gday i've recently bought a zl fairlane, and have got a few issues that i have noticed which i can't seem to fix-wondering if you guys have got some ideas,

High idle-clunks into reverse and drive: just want to know the things i can change to affect the idling speed.

Fan is stuck on dashboard-i have pulled out the control cluster on the left side of steering wheel-one hose appears to be missing and another purple one is broken-i presume im going to have to pull the dash apart to fix this, if so-a general guide to pull the dash out would be great!.

Alternator doesn't seem to be charging as much as it should, its had a lot of starting and running for only a couple of minutes? no battery light comes up..

Rear door electric locking doesn't work on the right hand side-only on unlock? like an arm isn't throwing far enough to push it into the unlocked position..

Thanks in advance guys

Good fun times ahead!

OK - High Idle - may be an ECU function - if its only when the engines cold. Older EEC Engines took a while to drop idle speed. The clunk may mean the box needs a service, or could be the uni joints on the tailshaft (and the diff itself) having some play

Fan stuck on dash : normally means that the vacuum line in the engine bay from the engine manifold is disconnected. Reconnect it and that may work. I think (memory) its the black vacuum line coming from the firewall in the engine bay, near the A/C tx valve. The Green hose here is worth checking as well to make sure its on the heater tap.

The alternators on X Series were only 45 and 60 odd amps - so they charge, but they need to be working. Later cars got 75 , 90, 110 and 120a alternators. There were a lot of people buying/converting the alternator to 90/110/120a alternators for the X-series in the early 90's so theyre around (I used them myself). Its a good mod.

Rear door locking - take the door trim off the door. What normally happens is that the motor "Gums up" and doesnt travel properly. if you take a look at the motor you'll be able to give it Some form of lubrication here helps so that it frees up. That or take all 4 locking motors out, and replace them with a remote locking set you can get from $50 or so from autobarn but thats a little more work.

if you need lots of X Series info check out www.xfalcon.com. Im working on an 87 Ghia at the moment

Nigel

Your idle and fan problem may be connected, could both be caused by a vacuum leak. Somebody may have played with the idle though, should be able to adjust it at the throttle body. I'm not familiar with XF/ZL but it may have an adjustment screw, otherwise the throttle stopper can be adjusted.

A service manual is usually well worth the investment. You can probably pick up an old Gregorys manual for it for $10 or so. They contain a plethora of info and troubleshooting tips. Should be vacuum diagrams too.

What makes you suspect the alternator? What does the volt-meter read?

You can put a multimeter across the battery terminals to see if it is charging. Should read around 14v with the engine running I reckon, perhaps a little lower.

With the door actuator, pull the trim off and take a look. Probably an actuator needed.

With the XF its worth picking up a Genuine Ford Workshop manual. Theyre on ebay all the time, and go for between $10 and $40. Theyve got everything. Your after the XF one btw which covers your fairlane. They have a blue cover and are about 1-1.5 inches thick

Nigel

what would i have to do to convert the alternator? im annoyed with recharging the battery after all my short trips,slightly irritating haha 13.65v running through the battery when it's running

Does anyone happen to know what the purple vacuum line is? i found it broken behind the stereo surrounds.

i screwed in the idle and it seems to be running alright now, still want to sort out this vacuum stuff though, im waiting for registering it before i do most of the work, but thats all fixed tomorrow.

is it possible the door lock mechanism was struggling due to flatish battery? all the others seemed to work alright though

If there is no battery light on in the dash 1 check the ignition fuse is ok 2 change the battery light globe that completes the circuit for charging. if the battery light is off you are getting no power to the alternator to charge the battery.

It's possible that the servo was due to flat battery however consider that that would make it intermittent if anything goes wrong. Both my xf and me xe had the servos start to freeze up because the lubricant (nearly 20yo) was gumming up

Nigel

battery light is on when i first turn the ignition on, goes when i start it, it is charging-dismally.

The bushes r part of the regulator on the alternator if bushes r worn charge can be low also check earths especially the return earth at the transmission passenger side of car if loose or broken

aight guys, fixed the alternator issue-just the earth wasn't properly attached..

as far as the vacuum problem-i fixed the one hose but its still the same, it's not stuck on dash, its half dashboard and half to your feet.. i haven't the faintest clue about that. also the fan speed switch seems to not like working on 1/2/3 but is fine in 4th.. it sometimes just turns off and comes back on, randomly.

just did do new leads & plugs, running a lot better now but have since discovered a problem with the auto... whenever i turn left, it neutralises.. no idea whats going on... im guessing not enough oil but i keep forgetting to check it, do tell if it hints at something else being wrong
also to adjust the kickdown cable, which way means what? :S