Fiesta 1.1 emulsifying up

Sun 30 Mar 2003 14:18

Fiesta 1.1 emulsifying up - daughters_with_cars

I've seen the archive posts about the 1.1 Fiesta emulsifying up - it appears to be a common problem.

The car did have a blown head gasket and the repairers replaced the thermostat since they said the car had been running a bit warm....

Since my daughter does 20 miles a day between two towns , I would not consider this a car-killing journey.

Is it worthwhile to consider changing the thermostat to one that opens at a hotter temp ? Running on a different oil ?

All help appreciated.

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Sun 30 Mar 2003 23:51

Fiesta 1.1 emulsifying up - Fullchat

My experience is that this is a standard problem with this engine particularly on short journeys which 20 mile is not. I found no problem in summer just in winter. All I did was reguarly cleaned out all the breather pipes and filter. Could not see a way of avoiding the problem despite regular changes of oil.

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Mon 31 Mar 2003 12:50

Fiesta 1.1 emulsifying up - mfarrow

I found with my HCS engine that after a few years the breather hose from the filler cap would kink, blocking off air supply from the filler cap. Replaced it and cleaned the filler cap out.

Not sure if this was the cure as I replaced the pipe in Summer, and it mayoed up again in Winter, only to get better again in Spring :-S.

Mike Farrow

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Tue 1 Apr 2003 09:20

Fiesta 1.1 emulsifying up - james_60

Hi

This problem occurs most when the engine doesent get up to temp to burn off this yellow stuff

First thing i would do is

1. check breather cap if clogged wash out generously with parrafin then let it dry then replace this gives the yellow stuff somewhere to go (dry out)

2. check all breather hoses as suggested by m farrow

3. give the car a good run maybe go on a trip that involves the motorway.

4. if it doesn\'t shift check for any waterleaks and if the water bottle requires topping up frequently then it must be going somewhere ie the head gasket wasnt fitted correctly.

or alternatively the thermo could be faulty

Hope this helps
J Stephenson

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Tue 1 Apr 2003 13:38

Fiesta 1.1 emulsifying up - jc

I've used a 1.1 on a similar journey.
1.The thermostat should be 88deg.-a few were fitted with 92 deg.
2.Check that the orifice in the crankcase vent system is completely clear and that the filter in the same system is clean;depending on the year these will be in different places;if they are all good,you should not get any goo.

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Fri 4 Apr 2003 21:09

Fiesta 1.1 emulsifying up - Robin the Technician

An easy way to overcome this problem is to change to fully synthetic oil. Normal oil retains water droplets that don't get burnt off in the warm up process. Fully synthetic holds almost nil water so the problem will go away.
Hope this helps

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Sat 5 Apr 2003 19:50

Fiesta 1.1 emulsifying up - mfarrow

I thought fully synth oil was only suitable for newer engines which required it? I read that this oil is more prone to leak past gaskets, ie cause oil leaks, in old design engines.

Surely a 1.1 Fiesta would have an engine based on the old OHV design, like the Ka.

Correct me if i'm wrong.

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Sat 5 Apr 2003 21:40

Fiesta 1.1 emulsifying up - Claude

Having had several Fiestas (and currently two including a 1.1) I wouldnt put in fully synthetic oil, it could well lead to other problems as referred to in numerous other threads. One point, which hasn't been mentioned above, is to replace the PCV valve which is a small rubber mushroom valve located in the air cleaner housing. Under full engine load, but when the vacuum is weak, this valve opens and the emission gases are directed into the engine via the air filter to be burnt off. Its a very cheap item and just a press fit into the air cleaner housing. I believe the part number (FINIS code) is 1654018. Also be sure to clear the two small holes which are close by its location; their purpose is to bleed air into the system to prevent a high vacuum build up. If you notice yellow emulsion its well worh while using a Flushing oil when making an oil change. That, together with the cleaning of hoses/orifices etc which have been referred to in other answers, should make a big difference. And do 'intermediate' oil changes, oil is cheap and there is no reason to not to change it at much more frequent intervals than the service schedule indicates. Dont change it every 18 months just because thats what the mileage interval indicates ! Change it in the autumn and again in the spring (even if its only a 1000 miles) and you will virtually eliminate that yellow emulsion problem in my experience!

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