Ford Problems

It's most likely a software problem, so you should think about taking back to the dealer to see if they might have a fix available for it. Another possibility we were told about by our auto trans expert, Andrew Williams, is to disconnect the battery and leave it sit overnight or so. There's no guarantee it will work, but that way it might be possible to reset the adaptive learning of the transmission and start from scratch.

It's unlikely that exhaust fumes are being sucked back that far up the car, so it's more likely to be fumes blowing back from the engine and probably coming in through the air vents in the dash. Next time you drive with the sunroof open close the vents and see if that stops the flow of the fumes. The dealer is the only person who can fix it for you, so persist with him, and perhaps ask for a meeting with the service manager so you can explain your frustration to him and urge him to solve the problem.

It sounds as if the fan is coming on when it shouldn't, so have the dealer check the temperature when it does kick in, or simply have the fan replaced.

It's most likely the brake booster, which is a known problem on Falcons of that era. The brakes are not completely releasing. Adjusting the rod between the brake master cylinder and the booster, or replacing the booster can fix it.

There is a problem with your gearbox and it needs to be sorted out. The computer in your car needs to be checked, maybe even replaced, and perhaps the gearbox itself might need to be replaced. Take it back to the dealer and demand action.

You obviously believe that the mechanic who replaced the chain guide set the timing incorrectly, but two years after the work was done makes it really hard to blame him. If the valves were hitting the pistons as you believe they were I would have expected it to show up long before this. If you want to pursue it get a creditable engine guy to inspect it and give you his opinion.

It could be a number of things causing it. Take it to an automatic transmission specialist and have them check it for you.

Take it back to your dealer and ask him to reset the computer to soften the gear selection.  He should have a recalibration available to do it for you.