22nd Apr 2011, 23:37
I had a Fairlane Concorde, and I found to be very nice car to drive and extremely reliable.
In the way of it being an every day car, it was great, the interior is very comfortable on long trips, and for a very big car it had plenty of power for overtaking.
It was only a 6 cylinder and cruised at 120/140/kilometres per hour, and have found the car to be the most economical around this speed, but it has the deception that it's a smaller car than it really is, which can get annoying sometimes (it gave my girlfriend a bit of a fright when she had to park it for the first time!).
Other than the car's usual service, the only problems I had with it were when the car got broken into, and I had to source some of the parts the thieves damaged when they wrecked the trim around the stereo and the trim panels on the doors. Other than that, it was great.
27th May 2011, 00:13
The 4-speed in Falcons/Fairlanes IS an overdrive! 3rd gear has a ratio of 1.00:1, 4th gear (overdrive) has a ratio of 0.68:1. All the power/economy switch does is change the speed (road) at which the auto changes up or down.
Having just recently purchased a '97 NL Fairlane Ghia, so far I am very happy with it. The SLS (Self Leveling Suspension) has already been disconnected. It has a minor weep from the coolant bottle as well, but this can be bought from the local FORD wreckers for $45 s/h or $85 new (sensor not included).
My only 'problem' ATM is a drive-line knock on coast or light throttle, which I am trying to track down.
2nd May 2013, 10:23
I'm afraid you are wrong. The 4 speed auto is an overdrive transmission (i.e. 4th is overdrive, so it's really a 3 speed with overdrive). With regard to the ECON > POWER switch, all that does is change the shift patterns so that ECON is not as eager to change down and it will stay in 4th longer. POWER merely changes the shift patterns for more aggressive or frequent changes.
6th Jul 2013, 15:59
Hi.
I have a 1996 Ford Fairlane Ghia. The other day I did a coolant flush on the car. When I filled it all back up, I took it for a drive, and when I got home and turned off the car, I noticed coolant coming out from the overflow. I didn't think much of it at first, but when I checked the level first thing in the morning, the coolant level was well under full. Same thing happened again when I took it to work. And since then I have been keeping an eye on the level.
I then checked the level yesterday before I went out, and the level showed it was sitting just above the fill mark. When I got back from driving (about 20 minutes later) I checked the level again straight away when I turned the car off, and the level was above the full mark and was boiling. Coolant was almost coming out of the overflow again. The temperature gauge shows a normal reading; sits on A or M. And the car is driving fine. Just wanting to know if this is normal? And what could this be?
8th Jul 2013, 18:44
I would check the condition of your oil immediately and see if it's milky at all, suggesting coolant contamination through a blown head gasket. The reason why you are getting coolant coming from your overflow could be from the pressure of combustion being leaked out through the head gasket and into the cooling system. Another possibility is trapped air in the cooling system, however the car's coolant level would eventually stabilise once all the air was bled out in this case.
12th Feb 2011, 05:06
For a start, the Ford four speed is not an overdrive. You shouldn't be towing in third, you will kill your motor, and auto. That's what the power and econ switch is for. Power is for towing. econ is for when you aren't towing. I am on my second nf/nl. Will not be selling this one, the best car Ford ever made as far as I'm concerned.