Ford Problems

YOU don't say if your car has a factory LPG system or an aftermarket one, but I will make the assumption that it was a Vialle system fitted by Tickford for Ford. The Australian Liquid Petroleum Gas Association says its important for good running that the ignition system be well maintained because LP requires a stronger spark than petrol to fire. Make sure the ignition system, plugs, leads and ignition packs are serviced, and the LPG converter is properly drained regularly. The Vialle system was imported by Boral Gas, so if you still have problems, ALPA recommend contacting Boral for advice.

ACCORDING to Mark Lynch of Carcool Airconditioning, the problem is caused by a small vacuum leak in the heater control system. When driving normally the engine supplies enough vacuum to overcome the leak. But when you accelerate hard the engine vacuum drops to zero, which allows the system to default to demist. Firstly, try driving the car with the heater set to warm. If it is OK the fault is in the heater tap, if not it is behind the dash. A quick fix can sometimes be achieved by fitting a vac check valve at the engine supply hose.

DEFINITELY tow it in Drive, and I would think of adding a transmission oil cooler. It's also a good idea to service the transmission and replace the fluid.

THE squealing is probably caused because the mechanic who did the last reline didn't use anti-squeal compound. You can find anti-squeal products at your local auto retailer and that should fix your problem.

WHAT conditions produce the vibration? Does it occur at certain speeds, under acceleration, while at constant speed, even slowing? If the dealer, having checked or replaced everything possible, cannot find the cause, I would suggest you pursue it directly with Ford. Call its customer-help people.

EITHER car would be fine for your purpose. But remember that whatever car you choose, it's likely to have lots of kilometres on the odometer. By all means try to find a Telstar or a Camry, my preference would be for Toyota as long as it's a four-cylinder model, but if you cast your net wider you might land a mint model of some other make. The key things with a car that old is to find one that's in good condition with the lowest odometer reading possible. Hopefully, you will find a car that has been lovingly looked after by its owner, and perhaps not often driven.

THE BA Falcon should do the job. It is rated to tow up to 2300kg with the auto and the Ford tow pack. I wouldn't recommend the manual, as it isn't rated as high as the auto. As far as the Subaru goes, I would think it should cope with the load you want to move without any drama. The Ford is more solidly built than the Subaru, but I wouldn't advise you against the Outback.

THE short answer is no, you shouldn't use an additive. The Territory has been developed to run on unleaded, so using straight Optimax is fine. An additive is needed only for cars built before 1986 and developed to run on leaded petrol. The additive provides protection against valve-seat recession, something the lead provided.

CarsGuide approached Ford for its help in solving Stephen's problem, and it sent an engineer to assess the car. A new set of brake pads was fitted and the car was given back to Stephen, apparently fixed. He thought otherwise and asked us to drive the car. The noise we heard was a swishing noise rather than a squeal. There are a couple of possible causes: a warped disc, or the park brake pads rubbing against the disc while driving along. The PBR park brake has a problem which allows the pads to drop out of position and rub on the disc. This can be checked by gently applying the park brake a notch or two while driving -- enough to reposition the park brake pads. If that's the cause, the noise will stop for a short time until the pads drop out of position again. If the noise does cease when the park brake is applied, there isn't a fix. If it doesn't go away, look for a warped rotor. The best fix is to install better quality rotors from a company such as Disc Brakes Australia.

THE AU 3 XR8, introduced in May 2001, had a sportier body kit, 220kW V8 engine, clear side indicator lenses and a dot matrix windscreen. The TE50 was built by Tickford, the predecessor of today's Ford Performance Racing. Its V8 engine was stroked to produce 5.6 litres, and it put out 250kW and 500Nm. The model released in tandem with the Series III Falcon had new front and rear styling, a chrome grille, side skirts and a rear bumper.