Ford Falcon Problems

DRIVING around Australia today is a very different proposition to what it was in the 1970s. The roads are much better, communication has improved out of sight, and there are more dealers and service agents on the route you're likely to take. Back in the 1970s you went in a big Aussie six because they were tough and unlikely to break down. They were also easy to fix on the side of the road, and parts were relatively easy to get in the middle of nowhere. Today, if you're sticking to the blacktop, I would take a Commodore or Falcon and there are plenty available within your budget. But if I were going off the beaten track I would think about a four-wheel drive with its higher ride height for ground clearance, its ruggedness, and its drive system. Early Nissan Patrols, like an MQ, or early LandCruisers would be good, reliable and tough transport.

IT'S not a project I would recommend. The modifications to the car would be extensive and there are too many hurdles to jump over to make it cost-effective and legal. For starters, you would contravene a raft of ADRs that would make it illegal, and the testing to make it legal would be expensive. The fuel consumption you got on the petrol isn't too bad, but if you want to save money on fuel consider converting it to LPG, which would be much easier and cheaper, and would cut your running costs.

IT IS a common problem in Falcons, and I would think you have a valid claim to at least part of the cost for that reason. I would recommend you pressure Ford and I would expect they would come to the party. It's really impossible to estimate the reasonable life of a radiator, but I once believed it was good for the life of the car. To avoid the problem occurring again, you could block off the oil cooler connections on the radiator and fit an aftermarket external cooler.

The AU was a much-maligned car, mostly for its looks. If you can accept the styling, the AU is a sound car, but readers of this column will have read many readers' letters complaining about their Falcons. I strongly recommend you get it checked by a mechanic.

YOU CAN contact Ford, but your car is out of warranty and you're unlikely to get a warm welcome. The best you can hope for is that they cover the cost of the parts, leaving you with labour costs. But as you bought your used car at an auction, I think you're wasting your time.

I WOULDN'T buy the BA Falcon with the dedicated LPG system. It's old LPG technology and suffers stalling, stumbling, surging and lack of performance unless it's well maintained. A better alternative is to buy a regular BA wagon and have it converted to dual fuel using one of the latest gas-injection systems that have no drive-ability problems. I get too many complaints about the Falcon to recommend it. The VZ wagon was available with a dual-fuel LPG system developed by IMPCO and using a gas-injection system. That is a good way to go, but I wouldn't recommend buying a VZ wagon and having it converted, because there are said to be problems with the regular Alloytec engine when running on LPG. The Mazda6 is a good car with a good reputation for reliability, as is the Corolla, and I'd be happy to buy either.

THERE will still be a station wagon and a ute in the next Falcon range, but the Territory was always planned as a family four-wheel-drive and not a workhorse. So, sorry, there will be no Territory ute. And the Crewman lost money for GM Holden and has been discontinued, leaving the four-door ute field to the Japanese imports.

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.

IT IS a common problem. You have contacted Ford's customer assistance number and that is what I would recommend you do if you feel you should get some compensation. Though your car's warranty will have expired, I believe there is an ethical responsibility to provide some cover for serious problems. Go back to the customer assistance people and insist on getting some help. Beyond that, fit an external oil cooler so you won't have the problem again.

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.