Which one to go for?

[4lex]

Hi all - I'm completely uninformed on falcons, we don't have them back home (I'm a pom) - would be grateful of some advice!

I've dug through all the info on the front of this site (and very useful too, thanks whoever did it), and am fairly decided on what I want, if in fact such a vehicle exists.

Ideally, a '93+ EB2 'S Pack' 4.0 MPFI, manual, dual fuel, wagon. Got a few questions though, if anyone can help:

The market seeme to be swamped with autos. Just how bad would it be to have to put up with an auto box, in terms of performance and economy trade-off?

How does the 4.0 six like gas? Can I expect about 80% output & 120% consumption compared to petrol? I assume the 4.0 MPFI is fine with regular 91RON pump fuel, or will I need to run premium/ocatne boosters?

Is there such a thing as an 'S Pack' wagon? Do any versions have a load cover in the back?

Aside from the head gasket issue (I assume this is easy to spot from emulsified oil in sump/coolant system), are there any glaring weak spots I should be looking for on one of these?

Cheers all,
Alex

[4.0i_SiX]

The Falcons Auto box will inhibit performance quite a bit. EB2 has one of the first 4 speed autos which can be problematic. Basically aim for one with low k's thats been well looked after. I recommend the 5 speed for sure.
Dual fuel is always a compromise, you will obviously lose some performance on Gas however the 4.0i will not be too worried by it, especially in manual form.

The cooling system must be well maintained in these cars, always use a good quality coolant and demineralised water. Get the radiator side tanks removed and cleaned out.
The E-Series falcons are good cars if you get one that has been looked after and continue to do so

[bindi]

Welcome Alex

It is near on impossible to find any car on LPG in a manual (believe me, I'm still looking off and on!). They are around but rare (Sunny - didn't you have an EA 5 spd S Pak on LPG for sale a while back?). Most LPG cars are either ex company cars or ex taxis, which means autos.

It also means one of two things. 1) They are maintained to within an inch of their lives or 2) They are run into the ground. My friend was a taxi driver and he said his boss (who owned the car - an XE called The Enterprise) kept it up so well cos he couldn't afford to have it off the road. Others have said they drive it like maniacs cos it's NOT THEIR CAR :hihi:

Normally they have high kms too.

It is the rare car which is a manual and LPG, cos it would mean the everyday person would've paid for the conversion. It takes alot of km's driving to get your money's worth back so most people don't bother.

Performance is apparently mainly hampered by dual fuel (see the other forum on LPG) cos you can only tune the car for one fuel, not both.

Also autos aren't nearly as fun or toey as manuals and to me, that's important!

[EB6]

One thing you will notice about the auto over a manual is the gear ratio the auto is really designed to cruze and the manual to floor it and go. If u wanted to get an auto to go like a manual u need to change the ratios to a 4.11-1 over the 3.27-1 standard. But that aside try for low k's good service history and make sure the sump gasket isnt leaking if it is it usually requires engine removal to replace it properly.
They did make an s pack wagon as far as i know but with the wagon u have leaf rear suspension so loose handling ability.

[EB6]

diff ratios that is

[Sundeep]

The thing that most people don't realise about gas is that you can get all your performance back by simply pulling out the mixer. It is the only performance inhibiting part of the whole gas system, besides the weight of the tank and whatever fuel is in it.

I don't think it will be too hard to find what you're looking for, but if you settled for an auto you could always convert. The downside of the 5 speeds is that they usually have a heavy clutch and a sloppy shift in the earlier models (mine did anyway, and I haven't heard any different from others). You also have to look out for the firewall tearing wear the clutch cable pass through it. A notchy clutch is a sign of this, but most have been repaired by now.

There's nothing wrong with autos either, the 4 speeds were never really problematic but can be expensive to repair if they do. They are though cheaper to replace than a 5 speed.

Hope this helps.

Sundeep

[4lex]

Thanks very much everyone. I'm not overly concerned about off-the-blocks performance, so if one requirement has to go I guess it'll be the manual 'box. DF & wagon also seems to be an unusual combination, I would imagine due to the tank location issue - would most gas wagons have a 'donut tank' in place of the spare wheel?

Interested to hear the changed rear suspension setup on the wagon, do the sedans run a macpherson strut at the rear?

Cheers,
Alex

[EFFalcon]

most LPG wagons have the Fuel tank made smaller to allow room for the LPG tank.
Wagon's have a Leaf spring setup compared to the coil springs in the sedan.

[4lex]

Originally Posted by EFFalcon

most LPG wagons have the Fuel tank made smaller to allow room for the LPG tank.

Really? That I don't want. Anyone know of a simple way to check if this is the case short of filling the thing up.... I don't want to be giving away free tanks of fuel with every car I go to look at! If anyone's got a pic of the underside of a regular unleaded wagon that'd be handy.

Cheers,
Alex

[neb]

i'll take a photo of underneath my wagon tonight when i get home if no ones posted anything up (unleaded eb wagon)

[4lex]

Thanks mate.

See you've done a AT-MT swap on yours - did you do it yourself? Is it a straightforward swap insofar as the MT would fit between motor and prop exactly as the AT did?

How about linkages, reverse light switch, gear lever, interior trim? Did it mean an ECU change?

I suspect this job will be beyond the scope of my modest toolkit, but possibly worth looking at - never had an auto, and not all that keen to change that!

Cheers,
Alex

[neb]

i didn't do it myself... i don't really have the facilities to that kind of stuff at home.

the manual transmission fits in without having to change the driveshaft, i did have the ecu changed to a manual ecu but i think some people have done it with the auto ecu.. you can trick it into thinking its in neutral some how. with interior trim its not much different.. the surround for the gearstick is slightly different.. and you've got an extra pedal of course otherwise its the same really. you might want to pick up an s-pac, xr6 or fairmont dash which has the tacho in it as well.

i think there was a tutorial somewhere on how to do this.. but not sure where it is sorry

[neb]

ok i just found the tutorial for the auto to manual conversion.. have a look here:

http://www.ford-tech.com/articles.php?articleId=47

[4lex]

Cheers for the link. Job doesn't look too tough, 'cept the half meter clearance underneath :(

I just know I'll forget something basic aswell, it'd be just my style to get it all fitted up nicely only to find I've forgotten to get the pedal....

I'm favouring manuals in my search, but if a decent one comes up on a 4sp auto I'll just put up with it I think.

[dave.747]

ea ftw