Mini tour of my 2000 Aus Ford Falcon

[FL_Rob]

Do gooders? Are these people who would rather see your car crushed in than the animal hurt?
Heck at any real speed,the critter is dead either way. Why should you have a big repair bill as well?

 

[19jacobob93]

Yeah and when the BA was released in 2002, people thought it was a huge advance and looked way better, yet these days the BAs look horribly bland and much older that the AUs!
And yeah I agree they are an excellent engine, you can't kill them. Only problem is the hydraulic lifters get very noisy over time, mine have made a racket since 130,000kms despite always being serviced on time or way way before in most cases.
I noticed you have one with 386,000kms on, how has that been? What oil have you used and are your lifters noisy too?
And yep got the trans fluid and filter changed 20,000 ago for the 1st time, will do it again soon. And they're not too bad, lasting 300-400,000 in most cases

And yeah they're nothing special, just one of thos weird different looking but boring but interesting cars i like haha

 

[Shannow]

Originally Posted By: IndyIan
Well, perhaps your wild life has more structural integrity?


Yep, excellent point...the thigh/hip on a kangaroo is pretty strong

You can google "kangaroo skeleton" and see for yourself.

And they tend to be a lot closer to upright than being a bean bag standing at grille height on stilts...

 

[Silk]

Originally Posted By: Shannow
...check where the ignition leads come up from under the inlet manifold, where the dizzy on the 200/250s was left after Ford OHCed them.

We had cast iron crossflow, alloy crossflow, and OHC heads on the Ford down here.


And try fitting a set of leads on that coil pack - I use the hoist so I can get at it from underneath. Just doing a continuity test is a mission.

The crossflow heads were cr#p, the cast iron was a disaster, they tried to fix it with the alloy...then sent it to Japan for the real fix. I had a red rocker cover 250 in my XC - max torque at 1600 rpm, nothing after that, but they move off the line fast.

The Falcon is always cheaper 2nd hand than a Commodore, but a Taxi driver will use nothing else. Still one of the most common cars in NZ - rust in the sills is the biggest problem here.

 

[hpb]

I bought my AU from the auctions as a repairable write off about 18 months ago, for the huge sum of $150! I have no idea of its history. It's a column shift 6 seater wagon, great for carting kids on the school run. As it sits, it only owes me a grand. We just use it as a second car, and since it's worth virtually nothing, we're not fussy where it's parked or what we cart around in it.

When purchased it had a huge oil leak from the timing chain tensioner, easily fixed with new o-rings. The oil I drained out was black, watery and stinky. It only had about 3 litres in it! I figured if the engine was buggered, I'd just throw another one in, but with an oil and filter change, and new spark plugs, it ran ok. I also did the inlet manifold gasket as the old one had split, causing a vacuum leak. There was a noisy lifter, which I tried to fix with Wynns Tune Up, to no avail. I ended up pulling the rocker cover off and found number 3 exhaust side lifter had broken, so I replaced it with another one I had laying around, then it ran quiet and smooth!

The poor old thing had been seriously neglected. I wish I had photos with the rocker cover off, it's one sludged up engine! I scraped as much as I could from the top end, then just left well enough alone. A series of 1000km OCI's with whatever I had in the shed didn't clean it up much. At the moment it has a mixture of Castrol Edge 5w30, GTX 15w40 and some Castrol Tection 15w40 diesel oil...and it runs great! No leaks, and doesn't burn a drop. These AU's are tough!

Sorry for rambling...

 

[Cujet]

Hey!

Thanks for posting that. I had never seen one. I love the inline 6, my favorite engine configuration.

 

[aquariuscsm]

It's rear wheel drive,AWESOME!!

 

[undertow]

Rear wheel drive with a watts-linked live rear axle, one peice tailshaft, strong 4-speed slushbox, strong I6 engine, minimal electronics. These things are tanks! They were a sales flop at the time but have aged well. Very comfy and effortless to drive. They are quite light and just waft along with all that torque.

The old-school saginaw teardrop power steering pump is a nice nod to the past.

 

[01rangerxl]

I can't belive that's a $1500 car.

It's interesting they used the "Intech" name, which Lincoln was also using at the time on their 4 valve Modular V8s.

I wonder if that I6 could fit in a Ranger. Might be too long, but the Falcon doesn't look like a huge car either.

 

[hpb]

I apologize for the thread hijack, but I think you US guys would love the current model Falcon - rear wheel drive, with lots of engine choices:

2.0 I4 Ecoboost 240hp
4.0 I6 DOHC 261hp (the default base model engine)
4.0 I6 DOHC LPG only 265hp
4.0 I6 DOHC turbo 362hp

Then in the Ford Performance Vehicles variants there's the 5.0 DOHC supercharged V8 in three flavours:

422hp
449hp
470hp (rumored in the local media to actually be more like 500)

Note I've converted these figures to horsepower using an online calculator as we talk in kilowatts in Oz.

All models come with a ZF 6 speed auto, and a 6 speed manual is also available in some variants.

It's a real shame the Falcon will cease production in 2016. Hopefully someone more computer literate than myself will be so kind as to post up a picture or two...oh yeah, they come as a "ute" as well!

 

[Clevy]

Originally Posted By: hpb
I apologize for the thread hijack, but I think you US guys would love the current model Falcon - rear wheel drive, with lots of engine choices:

2.0 I4 Ecoboost 240hp
4.0 I6 DOHC 261hp (the default base model engine)
4.0 I6 DOHC LPG only 265hp
4.0 I6 DOHC turbo 362hp

Then in the Ford Performance Vehicles variants there's the 5.0 DOHC supercharged V8 in three flavours:

422hp
449hp
470hp (rumored in the local media to actually be more like 500)

Note I've converted these figures to horsepower using an online calculator as we talk in kilowatts in Oz.

All models come with a ZF 6 speed auto, and a 6 speed manual is also available in some variants.

It's a real shame the Falcon will cease production in 2016. Hopefully someone more computer literate than myself will be so kind as to post up a picture or two...oh yeah, they come as a "ute" as well!



Interesting that they supercharge a 5.0 yet only get 422 hp yet we get NA versions of that engine with the same hp and more.
Doesn't the boss have 450 without boost?
I gotta dig up a pic of one of those things.

 

[hpb]

Not sure, and maybe my kw to hp conversion wasn't accurate? For the record, Ford Oz rate the three versions of the S/C V8 at 315kw, 335kw and 351kw. I think we use the Coyote engine here?

 

[bdcardinal]

Originally Posted By: hpb
Not sure, and maybe my kw to hp conversion wasn't accurate? For the record, Ford Oz rate the three versions of the S/C V8 at 315kw, 335kw and 351kw. I think we use the Coyote engine here?


It is the same Coyote 5.0 we have here. I think they might put lower compression pistons in the FPV one, but I am not really sure. I sure would love to have one. Kind of on the fence on my Mustang, long story but Chinese made gearboxes are bad. And the only RWD performance sedan in my price range is a Chevy SS. If there was a Falcon here I would be driving one in a heartbeat.

BTW I realize there are other RWD performance sedans made, but unless there is a V8 it does not exist.

 

[hpb]

Yep, Chevrolet SS, a.k.a the Holden Commodore SS, is the Falcons main rival here. I've only driven the base model 6 cylinder versions of each, but I'd have to say the Commodore beats the Falcon overall. That kills me, I'm a Ford man through and through!

Ironically, you can buy the Chevy SS cheaper in the US than we can buy the Commodore here, even though we make 'em! And they wonder why our local car industry is all but dead.

 

[bdcardinal]

Originally Posted By: hpb
Yep, Chevrolet SS, a.k.a the Holden Commodore SS, is the Falcons main rival here. I've only driven the base model 6 cylinder versions of each, but I'd have to say the Commodore beats the Falcon overall. That kills me, I'm a Ford man through and through!

Ironically, you can buy the Chevy SS cheaper in the US than we can buy the Commodore here, even though we make 'em! And they wonder why our local car industry is all but dead.


A friend of mine got one, has family that works for GM, for low $40k range. The dealer installed a Borla Stinger exhaust, this car is mean. I drove it after one of our Friday In N Out Burger meets and I was completely blown away. He had a Pontiac G8 before this car that impressed me, but the SS took all the good things and made not so good things even better. Literally the most comfortable automotive seats I have sat in. His was the 6 speed automatic, I think a 6R80, don;t know GM that well, but it shifted awesome.

This was the friend I went to the V8 Supercar race in Austin with last year. All the Australians were impressed that we knew so much about the Supercars and we even sat next to a FPR engineer on our flight back who let us pick his brain. Still trying to plan a trip to Bathurst, maybe next year.

 

[hpb]

Clearly sir, you need no schooling on Australian muscle cars! Bathurst is on my to-do list as well...I turn 40 later this year, time to stop making excuses and get up there.

 

[bdcardinal]

Originally Posted By: hpb
Clearly sir, you need no schooling on Australian muscle cars! Bathurst is on my to-do list as well...I turn 40 later this year, time to stop making excuses and get up there.


Yup, my mom even jokes that I was born in the wrong country. I watch cricket, rugby, and have a membership to the St Kilda Saints. I planned a trip a few years ago that involved going to the Grand Final, Bathurst, Gold Coast 600, and a couple games of the RWC. No-one else shared my excitement so it didn't happen.

I went through one day when I was new at work and changed all the wallpapers on all the computers to FPV cars. All the computers in my dept have rotating FPV and FPR wallpapers still.

 

[hpb]

I'm suitably impressed! Pity you were given a bum steer regarding AFL though, I think the mighty Essendon Bombers is the team you really should've signed up with!

 

[bdcardinal]

Originally Posted By: hpb
I'm suitably impressed! Pity you were given a bum steer regarding AFL though, I think the mighty Essendon Bombers is the team you really should've signed up with!


Haha I like the underdog.

 

[Clevy]

Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
Originally Posted By: hpb
Not sure, and maybe my kw to hp conversion wasn't accurate? For the record, Ford Oz rate the three versions of the S/C V8 at 315kw, 335kw and 351kw. I think we use the Coyote engine here?


It is the same Coyote 5.0 we have here. I think they might put lower compression pistons in the FPV one, but I am not really sure. I sure would love to have one. Kind of on the fence on my Mustang, long story but Chinese made gearboxes are bad. And the only RWD performance sedan in my price range is a Chevy SS. If there was a Falcon here I would be driving one in a heartbeat.

BTW I realize there are other RWD performance sedans made, but unless there is a V8 it does not exist.



I agree.
The loss if the crown Vic and the caprice all but killed the American rwd v8 dream.
A 2 door crown Vic with a blown 4v 5.4 would be a really hot car. I'd buy one. I'd sell a couple mustangs for the downstroke.
Til then looks like dodge and the Europeans are the only options for 2 door v8 options.
The challenger keeps looking better and better.