Who knows Ford brakes? - 1983 Fairmont

[Stephen Tashiro]

A friend wants me to help fix the brakes on a 1983 Fairmont sedan. He says the brakes are so weak that the car is unsafe to drive. It's been parked for a couple of years. Are there any special tricks about Ford brakes one should know? I haven't worked on Ford brakes.

The car is in the parking lot of an apartment complex. There is brake fluid in the reservoir. The fluid looks dark and dirty. My idea is to begin by taking off a front tire and seeing if the calipers close when my friend presses the brake pedal.

[Stephen Reid]

Leave the wheel on at first, just jack it up and try to turn the wheel while applying the brakes.But probably if the car has sat that long there is likely to be siezed calipers and/or wheel cylinders.at the very least the rotors and drums will be so rusty that the will need to be resurfaced or replaced.Brake fluid also picks up alot of water so if it is that old it needs to be replaced before installing new parts.I've always found that a project like this can turn into a lot of work real fast with great potential for twisting off bleeder screws,fittings,and blown lines.As far as I know there no special troubles working on ford brakes,but you should pick up a Haynes or Chilton manual to help you out.Not much money and a picture of how things go back together can be a life saver.Good luck.

I just saw that you're in NM so maybe you won't have the rusting issues we have in the northeast.

[Paul Ryan]

The nice thing about brakes is you have 2 sides. 1 to take about the other 1 to look at so you get it back together correctly. There are a couple of different ways to go about this job. But if it has been sitting that long, you are going to need calipers, wheel cylinders, pads, shoes, and some hardware. These parts should be fairly cheap for an old car like that. You may also need some hoses. Just be gental with the steel lines if you have to replace the hydraulic components, those old lines will be very fragile if they are rusty. I would also suggest cutting the rotors and drums. Since you have the rotors off you might as wheel pack the front wheel bearings too. Is not a tough job it will just be time consuming. 1 more word of advice leave the e-brake along dont touch it otherwise you will end up replacing cables too.

[dennis thompson]

I just did brakes on my daughters Ford Taurus.(My first brake job in 20 years) Poke around the internet & you might find a video that shows how to do the brakes. I found one & it was very helpful
Dennis

[Joe Pelonio]

I once restored a 1963 Ranchero, which had sat a long time when I got it. The brake linings had separated from the shoes, 3 of the cylinders were frozen from rust, and all of the springs had lost their strength. Having done many brakes jobs on various vehicles I can say that it's pretty simple on the 2WD cars with no antilock, but because it's such a safety issue make sure you follow a manual. I'm sure that Chilton or one of the others still offers it for that model, if not, there may be a used on on E-Bay, but most any Ford of the same vintage will be the same design.I'd really suggest rebuilding or replacing the master cylinder, all wheel cylinders, calipers, pads and shoes, and a complete flush of the lines. Inspect the rubber hoses and likely replace those too. It's still a fairly inexpensive job if you can find the parts.

[Stan Johnsey]

Yep, by the time you get to the parts to inspect 'em you can replace 'em. Any car that is 25 years old needs a brake rebuild. Start with the fronts as they do most of the braking.

[Dave Wagner]

Also, Bleed the system and pump NEW fluid thru all the fittings to each wheel. Always start at the farthest one back and work your way to the front closest to the reservoir.

Also, check the rubber flexible lines from the frame to the calipers, sometimes they get cracked and start leaking, thus causing air in the system and spongy breaks or non existent brakes.

Shouldn't be any different then todays brakes. The technology hasn't changed much at all.

[Stan Johnsey]

If you work single handed like I do Speedbleeders work well. They replace the stock bleeder valve on the caliper/cylinder and contain a one way valve.

[Pat Germain]

I've worked on many a Ford. The Ford brakes from that era aren't much different from a GM car.

As mentioned, almost every component of the brakes will require replacing. You should just accept this or not bother. Many a shade tree mechanic has tried to just replace things here and there. The result is frustration and, with brakes, serious danger.

If there's anything unique about Fairmont brakes, parts might be a problem. Your friend has what is probably one of only a few Fairmonts still on the road.

You will likely have to replace:

- Master cylinder (You can no longer buy rebuild kits. But a rebuilt master cylinder is just fine)

- New rubber brake lines front and rear. (There's no way those will be any good unless they were recently replaced already.)

- New front calipers.

- New rear wheel cylinders.

- New rear shoes

- New front pads

- Hopefully, you can machine the drums and rotors. If they've already been machined a few times, or if they're just too far gone, they will have to be replaced.

Buy at least two of the very large bottles of brake fluid. Bench bleed the new master cylinder. Once you have the new parts in place, it would be a good idea to pump lots of brake fluid through the metal lines in order to clear out all the gunk. (Do NOT reuse the brake fluid.) Do this before you connect the new calipers and wheel cylinders. Once they're connected, you'll need to bleed, bleed, and bleed some more to get out all the air.

This is the point where people start to wonder if the car is worth it. :)

[Matt Meiser]

Nothing unique. Fairmonts, Mustangs, T-Birds, Cougars, Capris, LTDs, Granadas, and a number of other Fords from the late 70's through the early 90's used that platform (called the Fox platform.) Other than some size differences on brakes, most notably larger ones for the performance models of the later years of the Mustang, parts were very interchangable.

[Walt Nicholson]

A lot of advice to "just replace everything on the car". It would seem prudent to check and inspect everything related to the brakes first before going headlong into buying everything. It is 26 years old but only sitting idle for 2 unlike being out in a field somewhere most of it's life. It stands to reason that some time during those years some, or most of the brake components have been replaced. What if (humor me now) the owner had the brakes done 2 years ago just before they parked it and all it needs is adjusting or bleeding? Don't order a whole new saw motor until you see if the breaker got tripped. Just my 2 cents.:)

[Stephen Tashiro]

Thanks for the replies. The car is old but it has remarkably low mileage for its years. When it was driven a short distance to its current location this year the brake problem became apparent. The brakes aren't frozen. They don't grab at all.

[Paul Ryan]

Stephen,

Does the pedal go to the floor and not acutate the brakes. Or does the pedal get firm but wont stop the car. I have done so many brake jobs on disc brakes and drum brakes I could do them with my eyes closed. But you still have to diagnosis the problem otherwise you may start replacing things that dont need to be replaced. You could have something as simple as a vaccum leak in the hose going to the booster, or internal in the booster. You could have a hydraulic leak. If the pedal just gets hard right away but doesn't stop the car you probably just have rusted up calipers and shoes. It really depends. Take the wheels off and the rear drums and do a good inspection. If the pedal pushes and feels like a normal brake pedal but you don't have any braking power, check the vacum hose that goes to the booster. If pedal goes to the floor fill it with fluid and look for the leak. In the end if the car was stored up here in MN it would need what I posted earler at the minimum. However the weather in NM is different you may get away with less.

[Stephen Tashiro]

I don't know if the pedal went to the floor. I'll have to ask my friend about those details. Is it possible that the only problem is bad brake fluid? Can bad fluid cause a complete loss of braking power?

[Denny Rice]

I don't know if the pedal went to the floor. I'll have to ask my friend about those details. Is it possible that the only problem is bad brake fluid? Can bad fluid cause a complete loss of braking power?

No.........A complete LOSS of brake fluid will cause the brake pedal to go to the floor. You would have some pedal if there was fluid in the master cylinder and lines even if it was old or bad. The only reason brake fluid really goes bad is it has a high boiling point and as it ages it losses the ability to work as well at high temperatures and should be flushed and replaced. Has this car been setting on blocks or in a corn field for a couple of seasons? LOL. Probably if I were working on this car is start with the easy stuff first
1. Check brake fluid level
2. Remove one front wheel and with a buddy in the car have him operate the brake pedal--you watch and see if the caliper is operating properly spin the rotor with your hand and have him hit the brake pedal to see if it stops. Check rubber and steel brake lines for checking and cracking and just a note the rubber brake lines can collapse from the inside out-you cannot tell until it is removed.
3. Remove one of the rear wheels (this will most likely be a drum brake system) check both the front and rear shoes for wear, check the springs and wheel cylinders for leakage of brake fluid. Do not operate the brakes while drum is removed! You will see parts fly. Once you have checked the condition of the brake shoes, re-install drum and adjust the shoes to the drum.
Now that drum is ON, you can have your helper apply the brakes, see if the drum moves while apling the brake pedal, if so there is something wrong.
I hope I have given you some ideas.

[Randal Stevenson]

You can find You Tube video's on brakes. Disc brakes are pretty simple, and where I find people get confused with drum brakes, is "which spring overlaps" as I have been asked. With today's digital camera's so prevalent, I recommend they take a digital photo before they start, as it shows things, how they should be (generally, there is always the exception).
I would also be inclined to check the tires for flat spots and dry rot, as I believe your more apt to find that. Since you stated it was in an apartment complex, I seriously doubt it has been sitting the WHOLE time. Most that I am aware of, require you to keep your vehicle in working condition and properly licensed. That tends to mean it will get moved/driven occasionally, even if for small trips.

Best advice, inspect, inspect, inspect and inspect. Check the rubber, look for rust on the calipers, frozen shoes, separated pads, and buy a cheap turkey baster, which can be used to pull the old brake fluid out of the reservoir, so fresh can be added.
You still may end up taking it to a professional, as a collapsed (internal) brake line can be hard to find.

[Denny Rice]

You can find You Tube video's on brakes. Disc brakes are pretty simple, and where I find people get confused with drum brakes, is "which spring overlaps" as I have been asked. With today's digital camera's so prevalent, I recommend they take a digital photo before they start, as it shows things, how they should be (generally, there is always the exception).
I would also be inclined to check the tires for flat spots and dry rot, as I believe your more apt to find that. Since you stated it was in an apartment complex, I seriously doubt it has been sitting the WHOLE time. Most that I am aware of, require you to keep your vehicle in working condition and properly licensed. That tends to mean it will get moved/driven occasionally, even if for small trips.

Best advice, inspect, inspect, inspect and inspect. Check the rubber, look for rust on the calipers, frozen shoes, separated pads, and buy a cheap turkey baster, which can be used to pull the old brake fluid out of the reservoir, so fresh can be added.
You still may end up taking it to a professional, as a collapsed (internal) brake line can be hard to find.

Very good idea....I have a 50 dollar camera in my tool box I use for just this purpose....