Ford Ka 2 Stalling?

ford ka it starts but when u press the throtol it dips as its going cut out and then gets its power in like a second what could it be

wayne perry
May 2012

my ka is a mess, during drivin the engine maintenance light, airbag light and temperature light would come on shortly followed by the engine skipping, like it jams momentarily, it would repeat this until i slowed down then it would cut out and not start again, the starter would just tick rapidly. So far ive replaced the battery, the alternator, crank shaft sensor, idle speed valve and ive damp proofed all the leads i could find! I hope it works now but im not optimistic, ive spent 400 on it! Anyone got a clue what else could be affecting it? I suspected solenoid on starter or maybe the coilpack bein damage, this problem goes well beyond my knowledge!... Thanks!

Tom Ivor
October 2009

In my case the stalling cause was the lambda sensor (exhaust o2 sensor) which was sporadically failing, I measured it after the car failed the MOT test and after some time it failed. This was a nasty problem because the sensor mostly behaved find and garages couldn't find the problem.

Hrvoje Dagelic
September 2009

What I wrote up there about that screw-fix IS WRONG and it didn't fix it (although it did hold for a month or two)

I solved it definitely now and in my case the culprit was the Lambda sensor that was sporadically failing that caused awful overfueling. After replacing the sensor (got an scrap yard one) the car didn't stall once for 3 months. And just before it was stalling every day. That was my case but it can be something different for you.

I was lucky that the car failed the emission test miserably due to the sensor being in it's bad phase. The CO at MOT was 2.6 (0.5 permitted :)


Here's how you can measure the Lambda sensor (exhaust O2 sensor mounted on the engine):

- Get an voltmeter; some recommend against an analogue one and say that it can damage the sensor due to low resistance but I used it; just put it to the 10V range not lower. It worked for me but...hmmm...

- get some wire (the type that has little thin ones inside) remove the insulation, and make two thin wires.

- put the thin wires in the holes of the multiplug of the lambda sensor where the black wire (signal +) and the gray wire (signal -) connect. Bend them down so they wouldn't leave the holes when you connect the male plug and make sure they don't connect with each other!

- connect the voltmeter to the wires (+ black, - gray), start the car and watch what happens (if nothing happens for a long time; check the connections first).


- In a minute or so the voltage should go up to around 0.8V and as the engine heats up it should begin to swing between 0.2 and 0.8 volts around once or twice every two seconds. If it doesn't rev the engine little higher. When the voltage is low (0.2) this indicates a lean mixture; too much air; and when it's high this means that there is too little air and too much fuel. The swinging occurs because the ECU is regulating the ratio.

In my case the sensor was behaving fine and I did 6 measurements in 4 hours (because I was curious) and it showed faulty behaviour on the 6th one! The fault was that the sensor was staying at zero and even going into negative and at that time the engine had a tendency to stall when lowering throttle to idle (and smelled bad:). If you can, you can try to measure the sensor when the car is in it's "stalling phase".

Hrvoje Dagelic
December 2008

Mine was the idle control valve - was stalling and showing the battery and oil light. They cleaned it and running OK now only£14 in total! :)

maria
December 2008

My KA 2 keeps doing this!! For months the car has been shaking (like vibrating!!) when i come to a stop, the steering wheel starts to shake at me. Now the car seems to give up and cut out all together and the battery and oil light comes up red, i can get away with driving the car if i keep reving the car when i come to a stop but i definately need to get it fixed, i am going to try some of the suggestions on here as i havent got the money to take it to a garage!!

Kim
November 2008

Take off idle control valve clean soak overnite in wd40 and refit next morning and this should solve your problem. repeat this procedure when necessary

sean curran
August 2008

i just bought one love it to bits drives great apart from the occaisional stall. gonna try icv. HELP.

dawson 108
May 2008

I had this problem, it was very tricky and they couldn't fix it in the garage.

- It wasn't the IACV (I cleaned it and replaced it with the new one)
- It wasn't the TPS
- It wasn't the clutch switch
- It wasn't the dirty throttle plate

But couple of days ago I fixed it - and it was a very primitive problem, no sensor and no electronics. Here's how it goes:

- The problem was that the engine was not getting enough air because the throttle (butterfly valve) was closing too much. There is a screw that acts as a limiter (see the picture) but you can't adjust it because it's bolted from the inside. But you can screw a nut on it so that it limits it one mm higher.

You can try the following way:

- start the engine - rev it a little and then disconnect the IACV
- if the engine stops when lowering the throttle to the end then you
can try this fix (of course, clean the IACV first because dirty IACVs
are the most common cause for stalling)

- After installing the nut the engine should not die with IACV disconnected
but it should struggle to keep running

Of course, you should LOWER THE TPS VOLTAGE after doing this so that it can recognize the idle and not over-rev. With 0.4V it works perfectly for me. You can adjust the TPS voltage by elongating it's mounting holes and turning it in the direction the throttle turns.

If the new nut-limit is too high it will take a little longer for the engine to adjust the idle speed, and if it's much too high it will be unable to adjust it and if will idle too high. The spot is also very difficult to reach but it's possible to install the nut without taking the throttle body off with the help of some tool to hold it while turning it with your finger from the right side. You should also put something on the throttle to keep it open while doing that. To fasten the nut you can use a screwdriver and a hammer to tap it tangentially. In my case the nut was just a little bit to big so I filed it a little in place.


Here's the image:

www.ffdi.hr/~hdagelic/endura-e.jpg

Hrvoje Dagelić
April 2008

Daughters Ka had same prob, I dismantled idle control valve, sprayed in loads of lubricant WD40 and then opened and closed the valve manually until it became free on the shaft. All done in about 30 mins and worked like a dream. Thanks for the tip!

Dave Bicknell
January 2007

i have the same problem. i change fuel filter, cleaned the idle control valve and it still happens. i am going to fit a new idle valve but i dont hold my breath. it seems so common on ka's. will let all know if it works with a new valve.
by the way new ones are sold on ebay for around £30 so look on there before going to FORDS

Samantha Tibbs
November 2006

Don't know if this'll help, but....
I have a Ka with 130 000 miles on it and if it stalls between gear changes, or when coming to a stop - change the Idle valve. (front of engine - easy - two bolts and a push fit connector) Don't bother messing about seeing if it's ok, just bite the bullet and get a new one! - about £70 and it'll last about 70 000 miles unless you're unlucky. Don't buy a second-hander at any price (why would anyone sell one if it's not broken?)
If your Ka over revs between gear changes it's probably the throttle potentiometer - they become 'gunged up' with age, and are slow to 'return' under spring pressure - again, easy to do but this time it's two torx bolts (get the right size - they're made of chocolate!!!) and a push fit connector - found at the rear of the 'black box thing' on top of the engine - opposite end to the bit that moves (looks like a spring) when you press the accelerator pedal. This time you may be lucky - just take it off and soak everything in WD40 or oil, never mind what anyone says about it being bad for it - it's being bad anyway! Refit, and with luck you'll be OK - if not then buy a new one (not second hand)
Oh, and by the way if your brake fluid light comes on (but there's fluid in the reservoir) take the top off the reservoir and there's a spring loaded 'thingy' that pops up - this is held down by the top itself and if the push fit 'middle bit' of the top is loose it will give a false reading (ie illuminate the light). Just stretch some duck tape over the 'lid' any you're away (mines lasted like this for over 100 000 miles)
Hope it helps and good luck...
Les Fornear

Leslie Fornear
April 2006

had this problem,replace air control valve,easy to do ,but part from ford only and is £70 approx,try wd40 aerosol spray in valve first to lubricate it, before replacing.

PAUL
February 2005

Hi

I'm having exactly the same problem with my Ka.......somebody out there must know what's going on !!

Andrew Blundell
February 2005