Ford Festiva First Impressions Update: Heat Works!

"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
10/15/2019 at 19:42 • Filed to: festiva

Rallydarkstrike is the winner! The heat works, it’s just extra quirky!

Original:

I’ve been driving the Festiva to and from work this week. Part of it is to see if there are any issues hidden from the naked eye, part of it is to teach myself how to drive a manual car.

I went into it treating the trans like a manual motorcycle trans, but that doesn’t lead to smooth shifts. Thankfully I’m a quick learner! Once I mastered smooth shifting and clutch control, I moved to hill starts. Back in Driver’s Ed (high school) we were taught that the parking brake could be used as a nice tool to start you on a hill. Unfortunately for me, the second I tried my parking brake the cable snapped. The lever went limp and it resulted in an amusing rollback. Thankfully nothing was behind me.

No big deal. I just do what I do when I’m too lazy to use the back brake on a motorcycle on a hill, stop myself from falling back by being quick with the clutch and throttle.

First gear is awesome in this little thing. It’ll go down to like 2mph without lugging or stalling. Might as well be a crawl gear!

I also had my first embarrassing stall this morning. A parking space just opened up behind me and I shoved it into Reverse to grab it. Only Reverse was actually fourth...I stalled out as a laughing programmer took the space.

Downside? The T shifter looks awesome but I have to stab myself in the leg to get into second or first gear. Gonna change this out for a pool ball or other round object ASAP. Or...

HMMMMM...

The radio is surprisingly decent. Can hear the stations nice and clear and all four speakers work very very well, unlike the Ranger! Unfortunately this headunit doesn’t have an AUX jack. Sads. I hate FM transmitters so I may just get a cheap headunit with an AUX jack.

The heater is not decent. In fact, it doesn’t work at all!

The blower blows strong and all of these settings work. It just blows cold. I let the car sit for a solid hour and I also drove around the neighbourhood. Thankfully the car does not overheat but it also confirms the heater doesn’t work. Maybe the core was bypassed? I’ll do some minimal troubleshooting and worst case get an electric heater. Lady at work recommended one that she said worked better than the actual heater in her car.

Speaking of vitals...

This bad boy has 282k on the clock and doesn’t even have a check engine light. The Ranger couldn’t even do 225k without shining its little light! I’ve joined a Festiva forum and immediately noticed how high mileage is worn like badges of honor. A surprising amount of these things are still putt putting around in the high 300ks 400s, and even 500s.

This car has manual steering like the smart does, but the steering is much harder for my weak noodles to turn despite the much bigger wheel and smaller rubber bands. Huh.

Visibility is AMAZING. This car doesn’t have a passenger mirror (came from the factory like that) which does throw me off every time I look to the right expecting one to be there, but the car has virtually no blind spots.

The interior is pretty rough...actually, the whole car is pretty rough. And yet, no rust holes in the floorpan. I estimate the car is two winters from becoming a David Tracy candidate. Ignore the pillow. I have a short torso so I use a pillow in every car.

It also has motorized seatbelts. These don’t seem very safe (the left one appears to also be held together with zip ties, which wtf) but I do admit that it’s super cool to see them in action. lol

I’m definitely keeping the wing, it actually lights up!

My verdict thus far? This car is INFINITELY more fun to drive than my Ranger was. No slushbox, an experience that involves every sense, and the car should be a little riot once I start shaving weight out of it. I can’t imagine how fun these were when they were new!

I’ve always wanted a Yugo type car and this is hitting the spot so so well.

DISCUSSION (38)

Shoop > Mercedes Streeter
10/15/2019 at 11:21

I kinda want something light and disposable like that. Would be a fun 6 months lol

shop-teacher > Mercedes Streeter
10/15/2019 at 11:46

These are the same feelings I had in the RallyMetro. These slow little manual/analog cars are a really unique kind of fun.

cmill189 - sans Volvo > Mercedes Streeter
10/15/2019 at 12:21

Pull out the headunit and see if it has an unused plug in the back. If so you should be able to get a Pioneer CD changer aux adapter from eBay.

punkgoose17 > Mercedes Streeter
10/15/2019 at 12:34

I am interested to see what weight you pull out of the car as they are already light weight and spartan. Now I want one. I got to get my Hyundai back on the road though.

Schaef_Camaero Z/28 > Mercedes Streeter
10/15/2019 at 12:44

Kinja'd!!!

Almost makes me miss my old one.. They’re fun little cars to tool around in, and all the room in the engine bay makes them super simple to work on. I added the passenger side mirror, a tach cluster & wheel beauty rings to mine. It’s almost comical how small all the parts are compared to regular sized cars.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Mercedes Streeter
10/15/2019 at 14:54

Cheap basic cars can be easy! I imagine the heater fix may not be TOO hard!

If I find the Festiva/Aspire Service Manual sitting around that I have for some reason (not sure where it is at the moment), I’ll see if I can find anything on it!

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Mercedes Streeter
10/15/2019 at 15:05

Also, re the heating issue - was doing some research and came across this comment:

“ The heater only blows HOT air when set on defrost or floor settings. If you have the lever set for vent, only cold air will come out. Check to make sure you set the controls to floor or defrost. This is standard for all Festiva s.”

Mercedes Streeter > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
10/15/2019 at 15:18

WAT.

I LOVE that quirk, omg.

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > Mercedes Streeter
10/15/2019 at 16:49

Almost makes me miss the Wagovan.

Almost.

But there is something decidedly fun about a little old econobox.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Mercedes Streeter
10/15/2019 at 16:58

Did it solve your issue??? :O

Mercedes Streeter > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
10/15/2019 at 17:01

I’ll find out in two hours! :)

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Mercedes Streeter
10/15/2019 at 17:42

Let me know and if not I’ll see if I can find that random Service Manual I have laying around! Don’t even know where it came from as nobody in my family or circle of friends has EVER even owned a Festiva, haha!

Mercedes Streeter > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
10/15/2019 at 19:36

What the hell, that worked!

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Mercedes Streeter
10/15/2019 at 19:55

This is just great. I hope you send it, till it breaks.

Mercedes Streeter > Schaef_Camaero Z/28
10/15/2019 at 19:59

Ooooooooh it's so clean! Crap, I'm probably going to want a minty Festiva one day.

Mercedes Streeter > punkgoose17
10/15/2019 at 20:02

Removing both doors, the hatch, rear seat, and rear interior trim. Add a high flow air filter . That was enough for the Festiva kart I drove to rip sick burnouts . I would go a step further and remove the dashboard, but I want to keep that part intact. The idea is the car will be even more stupid minimalist, but still able to be a daily.

NojustNo > Mercedes Streeter
10/15/2019 at 20:07

very old school like the old knobs you pulled out on American cars under the dash for fresh air. It's counterproductive to try to warm fresh air

subexpression > Mercedes Streeter
10/15/2019 at 20:23

I think a lot of cars used to have that same thing with the HVAC - defrost could blow hot or cold, upper (vent) only did cold, floor only did ho t. That’s part of the reason for that bi-level setting in between heat and vent.

I never saw the point of powered shoulder belts. They do n’t save effort because they a ren’t safe without fastening the lap belt. I guess it would have been handy with a shoulder injury that made it hard to reach up and back?

Lots of older cars I’ve been in had better visibility than current ones. I think the manufacturers addressed higher standards for crash testing partly by making all the posts thicker, the beltline higher, and the windows smaller. Plus this odd styling trend of having the really high trunk lid on sedans that kills your view out the back, and the odd shape of some front ends that makes it hard to tell exactly where the nose is.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Mercedes Streeter
10/15/2019 at 20:23

YAY!!! Glad to be of service, and glad there is nothing wrong! SUPER quirky and weird setup for the heat on that thing! 0_o How good IS the heater now that it is working, pray tell?

is the lighting for the gauge cluster in your pic the original factory lighting or did somebody put in some aftermarket LEDs or something?

Also....that fake stick-on ‘hood scoop’ really has to go...

ALSO also, if I can find that damn Service Manual, I’ll look up the parking brake info...

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Mercedes Streeter
10/15/2019 at 20:26

AWESOME! :D

SiennaMan > NojustNo
10/15/2019 at 21:12

That brings back some serious childhood memories right there.. my parents had a '75 Plymouth Valiant with those. Vinyl seats, and those two little boxes were the closest thing we had to "air conditioning"..

Longtime Lurker > Mercedes Streeter
10/15/2019 at 21:45

Ford always has quirky hvac controls. Did you notice on the Ranger how A/C can't be selected independent of mode.

someassemblyrequired > Mercedes Streeter
10/15/2019 at 21:54

Festivas are an absolute riot. Enjoy - they’re great little cars, and were pretty peppy and had decent handling when they were new. I guess they are technically a license built Mazda 121, so that’s to be expected.

shop-teacher > Mercedes Streeter
10/15/2019 at 22:18

Woot! Heat!!

Mercedes Streeter > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
10/16/2019 at 03:42

The heat is hot! I’m going to remove the doors from this thing so I doubt it’ll be adequate then, but for now it’s pretty toasty!

Not sure if the cluster and dash lighting is LED or not (it’s actually way brighter than what my phone captured) but it is really “ fresh” . I LOVE it!

Normally I would remove fake crap like that hood scoop (screwed on, unfortunately). B ut this is primarily a Gambler car, so stupid stuff like that and the faded flame job kinda give it additional wacky character ! That said, it still does kinda bother me. Get enough White Claw in me and I’ll remove it. lol

If my experience with this car continues to leave the awesome impression it currently is, I'll probably have to get one that's not roughed up and won't be rallied around without doors. :)

Mercedes Streeter > Longtime Lurker
10/16/2019 at 03:46

I did notice that! However, I’ve definitely driven quite a few cars where AC only worked in its own mode (probably all products Ford had their fingers in lol) , so I never found that to be super quirky. Never driven anything where getting hot air blown on you only worked through certain selections.

Mercedes Streeter > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
10/16/2019 at 03:49

Then I’ll buy another and do it again!

My only fear is that I’ll end up loving these cars so much that I’d have to buy a cleaner, rust free one.

:`)

nerd_racing > Mercedes Streeter
10/16/2019 at 07:23

Welcome to the sickness! I’ve had 4 Festivas and about 9 Aspires. They are great little cars and the ownership community is very good for repair help and custom modifications. There is a facebook group you should join. Also fun fact, the HVAC controls on the Festiva are the same as the Autozam AZ-1, just rotated 90 degrees. I have the same no vent heat in the AZ-1.

nerd_racing > Mercedes Streeter
10/16/2019 at 07:24

Grab an 88-89 dash, it’s 20+ lbs lighter.

Mercedes Streeter > nerd_racing
10/16/2019 at 08:52

What group is that? I saw there is a FordFestiva.com but it’s hella dead.

And omg. I may end up wanting to buy a clean one to have as a non-Gambler. These things are probably even more of a hoot when they aren't worn down!

nerd_racing > Mercedes Streeter
10/16/2019 at 09:29

Just wait until you engine swap it. They also have a great chassis base for handling. The facebook group is fordfestiva.com. There’s also a messenger chat, but that can get intense. hundreds of notifications daily. I went to Ford Festiva Madness in Raleigh NC the first weekend in October. It was the third time I made it down and it was well worth the drive.

Schaef_Camaero Z/28 > Mercedes Streeter
10/16/2019 at 11:09

That appears to be the factory dash lighting.

Looking forward to more Festiva posts!

Mercedes Streeter > nerd_racing
10/16/2019 at 11:32

Ah, makes sense they’d effectively move the forum to Facebook. The Facebook group is a LOT more active than the old site is. Thanks! :)

nerd_racing > Mercedes Streeter
10/16/2019 at 11:38

Oh good. I’ve been a part of the community since 2003, it’s been an interesting evolution over the years.

Mercedes Streeter > nerd_racing
10/16/2019 at 17:27

It’s definitely a tough crowd. They hate the Gambler 500...like a lot. First comment on my first post was trying to convince me to part out the valuable parts from the car. They also stalk Gambler 500 pages to save cars from us and, judge us, I guess.

I take it I won’t be very popular there. lol

nerd_racing > Mercedes Streeter
10/17/2019 at 08:12

Think of it this way, if someone was doing the same thing with Smarts and you had to sit there and watch people beat them to hell, make trucks out of them, and all that jazz, you’d probably react similarly.

I think they are more concerned with the cars than the people, which is not always best. If you get a clean one after gambler and start posting about that one too, it will help a bit. The guy who turned a yellow one into a mud car caught tons of flack at first, especially since it was a rare yellow one, but eventually people got over it.

Mercedes Streeter > nerd_racing
10/17/2019 at 09:55

Back in the day I would get angry at needless smart destruction. Then at some point I realized it’s just a car and not even a special car. That’s part of why I have no problems taking my beloved daily smart offroad and the dude making utes out of them in Canada is a hero to me. Now misinformation? That will forever tick me off with any subject. lol Vandalism is also not cool. But an owner destroying their own car? Have at it.

I figure people will get over it. Another gambler hopped into the post to say about the one he uses for rallies. I’ve already offered to sell those apparently super expensive headlights and detailed that I’m not trying to kill the car, just offroad it. Also mentioned that I do want a clean car one day. So I’m not just joining their forum to talk about possibly killing a car. :)

Did learn a few things, like third generation Ranger headlights fit and IMO, look awesome on a Festy!

nerd_racing > Mercedes Streeter
10/17/2019 at 10:38

the first guy who chimed in can be quite an odd bird. But he usually means well.