Ford Problems

THE XR6 was something of a revelation from the start. Its performance was close to the XR8, and it had a better on-road balance which made it feel lighter and livelier. The other factor was the price difference which made the less expensive XR6 seem like a good buy against the XR8. Against that, there's nothing like the rumble and feel of a V8, so go that way if that's what you'd like. As for fuel consumption, it depends on whether you're a lead-foot or not. Ford didn't publish fuel consumption figures for their sporty cars, but I would expect around 13 litres/100km from the XR8.

Without knowing what your criteria is, it's hard to recommend a car to you, George. By all means go for a V8 if you need to tow a trailer for work or pleasure, though there's no lack of grunt with the six-cylinder engines on that front either. I would choose a six, and probably a Commodore, based on its better resale than the AU III, and go for a VX rather than a VT simply because it is a newer model and will have fewer kilometres on it. They are both reliable, so there's no real difference between them in terms of reliability.

MORE than likely you have a leaking injector that allows fuel to flow into the cylinders while the car is sitting. When you start the engine, there is so much fuel in the cylinder that it's flooded. The fuel has to be cleared before the engine will fire. Get the injectors checked by a specialist. You may be up for one or more new ones, but the problem should be solved.

SOUNDS as if you may have fuel vaporisation, particularly if Ford has replaced the fuel rail. There's nothing to suggest a widespread problem. It could be the outlets you buy your fuel from. If you suspect a problem, buy from a large outlet of one of the major companies. Because they will have a high turnover, there is less chance of getting contaminated fuel. The major companies don't use ethanol, which can vaporise faster and lead to the sort of problem you have. Also try PULP. Most PULPs have more detergent which will help keep your fuel system clean. Using a fuel such as Mobil Synergy 8000 will give you better performance and fuel consumption to offset the cost.

SOUNDS as if you have a nice Fairlane there, Steve, and it seems a shame to sell it when it has such low mileage and is giving you good service. Instead of buying the V8 I'd consider an EB Falcon XR6 because I reckon you'd prefer the performance of that over the Ghia. Sure, the leather and the sports suspension sound great, but the XR6 will eat it for breakfast. Returning to the V8, the Windsor is a good, solid engine that gives little trouble and is good when converted to LPG. As you say, it is all steel, with cast-iron block and heads.

WITH that, you're looking at either a Falcon or a Commodore. On the Ford side you could look at an AUIII Falcon or a BA six-cylinder which has a towing capacity of 2300kg in auto form. Across the divide there's the VXII or VY Commodore that will handle up to 2100kg. As for which is the more reliable, I would lean slightly towards the Commodore.

A TX5 in top condition is bringing up to $10,000. They were imported from Japan so build quality was good, but they were a little too pricey to take the market by storm. A clone of the Mazda 626, the 2.5-litre V6 needed to be revved to deliver its best, but it was nicely featured, with alloys, rear spoiler, fog lights and a sporty interior. If you are not sure that the cam belt change was done at 100,000km, then it would be a good idea to replace it now.

FORD brake lights seem to fail more often than those of any other make, and have done so for years, though you see lots of other makes and models also without operating brake lights. With the increase in auto transmissions, we tend to use the brakes more, simply to hold the vehicle stationary at red lights and so on, so brake lights are operating under much tougher conditions than before. They are often in small housings with little or no air flow to cool them, which helps explain why globes fail, but why you should be going through brake-light switches so frequently is a mystery. Have an auto-electrician take a good look at the electrical system. Something else might be causing your problem.

I TAKE it the chattering is a relatively new development, in which case it suggests something has changed. It's difficult to diagnose your problem, but I would be looking closely at the discs and pads. I would look for signs of glazing of the pads, which can happen on new pads if they're not properly bedded in. Glazed pads can cause the sort of chattering you're experiencing, and I'd also consider having the discs machined to make sure there's a good surface for the pads to work on.

BY LAW, you must run the pollution equipment the car was built with, so refit whatever equipment it had when it left the factory. You can run it on unleaded, provided you have hardened valve seat inserts or add valve seat lubricant to reduce valve seat wear.