Pulled the driver's seat so I could get at the lever assembly that operates the gas filler door and the rear hatch release. They'd been "broken" since I bought the car, and while I could get the door and the hatch open, I had to hold both levers together, while pulling on the one I wanted to open.
Sure enough, the bolt had come out, and was right next to the mechanism under the carpet. Put it back in place and tightened it down, and one more item crossed off the list.
And since the driver's seat was out, it makes it a whole lot easier to
get at the clutch pedal to measure and adjust the pedal height and
free-play adjustment.
The pedal height was "in spec", but the free-play was waaaay off.
The car had the clutch master cylinder replaced some years ago when it failed and dumped the contents of the fluid reservoir (standard brake fluid) into the interior, and all over the carpet, ruining the carpet.
I don't think they bothered to set the free-play when they replaced it because it was always a bit reluctant to go into first gear at a stop (typical "crunch" when you put it in gear), and I could always feel it "snag" a bit when shifting. The clutch still feels a bit "soggy", so I'll put the car up in the air on Sunday and flush the fluid and bleed the system like I did for the brakes.
BTW...the fluid that came out of the rear calipers when I did the flush and bleed a couple of days ago was actually worse than what came out of the front!
I'm not putting in the new carpet kit before I leave for Vegas as it's just too much work. One of the guys I met there last year has the same carpet kit, and agreed that it's very high-quality. He also said it's cut very "generously", and he had to trim 4~6" of carpet from the door sill area, and about the same at the top front where it goes up against the firewall. He told me it took him two full weekends, plus an hour or so per night between weekends, to get it installed really nice.
I'm sure the carpet installation will be another whole series of posts.....
The pedal height was "in spec", but the free-play was waaaay off.
The car had the clutch master cylinder replaced some years ago when it failed and dumped the contents of the fluid reservoir (standard brake fluid) into the interior, and all over the carpet, ruining the carpet.
I don't think they bothered to set the free-play when they replaced it because it was always a bit reluctant to go into first gear at a stop (typical "crunch" when you put it in gear), and I could always feel it "snag" a bit when shifting. The clutch still feels a bit "soggy", so I'll put the car up in the air on Sunday and flush the fluid and bleed the system like I did for the brakes.
BTW...the fluid that came out of the rear calipers when I did the flush and bleed a couple of days ago was actually worse than what came out of the front!
I'm not putting in the new carpet kit before I leave for Vegas as it's just too much work. One of the guys I met there last year has the same carpet kit, and agreed that it's very high-quality. He also said it's cut very "generously", and he had to trim 4~6" of carpet from the door sill area, and about the same at the top front where it goes up against the firewall. He told me it took him two full weekends, plus an hour or so per night between weekends, to get it installed really nice.
I'm sure the carpet installation will be another whole series of posts.....
.JPG)
That reminds me I need to do a flush on the Bronco II. The master cylinder needs to be replaced so might as well do the whole bit. I will "stupervise" due to my knees. Know a "farm" mechanic guy that will do the work for a few bucks.
ReplyDeleteYeah, flushing/replacing the brake fluid is one of those things that people don't spend the money on, even though it really should be done every few years. This is the first time I've bothered to do it, and it really opened my eyes about it. One of the things I noticed as I was draining out the little catch bottle where the old fluid was going to, was all the sediment in the fluid.
DeleteIt's very fine particles of rust, and that just can't be good!
Take the time to do it right, it's WORTH it!
ReplyDelete