Ford Problems

If it’s three years since it was installed it probably needs a service, the rough idle, stalling and popping and banging are symptomatic of an ignition problem. We ran your problem past the guys at Impco and they suggested fitting genuine Ford gas spark plugs as well as checking the ignition leads.

Unfortunately it is a common problem and your experience is in line with that of other Falcon owners. For a time there Ford was replacing diffs on cars that were out of warranty, but that seems to have stopped. If you had a dealer replace the second diff I would suggest you go back to Ford and ask for some compensation.

I would also like to have a new transmission, but I wouldn’t necessarily write off a rebuilt one, providing it is rebuilt correctly by someone who knows what they’re doing. Before settling for the rebuild ask for a report on the failure of the transmission and ask the dealer to justify why he thinks it will be ok when rebuilt. If you really want a new transmission, and I agree that it’s not too much to ask, you need to be persistent and keep the pressure up on Ford. Go all the way to the top if you feel strongly about it.

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.

It's most unusual to be able to hear petrol sloshing around in the tank; most tanks have baffles to stop it, and yours should have. I would doubt very much, however, that sloshing petrol caused your spins. The most likely cause is a greasy road, low tyre tread, too much speed or too much throttle.

You’re certainly not being pedantic, it is not unreasonable to expect your car to perform as you expect it to, and if it doesn’t you are entitled to a reasonable explanation of why it doesn’t. I would guess that the reason you’re being fobbed off is that Ford doesn’t know how to fix the problem. Alternatively it could just be sticking its corporate head in the sand like it has with other Territory problems and hoping it will go away.

The last E-Gas Falcon ute I tested gave 18.5 L/100 km and I made the comment then that I felt it was too high when a regular petrol six would deliver around 12.5 L/100 km in the same sort of driving. That suggests the E-Gas engine isn’t very economical, and I reckon that’s your main problem. It would depend heavily on the weight you’re carrying and any trailers you might be towing. You could check the normal things, plugs, leads, etc., and you could run higher tyre pressures, but I reckon it’s just the nature of the beast.

Ford offered an option on the AU ute that would increase its towing capacity to 1600 kg; there were other dealer-fit options that would increase it to 2300 kg, so check with your local dealer to see if they could retrofit either option. Otherwise see a towing specialist, such as a Hayman-Reese dealer for tow packs they could fit.

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.

That's the way every problem should be handled, unfortunately not everyone gets the same service.