[Closed] car trouble

Depends what you're driving. That sounds like everyday motoring for some of the cars I've had.

-Battery will go flat due to parasitic drain.
-Brakes will seize due to corrosion.
-Losing power could be down to bad fuel, water in fuel

All pretty normal, use the car more.

ford fiesta zetec

hi
it’s a new battery
brakes been cleaned by garage and a new track rod end fitted

Without seeing the car I'd be tempted to just fill it with fresh go-juice, maybe some Redex and give it an Italian tune up on the nearest stretch of motorway.

went on motorway yday then in evening the car was loosing power on a different journey

revving but not going faster than 20 mph

If it's a manual that sounds like clutch. It won't have worn out standing for 4 years but with your tales of random fluid losses I wouldn't rule out contamination on the plates. Any odd smells when it's revving but not going faster than 20mph? Your fuel won't be in good nick after sitting for 4 years either so unless you've just put a decent tankful in that'd be suspect too.

It sounds like you need a reliable local garage to give it a once over to get it all back in working order, then you need to drive it more. Cars do not like sitting unused for long periods...

hi
it’s been to the garage about 5 times in last two months! last time was on saturday morning and they told me battery was low on computer but i took it to where i got nee battery from and they said battery and alternator was good! but why is it losing power? surely that can’t be the clutch?

what do you mean, exactly, by losing power?

is this the same as revving but not going anywhere? (sounds like slipping clutch) or do you mean with the clutch disengaged it will rev, but wont accept any load?

diesel? sticky egr?

battery light - does this not come on when you stop the engine anyway?

i was revving but wasn’t going any faster than 20mph
it’s petrol
the battery light came on once the other day i started engine put in first gear went to change to second and it cut out and battery light came on! the car started again but this happened again further down road

Could be alot of different things if the car has been left. If I were bringing a car out of storage or period of no use I'd at least treat it to a brand new battery, spark plugs, HT leads, filters, fresh fluids (oil, fuel, brake fluid), be prepared to have to recondition or replace brake callipers if pistons are corroded or seals torn and deteriorated and maybe new disks or a re-skim.

clutch should be OK but the clutch can stick to the flywheel and when you operate it pull off clutch lining material so that can affect how well it works, but over 4 or 5years I'd not expect that to be an issue unless its exposed to alot of moisture. Maybe the slave or master cylinder seals are knackered and its just not operating properly, but you problem there would be the opposite in you'd be struggling to disengage the clutch.

Also can be deteriorated fuel so might take some time for the fuel to run through the system and nice fresh stuff to come through.

Also any electrical contacts could be corroded and not connecting properly so even a go around of all the connectors in the engine bay to make sure they're all there and not corroded.

Cars don't like being left idle for long periods of time so not surprising you're having some issues, but I'm afraid you're probably just going to have to work your way through the issues one by one as you use the car more and more.

Loss of power relative to revs could be a leak in your intake system due to a soil hose, a knackered MAF or knackered spark plugs or HT leads delivering a weak spark.

Also don't forget about tyres. Having then sat there for 5 years especially if exposed to UV light wont have done them any good so thy should be replaced as soon as you can.

i was revving but wasn’t going any faster than 20mph

Perhaps you mean something else by "revving" but if your revs are going up but your speed isn't your clutch is knackered.

Take it to a better garage and have them give it a proper check over.

hi
yea looks like that’s what i’ll have to do
thankyou everyone for all your input

Leaking crank case oil seal? Might explain the oil loss and what sounds like a slipping clutch. As others have said 4 to 5 years is a long time to be laid up. Plenty of perished seals and fluids that have gone off.

the oil loss was due to my cap being loose but don’t know how it became loose two days after mot pass and oil change

loose cap is unlikely to lose much oil unless driving for many miles. You'd expect to see loads of oil on the underside of the bonnet and also all over the engine. Pop the hood and see whats there. The fact it's loose 2 days after oil change screams it wasnt replaced properly.

A fiesta isnt a landy. I wouldnt expect it to drive away after being sat for that long without a fair bit if attention which has been stated above. Also wouldnt be driving much further than round the block until it was sorted. Doesnt have to cost a fortune. Just some understanding of what has been affected.

Not to be rude but to be brutally honest, you need someone who knows what they are doing, from your terminology and description its clear you don't know anything about the mechanical side of cars.
Your not going to get any golden 'its fixed' information from here, its just going to be plain guess work from someone who cant see the car or know what the issues really are.

However a car thats been stood for 4/5 years is going to need work, and more than likley on going work into the future they just don't like been sat for a long period of time.

car been stood for 4 to 5 years, passed mot, but weird things keep happening, first loose oil and steering fluid cap, then breaks locked while stood, then car cut out and battery light came on, checked battery and alternator both good, then car started loosing power while driving, revving but not going faster than 20 mph! could this be loose wiring and could it have been done maliciously?

MOT tells you almost nothing about the condition of the mechanical bits of the car. They're also not that great even on the things they do look for as they're not allowed to move any overs (of which there are a lot on modern cars).

Brakes locking whilst stood in the short term would imply perished hoses to me, they swell up over time so when you push the pedal it forces fluid through, which then cant get back so the pads lock on.

The battery light comes on when the engine isn't running because it's telling you there's current coming from the alternator (or rather, there isn't a voltage at the alternator, on older cars it is simply wired from battery positive to the alternator positive and tells you when there's a difference). So sounds like the battery and alternator are likely fine. It's cut out for some other reason.

If while driving along you see the revs go up but the speed doesn't then that's the clutch slipping. It could be as simple(ish) as the clutch is worn out. Or could indicate the main bearing seal on the crank has perrished and it's leaking oil onto the flywheel. You should be able to identify that by looking a the bottom of the bellhousing underneath. Most cars either have a drain hole or the bellhousing doesn't actually match the engine casting so there's gaps arround it. Any oil or fluid will drain out there.

Buying or using any car that's been stood still for years is a bit of a minefield. Mine I bought in September had just been stood for 6 months over lockdown and even then was pretty knackered!

there was oil everywhere and i had only done like couple of 5 mile trips and i don’t drive fast obv as i have just passed test in december! this is why i thought was strange as the oil was everywhere even leaking down in front lights which is how i noticed it! n it was sat for that long while i passed test i thought i would drive it to learn but never did

no i don’t know anything about cars that’s what garages are for and this is why i’m on here to get info to learn! u have all helped me so much anyway so i’m happy with all responses thanks

the oil loss was due to my cap being loose but don’t know how it became loose two days after mot pass and oil change

Simple answer is that whoever changed the oil didn't put it back on properly. They usually click when done up tight, if it wasn't done up enough then the vibration of the engine could just have made it come loose.

@purpleford You are right, it is what garages are for. As mentioned above it sounds like you need to find a garage you trust (suggest not the place that did the MOT/brakes) and get a full fluid set change, filter set change and clean the car/engine bay to help spot leaks. Obviously if you have had anything done already you can knock it off the list. I would suggest at least an oil top up to replace anything you lost but with it having gone all the way to the lights a full change couldn't do any harm and would kind of act as a flush (I did a second change/flush after taking on an old laguna that had been sat for a couple of years and it make huge difference).

Finally, and not wanting to sound rude, make sure you are not hovering your foot on the clutch pedal. This is a common practice in some countries and could be contributing to your clutch issues. Just mentioning this as you are new to driving.

Fluids:
Engine oil
Brake fluid
Coolant
Screenwash

Filters:
Air
Oil
Fuel
Pollen

@Others - feel free to add any fluids/filters I have missed

Honestly - a Fiesta that's been laid up for 5 years will only be fit for scrap.

Seized calipers
Seized clutch/separated friction material
Timing belt will need changing
Tyres will need replacing
Dry oil seals
Typical Ford corrosion

and that's if it's been dry stored on axle stands. If its been outside - forget it and scrap it now.

You are really going to have to spend some time tinkering with it. It's going to take work - as has been said, sitting around for 5 years won't have done it any good. Have fun cleaning the engine compartment after the oil went everywhere. All the electrical connections might need checking and cleaning, could have had a mouse chewing on the looms, god knows.

Where was it stored ?

Also - how old is the car? If it was stored as a box fresh brand new car and it's now 5 years old then it's possibly worth doing something with. If it was 5 years old when laid up then it's worth what a 10year old Fiesta is worth - ie scrap value

hi @markyG82
i have screen shot your list most things have been done now and i’ve found a decent garage! it driving good now so i’m not scrapping it it’s defo a good first car to get used to! and hovering over clutch is what i do as well il get used to it! i’ve drove it for two months and i think the first garage is the ones who loosened caps on purpose as o went back on and he tried ripping me off again but took to diff garage and they told me a totally diff fault cleaned everywhere for me and changed back rod end he said everything else is fine! oil changed and everything else! so what i’ll do now is just double check everything on list is done! okie hat is the pollen?

@fossy
it was stored on my drive and the garage cleaned all the engine and that for me lol! they have cleaned breaks also and only thing they found to be worn is the track rod end so that’s fitted now!

Glad that's worked out for you OP, some of the recent posters were laying it on a bit thick with the doom and gloom IMO. Just keep on top of the routine maintenance and hopefully it'll see you right for your first couple of years driving.

By then we'll all have those hovercars they were promising when I started driving...

(W)

hat is the pollen

It a filter that stops dust and crap being blown into the car by the heater/AC (although maybe not in a 10 year old Fiesta). They often get missed when being serviced and can get absolutely filthy and damp. In my Ford it's behind the dash, accessed from the passenger footwell but could also be in the air intake in the engine bay.

@johnners
i know so negative i love my little purple ford! and while i’m getting hang of driving it will do! i thought i would pass a long time ago but took me longer than expected which is why been there for that long! it’s driving nicely
@tthew
thankyou for that i’ll get that checked