XF Fairmont - I am new to fords

[0john7]

hi all, I just got gifted an XF fairmont from my grandpa. yes its far from perfect, has rust, and has been sitting for 4 years. I am extremely grateful and emotional about this as it means a lot to me. I am a holden man so i dont really know anything about fords, especially the older models like the XD-XF series. from what i know the car is an eec4 so it has been optioned with efi from factory. I dont know anything else about these cars and what i should look out for so i was wondering what you lads could tell me what commonly goes wrong and what i should look out for and tackle first. as i said, i know very little about these. your help will be really apprecitated.. just cause im a holden bloke doesnt mean i cant appreciate a good ford

[dom_105]

Do all the exterior door handles work?

[FERG_51]

Pretty reliable old cars, keep cooling system maintained, replace radiator, hoses and fittings, give it a good flush and get some decent coolant. i recomend RMI-25. Give it a good tune up, plugs leads distributor cap and give it a good service. Ball joints tie rod ends and bushes may require replacement if they have never been done.

[roKWiz]

Congrats on the XF.

Rust wise check around the door hinges and plenum area.
It's worth taking the extra care and cleaning out any dirt stuck behind the front guards lowest point.
I would pull the grille panel below the windscreen to check the plenum area thoroughly. I reinstalled mine with a fine screen underneath to stop leaves making there way inside the void.

Engine wise these crossflows are quite reliable apart from some small electrical problems.
I've had stupid things like the main fusible link coming loose and shutting off the engine several times before finding the problem.

And as others have said keep some spare door handles for a quick change out.
They are very easy to replace.
There's a couple of tricks on YT to take the strain off the door release mechanism.

Overhaul a good car.

[0john7]

thanks everyone for the input i reallly appreciate it

[swamp]

hi
Door handles do break but this can be reduced 90% if
door hinges are aligned properly
internal door mechanism is removed cleaned and lubed
external latch is removed cleaned and lubed

When reassembled align the body striker to door catch
lube
flood with CRC then engine oil
pivot points u can access use zinc grease

When done properly the doors canbe opened with one finger WOW but true

[swamp]

hi
Rear suspension has accelerated wear
Front spring saddle is best replaced by super PRO blue bushing accelerated wear
Caster rod bushes as above
upper ball joint have accelerated wear

Rear disc brakes are now a little harder to get parts for . The guide pins often are very tight and need silver grade never seize when reassembling .

Air con needs maintaining ,, evap core takes about 3-6 hrs to remove replace . Easy but time consuming . Great air con when repaired properly . No big issues .

XF falcon body is easy and affordable to maintain

NB Keep people who donot no how to tune these away from ECCIV [efi engine ]

[BENT_8]

Fairmont or Fairmont Ghia?

Great cars, best seller in its day.

As has been said, check plenum for rust, a gentle stream of water over the windscreen will show leaks in front footwells if there are rust holes.
Top of 'A' pillars can rust, so too bottom of 'C' pillars and lower gaurds.
Suspension and steering are an easy replacement, listen for squeaking ball joints and front spring saddles.
Look for silastic around airflow meter on airbox, a common fault that was expensive to replace 20yrs ago so people opened them up to fix.

If manual, check for cracks around firewall where cable goes through and check shifter nylon bush/ locator thread as the whole shifter can come out on a vigorous 1/2 change.

Apart from that, bullet proof.