9th Dec 2004, 16:45

I found having a EA Ford has been more trouble than its worth, I too have had many of the problems that were listed, I do look after my car and don't run it ragged, tappets seem to a major problem also heating issues as well, I also haev had oil leeks from gaskets on 4 occasions and even had my car serviced from ford them selves, in less than 3 months driving I had a heating problem my fuel chip went and oil leeks began again. I love my car don't get me wrong, but I say don't ever buy a ea ford..

4th Mar 2005, 01:22

The person that has wrote this document must have treated his/her car quite badly for this to happen. the head gasket is a problem on the ea, but if you put a head gasket on to an ea motor from the AU falcon 6, this product will last longer.

24th Jan 2007, 10:09

I have an ea falcon that I have thrashed into the ground. its centre point injected and now a seized motor the only thing that has ever gone wrong is the thing started over heating.

26th Jun 2007, 02:28

I brought an EA series 2 back in 1990. It's still going strong at 235000kms. I have just put all new gaskets in it, and that's all I have done to it, as well as a service it every 5000kms.

If you don't give it crap, it won't give you crap.

And keep up the services!!

11th Mar 2008, 00:47

My EA wagon is about to be disposed of, with a total odometer reading of about 240,000 km. With reasonable maintenance, over three years failures included the tranny, the dizzy, the centre console, plastic in the back, the fuel gauge, the head, the odometer, various ball joints, various hoses, a back brake caliper, lots and lots of light bulbs, the windscreen washer pumps, and quite a lot of other stuff.

Bits that fell off or became unusable included the roof lining, an outside door trim, the centre console lid, the restraining pins from the bit of wood over the spare, two wheel trims, the hose to the back window washer, a quantity of paint, that silly hatch in the RH rear that always falls open, and so on ad infinitum. There was even an anxious moment with the tailgate outside handle disengaging with the lock, with work by torchlight with a screwdriver required to get it re-engaged.

Things that were wonky but continued to function included the high beam switch, the charging circuit, the door handles, the windscreen washer, the cooling system, the radio, the fuel gauge, the temperature gauge, the glovebox, the window winders, the rear window demister and so forth.

To conclude, my other Fords over the years have been reliable and robust. My EA appeared to be made of the thinnest plastic possible, and not only did the plastic break, but everything else did as well. Time and memory do not permit a full list. In short - I would not buy another one.

4th Apr 2008, 04:09

I am a mechanic and I think Fords are great. Great for business that is!! A car with so many common faults is a mechanic's dream! Although we do get a bit sick of working on them!

5th Apr 2008, 21:14

To the reply on January 24:

Volvo IS Ford-owned. And I agree with the person who said this comment is unfair. All my Fords have been problem-free! On four Fords that I have owned since the 70's, I can count all the problems TOTAL on my two hands, each averaging two problems in its life. And there little things, like a transaxle seal or hose. Take that!

21st Apr 2008, 07:18

I've owned an EA Series 2 for 11 years now. The only major problems I had were the 4 speed auto falling apart, the radiator blocking up and sometimes overheating on 35+ deg C days. It's done 230,000 km now and still running well. I've been updating the interior & engine with secondhand items from later E-series models. I plan to keep it instead of buying a later model vehicle as I do all the maintenance.

30th Apr 2008, 22:42

Well I cannot to begin to agree with the majority of downwards comments about an EA Falcon. I can say from experience that I do own and have owned Fords and Holdens all of my life, and I must say of the cars I have owned, the Ford EA has been one of the better ones (EA Series 2 3.9L mpi with the 4 speed auto).

Sure the car has its up and downs, and like most other cars, if you don't look after them they can turn sour like all cars.

I can say the EA compared to its rival the VN; the EA craps on it in performance and safety. I'd even put the EA up against later models; VP, VR and even some VSs and V's. Don't underestimate the old 3.9L; they hold themselves. And like most cars, if you don't look after them, they will start to fall apart.

8th Jul 2008, 04:33

I also think it is unfair to criticize the Falcon EA series as I have owned 3 of them, 2 sedans and 1 station wagon. They all have treated me with little worry as I have serviced and cleaned them regularly, and they haven't failed.

The only things that I have ever had to replace on them was the fuel pump in the station wagon, pack and a distributor on my Ghia sedan.

I would rather have an EA than some of the later Commodores such as the VR and VT, because they are only 3.8 litre engines which aren't even overhead cam with a gearbox, that can't decide when it wants to change gear.

I still have my Ghia and it's going strong with 223000 on the clock. They will go forever if you know how to look after a car.

27th Aug 2008, 20:38

I have an EA Falcon and it is the best car ever. It has 194000 on the clock and there is nothing wrong with it. I have looked after it for the past 10 years and so it's still going. They will go forever if you look after them.

4th Sep 2008, 01:30

I think the only problem with EA Falcons is that they were made from thinner sheet metal.

Only prob with mine is that it has a 3 speed auto.

Bad for the wallet.

16th Sep 2008, 01:10

I owned an EA for 7 years. Had no problems at all. At one time I thought the auto went bad, wouldn't change properly etc. Found out that the earth strap had come off. They do have electronics. Mechanic told me this happens a lot and people not in the know think that it is crook and replace it.

Those that have overheating problems; it isn't a fault of the car if you don't keep up with the proper additives (the green stuff) in the radiator water. It blocks the radiator cores and the motor runs hot.

People complaining about a 20 year old car having problems and they will never buy another one. Do you expect them to stay new forever.?

30th Sep 2008, 22:35

I have a 1990 EA. It has done 441,000 ks, and apart from the head gasket, it has given no trouble in the past five years.

I love it, it is great fun to drive with a bench seat, and if you don't thrash it, the petrol consumption is not to hard on the pocket. Would have another one any day.

4th Oct 2008, 01:56

Well "you only buy one Ford". I would only own one Holden, unreliable weak rubbish that cannot handle a hiding. I've owned 3 ED Fairmonts and the only things I have ever needed to be replaced was the ball joints, but at 230,000km that is expected.

I have had 0 electrical and 0 motor issues, nothing like that, but the EB-ED variants are FAR better then the EA. You never buy a "first of the series" model, there WILL be problems, and these are ironed out by the time the later series are released IE EB-ED, I have never had head gasket issues, as I have put in EL-AU hybrid and AU motors in for performance upgrades, and they are an AWESOME motor.

ED Fairmont looks sexy, they are comfortable, well optioned luxury and very easy to make a fast weapon/sleeper.

3rd Feb 2015, 23:07

I have a centre point injection EA Falcon. I washed the engine bay and now can't get it to run the same. It seems as if it hasn't got enough spark to burn the fuel properly, as it just floods over nothing.