Ford Problems

VALVE recession rises on engines running LPG because it's a dry fuel with none of the lubricating properties of petrol to protect the valves. Your Territory will be no different and my contacts suggest the head will need a rebuild at about 100,000km. I have no experience with the Flashlube system so I can't offer an opinion.

WE CONTACTED Ford on your behalf and it said that, after consulting your dealer, it would cover the full cost of replacing the steering column. Ford said it was the first it had heard of such a problem with the Focus and would refer the problem to its European counterpart for investigation.

THE Falcon will convert and run on LPG, and you will ultimately save at the bowser once you've recovered the cost of installing the system. The Federal Government plans to add excise to LPG from 2011, but will cap it at 12.5 cents a litre, which is a long way short of the 38 cents a litre we pay on petrol. It will remain a good deal. To find out about the best system for your car, talk to the installers who should be able to tell you about the merits of the systems they sell, and ask them to talk to owners who have the systems fitted to their cars so you can get a second opinion.

WATER leaks can be hard to trace and there are many potential causes. I know of one BA Falcon with a leak that even Ford's engineers couldn't trace. It was so bad the company was prepared to take the car back and exchange it for another one. That was a new car, not one like yours that's done a few ks. The windscreen is a possibility, particularly if the car has had a windscreen replaced, so look there. Sometimes the windscreen flange can rust, causing a leak. Strip out the carpets and other bits and pieces that can easily be removed and drive it through a car wash or hose it down while watching for the leak, That might allow you to trace it back to the source.

EVERY engine has valve recession, whether running on petrol, LPG or your grandma's bath water, but it happens at a faster rate on engines running on LPG. Your engine will have some valve recession, and switching to LPG will accelerate the wear. You could have to rebuild the heads sooner than you might if you stuck with petrol. The way around the problem with LPG is to fit a dual-fuel system and regularly run the engine on petrol to lubricate the valves and valve seats with lead, as happens when it runs on petrol alone. If you follow a routine of using petrol, say for an hour or two a week, you shouldn't have any problem. Upper-cylinder lubricants are available that protect the valves and valve seats from wear.

FUEL consumption is such a can of worms I can't really give you a number that would mean much in your context. I would say, however, the 18 litres/100km is too high and it should be more like Ford's figure.

THE rule of thumb with LPG is it will use 15-20 per cent more litres of LPG than it would petrol, and that seems to be true of your car around town. But like you I would expect a little less, probably about 12 litres/100 km, on the open highway. Go back to your installer and see if it can retune it to achieve a better result on the highway.

THE most common cause for an LPG engine to stall is a stray spark igniting the gas in the intake manifold. When that happens it can take some time for enough gas to accumulate in the engine again for it to refire. I would have the fuel and ignition systems thoroughly checked. I would first replace the spark-plug leads.

IF YOU were talking about a '56 F100, then I would say it would increase in value. They're popular with hot rodders, but yours is unlikely to increase in value over time. It's not a highly sought-after model and, to be honest, I would drive it into the ground or get out of it before the rust overtakes it.

YOU'RE right, it is dreadful. It's probably running overly rich because of a malfunction in the electronic system. But before you start digging, make sure all is well with the basic engine tune. If that is in order, start looking at the sensors that tell the engine's computer how much fuel it needs to feed in, particularly the oxygen sensors in the exhaust.