Re: Euro6 1.2 Throttle Response & Hill Start Issues
Out of interest are Ford still using the 1.2 FIRE in the current KA's they're churning out? Have any of these with euro 6 compliance had issues do we know?
You bet!! In 2010 I purchased a Ford Ka Titanium 1.2 petrol. My wife and I liked it so much, when we heard two months ago that the Ka Titanium had already stopped production in January we immediately set about finding one of the few unsold examples in a decent colour.
After locating one held in Rhyl, N. Wales, by the Ford dealer R.W. Davies (finished in Diamond White with leather interior, Panaoramic glass roof, heated seats etc.) I lodged a deposit on it within minutes. So now we have one each (the wife has the new one).
We took delivery about a month ago and could not be happier with it - it rides so much smoother than the 60 plate car, NVH is much reduced, and the interior oozes quality and luxury. It's like driving a mini-Bentley.
Just one huge problem: it's burdened with precisely the problem that is the subject of this thread: a frustrating hesitation accelerating away from rest, no matter how gentle , or aggressive, the driving style employed.
This extract below from my email to the dealer reflects the problems other posters are experiencing:
There are two problems with the Ka, which I suspect are related, which manifest themselves during normal (i.e. gentle, unhurried) driving conditions:
1. The car regularly falters, or hesitates, when accelerating from rest, and regularly hesitates following changing up a gear. From my car/HGV mechanic days during the 70s and 80s it reminds me of the symptom of a weak mixture sometimes caused: a) in the case of fixed choke carburettors, by a blocked accelerator jet or faulty accelerator pump; or b) in the case of constant depression carbs, lack of oil in the damper. I am totally ignorant of today’s sophisticated injection/ignition systems, but a quick search on Google suggests that low fuel pressure caused by a faulty pressure regulator would be one of several possible causes.
I once came across a cracked inlet manifold which gave the same symptom. Should this be the cause (which would mean that the problem is too much air, rather than not enough fuel), it seems that a computer diagnosis might not pick it up, at least, if a certain website is to be believed which asserts:"Another reason for a lean mixture is Too Much Air. The stoichiometric air/fuel ratio is maintained by computer sensors. A leak in the intake manifold or air ducts may let air into the cylinders that is not recorded by the Powertrain Control Module (PCM). If air gets into the engine that the computer does not measure the engine will run lean. Systems that use a Mass Airflow Sensor(MAF) or a Vane Airflow Sensor(VAF) rely upon an air intake system with no air leaks. On systems that use an airflow sensor, any air intake leak will cause a lean mixture."
2. The second problem, which I suspect is a second manifestation of the same fault, is that sometimes while driving along, say, at 20mph – 30mph, and you step off the gas, the car fails to decelerate with normal engine braking but instead continues to cruise with partial power. Likewise, sometimes whilst stationary at idle the engine turns over at too high an engine speed, and takes time to settle down.
This is also a manifestation of a weak mixture. So, bearing in mind the problem of hesitation on acceleration, it is surely possible that this too is caused by a weak mixture.
At the suggestion of Davies's technician I replenished the tank with Shell V-Power but alas there's no discernable difference in the fault. However I'm very pleased indeed to report that upon hearing the bad news he has shown determination to get to the bottom of the problem, even to the point of authorising me to put both my Ka's on a local rolling road to obtain print-outs of their power outputs. This has been scheduled for Friday this week.
I have of course since digested the posts on this thread and have directed him accordingly.
Jon