ninety_sixer

Hey guys,
I'm looking at buying an EF Fairmont Ghia, does anyone know of any problems, either mechanically or otherwise that i have to be careful of?
I was also wondering, did both EF I and EF II come with EF XR6 engine? I'm pretty sure the EF II did, but with a smaller, hence quieter exhaust, but i'm not sure about the EF I.

Thanks

Xyphoid

Hehehehehe, Ill try and answer this one, without being too biased (Lol)

There are a few differences with the EF Series 1 and the Series II,
Most notable ones are.

EF Series I Fairmont Ghia -
Leather Trimmed Seats, with Velour Inserts.
No Chrome Door Handles
No Passenger Airbag
No XR6 Motor
No Ghia Badges on Door Trims

the EF Series II had
Full Leather Seats
Chrome Door Handles
Drivers and Passengers Airbag
XR6 Motor

Externally, you can tell the difference between the 2 by the following
EF Series 1 Ghia's had the same grille as the Fairmonts
EF Series 2 Ghia's had a chrome lip, with a Black (Not Charcoal) Grill

The Series 2 Had Gold Lettering for the "4.0i - Computer Torque Control" Badging on the doors.

Also Series 2 had the Words "Ghia" not the Ghia Crown Badge, on the Back and sides.

As for problems, the Ghia's are prone to the same problems as the Falcons, and Tickford Models.
Things to watch out for include
Head Gasket Problems
Airconditioning Compressor Problems
Power Window Motors Winding very slowly / not working
Suspension (Shocks in particular) do not match the Power Output of the XR6 motor, and WILL NEED to be UPGRADED ! (standard shocks wear out quickly !)
Transmissions are EXPENSIVE to repair, so make sure that the transmission does not slip, or is too harsh.

Hmmmmm, I think that is about it !

Cheers
Matti

V8 Ghia Mike

If you are buying a V8, make sure to wait until summer when test driving. If the Windsor pings, avoid it like the plague! I know, it happened to me and turned into a $5000 full engine rebuild. The car came with a full service history from a couple of major Melbourne Ford dealers.....

I have only had the usual niggling problems affecting most E series Falcons, ie. electric window cables tangling (new motor and cable assembly), CC fan controller fault, clunky LSD, chewed out rear control arm bushes. Most of these are simple fixes and the car is still a very nice thing to drive today. The premium sound system is awesome and the 5.0 will go an easy 650km (on the open road) on a tank of Premium.

There you go. Oh,yeah, it's still one of the best looking Falcons ever!

Mike

__________________
'We drew a line in the sand. No one would kick sand in our faces again!' G.P.

EF Fairmont Ghia, Bordeaux Purple, 5.0 Windsor, Crane cam, ChipTorque modded ECU, full XR bodykit, 16 inch XR8 alloys, 2.5 inch dropped Tickford suspension, full grey leather trim with chrome, woodgrain and lots of lights, climate control, ABS, Premium sound, trip computer, power everything

I can't get enough of this!

MADNC_8

saw a V8 Ghia with the gold 5.0 lettering the other day was nothing special and i thought oh v cool that looks factory! wondering if they actually did have this factory instead of the actual ancient 5.0 V8 badge on late EF/EL??? cant say i took much notice weather it was EF/L

dcstraight

I think many 'E' series ppl on here can vouch for clunky diffs too ;-)

__________________
Wagons are rarer ;-)

JG33PY

yes i've only seen this once too and i'm assuming it's an el. i've got the ef s2 with the ancient badge, but after seeing this i'd prefer the lettering.

ginkman

Hey there im an owner of an ef fairmont i too have problems with slow windows .I slid some candle wax onto the inner runners seems to work okay but i reckon sellys easy glide may work better possibly shoot the window glass to the stars but.Ifound a bit of a problem taking the front grill out (Too many bolts )and also those pesty long threads.

bowsaw

Chrome surround? mine has a body coloured surround with a chrome inset with the blue oval in the centre. It is original, so I wonder why that is?.

Soxx

Try this-
http://www.fordforums.com/f564/fs-ef-fairmont-ghia-45877-post485170/

Rick.