Fiesta 1.3 1997

[Sperry6]

What would be causing a car to cut out when braking, at junctions and slowing down on the motorway?

[Philtaz]

Must be particular to Fords because my wife's Escort would suffer exactly the same problem! Unfortunately we never got to the bottom of it and scrapped it. The electrics were always dodgy(as on all Fords) and a mechanic reckoned we may have even been getting water into the fuel system. AVOID FORDS LIKE THE PLAGUE!

[Mortartube]

My Sierra does this. On my car, there is an electric sensor that senses the flow of air into the engine, after a while sooty dirt builds up inside the pipe that it fits in, (it's after the air filter). The dirt needs cleaning out from the sensor area with something like a J - Cloth taped round a paintbrush handle. After this cleaning the Sierra works fine. You may have a similar setup on your engine, my engine's injected. Check your air filter as well, it may need replacement. Good luck.

[ewand]

If I understand your problem correctly, it seems to be a faulty "idle speed" valve. If you take your fiesta to a ford garage, they'll wire it up to a computer, and this should identify this as the issue. To replace one costs about �50ish, but it regulates the speed that the engine ticks over etc. When I had a problem with mine, the engine cut out at traffic lights and when slowing down on the motorway etc. However, theres a possibility yours might just need cleaning......if so, bobs your uncle, problem solved!

[Senga-Marie]

I concur with Mortartube I sounds very likely to be a simplr blockage in the breather tube also underneath the cam cover there is a mesh which can become blocked with goo which wont help matters much either,get your mechanic to look at these first,.

[rinkytink]

Could also be dirt/matter getting in the carburetor. Remove the top of the carburetor housing and you will see the carburetor entrance and throttle plate. Cover the whole of this with a thick cloth and rev the enginge at the same time. Just as the engine is about to cut out remove the cloth. This will cause arush of air into the carb. flushing throuh and dirt. (Make sure you don't allow any of the cloth into the carb!!)

[Mortartube]

I would like to add to Rinkytinks answere. If you decide to do this, use a CLEAN LINT FREE CLOTH, otherwise a small bit of something will be sucked into the internal carburettor jets and will almost certainly entail a complete carb dismantling.

[Sperry6]

Thanks for the advice everyone.Eventually took the car in today and the problem was a faulty idle speed valve.