Starting a car with a misfire?
I have a 2000 Ford Fiesta 1.2 Zetec (Zetec engine & trim, not just trim name!) with a misfire on no. 3 cylinder. I have been told this is likely to be a burnt exhaust valve - both the injector and spark plugs are fine, and no other cylinders misfire.
I intend to fix/replace the engine, although the car will be stood up for a few weeks (maybe a month or two) before work can start on it (due to funding). I intend to tick the car over periodically as normal, as though there wasn't a misfire - maybe once or twice a week - just to keep the electrics going.
I was just wondering if there are any inherent issues (other than damaging the catalytic converter) with starting and ticking over a car with a misfire on 1 cylinder? She still fires up and runs, though only really for loading purposes. I don't intend to move the car, just keep the electrics going until I can transport the car.
You only need a head rebuild. If you do this the valve seat may need to be rebuilt possibly requiring another head. I would not start it because a battery is cheaper than a head.
If the misfire is steady and rythmatic in relation to engine RPM, most likely it's a burnt exhaust valve. Another way to tell is with a cylinder leak down test.
My guess would be the distributor cap is carbon-ed up. It should be easy enough to take it off and look inside. Before you drop big money on valve work.
Forget starting it up to keep the electrics going.
Buy a trickle charger and use that once every week or two to keep the battery charged.
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