Ford Fairmont Engine Problems

YOU don't say whether it has throttle body injection or multi-point fuel injection, but it sounds to be a fuel-supply problem. It could be an intermittent fault with the fuel pump, or even a blockage in a filter or pickup. If it is the fuel-injected engine I'd have the injectors cleaned.

Carbon build-up in the combustion chamber is normal and can effectively reduce the size of the chamber and increase the compression ratio, which can then lead to a pinging noise. The old way to deal with it was to blow the carbon out by giving the car a long run at high speed. You would then usually see a cloud of brownish smoke from the exhaust. The other way to de-coke the heads is to remove them and clean the carbon out by hand. I'm guessing your mechanic hasn't suggested that because it is an expensive option.

We have had a number of reports on the effects E10 has on cars, and yours is similar to others we’ve received. Rougher idling is an expected outcome with the fuel, even the biofuels people admit to that, and other owners have reported starting problems. It’s still early days for E10, so it’s advisable to be cautious until we know more about it.

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.

Leaking injectors is a relatively common problem when the kays get up a bit, so check that again, but also check the fuel pressure relief valve to make sure it’s functioning correctly.

THIS is a common problem with the 5.4-litre V8 and has been for a long time, so you would think Ford and its dealers would have worked out a way of removing the spark plugs without breaking them. That you cop a bill of almost $2400 just to remove the spark pugs is disgraceful. Ford and the dealer should both be ashamed for not working out a solution a long time ago.

An air valve system that works much like a carburetor was the system that would have been used back in the 1990's when your car was built and that would be the cheapest system to use if cost is your priority. These systems were fitted to millions of cars over many years and performed well. Injection systems are the alternative and these drive and perform better than the old air valve ones, but they're quite a bit more expensive. I would choose an injection system for the performance and drivability, but go for the air valve if you want a more affordable system.

That’s a lot of water to lose. If it were a head gasket that had failed I would expect the engine to be running roughly, a spark plug to be showing evidence of water contamination, and coolant in the oil. If its running normally and there’s no sign of coolant in the oil than its fair to assume the mechanic was correct and its not a head gasket. Falcons of that vintage are renowned for failing the transmission oil cooler, which is in the radiator, and if that happened coolant leaks into the auto trans. Also check for external leaks, damage to the radiator etc.

THE consumption works out to be 23.9 litres/100km, or 11.9 miles a gallon in the old money, which is pretty high. That said you have to expect higher fuel consumption when towing, how high depends heavily on the weight of the caravan, the front it presents to the wind, and the sort of road you're towing over. A recent trip to the Northern Territory in a Subaru Outback towing various sized camper trailers saw the Outback's normally good fuel consumption climb 30 per cent with an 800kg camper trailer on the back, and more than 60 per cent when towing a 1200kg poptop caravan.

THE XF six-cylinder had an alloy cylinder head on a cast-iron block, a combination that was prone to corrosion, which makes it important to use a corrosion inhibitor and not just plain water. Ford recommends that 300ml of inhibitor be added to the cooling system every 12,000km, and that the coolant be drained and replaced every 46,000km, at which time you should add 600ml of inhibitor.