Ford Problems

IT'S hard to diagnose a noise without hearing it, but I'm guessing it's not engine noise. You should be able to hear engine noise at all speeds, and though it might increase in level as the speed climbs, you should still be able to hear it at all speeds. Falcon owners quite often complain of a noise they believe is a wheel bearing or similar, but is often related to the rear brakes. It's a hard one to identify, which is why the dealer might not have been able to do so.

A LOT of work has been done in recent models to make the Falcon six smoother. A rather large engine, it is subject to vibration. This was regarded as fairly normal in past models because we didn't complain about it. The vibration your father is feeling sounds like a drive-line vibration -- a less-than-pleasant feature of all Falcons of that era. Try looking at the prop shaft, particularly the shaft angles. But it is more likely coming from an overall drive-line stiffness problem, with contributions from many areas, including the transmission housing, the engine and transmission mounts, the prop shaft, prop shaft angles, even the suspension mounts and wheels and tyres. Sorry.

CARS today are much more sensitive to noise and vibration, and tyres wear in relation to their position. They typically wear on the outside shoulder and in the direction of rotation, so swapping a tyre from one side to the other means it is rolling in the opposite direction and that might set up an annoying vibration, which may be why Ford don't recommend it. There is no reason you can't swap tyres from side to side if that's what you want to do. And using plugs isn't illegal, but certainly not recommended. A good repair is a patch-plug -- a patch that repairs the tyre on the inside and plugs the hole to keep out moisture.

FORD has confirmed there is a fix being rolled out now. We were told that though some BA Falcons can be rectified by machining the rotors, new brake pads have been issued as a solution for those few vehicles that still have the problem after machining. Contact your dealer and have yours updated.

WE REFERRED your problem to Mark Lynch at Carcool Airconditioning and his advice was: The fresh air/recirc duct has been a problem since the 1984 XF Falcon. The duct was revised by Ford about the 1993 ED by increasing the thickness of the actuating arm, but then the duct broke at the pivot shaft instead of the arm. The easiest way to solve the problem is with a 5cent self-tapping screw to lock the flap in permanent recirc because this stops the constant flow of cold air. If you want to persist with a fix use a modified early duct with a strengthened actuator arm in lieu of a new part.

THE Goodyears are the original equipment tyres for the AU and were selected for their all-round levels of ride, road holding, noise and of course cost, and they are generally a quiet tyre. It could be that yours have worn unevenly because of misalignment. If you want a quieter tyre Russell Stuckey of Stuckey Tyre Services recommends a Michelin XM1, but they will be more expensive.

RENAULT doesn't market a diesel engine here, so rule that out. You could consider a VW Golf diesel. Both the Peugeot and VW diesels are well built, reliable and economical so that would probably be the best overall option.

FORD offered a dedicated LPG engine in AU, not a dual-fuel system, so it's likely yours was a dealer-fit system. The warranty in your case should be provided by the dealer or the company that did the installation. Go to them. The waxy build-up can be drained. Your dealer should be equipped to do it.

THE advice is basically correct. All alloy-head engines have valve inserts, but some are not hardened to the degree needed to survive the pounding when using unleaded fuel. But Falcons and Fairlanes have been running around for years on LPG without trouble, so they'll survive fine on unleaded. So, yes, run your Fairlane on PULP for the octane rating you need without adding a lubricant.

YOU can contact both companies through their customer assistance hot lines, but you've probably already registered your interest with this letter. Ford has told us there are no plans to have an LPG option on the Territory, but we have heard Holden is working on one for its V6 engine. Having spent some time in the E-Gas Falcon recently, I have to say I'm surprised at its slow sales. I couldn't fault the way it drove and the savings at the pump suggest you'd be in the black after a year.