to be defective;
6. in some extreme cases it could be the drive pinion or the flywheel gear ring is defective.
7. often it is the big switch that the solenoid activates that looses contacts causing no +12V internally to the motor.
8. Most likely would be a defective starter relay or the IGN switch itself. Relative to this, you might try and check the connectors/terminals and electrical joints.

In the picture below, the upper portion is the starter solenoid while the one below it is the actual starter.

Given the amount of work to overhaul a starter, you might consider just replacing it.

This of course assuming that all other vital components of the car are working.

Hope this be of initial help/idea. Pls post back how things turned up or should you need additional information.

Good luck and kind regards.

Thank you for using FixYa.

if you lie on your back with the back of your head resting on the ground and the top of your head touching the front of the front passenger wheel, you will be looking straight up at the horn

The manuals for the 1997 and the 1999 are not the same but they are similar. Some of the wires are different colors in their wiring diagrams, but other important things like computer codes will be the same, which will help with troubleshooting. Have you checked ebay for the correct manual lately. They often have used manuals there for good prices. There are also websites that sell online access to copies of the manuals for most all cars for their fee. But their fee is usually more than what you can obtain the correct manual for on eBay, so I would take that option.

Find where the speedometer cable goes in the transmission, between engine and firewall. One bolt holds the cable housing down. An "O" ring makes a tight fit. If you can get it out, there is a mark on the speedometer cable housing for the fluid level. This is also where you have to refill if it is low. Good luck. It could be a pain.

Sit on your but and kick the tire with both feet. The tire is stuck. Some tire repairmen use a large sludge hammer and hit the tire,don't hit the rim.

THEN REMOVE BRAKE DISC OR DRUM AND WHEEL BEARINGS AND GREASE SEALS (USUALLY INNER AND OUTER) ARE RIGHT THERE,REMOVE SEALS , BEARINGS...GREASE PROPERLY, AND REINSTALL