Top job mate. You're right about it being a nightmare job. I swapped the gasket out in my BA. I managed to strip the head of the plenham bolt closest to the firewall. I got 10 of the 12 manifold bolts with a 10mm flexible head ratcheting spanner and the 2 closest to the firewall with a 1/4 inch socket and extension. And yes the edges are sharp. I have 3 long scars as a reminder of the nightmare that was.
Geez I love your channel Sean. You put so much effort into every video and you explain everything so clearly and the production/editing is incredible. Well done. Its much appreciated. 👍👍👌
Awesome video good sir!! I found the injectors on my AU were ok but I did a reverse flush with carb cleaner and a 12v power supply and switched the power on and off to replicate the pulsing of an injector. But the fuel rail was full of rust, so a replacement one was required, but I changed out pump, filter, fuel pressure regulator as well. I ended up using the same manifold half gasket again as it's metal and used hylomar gasket spray on it. And my inlet manifold gasket was in about 30 pieces. I also port matched the inlet manifold to the head and gasket to lessen any possibilities of an asthmatic engine. Don't forget to change out the PCV valve gasket in the rocker cover as they have a tendency to dry out and perish. Enough about my crap, I do love your videos and you explain things brilliantly.
Thanks mate! Someone else once said that they felt like my cars were also their cars - that they owned them through me and my videos. So that's kind of cool 👍
You inspired me. Because I am lazy, I was going to just hang out today but now I am going to go outside and tinker on my Austin. You did a good job, by the way. 👍😊👌
mate, I do enjoy watching your videos. you go over some some good car maintenance that no-one should be scared of trying. I've only ever owned commodores, but watching you care for your aussie made cars. and your calm voice is, as you put it, therapeutic. It makes me want to give my cars (VF, VE & VL walky rep) some more love. i'm close to you, over in Camira, and now every time i see a silver BA I'm always checking the plates, especially if I'm near carole park. If you see some nut with giving a thumbs up out the window of a VF it'll be me.
I have to agree completely about the benefits of forums. There's so many knowledgeable and helpful users. I'd be stuffed without them. If I was going to do a bit of a rant about 'kids these days' it'd only be that they don't realise how awesome videos like this and forums etc are and how much it sucked without them. I've watched a fair few of your videos and have enjoyed them all mate. I also tend to geek out and I probably share your enthusiasm for the Haltech system. Good job with the roof lining and floor carpet. Your Ghia looks great.
@@MotoringBoxTV I watched it throughout with a couple of breaks and even rewound a few parts to take in what you were saying. Wondering, if you break viewing in any way, does it count as a view?
Another great video Sean. A couple of months ago on my L36 Ecotec, it was acting rough. Where I live we get bad fuel every now & again. I ended up doing a top end rebuild replacing the injectors, cleaning the fuel rail, replacing spark plugs & leads, cleaning the air intake, replacing the fuel filter (twice as they're cheap). I dialed in the idle & after that it was running like a dream & still is. Mind you my L36 engine has done 283,000kms so it needed a good check up. I did check the fuel tank & it was ok & I replaced the fuel that was in it. Jobs like what you've done are long & tedious but once it's going good, you'll have a smile once you've noticed the difference.
@@MotoringBoxTV At the time I thought, better to go all in rather than just do what was needed. In the end, we've still got to uphold Australian car manufacturing history.
@@1969Risky true. Someone here mentioned I could have just replaced the gasket where it meets the head, but I think you may as well do them all while you're there.
Thank you for the video, it gave me the confidence to do the full gasket replacement. One thing that did make it quicker was having an electric socket wrench and a universal joint for the 10mm bolts on the manifold. For those that have the fast idle >2000rpm, it was a severely degraded gasket which I suspect was cased by a backfire due to loose manifold bolts, The whole job took me about 5 hours and a few scraped knuckles.
Just got my first car the other day, its a 96 EL Fairmont, need the intake manifold gasket done, that's why I'm here lol. this video has to be the best detailed video on TH-cam of how to do it, made it a lot easier to do, thanks for the amazingly detailed video, an absolutely time saver! And money too! Would of cost me abit in labour to get this done at a mechanic.
God bless you brother Hi bro its Thompson all the way from Papua New Guinea I have been having that problem with my ea wagon Thank God for people like you helping out Have a great week brother 🙏🔥🔥🔥
Thanks for uploading. I've been chasing symptoms for 2 days and ignoring any mention of intake gaskets due to the nature of the job. Your intro list of symptoms really nails it down. Looks like I'll be driving in and making it happen. Looking inside the manifold with the throttle body off, there's heaps of oil and debris in mine, so ye, pulling the entire lot out is the wise path. Sighs. lol At least it's only a BA, and not an EA with the distributor and plug leads under the manifold too.
After watching you’re previous videos I’m so proud of you that you didn’t drop any nuts or bolts, not to mention not tipping over that can of Pepsi Max!
Length of video is good. Nice and in-depth, loved my AU Fairmont. Really a lot of this troubleshooting is universal for vehicles, so definitely worth the step by step work through.
Best channel on TH-cam, i like how you take your time and explain everything you do for every single job. I'm learning a lot from your channel, I love your ba turbo, I've got the same car ,ba 2004 turbo
Hey Adam. 👋 I have a rough idle when I'm at the traffic lights it really splutters and misses almost has a clunk as is seems to be struggling, also when changing lanes or taking off its like it either gets to much fuel or to little. Some people have told me it's likely to be this exact gasket, I'm wondering if you had the same issue with your idle before I replace mine. Cheers
I must have been a brilliant mechanic when I was 17. I always had screws and bolts left over at the end of a job. Factory obviously used far too many to do the job. 😁
I did this job last year on my 70th anniversary AU, difference was my manifold gasket fell apart in my hands hands it had done 175000 well stuffed. I didn't know about idle and how to adjust it thanks for tip will now go check that. Love the mighty AU video im hooked on your channel looking forwards to the next one.
gday mate. i appreciate the vid. ive got throttle body intake manifold and plenum gaskets in the mail. i wont do it till im thouroughly sorted to tackle every job under the manifold as access is otherwise quite difficult(i have big hands and thick arms) . mines a 97 el but they are all bred the same way and i feel that bit more confident and prepared having seen your efforts. thankyou very much. PS...you only need to click your torque wrench the once. after it clicks it applies zero torque. any eccessive clicking like that will cause wear and tear before its time and eventually lead to misguiding torque settings. also, when you put it away loosen off the torque setting . this will reduce tension on the inner spring and improve the life span of your torque wrench....they arent cheap. all the best and happy driving bloke. piet
i just did my ba . the very last underside bolt near the firewall was and the lower bracket near the starter motor was a nightmare. lot of skin missing. great vid!
Thanks for the video Sean, very instructive. Just one thing, I've done the idle set procedure exactly as you describe at the end, set the screw to 700rpm and it's super smooth.However when I reconnect the AIC, it takes a huge gulp of air and revs hard to about 1250 - 1500rpm. Eventually settles down but anything destabilises it (AC / Power Steer) You have wait for it to settle again or you'll get whiplash going into gear. Engine runs fine on the road but will coast at 60+ (unnerving) and strain against the brakes when you come to a stop. Rev hang on steroids. Unplug the AIC and all is well. I've done the 'relearn' procedure (so many times) no diff. Replaced AIC, no diff. Long country drives, no diff. Clearly it's not air leaks or anything mechanical as it idles perfect with no AIC. Never used to be like it, but has just got worse over the years (2001 AU Fairlane VCT6) I hope it can be sorted as it's a good car otherwise. My father's old car, original and unmodified.
Good video! I am in the process of changing my intake manifold gaskets too and this will be giving me a guide. I will also be changing my pcv seeing as it is 25yrs old with a genuine article as they can affect idle as well from what I read.
Worth it I think. I have a new one on order and will let you know if it makes any difference. After seeing how the engine ran without the valve in place, the PCV is definitely a crucial part that needs to be operating correctly.
I swapped my PCV the other day and I was surprised how it helped to smooth the idle. The old one was just gunked up and the plastic looked a bit sad. I am awaiting my intake gaskets now so I am def looking forward to it idling right!
Awesome video. Had issues with my wife's car. Changed the idle control value as it was staying up around 2g as this happened in a previous vehicle. Couldn't get a a whole kit so just did the inlet and exhaust manifold gasket. Problem solved. Nice looking engine bay. 👌
Wondering why you are clicking off desired torque wrench setting twice.Dont know if you know,but a good idea to reset torque wrench setting after setting it off each time,it will hold calibration longer.Just go down to 0 but no further,and back to desired setting.Obviously takes longer but to keep things good.Good were all learning together.When PCV valves gum up badly and dont rattle is where most of the issues happen.Thanks for the footage.
Did my daughter's AU3 about a year ago. I found it was a bit easier to remove the plug leads from the coil and pull them up out of the way (as long as you know the firing order) and also to dislodge the fuel rail, I got some new O rings from Repco. Have to do my XR6 vct very soon
Ive been chipping away at this exact job over the past week and a half (between uni work heat and the rain in seq) out on my parents front lawn. I'll have it running tomorrow. Total pain in the ass job to do. Intake completely coated in dirty oil. Manifold gasket was leaking on every cylinder. My car was running reasonably well... But not perfect....but boy it was drinking gasoline. Next big job for my BA will be fixing all the exaust leaks....
This is more like it Shaun. I can relate as I recently changed the thermostat on the KE Laser Ghia and one of the two bolts was obscured by an A/C line!! The only tool that would allow it was one of my set of Stanley reversible ratcheting ring spanners. To give you an idea how painstaking it was to remove and reinstall, it only allowed 1 -2 clicks of the ratcheting mechanism when one turn is 70 clicks(!!). It was worth it as the engine has never run cooler since I got the car in 2010. It sits on 1/4 of the way in the freeway in all conditions, where It would go way over 1/2 up the long climbs. I don't know what you do with that brand of torque wrench, but with the ones I have you are not to undo anything with them, only tighten, despite being reversible! I forget what the reason was for the reversing but you must not undo with it or it can upset calibration. Also, as soon as it clicks, you stop. Tightening beyond that can damage the tool they say.
Gotta love inaccessible bolts! A few on the AU's intake manifold were like that... 1 click at a time. I haven't heard that about torque wrenches, I'll try avoid that in future.
@@MotoringBoxTV A guy at a wrecking yard who was knowledgeable on 3800 V6 Commodores (I had a 95 Lexcen) mentioned how difficult it could be to work on the Ford inline sixes in the AU. It could have been this. Hee said the Commo V6s were a lot easier.
I am glad I watched your video you described the symptoms perfectly I replaced coil packs spark plugs air filter and oxygen sensor and pcv valve to no avail and you are right the ba inlet manifold bolts are more difficult but got it done cleaned the air sensor and throttle body while I had it apart runs like new again and with the current price of unleaded I am glad lol cheers mate
@@MotoringBoxTV yeah now back to the stubborn fuel filter that has had me beat for a couple of weeks thinking I am going to the wreckers and see if I can get the piece of fuel line from the quick disconnect elbow from the tank to the filter as the flare nut is now butchered lol
This video is very detailed and clear. Some others I've seen look like they've been shot in the dark with a potato. I need to do this to my BA. I let the local mechanics fix it and they broke a bolt. Is it much more work to get the whole manifold off so I can ez-out the broken bolt, and, what size is that hex bar, you may have mentioned it but I missed it?
They always leak at the cylinder head. Bolts loosen over time so try tighten them first. You don’t need to remove anything to replace gasket just use a ratchet spanner and you can get all manifold bolts out and slide gasket out.
Personally I don't like carby cleaner, a cleaner and easier way to pick up your leak is to grab your LPG BBQ gas bottle with hose still attached and slightly turn the gas on and go around the manifold until the engine picks up and you've found your leak 👍
Yep easily done...... 10mm ratchet spanner is a must - long 3/8 socket extensions can help with first few - long screw driver ( i used a square drive ) - 1/4" socket - disconnect the rear plug and the vacuum line...... remove airbox etc.... the front 4 bottom bolts easy to do from underneath like you would removing a coil - i had to use tyre shine on forearms because I got stuck couple of times............ I used the long square drive to put pressure on the bolt and to stop the 10mm ratchet from falling off.... it's not to bad of job - just have to think outside the box to get it done.....
Good job on the intake manifold btw you don't need to split the manifold or pull the throttle body off. ( Just disconnect the cable) and pull the fuel rail off so you get easy access to the bolts on the head.
Man what a job had to remove the manifold to change a freeze plug, managed to disconnect the front part of the harness and move it aside, just as well the gasket was shagged and probably leaking
I have done this job withouth diasemblay of intake.I have take outh injectors and rail, and trick is remove air box out and under you have plenty room to have acess to all botom bolts.it is important to change O rings on injectors and change filters in injectors is good option.Intake bolts should be lock 20Nm with blue thred lock from in the midle to out by specification in two steps.
You do really emphasise it needing to be done on a BA, Did they (Ford) do something different with the BF? Great content, I still need to put the pool noodle in my front bumper! XD
Also a really easy way to check if the gasket is ok just run the car and use a water spray bottle over the manifold or t/b cleaner. If it’s bad it will run a pig when you spray it
Thanks for the video. I've got the same issue with my au ute at the moment. I reckon I'll try changing the idle control valve gasket as I've had it off before and didn't change it 😅
Thanks James. Almost all of my comments are encouraging and I really appreciate that. There have been a few bad eggs over the years, but the percentage is super low 👌
Reverse cleaning the injectors is quite easy. Why spend $100 on new ones, when you only need to replace the filter baskets... I still have quite a few of them, would you like to try and tackle this? BTW, I am local to you.
You should get a copy of Ford's official workshop manual for the AU and BA if you don't already. You can find them online or I can send you a copy. Lots of useful info in them on procedures, troubleshooting and torque specs
Great video again :) You would of probably been better off not doing the gasket in the manifold half as the oem one is a metal one from factory not a cheaper paper one. Also with that bracket you left off the front you will need to shorten the bolt as it will bottom out before it tighten Great job 👏
Dunno - I kept the metal gasket in case I ever need it in the future. How well do they seal anyway? It didn't feel like the front bolts were bottoming out, but it is easy enough to go back and refit the bracket if I have to.
I’ve just clicked on this video as I have these issues with my partners territory. So far I have answered Yes, YEs, YESSS GREAT!!! I hope I can fix this car today 😂
@@MotoringBoxTV Shaun, invest in a compressor. I have a cheap 2hp one I got at Aldi more than a decade ago and I use the blower gun all the time. I recommend spending on a belt drive one as my direct drive is very noisy.
I’ve had the hard cold start problem with my old r31 skyline, changed out the coolant temp sensor and all my issues went away Same with my mates vt commo with an ecojet
Hey man, by memory i got a set of swivel ratchel set on ebay, ndi is brand, fairly strong so far, they have standard solid stem too if you don't want swivel.
Really appreciate this, I have a VCT that only seems to hold the revs with the air con on, but at the same time it loves to roll down the road without engine braking (manual). Added to the list of fixes!
Have to say many thanks again. Most challenging repair I've done and I wouldn't have taken it on without the guide! Idle recently got worse up to 2k rpm or down to 1200 but shaking the whole damn car... Now it's smooth and under 1000rpm. The idle reset also did the trick, but with the 5 speed I found the ISC kept giving me rev hang with air con on, so turning the idle up a bit more and leaving the ISC disconnected seems to be a good compromise for now. Stoked the thing finally drives properly!
Yep. A bit of a mission. My arms heal well with nicks and scratches thankfully. Should have used to elbow gloves like a vet uses for pissed off cats...
Hi Sean, Something unrelated to this video,but have you ever researched the oil filter variations an the vct solenoids differences. I have a Ba october 2003 build turbo xr6. This takes a z516 filter, but in any cross reference or rego search it says z9. Two different thread sizes. 22mm an 19mm. The solenoids in mine you can remove without removing the rocker cover. By all references they should be the ones bolted to the head. The threads are in the head but not used. A bit of trivia but thought you may be interested.
I’m Working at moment on one of these 75 th anniversary tickford Fairmont ghia piles of junk , I just replaced alternator , what I found with this one , throttle body was that gummed up I cleaned it , I also removed that IAC motor cleaned it with maf cleaner it bought the revs down then car ran rough , I pulled the spark plugs found the owners had put in one spark plug not designed for it at all different to the rest and it was running LPG with non LPG plugs the rest of the 5 ! I started cleaning the 5 plugs and not only was there that much gunk one of the electrodes fell off just by brushing it lightly , Seriously the junk I have worked on in this country and people who have zero clues in Australia absolutley astounds me
I remember doing this on my ef Fairmont, I did it slightly different but absolutely pain in the neck job but employable. Crap thing was that it didn't fix my crappy idle when cold issue 😂😂
Sean - "This is a long job" Me - *laughs in Volkswagen* Nice work dude. Well put together video (I may have skipped a couple of bits because I don't own an intech but *shhh*). Background music was a bit loud over your voice here and there but barely. FWIW those Ford injectors aren't that bad to clean (atleast on a friends EFI v8 AU), new o-rings and filter baskets, remove the old baskets with a coarse wood screw and put throttle body cleaner through both ways while triggering the injector with 12v. Lots of fun adapting the tiny straw upto injector size :-D Recommend safety glasses though, that stuff sucks if the tube pops off and you get a face-full.
dude, i have been hunting a rev hang/limp mode and surging throttle for about 2 months now and this is the first thing i have seen recommending the intake gasket. ffs. guess this has become my next job because based on your symptoms, i have a textbook gone gasket on my BA.
Not many people seem to know about it and spend $$$ replacing lots of other things. Can pretty much guarantee if you're getting that 3-cylinder rough running limp mode on cold start this will be the issue. Good luck!
@@MotoringBoxTV not had it on start as yet,. She has actually been throwing limp modes on the road,. Take off from the lights, cruise control at 110. Already replaced the tps, coilpaxks and plugs. Was gearing up to replace the throttle body completely but she is an 04 ba...Gunna bet it's the gaskets.
With the hard starting. When you did the fuel pump, was the filter sock pointing the right way? Earlier models had them facing backwards, which led to hard starting and surging around corners.
Be careful with the sandpaper and the razor blade, if you push too hard you can put gouges into the aluminum, creating an air/vacuum leak. Its smart to use a plastic scraper, since plastic is not hard enough to damage/gouge aluminum.
Worth it, and a good bit of preventative maintenance. I find the parts where the hoses join onto it can start becoming brittle from age. It was a lot worse on the BA.
Both; they are, however, getting old now. If you can find a Grandpa AU (preferably a Series 3, but Series 2 are also good), that has been looked after, they will roll forever.
@@maxrockatanksyOG I do have a grandpa series 3 it does have a different radio but nothing else it was a rental in sa and then after so many years my dad’s mate had it and now I have it and it has only 192,768km and it all cost me $300
Relatively simple cars - I think they're a good choice for a first car as you can learn a lot from them. The age is the only issue - if you can find one with a good service history it'd be an excellent starting point.
I highly recommend doing the engine mount at the same time as this, even if it's not shot, it's probably on its last legs. With the intake manifold out of the way, the engine mount is a piece of piss to get out.
Hi Sean. I’ve been watching your vids with keen interest as I’ve got a few Falcons from 1992 to 2016 (including 2 AUs) and I’m very much a DIY guy. My AU2 Fairmont Ghia was going to get a Barra swap, but it is in very similar condition to yours and I can’t bring myself to pulling out the pristine VCT Intech engine. The only downside to the VCT engine is that the VCT solenoid has a slow oil leak that weeps out the electrical connection end. My local Ford dealer can’t supply the solenoid-I was told that the VCT engine was built by Tickford, not Ford, and that I need to speak to Tickford for spare parts. I wish I was kidding, but that’s seriously what I was told. Have you got any contacts or tips on finding a replacement solenoid or how to disassemble and replace the seals? BTW I completely agree about the value of forums vs Facebook groups. The old Rexnet forum was invaluable back when I was a broke young fella competing with a budget built Subaru. I used lots of DIY guides and wrote a few myself. Please keep up the great work with the informative and entertaining vids.
I've not had that problem so I'm not sure sorry. Sounds like a tough one to find a solution for though! I wonder how the solenoid seals to the head of the engine, and whether you could find a close replacement or gasket goo to sort it out.
@@MotoringBoxTV I’ve checked the gasket between head and VCT assembly, along with the washers that seal the oil supply line at the banjo fitting and definitely not either of these unfortunately. I think I’ll try my luck with a secondhand one. Thanks for the quick reply mate.
My old Ford Territory had these problems and it had a gearbox problem no gearbox mechanic would touch it no normal mechanic would touch it I had to scrap it in the end
I have heard a few people mentioning their BA or Territory had the 'rough idle on startup' issue and that nobody could diagnose it. So the more people who find out about this the better.
A new set of injectors will be a nice peace of mind if not a fix for the starting issue. Curious if you have the starting issue with a tank of 98 octane? If you aren't already running it that is.
I have a FG2 2014 XR6 EcoLpi and during cold start it has a number of missfires. After 5 minutes all is fine. Already installed new plugs and ignition coil. Is there a video on how to replace the intake manifold gasket on an FG2 ?
I had a BF Falcon that was just out of warranty by less than 1 month and it would seem like it was misfiring when cold. Ford said it was the intake manifold gaskets but wouldn’t cover it under warranty as it wasn’t a commonly known fault... I paid $676 to have it fixed at just over 3 years old.
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I may never do any of these repairs, but I will always watch these videos. Great content!
I appreciate that! Thanks mate!
Top job mate. You're right about it being a nightmare job. I swapped the gasket out in my BA. I managed to strip the head of the plenham bolt closest to the firewall. I got 10 of the 12 manifold bolts with a 10mm flexible head ratcheting spanner and the 2 closest to the firewall with a 1/4 inch socket and extension. And yes the edges are sharp. I have 3 long scars as a reminder of the nightmare that was.
I notice longer comments don't attract likes as much. It seems readers have attention spans of knats and like single sentence remarks.
Exactly what I did stripped the one closest to fire wall
Geez I love your channel Sean. You put so much effort into every video and you explain everything so clearly and the production/editing is incredible. Well done. Its much appreciated. 👍👍👌
Thanks mate - that means a lot 👍
Awesome video good sir!! I found the injectors on my AU were ok but I did a reverse flush with carb cleaner and a 12v power supply and switched the power on and off to replicate the pulsing of an injector. But the fuel rail was full of rust, so a replacement one was required, but I changed out pump, filter, fuel pressure regulator as well. I ended up using the same manifold half gasket again as it's metal and used hylomar gasket spray on it. And my inlet manifold gasket was in about 30 pieces. I also port matched the inlet manifold to the head and gasket to lessen any possibilities of an asthmatic engine. Don't forget to change out the PCV valve gasket in the rocker cover as they have a tendency to dry out and perish. Enough about my crap, I do love your videos and you explain things brilliantly.
good job mate...i don't even own a falcon anymore but i still watch with interest :)
Thanks mate! Someone else once said that they felt like my cars were also their cars - that they owned them through me and my videos. So that's kind of cool 👍
@@MotoringBoxTV the old vicarious owner lol.
I actually had to do this a couple of months ago. Runs perfectly now 😀 Nice video as always mate...
Nice 👍
You inspired me. Because I am lazy, I was going to just hang out today but now I am going to go outside and tinker on my Austin. You did a good job, by the way. 👍😊👌
mate, I do enjoy watching your videos. you go over some some good car maintenance that no-one should be scared of trying.
I've only ever owned commodores, but watching you care for your aussie made cars. and your calm voice is, as you put it, therapeutic.
It makes me want to give my cars (VF, VE & VL walky rep) some more love.
i'm close to you, over in Camira, and now every time i see a silver BA I'm always checking the plates, especially if I'm near carole park.
If you see some nut with giving a thumbs up out the window of a VF it'll be me.
I'll keep an eye out! Thanks mate.
I always do the hardest to access bolt first. That way it only gets easier .
Good tip
I have to agree completely about the benefits of forums. There's so many knowledgeable and helpful users. I'd be stuffed without them. If I was going to do a bit of a rant about 'kids these days' it'd only be that they don't realise how awesome videos like this and forums etc are and how much it sucked without them.
I've watched a fair few of your videos and have enjoyed them all mate. I also tend to geek out and I probably share your enthusiasm for the Haltech system. Good job with the roof lining and floor carpet. Your Ghia looks great.
So much effort goes into your editing and the dedication for your videos are absolutely appreciated.
Yep, I'll second that.
Cheers mate. I had about 4 hours of footage from this job, so I had to cut a lot of stuff out.
Love the long video. Somewhat a satisfying watch!
Glad you enjoyed it! I was worried it'd bore the shit out of most people.
@@MotoringBoxTV I watched it throughout with a couple of breaks and even rewound a few parts to take in what you were saying.
Wondering, if you break viewing in any way, does it count as a view?
Another great video Sean. A couple of months ago on my L36 Ecotec, it was acting rough. Where I live we get bad fuel every now & again. I ended up doing a top end rebuild replacing the injectors, cleaning the fuel rail, replacing spark plugs & leads, cleaning the air intake, replacing the fuel filter (twice as they're cheap). I dialed in the idle & after that it was running like a dream & still is. Mind you my L36 engine has done 283,000kms so it needed a good check up. I did check the fuel tank & it was ok & I replaced the fuel that was in it.
Jobs like what you've done are long & tedious but once it's going good, you'll have a smile once you've noticed the difference.
Awesome, I imagine that'd also be a shit of a job - but enjoying the drive(s) afterwards makes it all worthwhile.
@@MotoringBoxTV At the time I thought, better to go all in rather than just do what was needed.
In the end, we've still got to uphold Australian car manufacturing history.
@@1969Risky true. Someone here mentioned I could have just replaced the gasket where it meets the head, but I think you may as well do them all while you're there.
@@MotoringBoxTV It'll give viewers a better idea how to tackle it if they're having a similar problem.
Thank you for the video, it gave me the confidence to do the full gasket replacement. One thing that did make it quicker was having an electric socket wrench and a universal joint for the 10mm bolts on the manifold. For those that have the fast idle >2000rpm, it was a severely degraded gasket which I suspect was cased by a backfire due to loose manifold bolts, The whole job took me about 5 hours and a few scraped knuckles.
Just got my first car the other day, its a 96 EL Fairmont, need the intake manifold gasket done, that's why I'm here lol. this video has to be the best detailed video on TH-cam of how to do it, made it a lot easier to do, thanks for the amazingly detailed video, an absolutely time saver! And money too! Would of cost me abit in labour to get this done at a mechanic.
Congrats mate! Great car to learn on and enjoy. Hope you get it fixed and she'll be running beautifully 👌
God bless you brother
Hi bro its Thompson all the way from Papua New Guinea
I have been having that problem with my ea wagon
Thank God for people like you helping out
Have a great week brother 🙏🔥🔥🔥
With all the effort you put into these videos I'm surprised you haven't blown up yet.
I think watching someone work on an AU for an hour is a bit of a niche thing 😁
Thanks for uploading. I've been chasing symptoms for 2 days and ignoring any mention of intake gaskets due to the nature of the job.
Your intro list of symptoms really nails it down. Looks like I'll be driving in and making it happen.
Looking inside the manifold with the throttle body off, there's heaps of oil and debris in mine, so ye, pulling the entire lot out is the wise path. Sighs. lol
At least it's only a BA, and not an EA with the distributor and plug leads under the manifold too.
After watching you’re previous videos I’m so proud of you that you didn’t drop any nuts or bolts, not to mention not tipping over that can of Pepsi Max!
Your AU looks great.Having the same problem with my BA Mark 2.Keep up the great work with your videos.
The job is very similar on the BA, very worthwhile. My BA drove like a different car afterwards 👍
The Ford six inlet manifold is an abomination to work on. You did a great job for a self taught Mechanic!
Length of video is good. Nice and in-depth, loved my AU Fairmont. Really a lot of this troubleshooting is universal for vehicles, so definitely worth the step by step work through.
True, the BA in particular seems especially prone to it.
Best channel on TH-cam, i like how you take your time and explain everything you do for every single job. I'm learning a lot from your channel, I love your ba turbo, I've got the same car ,ba 2004 turbo
I've had the gaskets in my garage for ages, but have been putting off doing this. I'm finally motivated to fix the rough idle on the BA! Great video!
Hey Adam. 👋 I have a rough idle when I'm at the traffic lights it really splutters and misses almost has a clunk as is seems to be struggling, also when changing lanes or taking off its like it either gets to much fuel or to little. Some people have told me it's likely to be this exact gasket, I'm wondering if you had the same issue with your idle before I replace mine. Cheers
@@grahamknox3050 Hey mate have you replaced your gasket yet? I'm probably going to get to it this weekend, I'll let you know if its resolved the issue
yay more of the AU!!
Fantastic video! Gives me the inspiration to continue ignoring the issue on my BA! ^_^
I must have been a brilliant mechanic when I was 17. I always had screws and bolts left over at the end of a job. Factory obviously used far too many to do the job. 😁
You sir are a patriot to our beautiful vehicles, may the mighty falcon god bless you!
I did this job last year on my 70th anniversary AU, difference was my manifold gasket fell apart in my hands hands it had done 175000 well stuffed. I didn't know about idle and how to adjust it thanks for tip will now go check that. Love the mighty AU video im hooked on your channel looking forwards to the next one.
Engine bay looking mint mate!
gday mate. i appreciate the vid. ive got throttle body intake manifold and plenum gaskets in the mail. i wont do it till im thouroughly sorted to tackle every job under the manifold as access is otherwise quite difficult(i have big hands and thick arms) . mines a 97 el but they are all bred the same way and i feel that bit more confident and prepared having seen your efforts. thankyou very much. PS...you only need to click your torque wrench the once. after it clicks it applies zero torque. any eccessive clicking like that will cause wear and tear before its time and eventually lead to misguiding torque settings. also, when you put it away loosen off the torque setting . this will reduce tension on the inner spring and improve the life span of your torque wrench....they arent cheap. all the best and happy driving bloke. piet
i just did my ba . the very last underside bolt near the firewall was and the lower bracket near the starter motor was a nightmare. lot of skin missing. great vid!
Thanks for the video Sean, very instructive. Just one thing, I've done the idle set procedure exactly as you describe at the end, set the screw to 700rpm and it's super smooth.However when I reconnect the AIC, it takes a huge gulp of air and revs hard to about 1250 - 1500rpm. Eventually settles down but anything destabilises it (AC / Power Steer) You have wait for it to settle again or you'll get whiplash going into gear. Engine runs fine on the road but will coast at 60+ (unnerving) and strain against the brakes when you come to a stop. Rev hang on steroids. Unplug the AIC and all is well. I've done the 'relearn' procedure (so many times) no diff. Replaced AIC, no diff. Long country drives, no diff. Clearly it's not air leaks or anything mechanical as it idles perfect with no AIC. Never used to be like it, but has just got worse over the years (2001 AU Fairlane VCT6) I hope it can be sorted as it's a good car otherwise. My father's old car, original and unmodified.
Good video! I am in the process of changing my intake manifold gaskets too and this will be giving me a guide. I will also be changing my pcv seeing as it is 25yrs old with a genuine article as they can affect idle as well from what I read.
Worth it I think. I have a new one on order and will let you know if it makes any difference. After seeing how the engine ran without the valve in place, the PCV is definitely a crucial part that needs to be operating correctly.
I swapped my PCV the other day and I was surprised how it helped to smooth the idle. The old one was just gunked up and the plastic looked a bit sad. I am awaiting my intake gaskets now so I am def looking forward to it idling right!
Awesome video. Had issues with my wife's car. Changed the idle control value as it was staying up around 2g as this happened in a previous vehicle. Couldn't get a a whole kit so just did the inlet and exhaust manifold gasket. Problem solved. Nice looking engine bay. 👌
Wondering why you are clicking off desired torque wrench setting twice.Dont know if you know,but a good idea to reset torque wrench setting after setting it off each time,it will hold calibration longer.Just go down to 0 but no further,and back to desired setting.Obviously takes longer but to keep things good.Good were all learning together.When PCV valves gum up badly and dont rattle is where most of the issues happen.Thanks for the footage.
Did my daughter's AU3 about a year ago. I found it was a bit easier to remove the plug leads from the coil and pull them up out of the way (as long as you know the firing order) and also to dislodge the fuel rail, I got some new O rings from Repco. Have to do my XR6 vct very soon
This is a video that I dont need now but with 300k kms on my car I'll no doubt be returning to here in the near future
Just saw that little au plastic table on ebay you're selling at an amazing $1125...
Yes it's certainly up there...
*Sigh*.
Hi Sean I've just done sort of the same to my 95 EF Futura and it turned out to be the starter motor and also the coil pack was on its way out
Cool. My starter turns nice and quick, and the coil pack has been replaced already. It sort of feels like I'll have replaced everything soon lol
Ive been chipping away at this exact job over the past week and a half (between uni work heat and the rain in seq) out on my parents front lawn. I'll have it running tomorrow. Total pain in the ass job to do. Intake completely coated in dirty oil. Manifold gasket was leaking on every cylinder. My car was running reasonably well... But not perfect....but boy it was drinking gasoline. Next big job for my BA will be fixing all the exaust leaks....
EVERY Falcon not just the later ones. All my EA and XH for example needed this done.
This is more like it Shaun.
I can relate as I recently changed the thermostat on the KE Laser Ghia and one of the two bolts was obscured by an A/C line!! The only tool that would allow it was one of my set of Stanley reversible ratcheting ring spanners. To give you an idea how painstaking it was to remove and reinstall, it only allowed 1 -2 clicks of the ratcheting mechanism when one turn is 70 clicks(!!).
It was worth it as the engine has never run cooler since I got the car in 2010. It sits on 1/4 of the way in the freeway in all conditions, where It would go way over 1/2 up the long climbs.
I don't know what you do with that brand of torque wrench, but with the ones I have you are not to undo anything with them, only tighten, despite being reversible! I forget what the reason was for the reversing but you must not undo with it or it can upset calibration.
Also, as soon as it clicks, you stop. Tightening beyond that can damage the tool they say.
Gotta love inaccessible bolts! A few on the AU's intake manifold were like that... 1 click at a time. I haven't heard that about torque wrenches, I'll try avoid that in future.
@@MotoringBoxTV A guy at a wrecking yard who was knowledgeable on 3800 V6 Commodores (I had a 95 Lexcen)
mentioned how difficult it could be to work on the Ford inline sixes in the AU. It could have been this.
Hee said the Commo V6s were a lot easier.
One of my first car repairs was changing the injectors on my EA falcon. That was a mission and a half.
Thanks. JB have this problem now. Changed so many parts. Still same problem.
I am glad I watched your video you described the symptoms perfectly I replaced coil packs spark plugs air filter and oxygen sensor and pcv valve to no avail and you are right the ba inlet manifold bolts are more difficult but got it done cleaned the air sensor and throttle body while I had it apart runs like new again and with the current price of unleaded I am glad lol cheers mate
Hey, at least with all those new bits she'll be running perfect now 👌
@@MotoringBoxTV yeah now back to the stubborn fuel filter that has had me beat for a couple of weeks thinking I am going to the wreckers and see if I can get the piece of fuel line from the quick disconnect elbow from the tank to the filter as the flare nut is now butchered lol
This video is very detailed and clear. Some others I've seen look like they've been shot in the dark with a potato.
I need to do this to my BA. I let the local mechanics fix it and they broke a bolt. Is it much more work to get the whole manifold off so I can ez-out the broken bolt,
and, what size is that hex bar, you may have mentioned it but I missed it?
They always leak at the cylinder head. Bolts loosen over time so try tighten them first. You don’t need to remove anything to replace gasket just use a ratchet spanner and you can get all manifold bolts out and slide gasket out.
Don't give him handy tips, it's hilarious watching him work 🤣
Already tried that, it didn't make any difference. Especially on the BA.
@@MotoringBoxTV spray small concentrated bursts of carby cleaner around and of the engine picks up you have found the leak.
Personally I don't like carby cleaner, a cleaner and easier way to pick up your leak is to grab your LPG BBQ gas bottle with hose still attached and slightly turn the gas on and go around the manifold until the engine picks up and you've found your leak 👍
Yep easily done...... 10mm ratchet spanner is a must - long 3/8 socket extensions can help with first few - long screw driver ( i used a square drive ) - 1/4" socket - disconnect the rear plug and the vacuum line...... remove airbox etc.... the front 4 bottom bolts easy to do from underneath like you would removing a coil - i had to use tyre shine on forearms because I got stuck couple of times............ I used the long square drive to put pressure on the bolt and to stop the 10mm ratchet from falling off.... it's not to bad of job - just have to think outside the box to get it done.....
Good job on the intake manifold btw you don't need to split the manifold or pull the throttle body off. ( Just disconnect the cable) and pull the fuel rail off so you get easy access to the bolts on the head.
Sure, you could. I like the idea of just doing all of them while you're there though.
Man what a job had to remove the manifold to change a freeze plug, managed to disconnect the front part of the harness and move it aside, just as well the gasket was shagged and probably leaking
While you've got all that off, I reckon it would be a good idea to change the ignition coils too.
I have done this job withouth diasemblay of intake.I have take outh injectors and rail, and trick is remove air box out and under you have plenty room to have acess to all botom bolts.it is important to change O rings on injectors and change filters in injectors is good option.Intake bolts should be lock 20Nm with blue thred lock from in the midle to out by specification in two steps.
Another superb video man. I am loving the content. An hour ain't that bad. Everything you're doing is meaningful. Bring on the next video I say. 👌👍
Thanks, I tried to cut it down to just the useful bits. Nobody needs to hear me swearing or dropping bolts down into the engine 😁
@@MotoringBoxTV no way dude, I'm looking for some out-takes. Normally a sneaky swear word would come from my mouth doing that job.
Smashin the Pepsi on your VCT
Always 👍
Bloody awesome mate this has helped my marriage
You do really emphasise it needing to be done on a BA, Did they (Ford) do something different with the BF? Great content, I still need to put the pool noodle in my front bumper! XD
I am not sure, I imagine the BF would be just as bad as the BA. Maybe the turbo models were worse?
Awesome brother. I'm going to have to do this soon! Not looking forward to it but this video has helped a lot thanks
Also a really easy way to check if the gasket is ok just run the car and use a water spray bottle over the manifold or t/b cleaner. If it’s bad it will run a pig when you spray it
I did try a few of those tricks, and spraying carby cleaner around etc. Didn't seem to ever do much, and it's a bit hard to see some of the areas too.
Thanks for the video. I've got the same issue with my au ute at the moment. I reckon I'll try changing the idle control valve gasket as I've had it off before and didn't change it 😅
The comment section on your vids is full of nice people i like reading them. j.
Thanks James. Almost all of my comments are encouraging and I really appreciate that. There have been a few bad eggs over the years, but the percentage is super low 👌
Great stuff , very informative as always , well done mate 👍 . At 180,000 km it’s worth changing the gaskets.
Thanks 👍
Reverse cleaning the injectors is quite easy. Why spend $100 on new ones, when you only need to replace the filter baskets... I still have quite a few of them, would you like to try and tackle this? BTW, I am local to you.
You should get a copy of Ford's official workshop manual for the AU and BA if you don't already. You can find them online or I can send you a copy. Lots of useful info in them on procedures, troubleshooting and torque specs
47:15 brake cleaner does a great job of bubbling any paint it comes into contact with
Great video again :)
You would of probably been better off not doing the gasket in the manifold half as the oem one is a metal one from factory not a cheaper paper one.
Also with that bracket you left off the front you will need to shorten the bolt as it will bottom out before it tighten
Great job 👏
Dunno - I kept the metal gasket in case I ever need it in the future. How well do they seal anyway? It didn't feel like the front bolts were bottoming out, but it is easy enough to go back and refit the bracket if I have to.
Great video as always mate! Thanks for sharing! Loved the detail you went into it for us. :-)
Thanks Colin!
I’ve just clicked on this video as I have these issues with my partners territory. So far I have answered
Yes, YEs, YESSS
GREAT!!!
I hope I can fix this car today 😂
Almost 100% assured there. Good luck!
that pack you put aside would have been the fuel injector o- rings and the replacement filters from the back of the injectors.
Rather you than me! Have you considered getting a power wrench? It might speed up pulling it all apart and putting it back together again.
Maybe, I don't really like things with batteries though.
@@MotoringBoxTV Shaun, invest in a compressor. I have a cheap 2hp one I got at Aldi more than a decade ago and I use the blower gun all the time.
I recommend spending on a belt drive one as my direct drive is very noisy.
@@MotoringBoxTV Now, is that true? 😉
I’ve had the hard cold start problem with my old r31 skyline, changed out the coolant temp sensor and all my issues went away
Same with my mates vt commo with an ecojet
Great video and great work
Hey man, by memory i got a set of swivel ratchel set on ebay, ndi is brand, fairly strong so far, they have standard solid stem too if you don't want swivel.
My family used to own a AU fairlane with a VCT engine with a intake Leak
The leak must have come as standard lol
@@MotoringBoxTV haha yeah
So my dad sold it to get his 1999 ex Bendigo taxi AU wagon back with over 1 million KM
Really appreciate this, I have a VCT that only seems to hold the revs with the air con on, but at the same time it loves to roll down the road without engine braking (manual). Added to the list of fixes!
Have to say many thanks again. Most challenging repair I've done and I wouldn't have taken it on without the guide! Idle recently got worse up to 2k rpm or down to 1200 but shaking the whole damn car... Now it's smooth and under 1000rpm.
The idle reset also did the trick, but with the 5 speed I found the ISC kept giving me rev hang with air con on, so turning the idle up a bit more and leaving the ISC disconnected seems to be a good compromise for now. Stoked the thing finally drives properly!
Yep. A bit of a mission. My arms heal well with nicks and scratches thankfully. Should have used to elbow gloves like a vet uses for pissed off cats...
I got out of this one pretty lightly. I learnt my lesson after doing it on the BA and getting cut to hell.
Hi Sean,
Something unrelated to this video,but have you ever researched the oil filter variations an the vct solenoids differences. I have a Ba october 2003 build turbo xr6. This takes a z516 filter, but in any cross reference or rego search it says z9. Two different thread sizes. 22mm an 19mm. The solenoids in mine you can remove without removing the rocker cover. By all references they should be the ones bolted to the head. The threads are in the head but not used. A bit of trivia but thought you may be interested.
I’m
Working at moment on one of these 75 th anniversary tickford Fairmont ghia piles of junk , I just replaced alternator , what I found with this one , throttle body was that gummed up I cleaned it , I also removed that IAC motor cleaned it with maf cleaner it bought the revs down then car ran rough , I pulled the spark plugs found the owners had put in one spark plug not designed for it at all different to the rest and it was running LPG with non LPG plugs the rest of the 5 ! I started cleaning the 5 plugs and not only was there that much gunk one of the electrodes fell off just by brushing it lightly , Seriously the junk I have worked on in this country and people who have zero clues in Australia absolutley astounds me
I remember doing this on my ef Fairmont, I did it slightly different but absolutely pain in the neck job but employable. Crap thing was that it didn't fix my crappy idle when cold issue 😂😂
Sean - "This is a long job"
Me - *laughs in Volkswagen*
Nice work dude. Well put together video (I may have skipped a couple of bits because I don't own an intech but *shhh*). Background music was a bit loud over your voice here and there but barely. FWIW those Ford injectors aren't that bad to clean (atleast on a friends EFI v8 AU), new o-rings and filter baskets, remove the old baskets with a coarse wood screw and put throttle body cleaner through both ways while triggering the injector with 12v. Lots of fun adapting the tiny straw upto injector size :-D Recommend safety glasses though, that stuff sucks if the tube pops off and you get a face-full.
dude, i have been hunting a rev hang/limp mode and surging throttle for about 2 months now and this is the first thing i have seen recommending the intake gasket. ffs. guess this has become my next job because based on your symptoms, i have a textbook gone gasket on my BA.
Not many people seem to know about it and spend $$$ replacing lots of other things. Can pretty much guarantee if you're getting that 3-cylinder rough running limp mode on cold start this will be the issue. Good luck!
@@MotoringBoxTV not had it on start as yet,. She has actually been throwing limp modes on the road,. Take off from the lights, cruise control at 110. Already replaced the tps, coilpaxks and plugs. Was gearing up to replace the throttle body completely but she is an 04 ba...Gunna bet it's the gaskets.
With the hard starting. When you did the fuel pump, was the filter sock pointing the right way? Earlier models had them facing backwards, which led to hard starting and surging around corners.
I actually don't recall, I just left it facing whatever way it came - I bought the whole assembly and just dropped it in.
Be careful with the sandpaper and the razor blade, if you push too hard you can put gouges into the aluminum, creating an air/vacuum leak. Its smart to use a plastic scraper, since plastic is not hard enough to damage/gouge aluminum.
Might need to get a new reservoir for mine only thing in it that looks warn out lol ;)
Worth it, and a good bit of preventative maintenance. I find the parts where the hoses join onto it can start becoming brittle from age. It was a lot worse on the BA.
The hex bolts are called socket head cap screws.
I have a question are AU’s easy to work on and cheap because I wanna get one on the road before of next year so I have a car when I get my p’s
Both; they are, however, getting old now. If you can find a Grandpa AU (preferably a Series 3, but Series 2 are also good), that has been looked after, they will roll forever.
@@maxrockatanksyOG I do have a grandpa series 3 it does have a different radio but nothing else it was a rental in sa and then after so many years my dad’s mate had it and now I have it and it has only 192,768km and it all cost me $300
Relatively simple cars - I think they're a good choice for a first car as you can learn a lot from them. The age is the only issue - if you can find one with a good service history it'd be an excellent starting point.
@@MotoringBoxTV yeah because my dad had a ex taxi wagon it did million kilometres one it’s first engine
They are smooth but not that quick off the mark. A BA is much more powerful but I find them agricultural.
Much prefer the AUII or III.
I highly recommend doing the engine mount at the same time as this, even if it's not shot, it's probably on its last legs. With the intake manifold out of the way, the engine mount is a piece of piss to get out.
Yeah it happens on E series too. Happened on my EF and it would misfire at idle when warmed up.
Hi Sean. I’ve been watching your vids with keen interest as I’ve got a few Falcons from 1992 to 2016 (including 2 AUs) and I’m very much a DIY guy. My AU2 Fairmont Ghia was going to get a Barra swap, but it is in very similar condition to yours and I can’t bring myself to pulling out the pristine VCT Intech engine. The only downside to the VCT engine is that the VCT solenoid has a slow oil leak that weeps out the electrical connection end. My local Ford dealer can’t supply the solenoid-I was told that the VCT engine was built by Tickford, not Ford, and that I need to speak to Tickford for spare parts. I wish I was kidding, but that’s seriously what I was told. Have you got any contacts or tips on finding a replacement solenoid or how to disassemble and replace the seals?
BTW I completely agree about the value of forums vs Facebook groups. The old Rexnet forum was invaluable back when I was a broke young fella competing with a budget built Subaru. I used lots of DIY guides and wrote a few myself.
Please keep up the great work with the informative and entertaining vids.
I've not had that problem so I'm not sure sorry. Sounds like a tough one to find a solution for though! I wonder how the solenoid seals to the head of the engine, and whether you could find a close replacement or gasket goo to sort it out.
@@MotoringBoxTV I’ve checked the gasket between head and VCT assembly, along with the washers that seal the oil supply line at the banjo fitting and definitely not either of these unfortunately. I think I’ll try my luck with a secondhand one. Thanks for the quick reply mate.
My old Ford Territory had these problems and it had a gearbox problem no gearbox mechanic would touch it no normal mechanic would touch it I had to scrap it in the end
I have heard a few people mentioning their BA or Territory had the 'rough idle on startup' issue and that nobody could diagnose it. So the more people who find out about this the better.
@@MotoringBoxTV yes I agree qnd in my case mechanics take the job on to fix it
Good job mate
A new set of injectors will be a nice peace of mind if not a fix for the starting issue. Curious if you have the starting issue with a tank of 98 octane? If you aren't already running it that is.
98 already! It's a frustrating one.
I have a FG2 2014 XR6 EcoLpi and during cold start it has a number of missfires. After 5 minutes all is fine. Already installed new plugs and ignition coil. Is there a video on how to replace the intake manifold gasket on an FG2 ?
A new flange often fixes limp mode.
Nothing worse than going into limp mode at the wrong time. We've all been there.
Gloves in my experience can save a lot of small cuts aswell as grease. A pain when picking up small parts but hey.
I had a BF Falcon that was just out of warranty by less than 1 month and it would seem like it was misfiring when cold. Ford said it was the intake manifold gaskets but wouldn’t cover it under warranty as it wasn’t a commonly known fault... I paid $676 to have it fixed at just over 3 years old.
Seems about right, I imagine in 2021 they'd be charging a lot more.
Did that $676 cover parts and labour for all the work. And I assume they used genuine parts too. Thanks.
Awesome,thanks.
Don't forget to wd 40 those rachtet ring spanners, it will help
I did a few times... sadly it didn't help
I feel your pain I have done one about 6 years ago on a au
Can you please tell me where you got the idle air control gasket from?