Ford Problems

I’ve heard of this before, Sam, and it does seem that it’s caused by the lock-stops banging together and causing the noise you’re hearing. The lock-stop, meantime, is a simple, mechanical device that stops the front wheels turning too far, and to do that, it simply uses one piece of metal that literally bumps into another piece on full lock to prevent further movement. And that’s the noise you’re hearing. That it only happens on with the steering on full lock is the big clue here.

Greasing the bits of metal might quieten things down a bit, but I was under the impression that this model Ranger had little plastic caps on the metal parts to prevent the metal-on-metal contact and, therefore, the horrible noises. Either way, I’d be having an expert check the front suspension to make sure the noise isn’t coming for another, more sinister source. You can’t be too careful with this stuff and since the vehicle should still under warranty, what have you got to lose?

The PowerShift transmission problems related to the dry clutch transmission fitted to the Focus, Fiesta and EcoSport models. The Mondeo has a wet clutch transmission, and as such, is not affected.

It’s hard to provide you with an answer, as you haven’t told us what model the Ghia is. The Ghia badge is used to denote the top-of-the-range variant of a model, and could be applied to any model in Ford’s range. With the little information you’d provided I doubt that there will be a badge, and I suspect the car would not be a 4WD.

There’s nothing to suggest there are any issues with the turbo plumbing on the Territory. The turbo Territory is a rocketship, but it uses a lot of fuel in the pursuit of performance.

Normally this would be an issue with the glow plugs, but the 2.5 turbo-diesel Rangers seem to occasionally have an issue with the assembly around the fuel filter (which includes the water trap and primer pump) sucking in air. This can be fixed by replacing the unit as a whole. Similarly Ranger owners have reported trouble cold-starting their 2.5 TD when the valve stopping fuel flowing back into the tank from the pump fails. Try priming your fuel system a couple of times before starting and if it starts up fine then replace that valve near the fuel pump. 

Your 1000 kg payload is around the maximum a Ranger can carry so you need to check the payload for the variant you have. The variant will affect the payload you can carry. 

Theoretically, yes the transfer case could cause a clunk from the drivetrain, but without hearing the noise in person it is next to impossible to diagnose. You can find all recalls issued by Ford here. 

No, using premium unleaded won’t cause any engine running problems, if anything it would improve the running.

If you can establish without doubt that the bolts came loose as a result of a manufacturing fault you might have a claim against Ford for the repairs, but if it’s not clear what caused them to come loose you won't have much joy. You could consult the ACCC if you feel you want to pursue Ford for compensation.

There shouldn’t be any problem in doing that. If it’s going to be a much longer time, like weeks or months, it might be wise to connect a charger up to the battery to maintain the charge.