Ford Reviews

This CD promises to deliver all the information you need to maintain and repair your vehicle. The reality is that the information contained is sadly lacking in content and presentation. Scanned in documents are barely readable and very few system describtions and diagrams are included. Maintenance and repair procedures are lacking or incomplete. This had potential, but fails.

1.) This manual is next to useless, the publisher is trading on his reputation ?

2.) This manual has marginal utility, it is better than nothing.

3.) It is replete with errors, omissions and faulty captions.

Examples:

Page 3-129: the conspicuously absent main and rod bearing clearences

Page 1-34, fig 73: Incorrectly labled as the belt diagram for the 4.0L engine. The diagram is for the 3.0L engine with AC.

Page 1-47 to 1-49 Ignition timing 3.0L engine: Chilton's editor's think that you have to remove the water pump and timing chain cover to check/set the ignition timing ?

Page 1-52, item 3: "Unplug the single wire, inline spout connector near the distributor"...

1. spout should be SPOUT an acronym for spark out

2. The SPOUT is not located near the distributor. It is located (3.0L engine) above and to the left of the brake master cylinder, a foot or two from the distributor. The SPOUT functions as a manual switch to allow the basic engine timing to be set. A picture or drawing of the SPOUT would be real nice. Ah Shucks, what's a manual for anyway.

Front cover: The picture on the front cover does allow you to identify the Ford Aerostar van.

Most of the Chandler materials in this book and its second printing contain substantial errors of fact and interpretation about Chandlers in early Virginia and Maryland. Dr. Tucker now agrees. See my article in "Tidewater Virginia Families," Volume 9, Number 3, November/December 2000, pp. 140-151 and my other articles in TVF - 2000 and 2001. Additional articles clarifying many early Virginia and Maryland Chandler families will be published in 2002 and (likely) 2003.

When will you have 1999 models for sale. Thank you. I have to rate a book I have not read.

I found this book very informative. It is almost like an encyclopedia of Ford farm implements. Also, it has great pictures and the story and history of Henry Ford, Harry Ferguson, and the Dearborn Farm Implement Company. A must for Ford tractor owners.

Having read the first volume in this series, I was eager to read the second. It was quite a disappointment.

The first volume was very in depth, and I looked forward to the same type of coverage in the second book. Alas, that was not the case. The NASCAR aero wars of 69-70 are barely mentioned at all, and most of the chapters are a short preamble followed by a year by year short (maybe 5-6 paragraphs) reporting of what went on in that type of racing that season. Very little of the engineering and FoMoCo internal politics that were covered so well in the first book wer covered in this book.

Another big disappointment is that each seaon, of each type of racing is proceded by a "what was happening in the world that year" which would probably be interesting if it wasn't already covered so well by other books which are devoted to that type of thing.

The first book was great. Buy it. The second...well, I can't recommend it.

This book is just too thin on substance to suit me. Too often do I come up dry when searching for a particular "how do I do this" for a maintenance or repair subject. It just doesn't go in depth enough even though it says it is built on a complete tear down of the vehicle. I actually have 2 books by this publisher each for a different vehicle and they are extremely close. I think there is a formula they use where they plug in just enough to make it appear vehicle specific. The areas of generalities such as basic overhaul are covered pretty solid in this book however; if you dont know a lot and are looking for a book to lead you through a repair then you will be better served to look elsewhere. Much better books are available here.

It was a great book for car enthosiests.But as a general motors fan fords arent my first choice in cars.

There are three tales in this book. I assume that the first, "The Tug of War", was intended to be humorous. If so, it is at the expense of others. A vengeful turtle uses trickery and lies to convince an elephant and a hippopotamus that he is their equal. The turtle finally wins their friendship. What was the moral? If you're small or weak, the only way to gain the respect of others is to pretend to be something you're not. How is that going to sound to a child? The next tale, "The Hunter Who Was King", seems to focus on laziness in the beginning. This seems to lead nowhere, however. The hunter is given a chance to live an ideal life as a king in a hidden realm and loses everything by indulging a curiosity. What was the horrible atrocity he committed? He opened a door. Granted, the queen had warned him not to open the door. Maybe this was where the lazy moral was supposed to be understood. He should've said something, right? Nope, he opens the door and all is lost. He didn't even walk through. He just opened it. Pathetic. The moral: never ever be curious about anything or suffer the consequences. How about this one: if you want to avoid sentencing yourself to ultimate doom, try asking more questions. The last tale was slightly redeeming. In "The Boy Who Sang to the Egg" an ailing father commissions his youngest son to watch over an egg. Upon the father's demise the son is unsure but dutiful to the memory of his father. The tale also focuses on the importance of trying to accept the unkown, especially if it's frightening. The boy is rewarded for his faithfulness in the end. A herd of cattle bursts from the egg and all is right with the world. There are no family squabbles and the story ends well for everyone. The pictures and pop-ups are well done. Overall, the pictures do not make up for the stunted moral lessons.

Covers very little that the Haynes Fiesta repair manual does not. Includes installation procedures for difficult items like "Baby Seats", "High Flow Air Filters" and fitting new "Struts and Shocks".

Dave Burroughs