Mechanical advice needed

zabble · 03-05-2008, 04:00 PM

Just bought my first ford, an AU Fairmont Ghia 5.0l. I bought it pretty cheap and it is a bit rough around the edges, or 'honest', as a salesman might say.
Over time, i plan to do bits and pieces to it, to return it to it's former glory, or at least make it a car that drives and performs well. So, there are a few things i want to achieve but i'm not sure how to achieve them, thats where i need a bit of help. Here is the list of things i would like to achieve.
1. Make it sound like a V8.
2. Improve the handling
3. Improve the braking
4. Increase bhp

At the moment it is idling pretty rough or at least i think it is. It has done 160,000 kms. I'm not sure if this car should have that 'cammy' sort of V8 idle or if it shold be very smooth. Should this be sorted before any other work is done to ncrease power/performance?

Another problem i have noticed is there is a very obvious 'ticking' sort of sound - seems electronic, coming from the left front corner of the engine bay (left if you were sitting in the car, right if you were looking at the car)...i can't hear it while i'm inside the car but standing next to the engine when it is idling, the noise is very obvious.

Also, sounds like the power steering pump is stressed, making quite a bit of noise. Again a sort of ticking sound, then it stops for a while and starts again. - i checked the fluid levels and it is completely full, right up to the cap - could this be an issue - is it overfull? does this cause problems? I checked the manual but it doesn't mention whether there are any fluid level markers on the cap.

I'm not much of a mechanical person but would love to get my hands dirty where possible. Realistically though, i will need a professional to do the work, does anyone know of anyone in Newcastle NSW that they could recommend?

many thanks for taking the time to read this.

cheers, Mitch

amiers · 03-05-2008, 04:33 PM

ticking is the charcoal canister-- normal. rough idle i would start with a good set of plugs and maybe leads. if not the idle solinod will need a clean. or replacing

Windsor220 · 03-05-2008, 04:37 PM

Power steering reservoir shouldn't be filled to the max. The cap acts as a dipstick and there is markings on it.

zabble · 03-05-2008, 04:52 PM

thanks guys...

noise 1) i found the dipstick on the cap and now have the levels correct but it doesn't seem to have stopped the clicking sounds coming from the pump itself. The niose stops for about 10 secs and then starts and goes for about 30 secs

The charcoal canister, is that what would be causing the ticking sound in the front left corner ? What is the charcoal canister ?

noise 2) Seems the noise could be coming from within the box marked EEC of which i have no idea about its purpose or function.

loving the car so far, can't wait to get it humming.

fordon · 03-05-2008, 06:00 PM

this might sound dumb,
depending on last time of a oil change ?
but drain oil,change filter and fill with a good grade oil,

amiers · 03-05-2008, 07:22 PM

tha charcoal cannister filters the fumes from your fuel tank ank has a little solinoid in or around it and thats what ticks. if you take off the plastic inner gaurd lining you will see it and find the noise

Ironkoala · 03-05-2008, 07:33 PM

My dad is a sales manager at Toyota, Trust me sales people don't look after the cars as well as we as the consumers should/do. nothing would have been serviced/replaced or repaired by the dealership, its very likely that they sold it to you in the very same condition that it arrived in.

So change the oil,filters and all that other stuff when you can get around to it.

MGM · 27-04-2010, 10:14 PM

what can be done to shut the charcoal canister up? im in the process of fixing small things on the AU3 XR8 i bought, like the 2 seized brake caliper guide pins!

JC · 27-04-2010, 10:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MGM

what can be done to shut the charcoal canister up? im in the process of fixing small things on the AU3 XR8 i bought, like the 2 seized brake caliper guide pins!

Some rubber or foam around the piping going to it - the sounds is the pipe hitting the inside of the front panel in the wheel arch.

b2tf · 27-04-2010, 10:34 PM

Congrats on the buy, the windsors are a great engine and have a lot of gear available for them.

In no particular order I would (if it were mine):

1) Get some new coil packs and leads - mine were stuffed @ 90,000kms - MSD8241 is the part number for MSD coils that are a direct bolt on and better AND cheaper than genuine Ford ones;

2) Lower it - King springs and Whiteline swaybars will make a huge difference to handling. Maybe new shocks if the budget allows.

3) DBA slotted rotors, new pads, full fluid flush and braided brake lines for a cheapish fix to the braking issue.

4) A good catback exhaust system or if you have the coin a set of headers (4 into 1's would be my preference), cats (metal substrate 1-200cpi) and either a single 3" (easily available bolt on job) or a twin 2.5" (will have to be made to suit the car) exhaust.

**Polyal** · 27-04-2010, 10:38 PM

b2ft has it pretty sorted, but I would be lowering it first; an AU can look shabby but once lowered for some reason it just looks right.

Ive just recently upgraded my brakes to BA spec, ~$500-600 for parts and labour once done; worth every cent. Not exactly brembo's but so much better than the original spec.

MGM · 28-04-2010, 09:10 PM

thanks guys, ive got most of the stuff done to mine as b2tf said, custom twin exhaust with quad tips,sounds pretty good for just a cats back.

my charcoal canister stoped ticking when i took the air filter out and cleaned it, hasnt ticked since. for some reason
sorry for the thread hijack btw