Common Problems with the AU??

[The Monty]

Is this that whooshy sound I always get from my brakes? I fso, I gently apply my handbrake so it engages, but doesnt actually slow you down, and release it a couple of times, and it goes away.

[nedkelly]

Hi guys new to forum and thought I'd add to the list, not much to add though.

I've had my AUI since new (Dec 98) now with 212000k's on it and going strong, problems I've had are all small and I think mostly due to wear and tear.

Rust mostly around the boot struts (in the corners below the rear window) and in the boot where the spoiler was badly fitted (apparently they fixed this under warranty but it was never really fixed, the boot still leaks to this day).

Steering rack recall.

Window rubbers on the doors shrinking due to the car never being garaged in its life (and I live within 1k of the beach).

Suspension is due to be replaced for the first time, there are a few clunks etc. just never have the money to do it...

The small problems were the headlight switch broke (pretty weak part) cost about $2 to fix, and the rear seat latches both broke but I fixed them myself with some heavy fishing line.

And that's it, without a doupt the AU is the best car I've ever had, and it's out lasted my mates 3 commodores in 8 years, not a single rattle in the interior yet and in 8 years has barely cost a thing in terms of maintenance.

For anyone having doubts about AU's while reading this thread, have no doubt at all, AU's are IMO one of the most cost effective and reliable cars ever built.

Cheers!

[mailmann]

Smart lock cycle up-down when locking after washing.Trip to ford dealership.Water intruding into drivers door was the culprit here,fixed under warranty.54,000k
Drivers side window switch replaced.80,000k.$41.00 {NOT COVERED**
Power steering rack leaking.Replaced under extended warranty.80,000k.
Wheel alignment difficult to set,Fitted caster/camber kit to left front.80.000k.$175.00 [Beaurepairs]
Front brakes disks cause some drumming when under severe application!Possibly warping a bit.Will have this looked at next service.So all and all i am happy with my au ford and actually prefere it to the BA all but 1 regaurd,Never did like the AU headlights.Am just about to fix that with a set of alteesa after market units.

Cheers1

[povman1964]

My wife drove our 99 AU on a country trip and as she pulled into the carpark of a camp ground, the engine fell off the cross member and damaged the power steering .... Ford denied any liability until I pressured them with threats of going on TV etc , they then paid up for half of the repairs, I should have held out for more.

Check out the picture of the sheared off bolts.

[maxpowerx]

Originally Posted by Samford

I have an AU2 and my transmission keeps slipping while im driving which causes it to jerk. I happens no matter how long i have been driving for. Does anyone know what might be wrong. It also stalls sometimes for no reason, usually around corners. Help!

Had the same problem, mine kept getting worse, adding some transmission fluid fixed the slipping. I found there was a a crack in the radiator that was leaking transmission fluid into the coolant. I set up a separate transmission cooler to fix the problem.

My antenna doesn't go down at times, I have to push the antenna down a bit & then it will go down automatically.

The buttons for automatic window also don't work on the back doors.

[Mechan1k]

With your power window switches ... pull the door trims .. and pop the switches out ... the contacts discolour and ... well ... lose contact ... just clean them up a bit with some wet and dry and plug it back in ... and then try them. Common issue.

I had to so it with my driver's door switches and they worked perfectly after that.


Whilie you have your door trims off ... run some graphite powder along the window guides ... this helps the windows glides easier over them and puts less stress on the window motors as well ... just easier to do it while you have them off doing something else.

[StAndArdAU]

my roof trim is pulling away above the drivers side head. Any one else had this? AU S1 forte.

also i was quoted around $300 to fix as it requires removing the entire roof trim... comments please?!!?

[Mechan1k]

Speak to Kenz ... he replaced his rooflining himself ... and used suede ... looks bloody good ... i think he got all the material from Spotlight cheap. Apparently not too hard either.

[StAndArdAU]

cheers..., i shall search for Kenz!!

[Mechan1k]

Look in the Workshop section .. he has his 1-tonner ute in there

[mumford]

Originally Posted by bazz

Problems with my 2002 AU-III Wagon:

1) Stereo is crap, can't even play my burnt CD's when even a 15y.o OEM Subaru unit works. Not sure if it's able to play CD's at all, it keep spitting them out.

2) LPG sender guage goes awol sometimes, before returning to an accurate reading.

3) Slow power windows.

4) The fans are noisey when activated, e.g with heather or aircon on. It makes a clicking sound like the big wheel at the casino.

But when I think of the cheap running cost of LPG, I feel happy again.

I have the same problem as bazz's #4.
Any tips/instructions for getting into the dash to inspect the fan?
Perhaps RussellW would be kind enough to post a workshop manual extract in tech info or would know someone who could?
Great forum, keep it up all!
Thanks in advance.
PS I realise this thread is supposedly for solved problems, but I could find no alternative for problems posed.

[andrew_osg]

Hi All,

The biggest issue i am having is the stoopid tail light globe holders, the brake/tail holder seems to get so hot it starts to melt causing the globes to sit wrong and eventually causes a minor earthing problem.

I replaced my globes with LED'S causing the cruse control to stop working so i changed back and am due to purchase a new light loom again :

To the makers of the holders: :thebirds:

To the person who has a solution which isn't LED's :

[Whoosha]

Originally Posted by andrew_osg

Hi All,

The biggest issue i am having is the stoopid tail light globe holders, the brake/tail holder seems to get so hot it starts to melt causing the globes to sit wrong and eventually causes a minor earthing problem.

I replaced my globes with LED'S causing the cruse control to stop working so i changed back and am due to purchase a new light loom again :

To the makers of the holders: :thebirds:

To the person who has a solution which isn't LED's :

change the Loom to the ba loom its a harder plastic.. thats what we have done on boyh our AUs no more probs,

[andrew_osg]

Thanks Whoosha, Will do

[maxpowerx]

Originally Posted by Mechan1k

With your power window switches ... pull the door trims .. and pop the switches out ... the contacts discolour and ... well ... lose contact ... just clean them up a bit with some wet and dry and plug it back in ... and then try them. Common issue.

I had to so it with my driver's door switches and they worked perfectly after that.


Whilie you have your door trims off ... run some graphite powder along the window guides ... this helps the windows glides easier over them and puts less stress on the window motors as well ... just easier to do it while you have them off doing something else.

Thanks for the info on the window switches, they now work.

[maxpowerx]

I've just been noticing a slight thump, thump, thump, thump noise. The faster I go the quicker it happens. I'm just assuming it's a wheel bearing issue.

[CJ the Mack]

Originally Posted by sbutler

Give it a go !! It fixed mine, remember 31 times. :

The volume control? that will be the rings in the steering column, you have to take the steering wheel off, clean & lube the rings, that should fix it......

could be an error in the programming of some sought my knowlege of cars is minimal but being an industrial electrican dealing with plant and machine programing you would be surprised what crazy series of button pushes can fix

[ayetobee]

Originally Posted by toadin

I had the same prob. Thanks to u it is now fixed. Incredible, 31 is the lucky number!! I was told it was the regulator. $331 for a new one. If 31 doesn't work go a little longer.

I had to put the window all the way down and press and hold the button for a little bit (2-3 seconds) and on 31 ... bingo! thankyou very much, though was funny to watch wifeys hair go all over the shop and see her have a fit, small things hey. thanks heaps.

[grim01@westnet.]

Hi All,

Had my 2000 Monty Ghia nearly 2 years..... never mised a beat. Fixed the window control thing couple of times - 10 min job. 155 km on clock, will keep till it dies if I don't first.
Now got severe brake wobble at speed over 90kmh -will replace rotors this weekend.
Worst mistake I made was getting serviced by a Ford dealer ($800), for bugger all. Was like a jump from XF life so thought do the right thing. Now found can do what they done for around $ 100 .

Love my car heaps - Ghia options still get admired for a car thats nearly 7 years old

Hint for you all - Altronics and Dick Smith sell an Aerosol called contact cleaner (CRC) which comes with a thin nozzle that fits in the spray head -
fixes the window controllers a treat without dismantling. (Great on other household stuff too - panasonic wanted $ 220 for new control panel on wasing machine - CRC fixed 8 months ago !!)

Does $ 70 sound about normal for new rotors ??

[Mechan1k]

Originally Posted by grim01@westnet.

Hint for you all - Altronics and Dick Smith sell an Aerosol called contact cleaner (CRC) which comes with a thin nozzle that fits in the spray head -
fixes the window controllers a treat without dismantling.

I bought this as well to clean out LPG loom contacts under the back of the ute ... works like a charm ... not the cheapest ... but it does work. I have seen the same can in Autobarn as well now ... but when i first got it ... it was from Dickie's

[bhjames]

My 99 AU1 Fairmont Ghia has been showing extremely low (none) oil pressure when hot and idling for the last 2 years. Two Ford dealers suggested changing the oil pressure sender, which I finally did last week.

Guess what. NO change! $60- wasted!

Metro Ford in Brisbane fortuitously suggested last week that there had been a FORD service bulletin suggesting that these sorts of problems had in many cases been due to electrical earthing problems.

Today, I am very pleased to advise that after a couple of hours work removing and cleaning every earth I could find around the engine, I am sure the problem is FIXED!

In retrospect, I now suspect that when the two engine fans cut in (with a hot engine) that somehow the voltage available to the oil pressure sender fell below a critical level, sending the dashboard pressure gauge to zero, and triggering the audible alarm.

If you have an AU, check your engine and chassis earths!!

[MRJUCY]

My jack snapped the other day dropping my car on the ground, has anyone else ever had this happen?

It looked like it had never been used previously & is no in four pieces, I was thinking of sending it back to Ford with any angry letter, not that I think they'd care but it would be good to get it off my chest.
I could have been badly hurt if I didn't always keep the spare under the car when jacking.

[Laminge]

I would have cared, no one wants a Juicy Mr Juicy

Send em a letter with pictures of the Jack, though no one should depend on car jacks

[MRJUCY]

Glad to know someone does. :

It was a road side flat so I didn't have much choice of what to use but the one that came with the car but I'm glad I always take the extra precaution of using the spare as a makeshift axle stand.

[mike4118]

Hi people just a couple of things on my au1 fairmont ghia.
1. Climate control fan keeps running even with ignition off. New fan resistor.
2. Coolant header tank split. New tank from ford.
3. Lack of power. Might be 300000 plus klms of hard work.

But other than that best car i've ever had and will keep for along time to come.

[Mechan1k]

Yeah ... I have a hairline crack in my header tank as well ... off to the wrecker to get another one.

I should have kept the old dirty AU one ... instead of getting a BA header tank ... LOL
Oh well ... at least the wreckers have near new ones for a 1/4 of the price of Ford.

[lohnro]

I am trying to remove the passenger door trim on my AU2 and seem to be missing a fixing point. The central locking is allowing the passenger door open even when the car is locked. I am suspecting water has got in but can't get the trim off to see. Grateful for any advice.

[ntguy]

AU, check your engine and chassis earths!!

Is this only for I6 or V8`s too??

[Mechan1k]

Originally Posted by lohnro

I am trying to remove the passenger door trim on my AU2 and seem to be missing a fixing point. The central locking is allowing the passenger door open even when the car is locked. I am suspecting water has got in but can't get the trim off to see. Grateful for any advice.

If you are trying to lock the vehicle ... and one lock is staying open (and you get a grinding noise from one of the doors ... it's a failed lock actuator in that door.

When it comes to removing door trims ... I know about the front doors (as I own a ute and that's all I have taken off) ... there are 2 10mm bolts ... one behind a round cover/cap .... and the other is behind the door handle itself ... you need to pry the backing of the door handle off (flatblade screwdriver and a cloth) ... but gentle .. but give it a bit of force ... if you get my drift.

It will eventually come off ... sometime 2 flatblades help in this process.

The rest of the screws around the door trim ... and there is a screw under the power window switches (if you have them) that holds a tab into the door frame as well.

That's about all that I can think of.

[lohnro]

Got it. I have removed the door trim. Thank you very much. Your instructions were spot on.