Ford Problems

Your recollection is correct, but they weren't released by Ford. Dick says 26 cars were built in Melbourne in 1982 with the help of Jim Faneco. There were two versions, a V8 Falcon XE Grand Prix and a Falcon XE Grand Prix Turbo. Dick has heard that some are being restored and that some out there are immaculate, but he hasn't seen one for a while.

THE EL GT is pretty much unloved by GT enthusiasts who thought it was dressed up, but not to thrill. Old GT fans reckon it's a pretender, but it still has a GT badge and will always be a GT. XR8 Sprints are bringing $9000-$12,000.

THANKS for the advice. I'm sure other owners will appreciate knowing there is a problem and that Ford acknowledges it. Unfortunately, carmakers often don't do themselves any favours by either denying there is a problem or being ignorant of the problem's existence and the solution their engineers have developed. It would certainly be better if carmakers came clean and fixed the cars affected instead of hoping owners won't complain.

FORD'S recommended oil is Mobil Super GF 10W/30 for the XR6 and Mobil Super XHP 15W/40 for the XR6 Turbo, both mineral oils. I would stick with Ford's tip.

ACCORDING to Mark Lynch of Carcool Airconditioning, there are three possible causes of ``no heat'' with this EF Fairmont: a blocked heater core, a faulty blend door motor or a broken heater flap shaft. To diagnose the problem, set the control on manual floor and the fan speed at medium and, with your hand over the floor outlet, range the temperature from 16-32 degrees and back. You should feel a variation from cold to warm back to cold, If you do, you have a blocked heater core. If there is no temperature variation, it will be the blend door motor or a broken shaft. You can confirm which one by doing a climate control self-test (refer to a Ford manual) which will confirm an E2 error (blend door faulty) or, if no fault is shown, it will be a broken flap shaft.

THUMPING in Ford autos is usually caused by the S5 solenoid, Geoff Clay of CPA Automatics says, though it's unusual to get it at such low mileage. The problem is usually seen as a flare-bump while upshifting. It can happen on one-two shifts as well as higher shifts. Geoff says it's worth having the transmission serviced, even though manufacturers do not recommend servicing as much as they once did.

THIS was quite a common fault with the EF Falcon and was supposed to have been fixed with the EL. It was an adjustment problem and Ford issued a service advice with a solution. When the temperature climbed expansion in the locking mechanism sent the locking system haywire. I'd consult your dealer and have them fix the problem, and ask for it to be done at Ford's expense. An auto electrician will know what to do.

GENERALLY it's better not to baby an engine during the run-in period. It's better to run it in with a little load so you generate enough heat for the block to settle and the rings to bed in, as long as you don't thrash the engine in the process. We asked FPV for their recommendation for running the BA GT, which is: avoid exceeding 4500 revs in the first 750km; accelerate positively in all gears, particularly when driving uphill; progressively increase engine speeds up to 5500 revs between 750km and 1500km with occasional use of full throttle during acceleration within the speed limits; on long stretches during the first 1500km vary engine speeds by occasionally using lower gears; where possible, apply high engine loads for short periods by using high gears at speeds below 60km/h. FPV has an initial fill of Castrol Protec OW/40 mineral oil in its Boss 290 engine to allow the rings to bed in during the run-in phase. Because of this, it is not unusual for customers to experience oil consumption in the first 5000km. From then they recommend customers refill the engine with Castrol Formula R OW/40 synthetic oil and completely change the oil to this specification upon reaching 15,000km, when the first major service is due.

YOURS is not an unusual problem. The Falcon radiator has plastic tanks and they usually split, requiring replacement. Taxi operators usually run the heavy-duty radiator that doesn't have plastic tanks.

NOT necessarily. Your car was tuned for unleaded so running it on premium unleaded may not make a difference, though I'm surprised consumption increased so much. PULP works on some cars because they have systems that can detect ignition knock and adjust timing accordingly. On these cars PULP will allow it to run on a higher advance, which means better fuel figures.