Ford Fiesta Questions & Answers

Should be on a card in owners manual.if that's lost ring local Ford dealer with cars vin

The 2009 model wasn't fitted with the crappy clutch system (thankfully) My friend had the 2007 fiesta for years and she never had a lot of issues with it. Pretty sure the 2009 model would be the same anyway. I can't honestly say whether it's a good buy or not, but check the market value of the car and try to get it as cheap as you possibly can.

Thank you for the insight

The TCM problems were from 2011 - 2017 models. I'm not sure how good the 06 models are, but they don't have the dry clutch system, so it shouldn't be an issue there. Best advice is research known problems with that model and make a decision based on that.

I had the water pump go much earlier than this. I put it down to the fact that there just isn’t the same amount of airflow to cool the motor like in older units. Todays engine bays are so cramped. This combined with the continuous stop start the car does on a daily basis I assume the pump and cooling system work overtime in Australian climates, until the car sees the freeway. In my opinion things like you have described are well worth doing as they could cause major issues down the track if left to chance.

Thanks for your reply DKT! Like most faced with a big repair bill I am searching for a second opinion.

Look up the WWW. According to the experts this happens during hot weather and you'll need to drill the pinion hole larger. They even show you how. Don't panic and Good Luck from your fellow Zetec 2009-2010 owner.

Pretty sure I never changed my timing belt and I’m at 180k

I purchased a 2009 WS Fiesta Zetec last October and found it required the timing belt change when I read the manual. Given the previous owner's attitude to servicing, there was no way it would have been done. I did this: I bought the required parts online. I could get them cheaper than my mechanic could. Change the water pump at the same time. Be aware that "timing belt kits" often come with camshaft seals, and if your mechanic goes ahead and does them, you'll then need new bolts for the sprocket(s) they have to remove to get at the seals. They are once only usage "torque to yield" bolts. I'd suggest not to do the seals unless they obviously need replacement- and get the bolts in first. I'd also advise to have a new accessory belt on hand, mine started disintegrating within days of the timing belt work because they're stretch fit and not really designed to be reused. If the car runs like a hairy goat after the work, the cam timing's out. This happened to me, there were 3 bolts supplied to "lock" the camshaft and the workshop used the wrong one. All up cost for me was $1200, but that included a service with oil filter and 5W-20 oil (the recommended grade), a new driveshaft seal plus fitting, a wheel balance and a few other odds and sods. If no other work is required and you don't change the cam seals it might be in the $700 to $800 region. My mechanic has reasonable hourly rates, but charged me $104 for "special tools hire" which annoyed me. Presumably that wouldn't happen at a Ford dealership but they'd undoubtedly find other parts "needing" replacement.

It's likely to be in the region of $700-800 although my service was ~$1200 including parts. I had the gearbox end drive shaft seal replaced, a wheel balance and other odds and sods. I also supplied many of the parts as I could get them cheaper online than the workshop could get them in. Be aware that many "timing belt kits" come with cam seals, and if the workshop goes ahead and changes them, you'll need new sprocket bolts as they're single use only "torgue to yield". In my case that caused a delay of a week while they were ordered in and fitted. Also, the accessory belt on my car nearly disintegrated within days of getting it back: it's stretch to fit and not really designed for reuse, so get a new one of those as well as a water pump kit. You may also need a new thermostat, or at least it's sensible to have the extra parts fitted as so much has to be dismantled to do the timing belt. If you avoid the cam seals (i.e. they look fine) you might save up to $100 or possibly more in costs.

Hi Fred I'll try to do it same than you, did you buy the Dayco belt?

Belt. Try a Yaris if you want a chain.

Belt, needs replacing at 10 years or 150,000km.

They are a good car. If it's an auto make sure it is not the dual clutch type. Look at service history, kilometres, city or country travel, how it has been looked after, general appearance, tyres, rust and any evidence of accident damage. They ride well, are quite in town and on the highway, economical, light steering effort and have a reasonable sound system if you are not under 25. There can be unwanted surprises with any secondhand car, buying from a dealer may be a better bet than a private sale. Depends on price and if you have mechanical knowledge or a good honest mechanic. The blinker switch may be on the left and windscreen wipers on the right, the 2011 WT model is.

I have the 2009 WS Zetec auto. Make sure the services are up to date, the timing belt change is expensive. Check the front rotors and pads. They're not a big job, but make sure you're supplied the correct rotors as I was sold WT rotors which have a smaller PCD (wheel stud spacing) and had to stuff around and pay more for TRW which are OEM and have no coating and so rust. Depending on driving style and place (country vs city) they could need changing at 140-160k kms. I've found the auto box is a rather abrupt changer, and the power is hardly exciting. Nor is the fuel economy because they have to work so hard. The blinkers are indeed on the left, which was no drama for me as my SUV also has them on the left. If the blinkers stop working, check the mirror wire. I changed the blinker stalk assembly and that wasn't the problem. I find it a bit rattly with cheap-sounding doors and the stereo makes the exterior chrome trims vibrate, which is really annoying. The stereo pumps out pretty reasonable sound, but I've had issues with reading USB sticks. I occasionally get an error "line busy" which if it persists, requires a battery reset. Otherwise it's comfortable and surprising roomy for such a tiddler (I am quite tall). The ride and handling is superb for such a little car. It really does feel like a bigger car once you're under way, and it swallows up bends with aplomb. As long as they're not uphill bends, that is. The Zetec is by far the best choice, more airbags, better stereo, cruise control an upgraded interior and suspension. Be aware that the 16" Zetec wheels are often knocked about with gutter rash, and they are really expensive to replace, even second-hand, as in around $300 depending on condition and whether fitted with a decent tyre.

160k is getting up there, I'd be search for something around 100k and not ford if it doesnt have a conventional automatic transmission.

Thank you. I have been looking for weeks now looking at holden barina, astra, ford focus, fiesta.... Agghhhhhh

I'd be including japanese cars in that list like yaris, swift, jazz, mazda 2 and so on.

yes, not too many of them in the price range, but am looking also.

Fiesta autos can be a big expense if they require repairs. It is the dual clutches that give the problem and expense. Country kilometers do not matter as much as stop/start city ks. A lot of autos are now dual clutch. The Fiesta is a good car, quiet, nice ride good sound system and easy to drive. The 1.6 litre manual would be a good pick. Yes there are Toyota, Hyundai, Kia to choose from as well.

The 2010 is a conventional auto. The Zetec is a better buy though- stability control and more airbags, amongst other goodies.

The cam timing could be out. Normally the cams are held in position whilst the belt is being changed. Have you looked up the P061C code? It seems it's related to an engine monitoring system for engine RPM which could point to the cam timing being out. I don't know why the cams seals were replaced unless they were leaking or if your vehicle has high kilometres. If the WS air cleaner is the same as the WT it is a good idea to clean our the rubbish at the bottom. Leaves, paper, plastic etc can gather there. A light sheet of paper or plastic could be sucked up under the element and partially block it, a long shot, I know.

Thanks, Stevo. The first thing that came to mind was the cam timing. I drove the car for several hundred kms before the belt change so have some comparison before and after. The error code points to the cam sensor or the crank angle sensor. It's booked back into the workshop. I did a 100km+ drive after the cam belt change and it was woeful: even worse, when I checked under the bonnet, the ancillary belt was beginning to fall apart. It seems that as a stretch belt it didn't like being reused. The cam seals were changed because they came with the kit. I've asked the kit retailer to look into why they put cam seals in even if they might not be needed, but if they are changed, the sprocket has to come off and so new bolts are required. Catch 22.

It was the cam timing. The belt kit came with three different bolts to "lock" the crankshaft and they used the wrong one.

The kits don’t come with pins to lock the crank, they are part of a locking kit which the workshop would have purchased. They’ve just used the wrong one or didn’t know it was a floating pulley setup and didn’t lock the crank

The 2006 model maybe OK. Our trouble was the auto dual clutch 6 speed in a 2011 model with only 20,500 klms on it but was a Sydney car so may have been in stop start traffic. A 2006 model may not have had that transmission. If it is a manual you would be pretty safe. It is hard to safely answer your question without knowing its history. I live in Tamworth & favor 2nd hand country cars, especially ones constantly driven out of town. 139,000+ is not a lot these days, helped by high gearing compared to old cars that revved like hell when taken out of town. If it has been garaged & serviced it should be a safe bet. They are a good car to drive but you can always look at Hyundai, Kia, Suzuki & Toyota small cars at a similar price to the Fiesta. Getting your local mechanic to look over it could help & give you peace of mind.