Ford Problems

Ford did, in fact, upgrade the Territory’s power-steering system to an electric set-up in the name of improved fuel economy, but that didn’t happen until mid-2011. As such, Rodney, your 2008 Territory still uses conventional hydraulic power-steering.

While the fuel consumption benefits of electric power-assistance are clear, keener drivers generally prefer a conventional hydraulic set-up for the extra feel and feedback it offers through the steering wheel. But it’s a dying technology and just about all new car designs feature electrical assistance.

Some Territories of around this vintage experienced a problem with a dud output-speed sensor within the automatic transmission. The sensor could cause an intermittent fault where the transmission wasn’t telling the rest of the car how fast it was going and, in some cases, could cause the transmission to suddenly shift back to first gear. That sounds a lot like your symptoms. Ford reckons it had this problem fixed by early 2013, well before your car was built, but I reckon it’d still be worth a check of the sensor’s operation via an electronic scan.

The other recurring problem with the Territory’s transmission was when the transmission cooler failed internally and the gearbox oil and the coolant became mixed. That destroyed the gearbox both mechanically and electronically in pretty quick time and if that’s your problem, a rebuilt or replacement transmission is the only fix.

The problem could be caused by a whole lot of things, Bill. Have the vehicle scanned to see if any error codes crop up which could then lead you to something like a dodgy fuel pump, worn injectors, a leak in the fuel system somewhere or even a crook sensor that is feeding incorrect information to the computer. To be honest, I’m suspecting a broken throttle-position sensor (TPS), especially as you need to floor the throttle to get the engine to start. Without the TPS working properly, the computer has no way of knowing how much fuel to inject into the engine.

This is a bit of a weird one because the only difference between using manual mode and fully-automatic mode is that you tell the gearbox what gear to be in in the former, and the gearbox decides for itself in the latter. Beyond that, the exact same process is going on inside the transmission. Which means, I’d expect the same problems to be apparent regardless of what mode you were driving in.

Your gearbox is doing what’s known as `slipping’ or `flaring’ and that can be caused by a number of things. Those include low transmission-fluid level, low fluid-pressure caused by a worn pump or accumulators, a damaged torque converter or worn out bands and clutches inside the gearbox. The low fluid level is easy to check and address, but anything else probably points to either a new gearbox of a rebuild of the current one.

The wild card is the difference behaviour between auto and manual mode, so perhaps it’s a problem with the electronic solenoids that control the shifts. It could be that the gearbox is not shifting properly in automatic and will only behave when you prod it via the manual-shift mode. A scan at a workshop might give a few clues in this regard.

You need to keep using an oil that is compatible with LPG as this fuel places different stresses on the lubricating oil compared with an engine burning petrol or diesel. Provided you stick with the correct grade and API rating and choose a known brand (not the Brand-X supermarket stuff) you should be fine. Don’t forget to change the filter every time you change the oil.

It sounds very much like a computer problem rather than a hardware issue. When you switch the engine off and then back on again, you’re actually rebooting the on-board computer. I’d be trying a replacement ECU module (borrowed from another Ranger) to see if that fixes the problem. The problem is that because the reboot fixes the issue (temporarily) it might also re-set the computer’s memory, meaning it can’t `remember’ what went wrong and, therefore, won’t offer up the correct fault codes when you scan it. That said, I’d definitely give it a scan and see what pops up.

A clutch pedal that won’t return is either sticking (due to friction) has a broken or weak return spring or is throwing out beyond the point it should (like an athlete hyper-extending their knee). How that’s related to the gear-lever locking up is anybody’s guess, but it’s true that if the clutch isn’t disengaging properly (which could be the case if the clutch pedal isn’t doing its thing properly) then the car will refuse to select gears and that can feel like the lever is jammed. Switch the engine off and see if the gears will then select. If so, I’d say the clutch is not disengaging and you may have to pull it all apart again to find out why.

It’s nice to see somebody taking the long view when it comes to vehicle ownership. Cars have become an increasingly throw-away commodity, and it seems a shame that all that engineering and development doesn’t get a longer lifespan.

The BT-50 and Ranger you’ve nominated are, fundamentally, the same vehicles under the skin, so the choice will come down to the options fitted and the trim level that combines the features you want in one package. As a rule of thumb, the five-cylinder engine option will do a better job of hauling a slide-on camper into a headwind and will always be worth more as a trade-in (although that’s clearly not a concern for you).

If you’re planning to keep the vehicle up to 300,000km, there’s a very good chance you’ll need to spend some money on the vehicle’s direct injection system at some point. A set of injectors and filters as well as an injector pump are all likely to need replacement over the distance you’ve nominated. That said, all modern common rail diesels seem to be in the same boat here, but if you’re prepared to service the vehicle religiously, then those expenses should be kept to a minimum. Take it as read, though, that a modern turbo-diesel will not appreciate neglect in this area.

The other thing to watch out for is a vehicle that has already had a hard working life, as these dual-cabs often have. The tray-back you want also means the vehicle is likely to have been a work truck rather than a lifestyle accessory, so have any prospect checked independently before handing over the money.

The best way to test the operation of a fuel-injected car’s sensors is to have the vehicle scanned at a workshop with the necessary computer gear. The error codes that are revealed will tell you exactly what’s going on and save you the time and money of replacing bits and pieces until you find the actual culprit.

As for your symptoms, black smoke from the exhaust usually indicates a too-rich air:fuel mixture which could be the result of worn injectors, incorrect fuel pressure or a faulty temperature sensor. There are other causes, but those are the ones I’d investigate first. After a scan, of course.

You’re on the right track, Don, with your guess that the whistling noise has something to do with the turbocharger’s bearing. But unfortunately, if you’re right and it’s the turbo bearing that’s making the whistling noise (and I agree with your theory) then a new or rebuilt turbocharger is the only real fix. Turbos have a hard life, dealing with extremes of temperature as well as the requirement to accelerate from almost nothing to anything up to 250,000rpm. The bearings that allow for this are sealed units and – generally – are not serviceable.

But you might be lucky: A lack of turbo boost can be caused by many things, so check the basics like a loose boost pipe before you start tearing the engine apart.