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Ford Falcon Problems

Are you having problems with your Ford Falcon? Let our team of motoring experts keep you up to date with all of the latest Ford Falcon issues & faults. We have gathered all of the most frequently asked questions and problems relating to the Ford Falcon in one spot to help you decide if it's a smart buy.

The air-conditioning in my 2013 Ford Falcon ute is only working intermittently

This sounds like a case of the air-conditioner freezing up over time. It can be caused by a few things, but essentially, it will start out cold and then gradually lose effectiveness till it's hardly blowing air at all, and that air is no longer cold.

It's caused by a build-up of ice in the system which blocks the air flow and prevents any further chilling of the air coming into it. To check this, next time it happens, jump out, open the bonnet and see if there's ice forming on the air-conditioning pipes under the bonnet. If that's the case, an air-conditioning specialist should be able to identify the problem and sort it.

How much can I expect when selling a 1993 Ford Falcon?

This is a classic case of how long is a piece of string. Without knowing things like the car's condition, its service history, mileage and its specification, it's impossible to hazard a guess. These things sell for anything from $500 in rough, running condition with no registration nor roadworthy certificate, all the way up to $40,000 for an immaculate V8-powered, highly optioned version. So, somewhere between those two figures is your answer.

But assuming a six-cylinder car in decent condition with average mileage, with a RWC and no damage or serious wear and tear, you should be looking at something like $3000 to $8000. Sorry I can't be more specific than that.

How can I find history on my Ford Boss 260 XR8?

It sounds like you have a very odd vehicle, Ian. All the information I've ever seen tells me that the BA Falcon range was released on September 30 2002 (not October as many believe) and that the Boss 260-powered XR8 didn't hit showrooms until early (January) 2003. Which makes your BA XR8 with a 2001 build-date a real anomaly.

Possibilities include your car being a very early prototype that escaped the crusher (which was the fate of most prototypes) and is possibly an AU Falcon bodyshell that has been converted to BA Falcon panels. The two models shared a lot more metal than they appear to, which was the clever part of Ford's update of the AU to BA.

But here's another clue: From memory, the AU Falcon used a conventional compliance plate rivetted to the car's underbonnet. But the BA was (I think) the first to use a sticker rather than a stamped plate. If your car has a stamped plate rather than a sticker, that suggests it has AU Falcon origins.

The ULEASHED decal on the bonnet is another mystery and is unlikely to have been a Ford Australia addition. Which makes me wonder if perhaps the car wasn't an early BA Falcon XR8 mock-up that was used for promotional purposes, say, for a race-team.

You used to be able to contact Ford Australia and quote the car's VIN which would enable the car's origins to be traced, but I believe that service has been discontinued. There are also online VIN decoders that might give an answer, but since it appears this car is a one-off, maybe it won't recognise the VIN. It all sounds intriguing, so please keep us in the loop.

Is a 2014 Ford Mondeo ZETEC TDCi (two-litre diesel) any good for towing?

All the information I can find on this car suggests that the towing limit (with a braked trailer) is 1600kg, not 2000kg as suggested by your source. At which point, you'd need to be pretty careful you didn't inadvertently overload the car by adding a toolbox or other gear to the trailer.

The Mondeo is not really the ideal vehicle for towing heavy loads as it's front-drive layout means it doesn't have the traction a rear-drive car does when towing. A slippery boat ramp, for instance, might pose no problem for a rear-drive car, while forcing a front-drive car trying to haul a boat out of the water to struggle with wheelspin.

That said, the turbo-diesel engine in the Mondeo is a strong, torquey thing, so provided you don't stray on to slippery or loose surfaces, the Mondeo should be able to do the job. Again, though, your 1500kg projected load is almost at the car's legal limit.

It's not just transmissions that cop a hiding when towing, either. Just about everything on the car from the brakes to the cooling system will wear faster when subjected to the extra strain of towing a big load.

What oil is recommended for my LPG Barra Falcon 2008?

Oil manufacturers recommend a 10W-50 semi-synthetic oil for this engine. But not just any 10W-50. Crucially, the oil needs to be formulated specifically for LPG engines which have different combustion by-products and, therefore, require a different additive package in their oil compared with a car running on petrol or diesel.

Your car has covered quite a distance, but modern metallurgy and engine design suggests that 330,000km is not too many kilometres these days, and the engine could have plenty left to give. If it's starting to use a little oil between services, you could consider going to a slightly thicker grade of oil to compensate, but make sure it's still specifically formulated for an engine running on LPG.

Why does my BA Ford Falcon overheat while under load or driving up a hill?

The reason the car overheats under load or when travelling uphill is simply because it's defying gravity and, therefore, doing more work in those circumstances. Think of it as a person using a staircase. They'll go down the stairs easily, but they'll sweat more going up them, and more again going up the stairs with a suitcase under each arm. In a car's engine, hauling a load or driving uphill requires more throttle which, in turn, injects more fuel into the cylinders. And more fuel burned equals more heat. It's as simple as that.

If you've replaced the radiator, water pump and thermostat, you've started logically enough, but simply replacing bits and pieces is not the way to proceed as you've already discovered by replacing parts that were probably good (and didn't fix the problem). You could have a collapsed radiator hose (Were these replaced, too?) or a problem with the fuel-air ratio which can make a car run hot when it's under duress. The steering column sounds unrelated, but if the wiring to the dashboard was damaged during this process, it's possible that the temperature gauge is reading incorrectly and the engine may not be running hot at all. An electronic scan will be able to check the actual running temperature as well as uncovering any fault codes the computer has logged.

Don't rule out things like a build up of debris inside the cooling passages in the engine that could be blocking the flow of coolant. And a check of the radiator overflow bottle is a good idea. These have been known to perish and crack on Falcons, allowing some coolant to escape, leaving you with a low radiator level when you need it most.

What grade oil should I use in my 2008 Ford Falcon?

Most oil manufacturers familiar with this make and model recommend either a full or semi-synthetic oil with a viscosity of 5W30 or 10W30. So that's what we'd recommend, too. You could probably go to a 20W40 without doing any damage, but why change if there's no need to?

Unless the engine is really worn out and starting to burn oil, there's not much point going to a thicker (heavier) oil. And the reality with this engine (and many like it) is that 250,000km is not actually super-high mileage these days. Back in the 1950s and 60s when an engine was often worn out at the 100,000km mark, things were different, but modern metallurgy and production tolerances (not to mention taller gearing) mean that an engine with 250,000km on board can still feel and perform like a new one. So treat it like one.

The back left bulb in my 2008 Ford Falcon is not working

It seems a little odd that a new bulb hasn't fixed your problem, especially as the other tail-light is working properly. If both tail-lights had failed, the first thing to check would be the fuse or relay that controls that circuit. But since it's only the light on one side that's affected, that probably won't be the case (both the BF Falcon's tail-lights share a single fuse).

The BF Falcon launched in 2008 was the first local Ford to use CAN BUS electronic technology and that could be the cause of your problem. If the computer isn't sending the correct, coded signal (as opposed of just a stream of volts) to the component in question (in this case the tail-light) then the light may not work. A scan of the vehicle might throw up some more clues.

If it's not that, that leaves you with a bad connection (possibly a bad earth) within the wiring for the troublesome light or perhaps even a problem with the bayonet mount into which the globe clips. Don't rule out something as unlikely as the new globe being faulty, either. It's happened before. Spray some terminal cleaner into the globe mount and see if that restores power to the light.

Fords of this era are notorious for electrical problems, including brake-light switches that fail and even body computers that crash, taking many functions including the central locking with them.

I would like to know if I can go back to petrol in my straight-gas 2021 Ford Falcon ute

I'm not sure what vehicle you're talking about, as Ford stopped making the Falcon ute in 2016, regardless of what fuel it ran on.

But, if your ute was made by Ford as a gas-dedicated vehicle (it was a factory option) then changing it back to petrol would be an enormous job with – as you have noted – the need to source a fuel tank and all the fuel-injection gear to work with petrol as opposed to LPG. Even making the fuel gauge work with petrol instead of LPG would require changes.

If your ute was dual-fuel (with the ability to run on either LPG and petrol) you could simply leave it as is and just run it on petrol, but a gas-dedicated ute needs to be converted to use petrol.

You'd almost certainly be better to sell your car and buy a Falcon ute that already runs on petrol. That said, don't write LPG off yet. As petrol and diesel prices continue to rise, LPG might just come back into fashion as a cheaper alternative fuel.

I'm not sure where you read that LPG would be phased out in the next two years, but the internet is full of misinformation and conspiracy theories. Be very careful what you believe. That said, since Australia isn't making any more cars, there won't be any LPG cars sold new, and anecdotally, finding a service station with LPG is becoming more difficult as electric cars become the new default alternative to petrol.

I wanted to get your advice on an older cheap car for around $5-7K. Do you have any recommendations?

It’s a bit hard to go past an older Holden Commodore or Ford Falcon for this brief. That said, your towing requirement means you’d be best looking at something like an AU (1998 to 2003) Falcon Ute (assuming you only need to move one other person).

These are strong, simple cars that any mechanic can deal with and parts are plentiful and relatively cheap. There are other options (older Japanese dual-cabs) but nothing really gets close to the Aussie stuff for durability and running costs. An elderly Nissan Navara, for instance, might do the job but is likely to become fragile as it ages. A two-wheel-drive Toyota HiLux is another possibility, but you’d probably be right at the limit of your towing capacity with one of those. The Falcon ute, meanwhile, can legally tow 2300kg. It’s not glamorous or sexy, but it’ll do the job and stay on target price-wise.

The other obvious contender would be an early Mitsubishi Pajero with a V6 engine. These had a towing capacity of 2500kg and are around now for very little money, certainly within your budget. They also double as a very handy off-roader should you wish.

Disclaimer: You acknowledge and agree that all answers are provided as a general guide only and should not be relied upon as bespoke advice. Carsguide is not liable for the accuracy of any information provided in the answers.
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