Consul V4/V6 - Re-Enact Scenes From The Sweeney With The ’70s Consul Range (Part 2)

Steering & Suspension

Springs and bushes are renowned for their longevity but tired dampers aren’t uncommon, a bouncy ride and wallowing being the usual telltales. Non-PAS steering gives little trouble but the optional PAS can be problematic, the rack being prone to leakage and replacing it being a near engine-out job.

Brakes

Discs are known to last and the Girling callipers are more reliable than the Granada’s ATE items, but the rear wheel cylinders can seize through little use and adjusting an inefficient handbrake can be tricky due to the mechanism running underneath the prop shaft and sometimes seizing. Sourcing new shoes to replace those that have been contaminated from leaking brake fluid is getting harder, although in some cases it’s possible to get them relined.

Engine

Engine Ford Consul

The V4 isn’t as bad as its reputation suggests but it can suffer from overheating and premature crankshaft wear. As with the V6 Essex, the fibre timing gear can shear and destroy the engine — steel replacements being the best cure although they are noticeably noisier. There’s no indication of the timing gear shattering on either engine although overheating does increase the chances of it.

The V6’s other possible major fault is the oil pump drive, which rounds off the bottom of the distributor over time and suddenly fails with catastrophic results. The Pinto engine is more robust than the V4 but listen for a tapping top end that indicates camshaft wear. Rough running can often be sorted by giving the Pinto a good service and correctly gapping the often-over tightened tappets.

The V6 consul weighs less than the granada giving it a performance edge

Electric          

Most electrical problems stem from poor contacts. The first place to check is the fuse box as its design means water can pool on the top when the bonnet is open, the chance of corroded terminals being heightened if the cover is missing. Tail light lenses are also prone to fading and front headlight reflectors rot out, decent replacements for both becoming increasingly harder to find. The Consul only had one radio speaker so ensure that any attempts to improve on this haven’t seen a ton of wire crudely spliced into the loom.

Gearbox

Cortina-sourced Type E four-speed ’box is reasonably hard-wearing but can have problems with first and reverse. The GT’s Type 5 transmission is near bulletproof, although a noisy fourth gear points to it being past its best. Slippage and selection issues with the optional C3 automatic are often down to the fluid being low, but if the fluid’s black and smells of burning then the ’box’s clutches or torque convertor have advanced wear. Diffs rarely give problems, a noisy rear end usually is the hard-to-source CV joints being dried out.

The 3-litre V6 GT was good for 0-60 mph in just 9 seconds