Too late. I splurged for an all new replacement Clutch Master Cylinder and installed. Out of curiosity the original unit was disassembled for inspection. Its machined cylinder bore ( 5/8″ ) had no corrosion and was therefore in fair condition. The residual fluid however was filthy black with contamination. The annular lip seals on the piston plunger were likely perished and my thinking is that I could have replaced these and saved the core unit. It may present a small challenge to find these small tapered sealing lip rubber bits. The pictured piston assembly resembles (copies?) that of a type of piston and valve frequently seen for early British Cars made by Dunlop and Girling. One closer look of this piston notes some scuffing. A proper rebuild would require honing the bore. Previously skeptical of dealer recommendations for annual brake fluid changes, cooling system flushes and similar ilk; I now have first hand evidence for the justification. Brake fluid is hygroscopic and thus the degradation. Why not silicon based DOT 5 instead, which is hydrophobic? That is another debate. Perhaps the *new* complete assembly was the path of least resistance after all.
Tag Archives: DIY
Lincoln LS Brake Job
No need to pay an automotive service center specialist the big bucks. This is maintenance that can be done in the garage. The local auto parts store has the replacement pads and special tools. Safety stands are necessary since the vehicle will be raised and the wheels removed. Supporting the vehicle with a floor jack is not recommended. Before lifting use your tire iron to loosen slightly the wheel lug nuts. The torque required to break them free will cause wheel rotation unless the weight of the vehicle rests upon it. Continue reading…
Changing Lincoln LS Brake Pads
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There are two bolts to remove which will free the caliper and provide access to the brake pads themselves. A 12mm socket will fit the lower bolt but for the upper the alloy suspension arm interferes. Use a 12mm box wrench instead. These two bolts may be overly snug so a few hammer taps on the arm of the tool simulates that of an impact gun. Using arm strength in constant pulling or pushing force may round off the bolt head just before you scrape your knuckles. Set the removed bolts aside. |
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The caliper slides outward now free of its retaining bracket. Some seesaw wriggling is usually necessary to slide away the caliber because of interference fit. This brake caliper assembly includes the hydraulic piston(s) and still attached is a hydraulic hose and a wire link to the ABS speed sensor at the hub. These umbilicals can be damaged by rough handling, twisting or dangling. The old pads will be loose but left behind still hugging the rotor disc. |
| Fashion a wire clothes hangar or length of string to support the weight of the caliber. This will free your hands and prevent damage to the brake hose. The upper suspension support arm provides a handy support anchor. |  |
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Some thought pertaining to the condition of the brake rotors should be taken. If the rotors are warped they must be removed and trued on a lathe machine. Note also that a disc rotor does lose thickness over time. A width measurement check will determine if it is within minimum wear tolerance. To avoid any concern the rotor can be replaced with new. |
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Your brake pad kit box may contain new spring clips which slide into place. If not, the old ones are generally reusable on condition. Copy the clip orientation from that of the removed pads. |
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The new pads lay into place one on each side of the rotor disc. Unfortunately the caliper can not just be put back into place as simply as it was pulled away. The new pads are much thicker than the worn ones. |
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To make the calipers “fit again” the extended pistons must be retracted into the caliper. |
| The most elegant way to re-compress them is with a special caliper tool that the auto parts store will happily loan. There are assorted sizes in the kit depending on your application. This kit really takes the effort out of a necessary task especially for doing the rear brakes which require that the piston be screwed inward on account of the internal parking brake design. |  |
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Turning the handle does the trick. The other piston visible has already been pushed home. Movement of the piston(s) in this direction will displace brake fluid. |
| Remove the cap from the underhood brake fluid reservoir to determine if there is sufficient room for brake fluid rise as you retract the caliper piston(s). Place an old cotton undershirt or the like over the opening to absorb any overfull spills if necessary. Take care not to allow lint or foreign material to enter the reservoir opening. Spilled fluid is harmful to the paint finish. |  |
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With the pistons fully pressed back into the caliper housing the caliper will slide back over the new pads. Pushing down slightly on the caliper assembly will squeeze those brake pad spring clips allowing the caliper retaining bolts to find their female threaded counterparts in the abutment bracket. Snug these bolts but do not over tighten. Don’t neglect to reinstall the fluid reservoir cap. To complete the job you must “pump the brake pedal” to remove the free play between caliper pistons and pads. There will be little or no stopping ability otherwise and could lead to unpleasant surprise. Test drive to check for proper operation including a “panic stop” to assure that the ABS functions. |
Degas Bottle
Shade tree mechanic(s) wrestle with a faulty radiator coolant expansion tank: The reservoir was split which allowed weepage and seepage which eventually became leakage. None of these symptoms were visible from the engine compartment topside, except for the occasional adding of coolant. The sickening sweet smell from the slippery glycol mixture dripping from the underbelly was also noted. A new unit was ordered. The challenging bit was the removal of the original hoses and clamps. They were hard to access due to obscure placement and confined space. Luckily we prevailed with the uttering of only a few choice curse words and NO skinned knuckles. We took step by step photos detailing the procedure. Once the new piece was in place we followed the procedure to refill and bleed the system.
Deck Rehab
The railing had developed an ominous lean from warping of this baseboard over time. $50 dollars in lumber and new fasteners plus some sweat (free) put it right again. A photo sequence details the task. 4 inch deck screws were used for the repair in place of the original nails. This should help to prevent a re-occurrence. There were two challenges; Hauling the new boards and manhandling the HEAVY Radial Arm saw. Needed: One of these. The lumber yard refused to cut our 12 foot boards into a manageable transport length citing hazmat from the Ammoniacal Copper Quaternary in the treated wood. A family sedan was not purposed for this. What to do with the old boards… a planter box?
O2 Sensor
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A helpful repair forum suggested removing the oxygen sensor from underneath the car by first removing the catalytic converter at the exhaust manifold. Another poster thought access could be made from under hood above after removing the wiper assembly and other bolt on pieces. The former sounded like a can of worms with possible rusted or frozen manifold nuts so I went in from the top side. I found it unnecessary to remove anything. You can snake your arm between the cowl and engine cover to put the special 22mm slotted socket and ratchet wrench onto the plug by feel. The photo shows what is hidden to the eye behind the transverse mounted engine. (I had to guess at the camera angle with several attempts to frame the shot.) Luckily the plug threads release without a cheater bar or skinned knuckles. The sensor’s cabling follows the head shield to under the car and abeam the catalytic converter where the end plug is located. There is a universal part which replaces the original but it requires identifying and splicing wires. The cost is a bit higher but do yourself the favor and purchase an OEM style part with the correct wire length and connector. There is a second sensor positioned after the converter which is easier to get to but that one only monitors catalytic converter health and is likely not the one needing changed. That figures, right? Total time to R & R the forward O2 sensor: 100 minutes. |
Dont try this at home
The only way in is with the cutting wheel or chisel pry tool or hacksaw. The Apple power adapter (brick) wasn’t intended to be disassembled. The case is glue bonded. However with the power supply inop due to a separated output wire, what was there to lose by attempting a repair. A simple splice and solder could make it serviceable once the dead section was cut out. So S’man with the Dremel Tool split the sealed case and from there the job was easy to complete. Of course the re-assembled package looks a bit ghetto.
