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I think I've lost confidence in my particular FiST

Messages
45
Likes
9
Location
Pittsburgh
#1
First off, I love this car, I'm not here to bash it. I just don't think I have the best example of one, here's my deal:

I bought my 2016 FiST this past April and planned on keeping it long-term. Initial plan was to build a nice daily/track car, which for me would mean stage 2 with some basic suspension mods and sticky rubber. But, now due to some issues I've run into I'm having second thoughts about voiding my warranty and putting money into this vehicle or even keeping it at all.

About a month ago my engine over-heated while sitting in a parking lot. It was after about a 15 minute drive, nothing crazy, I didn't get on it or red line the engine at all. I get to my destination, shut the car off and came back to it 5 minutes later and cranked the A/C to full blast. Issue #1, my A/C doesn't work, it blows but the air doesn't get cold. It probably only needs a recharge but I don't understand why it would need one so soon, I'm only at 34k miles. Anyway, couple minutes pass and my temperature gauge starts to go up. Couple more minutes go by and my car starts vibrating, passenger side windshield wiper was shaking violently and my temp shoots up to the max bar and the warning light came on. I shut the car off immediately and let it cool for about 30 minutes. After that, I drove it home with no issues, temp stayed in the middle the whole way. I left the AC off just in case for some odd reason it played a part in it overheating. That was one of my first times ever having the AC on since purchasing it.

It was hot that day, but it's still bizarre for it to overheat, especially that quickly along with the vibrations that began coming from the engine. FWIW, I do have the Cobb RMM, but it has never done anything like that before.

On top of that my specific Fiesta just isn't the cleanest example. The Recaro seats are a bit dirty, especially the rears, I tried to use a cleaner on them and that did nothing but make it worse so I took the seats out instead. I wanted to take some weight out of the car anyway. There are also some dings, scratches and swirls on the hood and rear of the car. I think the previous owner beat the piss out of it and didn't take good care of it. My mistake for not waiting on a cleaner example, but I got impatient and had to travel out of state to look at this one. Unfortunately, I put myself in a position where there was pressure to get the deal done right then and there.

I also feel like my transmission and clutch have been abused. The 1 - 2 shift just sounds awful. Hard to explain it, but it's loud. To the point people will turn their head to see what's going on. I've also had an easier time driving other manuals smoothly which seems to run contrary to what other people say about the FiST. Maybe there's something wrong, maybe I just have to get used to it.

Long story short, potential reliability issues has me second guessing whether or not I should mod this car or even keep it at all.

Problem is, for the money, I don't think I can find a car that's more fun to drive. There are a ton of cars that are faster, but I honestly don't care about straight line speed and surprisingly the FiST doesn't even feel slow to me at all. I want a car that feels mechanical and communicates well through the chassis and steering wheel. I love that the FiST feels like a little rally car for the streets. Anything that's vague or numb is going to bore me regardless of how well it handles or how fast it is. So in that respect what would be the next step from a FiST?

Options I'm looking at right now, not in order:

  • Keep the Fiesta and mod it. Am I just being paranoid about the reliability?
  • Sell it and buy a Focus RS. Is the steering and chassis just as communicative? Is the clutch easy in stop and go traffic?
  • Civic Type R. I don't know, I haven't driven one yet but it seems like it might be boring. Maybe a little too neutered, but I could be completely wrong.
  • e92 m3. I wouldn't normally buy a luxury sport car, but hydraulic steering ticks one of the most important boxes for me.
  • Camaro 1le. Probably lowest on my list, don't know if a car this big and heavy is really my thing.
  • Buy a different FiST.


I understand that there's an inherent risk in modding any car, but modding one that's over-heating in a parking lot, stock, sounds like a recipe for disaster. What do you guys think? Any thoughts on why my car over-heated and what I should do would help me out a lot. If I do switch to a different car, would I be satisfied with any of the ones I listed?
 


neeqness

1000 Post Club
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1,398
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166
Location
LA
#2
I had a similar problem at first with my a/c when I had similar mileage. I thought it might need a recharge as well so I bought a can to do so. But the pressure was good...maybe a little too good. Come to find out that the line had air in it. Once I released the air out of the line and repressurized it (it eventually resolved that problem). But note that overall our a/c isn't too great. Ive had some minor issues, however living in SoCal with a pretty hot summer, I made it through fine with some adjustments here and there.

My current mileage is 81k. Ive only had one issue with overheating. I suspect that the stock radiator is not too efficient. Although I don't track my car at all and it has become my daily that I use occassionally for road trips, I have been seriously considering getting an intercooler just for that reason.

That said, I've been driving in 100+ temps this past summer with the a/c running and it didn't overheat. It was mostly on the highways with not much sitting still but I would feel a lot better with an intercooler in there. I think if it had been much more sitting it might have overheated. But I always keep some distilled water in my car ready to cut the coolant a bit, if needed.

If you haven't changed the transmission fluid, I'd suggest that you do so pronto. From your description, it sounds like you are due for a change. I'd also recommend using Motul (check the transmission fluid thread for more info). The fluid change alone should help the noise and smoothness some.


Sent from my LG-H918 using Tapatalk
 


OP
J
Messages
45
Likes
9
Location
Pittsburgh
Thread Starter #3
Good stuff. I'll order some fresh fluids tonight and see how that goes. It sounds like the overheating is not too big of a deal given the car was sitting? I just need a better intercooler?

Thanks.
 


Messages
475
Likes
227
Location
Dublin, OH
#4
Good stuff. I'll order some fresh fluids tonight and see how that goes. It sounds like the overheating is not too big of a deal given the car was sitting? I just need a better intercooler?

Thanks.
Your intercooler has nothing to do with your car overheating
 


Messages
350
Likes
116
Location
Austin
#5
If it has any warranty left on it, take it in for the overheating issue. One thing to remember is that anytime the car overheats, the thermostat should be replaced. The spring force can be altered by the higher temperatures. Aside from that, the source of overheating should be determined.

Beyond that.. cooling is just NOT that good on these cars. Before getting an intercooler for power, try upgrading the radiator which will really get temps down.
 


Dpro

6000 Post Club
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5,780
Location
Los Feliz (In the City of Angels)
#6
If it has any warranty left on it, take it in for the overheating issue. One thing to remember is that anytime the car overheats, the thermostat should be replaced. The spring force can be altered by the higher temperatures. Aside from that, the source of overheating should be determined.

Beyond that.. cooling is just NOT that good on these cars. Before getting an intercooler for power, try upgrading the radiator which will really get temps down.
I tend to agree with this statement our radiators are small and have plastic end tanks. Going to an aluminum is on my short list for my 18. I would recommend an Aluminum aftermarket radiator all day everyday.
Seen plastic endtank radiators explode before in 80 degree temps under load at speed.

Especially living in SoCal here where we see average temps of 80 and quite a few days in the 90’s and 100’s if you go just 10 miles inland.
 


Intuit

3000 Post Club
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2,205
Location
South West Ohio
#7
There are Android and Windows Mobile/PC apps that will communicate with the inexpensive Bluetooth OBD II hardware device that you can purchase from Amazon. This will allow you to monitor temps. You can point an infrared temperature reader at parts underneath the hood to help spot problems with the cooling system; supposedly how they determined that the radiator was the cause of an overheating issue. May be a good idea to get a block test kit. That may help spot whether cylinder compression is escaping into the cooling system. I don't know of a way to determine whether compression could be leaking into the lubrication system; or what impact that would have on cooling.

...............… I also feel like my transmission and clutch have been abused. The 1 - 2 shift just sounds awful. Hard to explain it, but it's loud. To the point people will turn their head to see what's going on. .............................
Dual-Mass Flywheel…
https://www.fiestastforum.com/forum...for-the-tranny?p=315609&viewfull=1#post315609
 




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