Ford Problems

If it is in good condition and has been serviced from new it will go the distance, but that implies that you will keep up the servicing and not neglect the car at all. Should you fail to maintain it the car will deteriorate quickly, no matter how well it drives now. And a word of caution, it is not possible to say that you won’t strike trouble in the future, but the BFII is a solidly built car that should stand the test of time.

It’s probably the diff mounting bushes, they’re a known problem with the BA, and probably need replacing.

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.

Intermittent problems can be very hard to diagnose because they rarely happen when the mechanic is present. Same with the diagnostic checks, nothing will show up if the engine is running normally when the checks are done. I would be checking the various engine sensors, their connectors and the witting loom, looking for a corroded or poor connection.

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.

Is there water in the engine oil when you remove the dipstick? If there is you could have a blown head gasket. If you did, however, I would expect the engine to be running poorly. Another check you could do is to remove the spark plugs and check for signs of water on them. A blown head gasket would cost around $700-$1000 to fix depending on the condition of the cylinder head. If you’re concerned about oil in the water, that is, in the radiator it could be that you have a problem with the auto transmission cooler. The coolers are a known problem with Falcons, and when they fail water gets into the auto transmission and eventually causes that to fail.

The FG automatic is rated to tow up to 2300 kg when fitted with the Ford-approved heavy-duty tow bar and load leveling kit. That should be sufficient to handle your pop-top caravan.

It’s a design fault in the BA Falcon that has been well documented and I don’t believe you should have to bear the cost of repairing the transmission. Go back to Ford and again ask that they cover the costs. You could well argue that their product was not fit for the purpose for which they sold it to you. If Ford again shuts the door in your face go to the consumer affairs people in your state and enlist their help.

It won’t damage your car, but it might cause it run poorly. Fuel today goes off within a week or two, so it’s not a good idea to leave it in the tank for too long.

The vibration is possibly a problem with the front drive shafts, the clonk, clonk noise most likely the front ball joints.