Ford Falcon Problems

Ford launched the ill-fated AU Falcon with the slogan “You’ve come a long way baby” and proclaimed it as “dramatically different”. It was rather too dramatic for the conservative tastes of many Australians, and what was otherwise a decent car was crucified for its sad, down-in-the-mouth shape, but if you can put its depressing styling aside you’ll find a very competent family sedan that’s going for a song on the used car market.MODEL WATCHThe AU was doomed from the start when the motoring media jumped all over its radical styling. Some didn’t like the Forte’s waterfall grille, others the overuse of oval shapes, which was reminiscent of the imported Taurus, but most loathed the way it fell away at the corners, in particular the rear corners.It seems that there were plenty of Australians who agreed with the criticisms and either put off buying a new car and stuck to their older EF or EL Falcons or switched to a Commodore.While styling is a matter of individual taste, there were some practical criticisms of the AU’s shape. Headroom was limited, and it was easy to bang your head on the roof side rail as you got in or out of the front or rear. The shape of the rear door openings, and doors, was also criticised for the way it made it difficult to get in to the rear seat.AU’s interior also came in for some well deserved criticism. The extensive use of oval shapes and cheap looking plastics created a dash with a cheap and nasty appearance. Otherwise the Falcon’s interior was roomy and quite comfortable, although the aforementioned headroom problem was something taller drivers had to contend with.Power was predominantly from Ford’s venerable 4.0-litre overhead camshaft straight six that was more refined and smoother than before due to increased rigidity of the crankshaft, cross-bolted main bearing caps and a structural aluminium oil pan.Power from the base ‘Intech’ engine was 157 kW at 4900 rpm, while torque was 357 Nm at 3000 rpm, which gave it plenty of punch, and made it ideal for towing.For greater economy Ford offered a dual-fuel option, which allowed owners to take advantage of the lower price of LPG. While peak power of the LPG engine was down on the petrol version, the torque was the same; hence there wasn’t much loss of performance.Another neat feature of the AU was the fail-safe cooling which allowed you to limp home even if you lost all coolant from the system. The system simply shut down individual cylinders as needed to cut the running temperature of the engine.Naturally such a system required a level of reliability of things like the cylinder head gasket and Ford put a lot of work into improving it, which will be a great relief to Falcon owners who suffered head gasket failures on earlier models.The auto trans in the AU was more refined with smoother shifting, with claims that the service life would be as high as 250,000 km.The AU’s suspension promised improved comfort and handling, with revisions to the double wishbone front and Watts Link live axle rear. Independent rear suspension was available as an option.Forte was a new name to the Falcon range. The new badge, which has since disappeared in the BA, was fitted to the base model, while the familiar Futura and Fairmont badges were retained for the luxury and luxury sports models.IN THE SHOPContinuous development over many years has seen the Falcon evolve into a sturdy car that doesn’t have a lot of faults, at least major ones.Mechanics report few problems with the AU, there doesn’t appear to be the same issue with cylinder head gasket failure as there was in earlier models. A design revision on AU has cleaned up the problem pretty well, although further improvements to the head gasket in the new BA would tend to suggest that Ford didn’t think the problems were completely solved in AU.On the road, there is little to complain about, although the Falcon is not as economical as the Commodore, at least around town. Expect the Falcon six to use about 15-20 per cent more fuel in city usage, but there is little difference on the highway.WATCH FOR:• Sad styling has made the AU a laughing stock• Roomy interior ideal for transporting family• Robust and reliable with few faults• A little heavier on fuel than rivals

The EB Falcon was a rather minor facelift in the big scheme of things automotive, but it played a key role in keeping Ford at the head of the pack in the early 1990s. Ford was the clear market leader through much of the 1980s and into the 1990s as Holden went about rebuilding its fortunes following a lean patch dating back to the end of the ’70s.But while Ford was in the lead the EB had to regain some of the ground the company lost when the EA, the massive model change that preceded it suffered a series of embarrassing problems.MODEL WATCHThe EB was little changed visually over the EA. About the most significant thing Ford did was to move the blue oval badge from the bonnet to the grille, but the EA was an attractive sedan at the time. Its proportions were balanced and it had clean lines that were both sleek and aerodynamic.There was lots of speculation about Ford’s plans for the EB in the lead-up to the 1991 launch, much of which proved to be way off the mark.There was no independent rear suspension as was predicted, Ford instead stuck with the tried and true live rear axle with Watts linkage while tinkering with the suspension in detail to sharpen the handling.Uprated springs, gas shock absorbers, along with negative camber and increased castor at the front, made a measurable improvement to the handling.It seems Ford was awakening from the performance slumber it had slipped into in the 1980s and there was a significant change in the company’s approach to the Falcon in the EB.Most notably it saw the return of the V8 for the first time since 1983. Unlike Holden Ford dropped the V8 engine as sales of the big engine slumped, but the Falcon’s image had suffered as a result, which hastened its return.This time it was a 5.0-litre Windsor small block engine fully imported from the USA. With fuel injection the pushrod engine managed to pump out 165 kW at 4500 revs and 388 Nm at 3000 revs.While the V8 was an image engine the main engine choice was the 3.9-litre single overhead camshaft six-cylinder engine introduced with the EA model.There were two versions available, the entry level had throttle body injection (TBI), but was rather confusingly called EFI, the other had multipoint fuel injection and was tagged MPFI.The TBI engine put out 120 kW at 4250 revs and 311 Nm at 3250 revs, while the MPFI engine made 139 kW at 4250 revs and 338 Nm at 3500 revs.A mid-model EBII upgrade in 1992 saw the MPFI engine become standard across the range and the power climb to 148 kW at 4500 revs and 348 Nm at 3750 revs.Falcon buyers could choose between a five-speed manual gearbox and a locally developed four-speed electronic auto, which had come into play during the life of the EA.Underneath the suspension was the familiar Falcon package of independent front suspension with unequal wishbones and coil springs and a live axle rear end with coil springs and location by a Watts Linkage.The GL provided the stepping off point in the Falcon range; the S was a sporty newcomer while the Fairmont provided the luxury touches. When the EBII arrived the GL became a GLi.IN THE SHOPAll alloy-headed Falcon sixes have a problem with head gaskets. It’s not unusual to blow head gaskets at any time, but they seem to be more prone to it from about 80,000 kays up.Cylinder head reco experts say there’s a problem with coolant circulation through the head, which leads to a steam pocket at the rear of the head that can then lead to a number of problems, including failure of the cylinder head gasket and cracking of the cylinder head itself. Some even relieve the problem by tapping into the head an allowing the coolant to flow from the problem area through an external pipe.There is also a belief that the Falcon’s water pump suffers from cavitation, which diminishes the coolant flow through the engine.Engine oil leaks are also a common problem. Look for leaks from the front cover, power steering pump etc.The Falcon’s auto is a problem. Auto trans experts say the problems are due to insufficient oil capacity in the transmission causing the oil to overheat. Another problem they can suffer from is one caused by small flakes of brass coming adrift in the oil cooler in the radiator; these then block the filters in the transmission, which again causes the oil to overheat.It’s not such a problem in light driving conditions, the trans could last as much as 200,000 km before a rebuild is needed, but add a trailer or some hilly terrain and you could cut the trans life by half. The best solution is to fit an external oil cooler.Suspension bushes can be a problem at higher mileage, and require replacement to restore the Falcon’s handling.Falcon electrics can also be troublesome. Body control modules are a headache and replacements are expensive to replace so check the operation of the car’s system as thoroughly as you can to check that all is well.IN A CRASHAirbags were yet to be deployed on the Falcon so safety is a matter of the basics of body structure, handling, steering and braking.Check the seat belts for wear and tear, and don’t hesitate to replace them if there is any sign of damage. It’s even worth doing that as a precaution.Don’t forget to carefully check the tyres. Worn tyres render other safety systems useless when there’s no grip on the road.LOOK FOR• Clean pleasant lines• Return of the V8• SOHC sixes deliver plenty of zip• Auto trans troublesome• Sixes tend to overheat• Dodgy electrics