Ford Falcon: common faults & what to check

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The 5.4L V8 Barra used in the GT and XR8 models (BF onwards) has a secondary timing chain between the two cam sprockets. These secondary chains and their plastic guides deteriorate over time and mileage. A stretched or broken guide allows the chain to jump, causing timing errors, rough running, and potential valve-to-piston contact on higher-revving examples. Failure often begins with rattling on cold start. Timing chain replacement is labour-intensive on the DOHC V8.

Example of the part — not this vehicle

Where to look: Front of engine – secondary timing chain and upper plastic guides

Parts involved: Timing chain.

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Unconfirmed. This entry does not match our record of which engines and years this model was sold with, and is awaiting review. Confirm it against the car before acting on it.

The EA-to-EL six puts an aluminium cylinder head on a cast-iron block. The two metals expand at different rates and coolant flow through the head lets steam pockets form around the rear cylinders, so the gasket seal creeps and eventually lets go. It is famously not a high-kilometre failure: guides report it turning up on low-kilometre cars that have done years of short stop-start trips, and from around 80,000 km upwards on any of them. Once it goes, coolant gets into the cylinders or the oil, and a car driven on afterwards warps or cracks the alloy head so it has to be replaced rather than skimmed. Australian workshops long ago settled on the later AU metal (MLS) gasket with new torque-to-yield head bolts as the durable repair, so a car with that history is a better bet than an untouched original. Ford never ran a recall or a warranty extension for it.

Example of the part — not this vehicle

Where to look: Cylinder head and head gasket along the top of the inline-six; the evidence shows at the exhaust tailpipe, in the coolant expansion tank and under the oil filler cap.

Parts involved: Cylinder head.

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The Barra 4.0L I6 uses a hydraulic primary timing chain tensioner that is oil-pressure dependent. The one-way check valve inside the tensioner can fail, allowing the tensioner to bleed down when the engine is off and the chain to go slack on restart. High-mileage engines also see wear in the timing chain itself and the plastic chain guides, compounding the slack. A failed tensioner left unrepaired risks catastrophic timing chain jump or snap.

Example of the part — not this vehicle

Where to look: Front of engine behind timing cover, driver side

Parts involved: Timing chain.

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Unconfirmed. This entry does not match our record of which engines and years this model was sold with, and is awaiting review. Confirm it against the car before acting on it.

The EA through EL Falcon 4.0L inline-six uses a crimped aluminium-core radiator with injection-moulded plastic end tanks. The plastic becomes brittle with age and heat cycling, cracking at the crimp joint and failing to contain coolant. On any EA-EL Falcon retaining the original radiator, tank failure is a near certainty; collapse can be sudden rather than a gradual weep.

Where to look: Engine bay front, radiator upper and lower end tanks at the crimp joint to aluminium core

Parts involved: Radiator.

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High-mileage Boss 5.4 engines exhibit elevated oil consumption, typically above 1L per 3,000 km. Piston ring land wear and valve stem seal degradation are the primary causes. Blue smoke on overrun or hard acceleration is the visible symptom. This leads to fouled spark plugs, increased fuel consumption, and catalyst contamination. While ring replacement requires a full engine rebuild, valve stem seal replacement can be performed with the head in situ using a compressed-air hold technique.

Parts involved: Catalytic converter.

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The factory composite head gasket on the Barra turbo is unable to reliably contain combustion pressure under sustained boost, particularly at factory boost levels above 8 psi. Failure modes include coolant ingestion into cylinders, coolant loss with no external leak, and white exhaust smoke. The aluminium head is susceptible to warping if the engine is run hot. Standard repair requires head removal, resurfacing or replacement, and fitment of an aftermarket multi-layer steel (MLS) gasket with ARP head studs. Turbo models with the stock single-layer gasket are at elevated risk, especially on BA and BF variants where the factory cooling capacity is marginal.

Example of the part — not this vehicle

Parts involved: Head gasket.

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The 5.4L DOHC Boss V8 uses variable cam timing phasers (VCT) on both intake and exhaust camshafts. Phaser vanes wear and the locking pins fail to seat under low oil pressure or at low RPM. The characteristic symptom is a loud metallic rattle from the front of the engine at idle or cold start, which may clear as oil pressure builds. Worn phasers can cause retarded cam timing, misfires, and rough running. Replacement of the phaser assemblies and associated VCT solenoids is required. This fault is closely linked to oil change interval compliance.

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The ZF 6HP26 six-speed automatic fitted to FG and FGX Falcon is robust but the electro-hydraulic solenoids controlling gear selection wear and clog at high mileage when fluid is not serviced. ZF specifies lifetime fluid but this is not appropriate for Australian and NZ operating conditions; neglected fluid degrades and deposits varnish on solenoid bores, causing shift hesitation, harsh engagement, and fault codes. Solenoid replacement or valve body rebuild is the usual repair.

Where to look: Automatic transmission valve body, solenoid pack assembly accessible via transmission sump removal

Parts involved: Mechatronic / valve body.

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FG Falcons with the Barra 195 six-cylinder have a documented run of valve spring failures: a spring cracks or breaks, causing a persistent misfire on one cylinder, and in bad cases a dropped valve damaging the head or piston. Many workshops replace the full set of springs preventatively when one goes. It affected enough cars that upgraded aftermarket spring kits are a standard fix in the Falcon community.

Where to look: Cylinder head, under the cam cover — top of the engine

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The naturally aspirated Barra I6 shares the same plastic timing chain guide design as the turbo variant. Guide wear and tensioner degradation produce a cold-start rattle that worsens over time. The AU-series Barra (pre-2002) used an earlier guide profile that is more prone to early cracking. Failure of a guide at high mileage can cause chain jump and bent valves. Inspection and replacement of the full timing chain kit is recommended at or before 200,000 km.

Example of the part — not this vehicle

Parts involved: Timing chain.

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The BTR M93LE 4-speed automatic used in AU and early BA Falcons develops worn valve body bores and failing servo pistons over time. Symptoms include harsh or delayed 2-3 upshifts, converter shudder, and slipping under load. The servo bore for the 2nd gear band can wear oval, preventing the band from applying with full force. A valve body recondition or replacement resolves most shift quality issues; worn servo bores require a full rebuild. Fluid and filter service at the correct interval (every 40,000 km) significantly extends service life.

Parts involved: Mechatronic / valve body.

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The Boss 5.0L V8 in the FG GT/GT-P Falcon has a documented tendency toward elevated oil consumption driven by a positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) system that routes oil vapour back through the intake manifold. Over time the PCV hoses and baffle become oil-saturated and can allow liquid oil to be ingested, accelerating combustion chamber deposits and spark plug fouling. Affected engines consume 1 litre per 2,000–3,000 km and may exhibit blue smoke at start-up.

Where to look: Engine valley / intake manifold — PCV hose routing from cam covers to intake

Parts involved: PCV / oil separator.

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Unconfirmed. This entry does not match our record of which engines and years this model was sold with, and is awaiting review. Confirm it against the car before acting on it.

EA through EB I Falcons used a single injector unit sitting in the throttle body rather than one injector per cylinder. Buyer's guides are blunt that the system was unreliable, and the fault is the electrical contacts inside the throttle body going high-resistance or intermittent, so the car hunts at idle, stumbles off the line, floods, or simply stops. Ford dropped it at EB II when the multi-point 4.0 became standard, which is exactly why an EB II or later is the easier car to own. Parts for the single-point setup are now scarce and few workshops have seen one, so on these cars diagnosis time is usually the bigger half of the bill.

Where to look: Throttle body sitting on top of the inline-six inlet manifold, with the single injector and its electrical contacts inside it.

Parts involved: Fuel injector.

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The OEM water pump on the Barra NA I6 uses a pressed-steel impeller and a bearing that is susceptible to wear from coolant contamination. Seal failure allows coolant to weep from the pump snout weep hole, which is a pre-failure indicator. Bearing failure produces a rumble or squeal from the front of the engine and can allow the pump to wobble, damaging the timing cover seal. Complete replacement is required. The pump is driven by the serpentine belt on Barra NA engines and is accessible without major disassembly.

Parts involved: Water pump.

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AU and early BA Barra 4.0L NA engines use a plastic thermostat housing bolted to the aluminium engine block. Thermal cycling causes the housing to crack at the coolant outlet neck or the bolt boss, causing coolant loss. The crack is often on the underside and not immediately visible. Coolant loss is gradual initially, then sudden when the crack propagates. The fix is replacement with either an updated plastic housing or an aftermarket aluminium unit. Water pump failure commonly accompanies housing failure on high-mileage units.

Example of the part — not this vehicle

Parts involved: Thermostat.

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Unconfirmed. This entry does not match our record of which engines and years this model was sold with, and is awaiting review. Confirm it against the car before acting on it.

The 2.0L EcoBoost turbocharger fitted to the FGX EcoBoost Falcon uses a pneumatic wastegate actuator with a rod-end clip that develops free play over time due to thermal cycling and vibration. The loose actuator rod rattles against the wastegate arm at idle and under light throttle, producing a metallic tinkling or buzzing from the turbo. Ford issued TSB 14-0188 covering this failure on all 2.0L EcoBoost applications, prescribing a revised actuator clip or replacement actuator rod assembly.

Where to look: Turbocharger wastegate actuator — passenger side of engine bay

Parts involved: Turbocharger.

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BA and BF Falcon PCMs are prone to internal solder joint cracking and MOSFET failure due to thermal cycling and the PCM's location in the engine bay on some variants. Faults manifest as intermittent no-start, stalling, loss of injector pulse, and fault codes that cannot be cleared. A failed PCM will not communicate with a scan tool. The unit is not serviceable by the owner and requires either a new unit (programmed to the vehicle) or a specialist remanufactured unit. PIN/immobiliser data must be transferred or re-coded on replacement.

Parts involved: Fuel injector.

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Every FG II Falcon built from 12 November 2013 to 13 October 2014, whatever the engine, was recalled because the ignition switch plug can come loose. If it does while driving, the engine stalls, the electrics go dead and the car cannot be restarted. Ford fixes it free under recall PRA 2015/14560.

Where to look: Behind the ignition barrel on the steering column

Can't confirm for this car

The ICC is the combined stereo, trip computer and display unit in the middle of the dash on BA, BF and FG Falcons. Australian electronics repairers list it as a standard known failure: the unit goes completely dead with no display, no sound and no button response, or it powers up showing CODE, very often straight after a flat battery or a jump start. The sting is that the unit is coded to the car's VIN, so a second-hand one out of a wrecker will not simply plug in and work - it has to be programmed to that specific car, and the cheap fix a buyer expects is not available. The CD mechanism also jams and refuses to eject. On its own it is an annoyance rather than a danger, but a dead ICC on a car for sale is often a clue that the battery and charging system have been neglected.

Where to look: Centre of the dashboard - the combined screen, stereo and trip computer unit above the climate controls.

Can't confirm for this car

Unconfirmed. This entry does not match our record of which engines and years this model was sold with, and is awaiting review. Confirm it against the car before acting on it.

EA-to-EL Falcons rust in a known set of places, and two of them are structural. The lower A-pillar where the windscreen pillar meets the sill, and the inner and outer sills themselves, are the ones that end the car: buyer's guides describe rust in those two areas as often not worth fixing because of the complexity of the repair. The door hinge pillars rust where they join the body, a problem the guides trace right back to the EA. Cosmetic-to-serious spots are the rear window and windscreen surrounds, the lower edge of the boot lid, the rear wheel-arch lips, the 'dogleg' at the bottom rear corner of the rear door opening (worst on wagons) and the battery tray. Boot seals leak, so the boot floor, spare wheel well and rear light housings corrode from the inside. In New Zealand, structural rust in the sills or pillars is a Warrant of Fitness fail and needs a certified repair that routinely costs more than the car is worth.

Where to look: Lower A-pillar where it meets the sill and the door hinges, inner and outer sills, rear door dogleg, rear wheel-arch lips, boot lid lower edge, boot floor and spare wheel well, battery tray, and the windscreen and rear window surrounds.

Parts involved: Chassis and structural rust.

Can't confirm for this car

Front lower control arm ball joints on the BA through FG Falcon platform are a known wear item with a documented failure rate on higher-mileage examples. Joint failure allows the wheel to change camber unpredictably and in severe cases the joint can separate, causing loss of steering control. A failed joint is a critical safety defect. The lower arm includes the ball joint as a replaceable component on most variants, making repair more affordable than whole-arm replacement.

Example of the part — not this vehicle

Where to look: Front suspension lower control arm, ball joint

Parts involved: Ball joint.

Can't confirm for this car

High-mileage Falcon sedans and wagons, particularly those operated in higher-rainfall or coastal areas of NZ or AU, develop rust in the floor pan around the firewall base, under the rear seat, and along the inner sill sections. Water ingress through door seal degradation and blocked drain holes traps moisture in these areas. While the Falcon is not as rust-prone as Japanese vehicles of similar age, rust in structural sill sections can affect roadworthiness and WOF/RWC compliance.

Where to look: Floor pan, inner sills, firewall base

Parts involved: Body corrosion.

Can't confirm for this car

The FG/FGX Falcon's independent rear suspension mounts the differential carrier to the subframe via large rubber bushings that deteriorate with age, heat cycling, and aggressive use. When the bushings degrade, the differential can shift under load, causing clunking on throttle application and lift-off, imprecise rear-end feel, and accelerated halfshaft CV joint wear from the resultant misalignment. Performance-oriented or high-mileage examples are most affected.

Where to look: Rear subframe — differential carrier front and rear mounting bushings

Parts involved: Differential.

Can't confirm for this car

All BA/BF/FG/FG X Falcons (and the related Territory) wear out the three rear diff mounting bushes, causing a distinct clunk or bang when taking off, selecting reverse, or lifting off the throttle. The diff flexes in worn bushes and knocks metal-on-metal. It is cheap enough to fix with aftermarket Nolathane/SuperPro bushes but recurs roughly every 100,000 km unless a greaseable bush kit is fitted. Not dangerous in itself, but a loud clunking rear end is a strong bargaining chip.

Where to look: Rear differential mounting bushes, under the rear of the car where the diff meets the subframe

Parts involved: Differential.

Can't confirm for this car

This applies only to the EcoLPi liquid-injection LPG cars, not to petrol or E-Gas Falcons. Ford recalled 3,256 FG II Falcon EcoLPi sedans and utes because an O-ring seal between the LPG tank's fuel delivery module and the wiring connector insert could be missing from the factory. Without it, LPG can escape from the tank, and Ford issued the recall as a fire risk. Affected sedans were built between 4 August 2011 and 18 July 2012, and utes between 15 September 2011 and 18 July 2012. The repair is free at a Ford dealer and it does not expire, but Falcon production ended in 2016 and these cars have changed hands many times, so plenty were never presented. A New Zealand car may well be a private Australian import that never received the recall letter at all.

Where to look: LPG tank in the boot floor, at the fuel delivery module and its wiring connector on top of the tank.