Ford Festiva. Instruction - part 58

IGNITION SYSTEM TROUBLE SHOOTING 

Open coolant temperature sensor circuit

Test sensor and wiring

Shorted W.O.T. switch in T.P.S.

Disconnect W.O.T. switch, 

engine should start

Defective ECM

Replace ECM

Fuel tank residual pressure valve leaks

Test for fuel pressure drop 

after shut down

Hard Starting

Disconnected hot air tube to air cleaner

Reconnect tube and test 

control valve

Defective Idle Air Control (IAC) valve

Test valve operation and 

circuit

Shorted, open or misadjusted T.P.S.

Test and adjust or replace 

T.P.S.

EGR valve open

Test EGR valve and control 

circuit

Poor Oxygen sensor signal

Test for shorted or circuit

Incorrect mixture from PCV system

Test PCV for flow, check 

sealing of oil filter cap

Poor High Speed Operation

Low fuel pump volume

Faulty pump or restricted fuel 

lines or filters

Poor MAP sensor signal

Test MAP sensor, vacuum 

hose and wiring

Poor Oxygen sensor signal

Test for shorted or open 

sensor or circuit

Open coolant temperature sensor circuit

Test sensor and wiring

Faulty ignition operation

Check wires for cracks or poor 

con- nections, test secondary 

voltage with oscilloscope

Contaminated fuel

Test fuel for water or alcohol

Intermittent ECM ground

Test ECM ground connection 

for resistance

Restricted air cleaner

Replace air cleaner

Restricted exhaust system

Test for exhaust manifold back 

pressure

Poor MAF sensor signal

Check leakage between sensor 

and manifold

Poor VSS signal

If tester for ALCL hook-up is 

available check that VSS 

reading matches speedometer

Ping or Knock on Acceleration

Poor Knock sensor signal

Test for shorted or open 

sensor or circuit

Poor Baro sensor signal

Test for shorted or open 

sensor or circuit

Improper ignition timing

See VEHICLE EMISSION 

CONTROL LABEL (where 

applicable)

Check for engine overheating problems

Low coolant, loose belts or 

electric cooling fan inoperative

NOTE:

For additional electronic fuel injection trouble shooting information, see the appropriate article in the 
ENGINE PERFORMANCE section (not all vehicles have Computer Engine Control articles). Information 
is provided there for diagnosing fuel system problems on vehicles with electronic fuel injection.

NOTE:

This is GENERAL information. This article is not intended to be specific to any unique situation or 
individual vehicle configuration. The purpose of this Trouble Shooting information is to provide a list 
of common causes to problem symptoms. For model-specific Trouble Shooting, refer to SUBJECT, 
DIAGNOSTIC, or TESTING articles available in the section(s) you are accessing.

 

Fig. 3: Ignition Secondary Trouble Shooting Chart

 

 

Fig. 4: Ignition Primary Trouble Shooting Chart

 

STARTER TROUBLE SHOOTING 

BASIC STARTER TROUBLE SHOOTING CHART 

NOTE:

This is GENERAL information. This article is not intended to be specific to any unique situation or 
individual vehicle configuration. The purpose of this Trouble Shooting information is to provide a list 
of common causes to problem symptoms. For model-specific Trouble Shooting, refer to SUBJECT, 
DIAGNOSTIC, or TESTING articles available in the section(s) you are accessing.

CONDITION & POSSIBLE CAUSE

CORRECTION

Starter Fails to Operate

Dead battery or bad connections between starter and battery

Check battery charge and all 

wires and connections to 

starter

Ignition switch faulty or misadjusted

Adjust or replace ignition 

switch

Open circuit between starter switch ignition terminal on starter relay

Check and repair wires and 

connections as necessary

Starter relay or starter defective

See Testing in STARTER 

article

Open solenoid pull-in wire

See Testing in STARTER 

article

Starter Does Not Operate and Headlights Dim

Weak battery or dead cell

Charge or replace battery as 

necessary

Loose or corroded battery connections

Check that battery 

connections are clean and 

tight

Internal ground in starter windings

See Testing in STARTER 

article

Grounded starter fields

See Testing in STARTERS

Armature rubbing on pole shoes

See STARTER article

Starter Turns but Engine Does Not Rotate

Starter clutch slipping

See STARTER article

Broken clutch housing

See STARTER article

Pinion shaft rusted or dry

See STARTER article

Engine basic timing incorrect

See Ignition Timing in 

TUNE-UP article

Broken teeth on engine flywheel

Replace flywheel and check 

for starter pinion gear damage

Starter Will Not Crank Engine

Faulty overrunning clutch

See STARTER article

Broken clutch housing

See STARTER article

Broken flywheel teeth

Replace flywheel and check 

for starter pinion gear damage

Armature shaft sheared or reduction gear teeth stripped

See STARTER article

Weak battery

Charge or replace battery as 

necessary

Faulty solenoid

See On-Vehicle Tests in 

STARTER article

Poor grounds

Check all ground connections 

for tight and clean 

connections

Ignition switch faulty or misadjusted

Adjust or replace ignition 

switch as necessary

Starter Cranks Engine Slowly

Battery weak or defective

Charge or replace battery as 

necessary

Engine overheated

See ENGINE COOLING 

SYSTEM article

Engine oil too heavy

Check that proper viscosity 

oil is used

Poor battery-to-starter connections

Check that all between 

battery and starter are clean 

and tight

Current draw too low or too high

See Bench Tests in 

STARTER article

Bent armature, loose pole shoes screws or worn bearings

See STARTER article

Burned solenoid contacts

Replace solenoid

Faulty starter

Replace starter

Starter Engages Engine Only Momentarily

Engine timing too far advanced

See Ignition Timing in 

TUNE-UP article

Overrunning clutch not engaging properly

Replace overrunning clutch. 

See STARTER article

Broken starter clutch

See STARTER article

Broken teeth on engine flywheel

Replace flywheel and check 

starter pinion gear for damage

Weak drive assembly thrust spring

See STARTER article

Weak hold-in coil

See Bench Tests in 

STARTER article

Starter Drive Will Not Engage

Defective point assembly

See Testing in STARTER 

article

Poor point assembly ground

See Testing in STARTER 

article

Defective pull-in coil

Replace starter solenoid

Starter Relay Does Not Close

Dead battery

Charge or replace battery as 

necessary

Faulty wiring

Check all wiring and 

connections leading to relay

Neutral safety switch faulty

Replace neutral safety switch

Starter relay faulty

Replace starter relay

Starter Drive Will Not Disengage

Starter motor loose on mountings

Tighten starter attach bolts

Worn drive end bushing

See STARTER article

Damaged engine flywheel teeth

Replace flywheel and starter 

pinion gear for damage

Drive yolk return spring broken or missing

Replace return spring

Faulty ignition switch

Replace ignition switch

Insufficient clearance between winding leads to solenoid terminal and main contact in solenoid

Replace starter solenoid

Starter clutch not disengaging

Replace starter clutch

Ignition starter switch contacts sticking

Replace ignition switch

Starter Relay Operates but Solenoid Does Not