Ford Falcon Gearbox & Transmission Problems

Consult another auto transmission specialist and get his opinion. If you weren't happy with the advice you were getting from your doctor, you would get a second opinion. That's what you should do in this case.

We've passed your comments on to Ford for a response, but in the meantime we would like other FG owners to tell us if their cars also have this vibration.

I can recall when driving XR8 utes around the Winton race track a few years ago that it only took a couple of laps of hard driving for the diff to start whining. The answer than was to change the oil. It's a good tip for anyone whose car has a noisy diff.

CHECK the firewall, specifically the bracket that takes the clutch cable. It is known to break where it is welded to that panel because of flexing of the firewall. Even if it is cracked, the pedal can feel normal and have the correct free play, but because the bracket moves when you depress the pedal, the clutch doesn't throw out enough and will drag when you go to shift gears. If you find the bracket is cracked, a repair kit is available from Ford. It may also be that the clutch is dragging because it is worn.

UNFORTUNATELY, you have the Falcon ute blues. The one-tonner Ford supplied for me to drive a few months ago had the vibration you complain about, but I think it's from the driveline, not the transmission. The transmission clunk you complain about is common and Ford's fix is to change the transmission. Unfortunately, the clunk usually returns. Many owners have had several transmissions in their Falcons. I don't believe Ford has a fix, it's just the way the cars are, but you can try maintaining your rage.

IF YOU'RE unhappy, keep the pressure on Ford to take some action. They might be able to give you a clutch with more damping to soften clunking, or some other components that will do the trick. I am sure they will know some sort of fix.

We haven't had much feedback as yet, but by chance we've now had two in the last week or so, yours and the one from Garry Haynes that is also published this week. That suggests there could be a problem and we will follow it up with Ford.

Consider fitting an external transmission oil cooler to your car. That will bypass the problem oil cooler in the radiator and you shouldn't have any further issues.

THANKS Ross for the info on the radiator fix. We must warn that doing what Ross has done to his cars will void your new-car warranty as far as the radiator, cooling system and auto transmission is concerned. If you do plan to make the modification you need to be aware of this.

THE radiators have been a problem for some time, and most owners only find out they have a problem when the transmission starts acting up. That's usually too late and they end up having to pay for an expensive transmission rebuild. The problem is with the cooler in the radiator, which fails, letting coolant into the transmission. At least Ford came to the party and helped with the cost of repairs, even though you might have liked more.