I’ve just bought a EF Fairmont wagon for a run around. There is a few little problems with it at the moment.

1 Its got intermittent bad miss. I’ve read the codes from the ECU and the Cam position sensor is out of range. Is there any set procedure for changing the sensor over? I imagine I need to keep it in the same position…

2. When I lock or unlock the doors most of the time they keep going up and down. Sometimes just twice, sometimes 5 times, and other times, I can drive down the street with the locks cycling up and down. Apart from been embarrassing as all hell, there has been times when I lock it, walk away and come back and its un locked. But 1 out of 10 times it works correctly…
Could this be a BCM problem? Or a door sensor.

3. This might be linked to problem 2. The interior light only comes on sometimes when I open the door. It always works when I turn it on manually on the dash.

4. The little LCD on the dash that displays how many K’s its done does not light up any time. Is this just a blown globe??

5. It got climate control, but when I accelerate at more then Driving miss daisy pace, It diverts the air to come out of the front windscreen demister. Could this be a vacuum leak of some kind, and if so, where should I look?

6. Its got a small clunk in the front when I’m breaking and turning, but I think its just the wheel bearing.

I think that’s just about it.


Any help would be great….

Problem 2. More than likely the tailgate switch. Another coversion to do is change all the door lock actuators to the EL ones. They don't cycle like the EF's did. The EF ones have a 94DA number on it & the later ones have 96DA. I must have done about 200 of those damn things.
The tailgate switches are expensive, made in the USA.
You got to pull the inside trim off to get to it as well as the number plate & the number plate surround.

So can I just disable the tailgate switch??

1. have u got a manual, if not get one it goes through it in good detail.
2 door actuator in one of the doors is caput.
3. the little button the inside of you doors. (should be black). faulty earth or just full of crap. clean it
4. take off dash facia and replace the blown globe.
5. no idea
6. also no idea but might be a worn bush....

I've got a manual, but its a Max ellery one. Its says EF on the front cover, and has a picture of a EF, but just about everything inside is for a EB-ED, Its even got the wrong ECU pin out in it, and no mention of a Cam position senor at all..

Word of advice to anyone out there, DONT BUY A MAX ELLERY manual...

Both the front door lock actuators are masters, the EL was only the drivers door.

6. I have a clunk in my front suspension to. I took to a suspension shop and they couldnt find wat was doin it. I also had a faulty wheel bearing and they replaced it but it was still clunkning. Since they checked all my bushes and nothing wrong with them im thinking mine and yours could be the shock.

The clunks can come from all sorts of places,: bottom balljoint, upper wishbone bushes, front & rear strut bar bushes, the shockie, the rack ends, tie rod ends, the sway bar link bushes, sway 'D' bushes,.....
Have a look at those.

2. sounds like a crook lock actuator, as previously mentioned change them for EL ones or as some others have Jcar sell after after market ones.

3. More than likely linked to problem 2. As you have already proved the bulb and circuit works.

4. Yes there is a back light behind this display. You will need to remove the cluster to change it.

5. You have a serious vacuum leak. The climate control is "Powered" by vacuum and its default position is the screen. Once you open the throttle vacuum drops off and the Climate Control will switch to the screen until you back off and vacuum builds back up.

A vacuum leak could be anywhere, inside the dash or near the motor, mine was at the heater tap.

There is also a one-way check valve near the MAP sensor on the vacuum hose that leads through the firewall into the dash. Remove it and test it by sucking through it. You should only be able to suck through from one end.

Under the left hand guard, at the rear is a vacuum canister. Check to see if the hose is still connected to it.

6. The clunk could very well be loose suspension parts, from worn bushes to a shagged tie rod end.