Need help after I replaced the battery...

[IboughtanAU]

Hello all,

Just bought a 1999 AU Forte sedan with auto and the intech six- the battery died, so I took it out and swapped in a new battery. I've been having the low rpm in gear and the dipping and near-stalling during power steering turning also.
It is unbelievably frustrating..

Did anyone involved in this thread ever find a solution to this?
Fantastic car, just annoying that I've fixed a dead coilpack, put a new battery in, and now this. I have absolutely zero experience with AUs or any falcon more technically advanced than my XW GT. I do have plenty of experience in BMW V8's and later model RX8 & RX7 rotary cars, but this is the first garden variety Falcon I've ever owned..

Thanks in advance guys. I hope to learn a lot here.

[Uncle_Ken]

If you had no probs before the car is just relearning your driving patterns. I just did mine and it drives differently from before (I turned on the aircon and that helped a bit keeping the car at idle at lights).
Uk

[IboughtanAU]

Thanks all, but I actually found my problem. The guy I bought my AU from, had changed the spark plugs a week or so before I bought the car.
The coilpack was faulty, and he changed the plug leads and the plugs in an effort to try and fix the problem.

Issue was, he just grabbed whatever spark plugs would screw in, screwed them in finger tight, and left it like this for me. They were very cold heat range plugs, for a Honda or something, definitely not Falcon six.

Unscrewed them by hand, bought six new plugs, put them in and away it goes, no more stalling or playing up.

Some people honestly should not be allowed near a car :/

Edit: fixed the coilpack in the first two days of ownership. Was an easy fix.
I got the AU for 600 bucks because he thought the stuffed coilpack was a "blown engine"... I knew better ;)

[fordfalconed]

Gidday IbogoughtanAU,

A Taswegian i see as I lived for a short time in lenah valley, anyhow well done on the purchase and fixing it.

I replaced the coil pack with a VDO and used standard non-iridium NGK plugs on my Au3 sedan as the onboard bosch that were in place were all used up and looked very crappy. i was gonna put iridiums but didnt. What plugs did you put in?

[Bourbon Ute]

Moose,

Have you tried a throttle clean? I've had this on a few cars (not necessarily falcons), after you disconnect the battery the idle takes longer to relearn due to the carbon build up behind the throttle blade. Idle usually increases for a few runs until it adjusts to the increased airflow.

[IboughtanAU]

Originally Posted by fordfalconed

Gidday IbogoughtanAU,

A Taswegian i see as I lived for a short time in lenah valley, anyhow well done on the purchase and fixing it.

I replaced the coil pack with a VDO and used standard non-iridium NGK plugs on my Au3 sedan as the onboard bosch that were in place were all used up and looked very crappy. i was gonna put iridiums but didnt. What plugs did you put in?

Lenah Valley is a nice place, gets cold though! I put stock standard NGK copper electrode plugs in the car, and it's been great ever since!

Had a Google of the spark plugs I pulled out of the car (the wrong ones the previous owner had bodged in there) from memory he had put commodore V6 plugs in it, and the heat range was completely wrong by about 6 points for gods sake... Combined with the faulty coil pack that only fired 4 cylinders, it was no wonder the poor thing wouldn't idle and kept stalling.. Someone should have not been allowed under the bonnet!!

[fordfalconed]

Originally Posted by IboughtanAU

Lenah Valley is a nice place, gets cold though! I put stock standard NGK copper electrode plugs in the car, and it's been great ever since!

Had a Google of the spark plugs I pulled out of the car (the wrong ones the previous owner had bodged in there) from memory he had put commodore V6 plugs in it, and the heat range was completely wrong by about 6 points for gods sake... Combined with the faulty coil pack that only fired 4 cylinders, it was no wonder the poor thing wouldn't idle and kept stalling.. Someone should have not been allowed under the bonnet!!

Gidday IboughtanAu,

Yep old Lenah valley got cold alright closer to that Mt Wellington? but now in Sydney and better range of temps especially summer.

Thanks for the heads up on the copper heads NGKs and yeah some ppl should leave it up to mechanic or mechanic minded folks for a fix. Enjoy your Au and cheers.

And to Swedishmoose I think doing that open throttle and closed throttle recalibration may help relearn for the Auto transmissions. cheers.

[Neergnai]

I know this is an old thread, but 8m having exactly the same issues with my au after changing the battery, alternator and steering pump.
I wondered if you ever solved this problem, and how?