Ford Fairlane Problems

It really needs a mechanic with diagnostic equipment to trace the problem, but it sounds like the whole system is shutting down. I would suspect that it could be a fault with the computer.

The problem isn’t with the speedo, it sounds like you have deeper problems inside the transmission. Have an auto trans specialist look at it.

It’s likely to be the gear set that’s causing the noise, have an auto trans specialist drive the car for you for a more exact diagnosis.

It’s obviously frustrating and of course will affect the resale value when you come to move it on. There’s not much you can do about it; perhaps you could consult the consumer affairs people to get their opinion on whether Nissan should provide some compensation for what would seem to be an issue with their cars. One way of reducing the wear on seats is to slide the seat back before getting out, that way you won’t rub the seat as you exit. It’s the same when you get in, if the seat has already been slid back you won’t rub across the bolster as you enter, and of course you then have to slide the seat forward to your normal driving position.

You should be getting around 13-14.0 l/100 km in town and 9-10.0 L/ 100 km on a trip, so clearly all is not well. The first thing to do is to ensure the spark plugs, leads, air filter, throttle body are all functioning correctly, and replace them if it's suspected they're not. Have the dealer check the exhaust back pressure, catalytic converter and oxygen sensors to make sure isn't running unduly rich or have a restricted exhaust. Look at your driving conditions, for instance, do you mainly do short runs around Ballarat that might not allow the engine to warm-up properly.

Ford has been using cooler pipes that make it difficult to break into to fit an external cooler, but there's always a way around a problem. Take your car to AW Automatics in Ferntree Gully and have Andrew take a look at it.

The consumption does seem to be higher than it should be. Ford's claim when the AUII was launched was 9.0 L/100 km on the highway, 14.5 L/100 km around town with an average of 11 L/100 km. The fuel consumption shown on the trip computer is usually accurate, as it actually measures the fuel being injected into the engine. It's probably time it had a tune, so I would suggest you do that.

It does sound like it's a brake problem and should be able to be fixed by a brake specialist. You could also take it to a competent mechanic, who should be able to fix it, or a Ford dealer

You can use regular unleaded or the E10 ethanol blend. Swap meets are good places to find things like owner's manuals, and you could also try e-bay.

Yes, it is. The problem is related to the 5.4-litre three-valve V8 used in the BA and doesn't affect the 5.0-litre V8 in the earlier model.