Faults:

Electronic ignition replacement at 130000

Head gasket replacement twice. The car has an overheating problem. Was towing caravan occasionally and given wrong advice by "experts", caused radiator to blowup. Eventually, through self diagnosis, realized the car required a 3 core radiator. Best thing I ever did. I installed a 3 core radiator, been towing 1.5 tonne caravan with A/C on in summer, no worries! Forget the transmission oil cooler, throw this sucker in, never look back!

Converted to gas, runs about 6km/L city. Can't comment on country because I was always pulling a caravan, but this only gives me 4km/L. Economy drops dramatically when pulling heavy load, but still cheaper that petrol, even with WA country prices!

Lots of probs with boot and bonnet air-struts. Have been holding them up with 4x2 pine! I like the old fashioned bonnets with the piece of steel you prop under it!

General Comments:

This car is a workhorse. With 6 in the family the front bench worked well. Besides the initial problems, primarily the cooling system,which I found could have been solved with some correct advice, I think it has been pretty reliable. Some rust on doors and rear hatch after 7-8 years and the outside rubber trims on doors are a pain in the you-know-what! Can't they stick or what?

Faults:

Cooling system problems.

Tappets are shot.

Squeaky when braking.

General Comments:

I beleive the ford falcon to be a god reliable car for what they are worth.

I have put a set of extractors and a 2 1/2 sports exhaust on my ford and it has made a hell of a difference.

It is now a 5 speed manual and it handles very well.

The engine has not been touched since manufactured and it can pull 16 second quarter mile with a sports exhaust and 5 speed manual.

Faults:

Replaced the motor as it was originally underpowered by the 3.2 CFI motor 3 years ago. The motor was otherwise reliable, if leaky, and was prone to overheating. We also got a bigger radiator (from a EB Falcon), which greatly improved things. The 3.9 reconditioned motor makes a world of difference.

Oil leaks due to improper seals on a cam.

Fixed with newer plastic mesh instead of the earlier plastic and even semi-cork compound used in cam sealing on the first EA's released!

Pinging also coming from motor. Fixed with adjustments on the timing chain and using better fuel (premium unleaded) and good quality oil (Mobil1, Shell Helix).

Car computer was having problems at low revs/low speed. It stalled/surges in park on the auto transmission or while stationary at stop lights for example. Generally due to the car's temperature switch and ignition timing. Take it to an auto-electrician to get it fixed.

Acceleration can sometimes lag. Check the cable and ECU. Take it to an auto-electrician to get fixed.

Transmission on the 3 speed can sometimes slip out of gear at low revs. An auto transmission service will help. Generally though, the 3 speeds are just as reliable, if not more so than the 4 speeds.

Brakes/discs can sometimes make a unearthly squealing noise for no apparent reason. Machine the discs and or replace them with aftermarket discs (eg DBA pads www.dba.com.au) with decent pads - works wonders. Making the car brake like a XR Falcon, and greatly reducing the noise.

General Comments:

My EA Falcon is kind of a workhorse passed on from father to son. It was one of the first EA's released, so it was originally a bag of worms, though Ford was very happy to help fixing these teething problems.

After that it's travelled half way round Australia, many trips on the freeway (plenty of power on the highway at high speeds with very good fuel economy - 700k/tank), and it's proved to be ever reliable. It's a heavy drinker in traffic generally, but that's expected for a 3.9 motor.

The car is no XR Falcon, and due to its transmission limitations, does not accelerate that quick, but after 60km/h it accelerates faster than a VN Commodore due to the more favourable gearing at higher speeds and lower revs.

You can improve the performance by 25% putting on big extractors and a 2.5 inch exhaust. Sounds like a rorty V8 then :)

It handles average, but slides out on corners at speed. Get better tyres and a performance shock suspension kit.

A nice and roomy Falcon, as they all are, with plenty of room for just about everyone. Not to mention the fold down seats that act as a proxy station wagon.