Ford Problems

If you're not sure whether it's coming from the diff or the auto trans you need to get some help to isolate it before you have any chance of finding the cause. Changing the diff oil would have been the first thing I would have suggested if it was the diff, the next would to suggest it could be a bearing, but that needs a specialist to sort it out. An auto transmission expert would say you should change the trans oil every 25,000 km or so, or every year, and there's good reason to do that if you do a lot of towing. They would also say you should do a full service every 100,000 km or so, and again it's more important to do that if you tow a lot.

It is a common problem on the Territory and the Falcon and Ford will only supply the full column assembly. Crazy. It's out of warranty, so you will have trouble getting Ford to fix it at their cost, although you could try getting them to pay at least for part of the repairs. Other than that go to a Ford wrecker and have them install a used switch for you at a much reduced cost.

Without driving the car and experiencing what you report it's impossible to give any opinion on what might be causing the problems. I would suggest that you ask for a meeting with a Ford representative to discuss the issues and have your car fully assessed. It might also be worth your while to arrange to drive another car of the same specification to see if it too has the same issues.

It's unlikely, but you could drain the oil and refill it with the correct volume of oil and see if it goes away. But I would take it to a mechanic and have them tell you what the problem is.

Changes were made in the BFII model and they seem to have fixed the problem. We don't get reports of it happening on these later models, but the changes don't affect your car. If you intend to keep the car for a long period it would be worth making the modification, but the car is now eight years old so you might think it's not needed.

While the consumer law says that while the manufacturer is attempting to fix a problem they are doing what the law requires them to do. That said there has to be a reasonable expectation of an outcome, and the fact that there is no satisfactory outcome after 10 attempts I would think is quite unreasonable and perhaps you do deserve to have a new car. I would consult Consumer Affairs again and get their view, then consider engaging legal representation. You could also speak to our body repair specialist, Graeme Cuthbert, on 0422 444 335, and get his opinion on what might be causing the leak.

Without knowing how many kays you have done in it I would guess the clutch is on the way out. Clutches in the one-tonners that have become so popular are typically marginal and some require replacement at quite mileage. Check the clutch, and if worn to the point of needing replacement look at installing a heavy-duty clutch.

Excess sealant suggests sloppy workmanship. You might like to mention it to your dealer and suggest they disassemble the diff and put it back together without excessive sealant that could cause issues down the track, or you could let it go and hope it doesn't cause any problems later on. If it was the engine I would want to fix it, but in the case of a diff I'd be tempted to report it in case something does develop in the future, and let it go.