CC DIY: Fleet Maintenance – Brakes, Struts and More

Time for fleet maintenance. When you have 10 cars there is always something that needs looking after. In this case it’s the family daily drivers with the Ambassador thrown in for good measure. First up the wife’s 2018 Mazda 3.

My wife had mentioned to me that she heard a scraping sound when driving some weeks ago. Then I actually drove the car one day with her and my son in the car. They both said hear that sound as I drove? No, I didn’t hear anything. She says right now. Then she says you’re deaf. Hmm, I may be 70 but I am just becoming selective in what I want to hear. So there! In honesty I thought she might be describing the warning sound when pads are needing replacement. So I get prepared by ordering new rotors and pads. Now to find a day when she isn’t using her car which means only Saturday my USS Hornet day. Right off the bat things don’t look bad to me.

First step is to remove the caliper. Low torque bolts so easy to get off. Use a 14 mm 6 pt. socket and a small vice grip to hold the nut on the other side since the whole bunch wanted to spin.

This car is easy to hang the caliper out of the way without stressing anything.

Now the carrier is attached by 17 mm bolts with a lot of torque to them. A couple of good whacks with your hand and you will slowly get movement.

Rotor and carrier off. Red tint because of the large patio shade I moved to the front of the house. Temp today nearing 92 degrees and I don’t like much beyond 85. Today is actually cool compared to the Fourth of July week so I’ll spend many days on the Hornet in Alameda instead.

For all you guys who live in the snow belt eat your heart out. That is the face of the hub and not a spot of rust so the rotor pretty much fell off on it’s own. Even my wife, once coming back from Las Vegas with roads flooded out or having 3-4 feet of water, couldn’t cause trouble. Although there was a fair amount of mud on top of the engine.

Not much to wire brush off the carrier. Actually it is only black brake dust.

Pulling the pins out to wipe off the old grease and apply new grease. Reinstall and sliding a little better than when I started.

The carrier all fitted out with the new pads and clips.

Last step, for the way I work, is to push the caliper piston back into the housing so I can mount the caliper. Use a C clamp and old pad to do the job.

Once the carrier and caliper are held on by their bolts, finger tight, it is time to torque. I saw one fellow on Youtube say tighten good and snug. What is good and snug and I commented so. Every one has a different idea and some could be too tight and others too loose. The caliper is only 20-22 ft. lbs. while the carrier is 92-100 ft. lbs. I can easily see people go tight on the caliper and loose on the carrier. Overall at 93,000 miles the pads had about 1/4″ left. A test drive and I heard sound from the rear brakes when applied. Looking in they seem to be roughly the same but no time to pull a wheel. My wife came out at 1300 hours and asked when I would be done? You are going somewhere? Yes, a house blessing at 1400 hours. Can I take the Buick which is covered. I got the second wheel done is 36 minutes at 1336 hours. Oh, for those who ask there is a jack stand hidden in the back that can’t be seen. Not looking forward to the rears as the electronic parking brake makes for a more complicated job.

Another front brake job. This time on my 2004 Ford Focus now with 195,000 miles on the original pads and rotors. We have NOS Ford pads, from my stock, along with Motorcraft rotors. Always have the manual so you know the process and torque values.

For 195,000 miles it doesn’t look too bad does it? I was even more surprised when I got the pads out.

Ford couldn’t use a standard bolt to hold the caliper on. Must be some engineering reason for this.

Look at those pads. They still have meat on them despite the miles. Could easily go over 200,000 miles on the original pads.

One needs to flip that hanger, or whatever it is called, backwards to get the pads out after which you can hang the caliper. The close up of the rotor does shoe grooves and wear.

Old pads versus new pads. Ford pads did well so stick with Ford. Besides my seller on eBay had them for pretty much equal to aftermarket which isn’t typical for manufacturer parts.

Pads loaded and then caliper replaced onto rotor. Torqued according to manual specs. Pins done in the middle but no pictures since this job was before the Mazda 3.

Changing direction it is time for struts. Everyone’s favorite DYI job especially if like me I transfer the original coil springs. The car is the 2004 Buick LeSabre which I felt was getting way too bouncy over a simple speed bump.

 

Here is what I see on the bottom end. First start removing clips attached to the strut. Then get a 24 mm socket to remove the nuts. Next turn the nuts around to knock out the bolt which isn’t easy. Imagine the fun putting them back in? With them out the lower half of the strut is finished.

On top it is simple as it can get. Only three nuts to remove and you can pull down the struct and start the process of wiggling to and fro to get it out.

Now with it out it is time to lock the strut down in my bench vise and get out one of three spring compressors.

This spring compressor I like since it firmly locks the coils into it. Tighten down by alternating side to side to take pressure off the top mount plate. Immobilize the shaft and put the impact wrench on the top nut. Off in a jiffy. From there one simply lifts the coil spring and gently place on the floor.

Yeah, I would say the struts needed replacement. Shaft never comes back up while the new one was, as expected, hard to push down.

Old strut used a Torx socket while the new strut uses a Hex socket. Pays to have both now. I sure like my vintage cars with standard bolts and nuts. Now don’t forget to put on the new rubber gasket before installing the coil spring.

I can now put the new strut assembly into my bench vise so I can install the top nut. I basically screw down that nut till I can get no more movement and then reinstall the assembly where I can double check that nut with the cars weight on it.

We are done. No, wait there is another side. Once done it rides so much better.

This is the 1991 Mazda 626 front strut. This is actually very easy to do so few pictures. Only have to disconnect a brake line, unbolt two bolts which tap out easily and you are done.

While the passenger side is simple to detach being only four bolts with nothing else piggy backing one can’t say that about the driver’s side. There are several 10 mm nuts that need to be dug out to move that bracket. Two hold the coil and two hold part of the air cleaner. The top of the air cleaner also needs to be removed.

There we go. The bracket is out of the way, the six bolts holding the strut are out and now the strut can go out the bottom. Funny thing they are always easier to get out than put back in.

All new gaskets and bearing from Mazda several years ago when there was still stock left for a 91. These out of Atlanta.

Strut in. The only thing you really need to pay close attention to is the top of the mounting plate. It has a notch and the notch faces into the engine compartment. Get it wrong and you mess up the caster and camber of the suspension. Once done I am ready for my every two year smog test. The car did really well on HC and CO but was middling on NOx. Allowed around 550 ppm, average below 100 ppm, my car at 340 ppm.

Change of pace and something I hope many of you are familiar with. Here we have a new rebuilt Autolite 2100 for the 72 Ambassador. This made a huge improvement in driveability of the car. I thought it was pretty responsive for a 360 but now even more responsive off the line.

Missing vacuum lines put back in and others replaced with new rubber.

 

Old master out and new master in.

Old cracked front brake hoses out for new ones. Rear hose was already new. With hoses and master replaced it is time to bleed.

Replace canister filter.

Things got interesting here. Those spark plugs were in only finger tight. Strong fingers could remove each of them. New AC Delco plugs went in and torqued correctly. Thought the old starter solenoid was Autolite. Only upon removal it had a connection on the backside so I couldn’t replace right then. Found an NORS on eBay along with a bunch of NORS points and condensers. Bought them all and put in a box in the back of the wagon. A day or so later drive to ACE Hardware and when I come out the car won’t start. Not even a sound yet all accessories have power. Hmm? Go into ACE to buy a small cheap crescent wrench and two fine bolt nuts to match the solenoid in the back. Once installed the car started immediately and I drove home. Also replace the voltage regulator with an NORS replacement.

New front and rear shocks. Close inspection shows all bushings, tie rods, and ball joints will need to be replaced in the front. When driving you wouldn’t even be aware of that so I can imagine how the car will handle when they are replaced.

The 2 inch fuel hose connecting the filler tube to the gas tank. I learned about this after putting 12 gallons of gas in the car and started to smell gas while driving. Then I saw gas dripping out onto the driveway. Eventually it got down to a couple of gallons left. The hose was perforated. Now a 2 inch rubber fuel hose. How hard can that be? Hard!

My two options since the correct hose from an AMC parts dealer is on back order. The top hose is great if straight but the rigid inside won’t bend. The lower one will bend but kink. Now that the old hose is off and useless I need to do something. Like now!

So I have to live with kinked for some time. I went to put in gas slowly and I did fine. A little slow, as I controlled by hand, but got in 10 gallons to take a drive. No more gas smell. Works for now.

Next the coolant was flushed out after putting in a cleaner. All new hoses went on except the one red one in the back. Seems to be a 1 inch heater hose, the only one of the bunch, and I didn’t have that size in stock.

Fan belts replaced which gave me the opportunity to clean off the fan, the spacer, and paint the pulley.

Both power steering hoses replaced.

My original fuel door had a decent size rust hole through it. Found a 72 door on eBay. Bought it and had it sand blasted and primed. I then painted it Snow White, like the rest of the car, and replaced the rusty one. Have already located 3M Di-Noc that will be used to replaced the simulated wood paneling on the entire car. About $350 and will be in another story. It will transform the car.

Now back to the Mazda 3 where my wife tells me it is really grinding in the back. Oh yeah it is obvious and from driver’s rear. Obtain new rotors and pads but have to wait for the car to be available.  The above is the side making the noise but looks alright here. Ah, but the back side was a disaster.

Before I start this car has the electronic emergency parking brake (EPB). I can say now I am not a fan of it. Makes changing the rear brakes a big PIA compared to the easy front. One must put the car into maintenance mode in order to get the piston to retract fully for new pads. Sit in car, tap ignition twice while pushing down on brake, then move foot over to accelerator to press down, push down on parking brake switch, tap ignition three times fast, wait for actuator to retract, then release accelerator and parking brake switch. Nothing happened. Went back and forth close to a dozen times before I heard the actuator respond. However, it didn’t retract the driver’s side at all.

So I went to the passenger side first. In the first picture you can see the back of the caliper assembly after I unscrew the parking brake actuator. You can see that fitting for a star socket. The piston was almost all the way back but still 5 mm short before you could slide on the new pads. I thought can I turn this with a socket. I did and saw the clockwise retracted the piston just enough so that everything slide into place. New pads in place of old with 2 mm left on them. Strange how the rears wore out so much faster than the fronts. Now with everything in place, except the electrical connection ( I was tempted not to connect since my wife NEVER uses the parking brake), I go back to driver’s side.

I had to resort to removing the whole assembly on this side given how difficult it was to separate. This is the side where the piston didn’t retract. In the bottom picture you can see the loaded new pads and the old pads. The back side pad had worn away metal and the rotor was trashed. Once I finished the pads I went to the caliper to retract the piston like I did on the other side. Only it wouldn’t respond at all. Being several inches out I was stymied. Stupidly, yes stupidly, I wondered and removed the C-clip at which point the shaft recessed and brake fluid slowly leaked. That caliper is toast as far as I am concerned and order a replacement for UPS 2-day.

Rebuilt caliper in and it was painted. Even here needed to still retract the piston a few millimeters and then it slid right on. Lost some fluid but never below minimum in master but still checked. However, the piston assembly was empty so hooked up my vacuum pump and a line. Bubbles come out as fluid moves into the bottom and air out top. Check pedal and it is soft. Too soft when the car is running. So bled all four corners and the pedal firmed up nicely. Now do I connect the electronic parking brake? Ok, let’s give it a try. Once connected into the car to get it out of maintenance mode. Hold brake pedal down, tap ignition twice, then release and press accelerator down, pull up parking brake switch and hold, tap ignition three times fast and wait for actuator sound. Dang, it worked and the brake warning lights turned off. Drove car, braked fine, parked, and tried parking brake on and then off. Worked fine and now hand over to my wife and good luck car.

Now this is not maintenance as this was completely unexpected. I’m driving down to the USS Hornet at 0900 Saturday morning when I see a 1 inch angle bar in the road about 16 inches long.  I needed to jink to the left to clear the corner but was limited by a car right next to me. I hit the corner and heard a thud under the car. Drive the curve to highway 24 and start to smell a whiff of gas. Hmm? Another mile and a car pulls next to me and the driver points under my car frantically. With that it is time to get off but where. Not on the freeway. Drive past one exit to another where I get off and circle around the exit which then turns under the freeway. Yep, right here in the shade. Get out and gas is a steady stream out of the tank.

Ok, what now? CSAA says to call 911 first. I do and in 20 minutes the first Contra Costa engine shows up. Another engine shows up 20 minutes after that along with a hazmat truck. Lafayette police stops by to take a look. Gas has been going 20 yards down the road. Two firefighters are chasing it with shovels to cover with dirt. Another is under the car feeling for the hole. I’m thinking back to the “Birds” and the gas station scene with running gas and the cigarette smoker. Of course, no one smokes, but that scene did run through my head. Wish I took a picture as it was quite the scene. What you see above is the paste they used to seal so CSAA would tow. The tow driver arrived in 15 minutes if you can believe that and we left before the firefighters. Great bunch of guys as we talked retirement and the Hornet.

Up goes the car now two weeks after the tow. Needed to get the tank and then find the time. The younger driver was nice enough to lay it in the street so I could push it up behind the Polara in front of the house. The driver happened to be a new owner of a 1968 Cougar and asked him if he wanted to see something. Showed him my 68 in the garage next to the 68 Mustang. Gave him a card to join the Stray Cats Cougar Club.

Back to this car. Now the manual says to disconnect the four lines to the tank in the back. They imply to reach up and release the clamps. Right! Only you can barely see them due to that cross member. However, I can see them further back where they attach to the filler pipe. So that is where I can get to them. Mind you I have no help. The rubber has been on there since 1991 so it wasn’t going to slide off. Consequently they had to be sliced off which was fine as I had fuel hose to replace the three different sizes with new hose.

Inside the car is easy. The rear seats cushions actually have hinges and flip up out of the way. I like that. The you have two electrical connections and two hoses to release.

The tank has one strap with a 14 mm bolt. Easy. The actual tank has three 12 mm bolts with one in the front and two at the driver’s corners. Easy enough to get. Bolts go through large flat metal washers and rubber cushion which must be saved. Now to drop the tank. Well no need for the jack as the tank doesn’t drop.

Tank has a lip all the way around and passenger side hangs up on the exhaust. Drivers side hangs up on a parking brake bracket. Remove the bracket. Bend the lip. Pull the exhaust pipe away to clear. Go to other side to push tank and pull bracket to clear and the sides are out. Tank still doesn’t drop because the hoses were not disconnected at the tank. So pull forward on the tank and it drops down on the carpet piece I placed under. Tah dah!

So here is the new tank. Several pieces of foam cushion has to be moved over to the new tank and glued on. Now lines added and don’t forget that flapper which didn’t come with new tank and I initially missed. Once done time to put in. Think out was tough well think in now. Tank has that lip which I bend like the old. I need to jack. I need to first thread those hoses over the cross member and push the tank back in order to line up bolt holes. Once again pulling and pushing of exhaust and bracket. Ask my 15 year old son to help. He clearly has no aptitude for this as he simply can’t see what needs to be done when looking. I have to point it all out. My father was no mechanic and my son most likely isn’t so it seems to skip generations in the family as my brother and I are.

In and the only thing left in this picture are those three small lines above. All in all took about five hours to do. Typical for me since I am meticulous enough to not only clean off all my bolts but I cleaned off all the dirt from the seven different foam cushions. After which I went up the street to get 2 1/2 gallons of gas. Took several tries to get the car running as there was no gas left in the lines or the pump. Yet drove today, all is fine, and no leaks.

Back to the Focus now at 200,000 miles. See that box in the lower right corner. That is one of Ford’s better ideas. A lifetime air filter. Yeah, right. Was reading somewhere that it wasn’t really lifetime as in forever but more the life of the car. I don’t think Ford thought a Focus would go 20 years and 200,000 miles. So I decided to dive in and replace it with a standard filter. Ah, but how to get to it.

This is how. I need to jack up the car, remove the tire, and exposed the front water shield and remove it. Has those pesky plastic fasteners.

With the shield off there turns out to be another piece of plastic you need to remove. As always there is a bolt hidden out of sight which you remove by feel.

Remove the last clamp holding the air box in and out it comes. Now in the second picture the original box is on the left. I saw this rubber umbrella over the intake which really narrowed it down. Given the location, at least for me, it isn’t really needed. So in went the new air box and the replacement of everything else.

I cut open the old air box to see what was inside. Layers of foam measuring 4 1/2 inches thick. How does and engine breath through something that thick? Well, I found out the next day when heading off to work and giving it the gas at 3000 rpm. The engine obviously had a quicker response. Also seems like the gas mileage will be up. In the first few years the mileage was just over 30 mpg but then declined to 28 mpg by 2007.  I just might be getting 30 again.

That is it for now. However future episodes will be replacing the front struts and assorted parts in the Focus. Got a steal on OEM Ford springs so why not. Will also be changing out the rear brake shoes and assorted parts in the Ambassador. Was I surprised when I first took the tire off to see a 1 3/8 nut, with cotter pin, on the drum. Of course I didn’t have a 1 3/8 half inch socket. Last, the 410 block is back and ready to be assembled. Bottleneck is obtaining the flat tappet hydraulic camshaft.