Ford Falcon 1994 Problems

The most likely cause is a switch that is not shutting off the power to the light. Most likely it is one of the switches in the door jams, so check them to make sure they are working by pushing them in and out and watching for the interior light to go on and off.

It’s a fairly straightforward installation without major modification to the car, and there are companies doing it. One we know does it for around $2200 drive in, drive out, and guarantee the rego authorities will accept it when you go to change the engine number.

Try and establish whether or not it's firing during this starting phase. If it isn't you should look for an electrical problem, if it is you should look to the fuel system. On the day it won't start, remove the spark plugs and check them for any wetness that might suggest it could be flooding. I the plugs are black and wet clean and dry them and replace them and try again. If it starts this time I would be looking to the fuel-injectors.

When it comes to buying old cars I tend to go with the car that is in the best condition and usually the one with the lower odo reading regardless of age. In your case that's the older car, but because it has done a lot less kays it is likely to give you a better run in the long term. Of course the dual-fuel ED will be cheaper to run, but it will take you a year or so to cover the extra $1000 you have to pay for it. The ED was little changed from the EB it replaced; it had better side impact protection and used environmentally friendly gas in the air-conditioning system.

I would tend to agree with the panel beater, that you’re likely to be throwing away money by attempting to repair the rust you can see. There is a good chance there is more rust under the surface that you can’t see, so any repairs you might do are not likely to get all of it, unless you do as he says and fit a new quarter panel. If it was a classic car I would say, go for it, but an ED XR-6 isn’t in that league yet.

YOU'RE right, it is dreadful. It's probably running overly rich because of a malfunction in the electronic system. But before you start digging, make sure all is well with the basic engine tune. If that is in order, start looking at the sensors that tell the engine's computer how much fuel it needs to feed in, particularly the oxygen sensors in the exhaust.

THERE is no easy answer. Ford's responsibility expired when the warranty ran out, so it's a matter of negotiation. I think you have a good case against Ford. The door-lock problem was well known at the time and should have been traced and fixed when you first experienced it. It would help if you have a record of having reported it to your dealer at the time, but even without that you have a case.

IT'S generally safer for a child to be seated in the centre rear position. The next safest positions are the outer rear seat positions and, if that's where the booster seat fits correctly, then that's where you should seat the child. It's a good idea to have a trial fitting of any child restraints you're thinking of buying to make sure they can be correctly fitted in your car.

ON THE face of it, you should be getting about 5 per cent better fuel consumption with the Optimax. That is provided everything else is the same. The higher density of the Optimax means you are putting greater energy into the engine, and that should mean you are getting greater energy out. You should be able to drive with a lighter throttle for the same performance. I would suggest you recheck the engine tune, and perhaps go back to regular unleaded for a tank or two before trying the Optimax again.

DON'T do it. Your ED has 220,000km on it. That puts it into the elderly class, ready for the scrap heap, so any EA/EB you might find is likely to have even more on it. Remember the EA was a bit of a lemon when it was launched -- it was the first model in an all-new Falcon line. The EB was better because Ford fixed a lot of the EA's problems, and the ED was better again. Try to stretch your budget to a later model, and get your manual that way. Your ED is probably worth about $5000.