FiestaLX

Hey, I have a 02 Ford Fiesta LX. A few weeks ago I noticed that when changing gears (mainly 2nd / 3rd) it was stuttering, especially going up hills and there appeard to be a lack of power. A day or two later the engine light started flashing until eventually it was on permanentaly.

I changed spark plugs and HT leads firstly which didn't seem to do anything. The area around the HT leads was covered in an orange/brown substance which appeared to be rust and the area was slightly damp which could explain it. I got a new ignition coil which appeared to fix the issue, I didn't notice any missfiring, the second gear seemed a little chunky but nothing in comparison to before. My engine light was still constantly on so I re-connected the battery to restore defaults and after a bit of driving and engine restarts the light went off.

However I just did a short journey with 2 friends in the car and the issue seemed to come back, especially in second gear the car is stuttering when accelerating, overall it's not as bad as what it was but it still isn't fixed and I don't really want to drive it encase it worsens. It seems worse with more weight in the car, not too bad on my own.

After checking my cars air filter turns out it doesn't have one and has 55,000 miles clocked, not sure exactly how much was without a filter, but bought it at 35,000 so min of 20,000 w/o filter. I have also orderd a fuel filter but I am doubtful that it will fix the problem, I think it's most likely electrical as the coil seemed to make a significant difference.

Does anyone have any other suggestions I could try before I take it to a garrage and let them bend me over in costs?

Thanks

EDIT: Sorry think I put this in the wrong section, should have put it in the Fiesta forum. Apologies.