Crown Victoria gets a new Brake Caliper, car drives, we find whats broken!

[@danr1920]

As an American, I like this channel because it has all kinds of cars I've never even heard of, yet the Crown Vic is as American as you can get. It is fun to see how he reacts to the huge car.

[@RichieRouge206]

Great to see Furious Driving being enjoyed by our American friends

[@jonnycando]

@@RichieRouge206 oh yes! We’re out here!

[@jkk244]

About the new radio only tuning in the odd decimal FM frequencies (95.1, 95.3 etc) that’s because the even decimal frequencies aren’t used by radio stations in the US. When the FM bands were first made available for civilian use I guess the government wanted some clear separation between the available frequencies back in the old days of manual analog tuning so they skipped over the even decimals.

[@delukxy]

Check out the broken tension spring. Take the old one to the NEC. They usually have a decent Autojumble so you might be able to duplicate it. It's probably used on other Fords, maybe even Betty, so you have a good chance. Mirrors. Possibly broken wires in the loom from adjustor switch (door or dash?) and the mirror/s.

[@jbconno]

This is probably the first time the parking brake's been used. They usually just shove them into PARK and walk away .

[@royboy605]

Matt, I’m not sure if this has been mentioned before but what really kills these transmissions is the 4th gear to 2nd gear drop down. I’ve had 6 of these bad boys and I’ve always had transmission rebuilders say that’s what usually kills these gear boxes. If you can, turn off O/D before hammering the throttle so the transmission only has to drop one gear instead of 2.

[@furiousdriving]

good tip, thanks I remember that

[@crigger]

@@furiousdriving Look into doing a Jmod. It’ll help your transmission in a number of ways.

[@Gooney87]

Regarding the mirrors: there is no relay for them as far as I know, they run directly off the accessoires 12V rail in the door loom. If both the adjusting AND the heater doesn't work there's a good chance they've been unplugged when the car got decommissioned. Take the door card off (not too difficult, if a bit fiddly) and see what you can find there. Take VERY GOOD CARE when you remove the window switches, there is only one way to do it without breaking the clip on the back. WJ Handy Dad and others have vids showing the correct way. All door cards '98 through '12 remove in the same fashion, but they look a bit different throughout the years. If you need a spare adjuster mechanism, I've got a spare whole mirror you can have. (PM me for details) The adjuster works on both sides. And I'm semi-local (The Netherlands) so shipping should be a little cheaper than going across the sea for it.

[@michaeltutty1540]

Well done, Matt. A few points to ponder. First, Ford is notorious for minimal change. Take out the flasher for the turn signals. If it is a multi-flasher that does everything, go to a parts store and find a flasher with the same terminals that is for a car with LED turn signals. Some years of Ford Taurus, for example. If it is one that only does the turn signals and there is a separate one for the emergency flashers, swap them and see if that makes a difference. The other thing is that if you have no luck finding the parts, send me a picture of the connectors on the flasher, and I will find the parts that will work. It will not be hard. Worst case, it is a multi-flasher and the LED version takes a different pigtail. The right pigtail is going to cost less and be easier than futzing with resistors or who knows what. Thing is, too, there may be an electronic version that doesn't care about load that is part of the trailer towing package. I have had flashers in cars that worked at the right speed even with all exterior bulbs unplugged. There are some that only require 1 incandescent bulb to work just fine. Simple and easy. Also cheap. The correct flasher is a matter of $4 or so. Small and light enough to cost no more than a letter in postage. About those brakes: I have never seen a brake disc that flopped like that one on any of my cars. Once the wheel is on I know it will be held, but that does not look right. Also, the flex lines need doing every 10 years or so. They can fail from the inside. The Ford Flex lines are no more than about £10 with exchange. Also, when bleeding the brakes on that car, you should do all 4 wheels. Also with the heat from that calliper, a total brake flush would be a good idea. Heat and brake fluid are not a happy mix, and especially with the ABS pump and accumulator. I lost my one of one, custom ordered 89 Grand Marquis to improperly done brakes on the minivan behind me. All ABS, no brakes, and my 2 ton tank was shoved 20 feet forward into an intersection. That beastie had the 5.8 litre engine and the towing package. 40 MPG on the motorway was quite acceptable out of it. Being a Police Package car, there should be auxiliary coolers for the power steering and transmission. Make sure both are working right. With that cooler and the heavy duty transmission, it should be durable. Not as good as the old mechanical AOD, but decent, any way. The old mechanical one in a Trailer Tow III Package car was a million mile unit, even when towing a 6,000 pound trailer/caravan.

[@usuallyfixingtinkering]

I always change calipers in pairs, especially at the front, I've never heard about changing only one if you have no rear drums (with the size of rear discs they are no more effective than properly set-up drums). In fact rear discs are much more common for brake binding due to seized handbrake cables by the caliper mechanism. I'd be surprised if there isn't a big discrepancy in braking across the front on the next MOT. The other caliper may not be binding but it will have lost some of its braking force after some years.

[@adamspencer95]

You may consider it good practice but as long as the other caliper isn't leaking (or seized) the force will be distributed evenly across them, so no, it isn't necessary.

[@andrewthompsonuk1]

No reason at all to change both from a physics/engineering point of view. The caliper does not have any significant friction on it, the track between the pads and caliper does and must be properly cleaned and lubricated. Many change both sides ideas come from the service advisor bonus system as things such as a caliper change are the easiest money a workshop can make. However if the other side is showing signs of problems or potential problems like a torn dust boot then replace it. Many times these days the replacement part will be of such poor quality that you are only creating more issues.

[@usuallyfixingtinkering]

@@adamspencer95 calipers may not be seized but you don't know if it moves as freely as it used to. In my experience they can be differences.

[@r.michaeldunwiddie2449]

If you haven't done it yet flush the transmission and clean the filter. Then change the differential fluid. You'll probably find the fluids to be very dirty from never having been changed. Blind spot mirrors in the bottom outside corner of each mirror will really improve you view of what is beside and behind you. Sometimes outside mirrors get broken and are replaced with non power units. Powered mirrors are very expensive. Take the door apart and see what you have. I replaced the rear air suspension with progressive wound springs, I think it really made my Grand Marquis handle better.

[@furiousdriving]

theres a specialist Ive been told about so Ill take it there for the trans. I think they are original or correct as the full police garage history doesnt mention them and they have the heater symbol on the glass

[@krissjacobsen9434]

I would buy some green incandescent bulbs for the indicators. Not only to get the right speed, but the right look (not the "hard" LED blink)

[@Plu54f0x]

I would slow the indicators down by adding side repeater bulbs into the front.

[@r.michaeldunwiddie2449]

One more thing to look into on the Crown Vic PI. Front wheel bearings not being serviced. Mechanics in the US almost never service the wheel bearings by cleaning and repacking with grease. They will do it if the brake calipers are replaced but not as a regular service item even though the service manual says it must be done. I've started looking at P71 Crown Vics for sale again because of your channel!

[@huleeyaxerssius7]

Will say, would be a good little thing to perhaps see ian's AU Fairmont & the Crown Victoria alongside each other there at that show, so as long as all is well with them both, they might make an appearance there together.

[@markf4720]

I made my own brake lines for the first time on my project car. I first got a cheaper tool like the one you have, with separate bar, press and dies. I managed to get the odd decent flare but there were far more bad ones and it was getting very frustrating. I ended up buying one of the integrated hand held tools, which was a bit more expensive (about £50), but SO worth it! Really quick and perfect flares every time with very little effort or skill involved. I would definitely recommend if you want to make the job a LOT easier!

[@toppledgod]

If you google "Ohms Law Calculator" you can enter the wattage of your bulb and the voltage to calculate it's replacement fixed resistor value. Based on a 21 watt bulb and 13.8 volts I calculated a 9 ohm 21 watt resistor. You should check the wattage of your bulb first before recalculating.

[@billgriffiths1685]

Hi Matt, if you pump the brake pedal before releasing the clamp, the air can't travel up the line making it easier to bleed.

[@molarguy]

Burn outs are bad for a transmission. It is up there with jumping curbs and lawn jobs. I have NEVER seen a chapter in an owner's manual that gives instructions for this activity. Not 1 mention in my 99 MGM or 97 CV paper work. Excellent channel my friend.Salute.

[@TijgerTim]

Oh I'm glad it's not just me that loses things without moving an inch! For your difficult and/or imperial bolts, if you can source a Metrinch Four-wall drive socket and/or spanner set, they are the bee's knees. Unfortunately, I think they have been out of production for a couple of decades now. Did find a link to Farnell but they no longer have stock, otherwise, I've seen links to Australian sites. Maybe...

[@furiousdriving]

Ill check the auto jumble at the NEC

[@HowardLeVert]

I did manage to source a Metrinch set of sockets a while ago as I sent one to Hubnut. They are brilliant.

[@TijgerTim]

@@HowardLeVert I have lost count of how often they have saved my bacon…

[@ajfurrell3744]

I'm going to be at the NEC with my Aussie Chrysler would be interesting to see how much bigger the crown Vic is!

[@steven-vn9ui]

Matt, get rid of those resistors and buy a solid state flasher unit (less than £10.00) - you can set the speed with a knob from slow to fast to suit what you desire.

[@mcgreiveyy]

There might be some tricky way to get the radio to hit the even numbers. US and Canadian FM radio stations are licensed on the odd-decimal frequencies only (90.1, 90.3, etc), but new radios often come with instructions on how to reprogram a radio to hit the even decimals also, or to reprogram a radio that hits every decimal to skip the even ones. That car was sold in markets outside North America, and it's probably cheaper to make an FM radio with a reprogrammable tuner, than to buy separate radios. Probably if you poke around on Ford forums, you'll find out what button-press combination you need to use to reprogram it.

[@paulsheehan8185]

Will you have to replace the tail lights, so the turn signals are amber?

[@TheGhiaDriver]

I'd find some green incandescent bulbs for the back, saves you chewing on with resistors and makes it look right on the car. Wonderful to see the crown Vic again! I'm curious, do the interior door handles on the rear doors work? I heard they had no cables on them for CVPIs (depending on spec and order).

[@owensteele1645]

I would love to know what revving car is used for the intro @0:00 and outro @17:20. MGF VVC or Civic VTi possibly?

[@maverick4177]

Wing mirrors not working is more likely the wiring loom damaged/broken where it goes through the door, it check there first

[@BCeptor]

I have a 2003 crown Vic interceptor. My mirrors don’t work as well. If you find out the problem, let us know!

[@xqqqme]

Matt, I know someone replied with this info on an earlier video when you first mentioned your concern about the Crown Vic's OEM radio "skipping the even frequencies" but, here it is again: for the FM band at least, the broadcast frequencies are ALL odd to the right of the decimal. IOW, they're like 98.7, 101.5, 103.1, etc. And now with your new radio, it's not "skipping" anything...it knows it's only going to find odd-numbers.

[@tonys1636]

It may be where you are but here in Ireland we have 98.4 and 105.6 as the local frequencies of stations using 98 and 105. Also odd decimals used. One area may have a transmitter on either side of a valley so everyone can receive it if halfway up one side. A self seeking car radio is a must as frequencies can change every few miles or within a mile in some areas.

[@xqqqme]

@@tonys1636 That could be the explanation: "It may be where you are". Being in the U.S., that's what we see on our FM radios. And with the Ford being a U.S.-market car, that's what it had....with no reason to seek even-numbers in the frequencies. Thanks for the clarification!

[@furiousdriving]

@David - I dont think I said it very clearly, I just meant that like the other one it can only tune to odd numbers (because thats all thats used in the US)

[@tonys1636]

@@xqqqme From my house I can see three transmitter masts, two in summer when the trees are in leaf, All broadcast ignals from the same TV, radio and phone companies along with line of sight signals for smart technology. Including my Broadband.

[@xqqqme]

@@tonys1636 Then, I gather reception is not an issue for you! 😆👍

[@mikeymike3240]

How on earth 🌍 can a cop car have a weak gearbox, those guys beat on them every day, lol 😂, instead of having a heavy right foot, just touch the throttle gently and let the big girl drift up to speed instead of racing range rover’s away from the traffic lights, i got on average 33 mpg from my Kia Sedona 7 seater automatic while taxiing it with no problem just driving it gently up to the maximum speed limit available and everyone tried to warn me off saying that they have gearboxes made of chewing gum, but mine was a superb driver, she was the top of the range with full leather and electric everything else and everyone who was driven around in her really loved it 🥰 especially in the winter months with her heated seats and awesome heater. Well enough prattling on, I’d love a yank tank meself man and the mileage, or lack there of, lol wouldn’t bother me not a jot, lol 😝. Niiiiiiiiiiice video man. 😎👍👍👍🇬🇧

[@gingerphil]

Looking forward to seeing this and Betty at the NEC next Sunday. 😀

[@TheRoverspeed]

Nice work, it looks like a fairly decent car to work on. Fixings etc look pretty chunky. You'll not find any e torx on that thank goodness!

[@user-tj3cf7se6h]

Use a axle stand Sir .....tut tut ...👏

[@NEILB1989]

Sounds great from a standing start. Plenty grunt

[@LonelyPickle-m4r]

You can buy green incandescent bulbs, I bought a pack of 10 off Ebay for my US spec 68 Bay.

[@furiousdriving]

Cool, back online for me!

[@LonelyPickle-m4r]

@@furiousdriving I tried to post the link but KZbin wouldn't let me.

[@JR90.]

Absolutely love that tank! Would love to import my own car from the states on day.

[@theaylesburycyclist8756]

I'm curious as to why you have to change callipers in pairs if you have drums 🥁 at the rear..?

[@furiousdriving]

no idea, thats what The Internet says

[@bikeman123]

@@furiousdriving and the internet is never wrong is it. I would guess its because the braking from drums is so pathetic that its best to have 2 perfectly balanced front calipers.

[@barryhumphries4514]

A burnout would be stupid, but a launch and 0-60 mph run would be quite nice 👍

[@richardhewitt.easyvanlife.6957]

If the flashers to fast , put an extra bulb and holder in the circuit each side. You can buy 5w 10w 15w 21w bulbs to experiment with. This will slower the flasher. You can just hide in boot.

[@mrc7478]

Why would he want to hide in the boot?

[@richardhewitt.easyvanlife.6957]

@@mrc7478 he needs to hide in the boot when mrs furious finds another Rover hidden in garage.

[@Shane_Marsh]

Brilliant video, it's a cracking car 👍

[@steven-vn9ui]

Heat extraction tool is unreal, an essential item when you are working on older cars for sure. Damn, that bottom bolt was tight!! Might be worth putting a coat of pant on the front brakes while you're there, subtle like black or silver maybe?

[@seancooke7332]

That lumberjack looking Hoodie really suits the Crown Victoria, huge hunk of awesomeness that she is. I wonder if, somewhere in America, there is a Happy Excited Little chap tinkering lovingly at an ex Police Volvo V70, Modeo ST 220, Vauxhall Astra/Vectra or indeed Proton Impian GLS. Probably not.

[@richardhaywoodh]

Intriguing why would the changing of BOTH front calipers ONLY be necessary if you had rear drums on the car?

[@timbre7999]

Love the new stereo unit, it looks so original, nice and classic!

[@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain]

Great video as always Matt, still love the sound of the Crown Vic when you pull away.

[@trevorbatts3354]

Not sure if anyone answered your relay question. Generally, the main relay panel is in the engine bay, drivers side (not 100% sure this is true case for the Vic but worth a try).. Under the lid of panel should be a reference to each relay.

[@chriszbinden1740]

So here in the US, your radios only tune to the odd numbers after the decimal. I don’t understand wavelengths, thats just how it is here

[@patrickfullan9509]

Your controls(mirrors/windows/locks) on the drivers door have a history of shitting the bed. Swap the control(one unit controls everything) unit and it should fix the mirror issue. If you do have to replace the mirror it is not a difficult job, just time consuming.

[@furiousdriving]

thanks, Ill look at pulling the switch out

[@mkilic10]

We mostly do not use the emergency brake in our area because they might get stuck especially during a low temp season. My 03 CVPI also has the same e-brake issue like yours, and I am not planning to fix it at all.

[@stephensalt6787]

The shape of the tank dictates how fast the gauge moves, on mine when it was full it took ages to sink to 1/4 full then it sank like a stone.

[@CauliflowerMcPugg]

Its nice to have a couple of jobs go well and to have no bits left over at the end.

[@sjcuk]

The clear view out of the back window with no head restraints is so good. Less is more, hang on, I've heard that before somewhere.

[@petergouldbourn2312]

I love the Crown Vic because you love it. Your emotions are contagious Same thing the other way with Quentin …it drove you mad..me too. Pete 🇬🇧

[@owensteele1645]

From 6:55 to 7:22 Nice reflection of the Tomcat in the front wing. The colour of the Crown Victoria is lovely and sets off the chrome nicely too, looks a lot like that Rover 600 colour, Epsom Green.

[@leeallen7585]

You and ian need a head to head with his fairmont and your crown

[@Bratfalken]

I had that problem with FM skipping used frequencies in Europe,. It was a while ago, but I seem to recall there was some pushcombination that either switched to odd numers or set it to use every 10th kHz. How ,I don't recall. But try google it!

[@camperlustig68]

Automatic, who needs a Handbrake?

[@tonys1636]

If you can't find any green tinted bulbs, try a semi transparent green nail varnish or a green Quality Street wrapper. The parking brake cable is probably just stretched as who uses it on an auto unless parked on a hill, it should be adjustable at one end.

[@furiousdriving]

theres a spring mechanism at the back and this was under it, this was a tensioning spring that has rotted off so Ill have to work out where it should go

[@richardmounfield7822]

Had me rewinding a few times when you were fitting the pads Matt. Then I carried on watching phew. Car sounds great and looked really cool at the fuel station picture. If I get to the NEC will give you a look up.

[@a166]

Brilliant, glad you’ve got it fixed! Can’t wait to see you and the car at the NEC

[@garrytaggart3228]

Hey mate have you tried looking in the front doors ??? I'm using the focus for a example Mk1 focus has them in the doors

[@danielrussell446]

Well done Matt some more great repairs and upgrades I was thinking of you with the radio and was looking at if there were any radio cassettes from a civillian crown vic glad you found one!

[@jonnycando]

Use an electronic flasher relay and it will be agnostic about the type of bulbs….and so will blink at a decent rate.

[@RichieRouge206]

I love the contrast of the Smart parked behind the Vic - such an awesome car and along with the Volvo, my favourite cars of the FD fleet 😆 Don’t bother with burnouts - they’re both stupid and bad for any drivetrain. Also sorry I’ve not had chance to send that parcel in time for the next Junk In The Trunk.

[@paultaylor9652]

Great to to see the Yank Tank, but I'm looking to updates on the Rover estate Matt

[@alansimpson835]

Looks good. Brilliant that, with a trip to Birmingham looming, the caliper repair has improved the fuel economy. I'm looking forward to meeting it and seeing lots of Harry and Betty shots

[@will89687]

Nice that you finally have some decent weather to work outside in Matt

[@markotango54]

Great to see all this fantastic progress

[@organiccold]

For the indicators, mesure the resistance of a normal incandescent bulb with the multimeter, and buy equivalent resistor values,if does not work you can swap the indicator relay with a electronic electronic flasher, they are cheap and will work

[@thegazbo]

I can't wait to see the crown vic at the NEC on Saturday, look forward to getting some merch whilst I am there.

[@jbconno]

I hope you've got axle stands rather than just relying on the trolley jack ? Woundnt fancy that 2 ton tank dropping on you.

[@ChishanFipz]

Dude! NEVER work under a car without axle stands!

[@SAVING_ICONIC_MACHINES]

Amazing content mate really enjoyed it definitely got to subscribe.. look forward to watching your other videos keep it up.

[@garywillcox2286]

Hi Matt, hope that the West Australian number plate has arrived in time for junk in the trunk

[@DashCamSerbia]

I would check the mirror adjustemnt switch itself.

[@furiousdriving]

good idea

[@alchapman1052]

That was one heck of a size caliper, its a bad boy of a car but very impressive.

[@Pinzpilot101]

Two of these in the suburbs of Krosno Poland. one is a Police car, the other a Taxi.

[@TijgerTim]

Indicators running too fast (LEDs) the resistor should be across feeds, thus bridging live to earth, parallel to the bulb.

[@furiousdriving]

there are 2 feeds, one for each bulb, do you mean from the positive of one to the positive of the other? Or in line between the positive feed (or earth ) and the bulb?

[@TijgerTim]

@@furiousdriving just across the positive indicator to the earth… (the second feed should be the position light (5W) and won’t need touching). Remember originally they would have been wired similar to European brake/position lights with 21W on the brake/indicator. It is that one that needs connecting to earth through the ballast resistor

[@donnysweekendvanlifetravel7854]

Two big ford's should be the talk off the show now you and Ian santapod drag race sounds good great vid matt all the best donny

[@Jam3sA]

I feel your pain over imperial allen keys Matt. I've never had such struggles on previously owned cars, but needed them for work where we have American-built test rigs. Who'd have thought fractions of millimetres make such a big difference?

[@shauntvr4312]

Have u put cable ties on your wheel trims so you don't lose them 😉

[@danielbliss8014]

US FM frequencies are all odd on the decimal point; UK ones are all even. Bit of an annoyance; if you can find a UK-spec double-DIN radio it might be worth it.

[@100SteveB]

I am ashamed to say that just last year, even after 40 years of working on vehicles, that I actually managed to fit a brake pad on back to front - the metal backing facing the disc. A moment of absent mindedness. And for the first mile or two the brakes felt absolutely normal, until the paint on the back of the pad wore off, then heard a slight noise. A quick inspection revealed my stupid mistake. Luckily I caught it before any damage had been done to either the pad or the disc, apart from the paint being worn through on a small section on the back of the pad. But I still have not forgiven myself for such a simple mistake.

[@furiousdriving]

glad its not just me...easily done!

[@ImpalamansGarage]

All American cars, to my knowledge, skip even numbers on the FM dial. Not sure why. It's probably something to do with the management of RF spectrum by the FCC.

[@foregonereality]

Great to hear you having a straight forward day for once FD! Just wondering - could you have fitted a stereo from the Mondeo/Focus/Fiesta of that era as they seem to have the same Double Din and button design?

[@furiousdriving]

Its 1.5 DIN, there are some Euro Fords that fit but the styling doesnt look US enough

[@foregonereality]

@@furiousdriving Very true! Always noticed that looks like but doesn't look like appearance on US Fords and Lincolns!

[@petertrinder3127]

Great job done , the heating tool for awkward nuts is it electric . Can you supply more info on this please.

[@furiousdriving]

Its this from Draper, amzn.to/3KCrvKH safer and faster than an oxy torch amazing tool!

[@petertrinder3127]

The link you sent is for socket set tray

[@Oh-Jay52]

Imperial sizes , ie inch and al the nice old english stuff , 3/8 , 9/16 , 7/16, etc etc ??

[@simontemplers]

Your crown Vic does not have heated door mirrors. I had a GCC spec p72 similar to yours 2002.. I bought used heated door mirrors in the states. They are plug and play to your vehicle.

[@jo_clarke1960]

Don't it feel good once plated and you can start using your import. Those problems become nothing more than litttle niggles due to the public curosity factor and the feel good factor it brings.

[@normanduke8855]

lol. You look like the cat that got the cream when driving this car. You'll find your Ford sturdily built and easy to work on.

[@guy4469]

I Had the same problem with my 18mm on my 728i . I didnt have a heat tool , So i went inside and had 3 shreded wheat came out did it by hand tore the caliper off .

[@stefencooke]

We now a compare of ur Crown Victoria and ians Fairmont think that be a c Good video to see how different a US Ford and a Australian Ford are

[@andyarmstrong1493]

Resistors are futile! Like the way you're getting through the snags.

[@ukmud6218]

I tune in each week to see the cop hub cap arrival 😁

[@leeallen7585]

Thats my trick putting sockets and spanners down and then wondering where i put it

[@bikeman123]

How's that W123 coming along?

[@Oscar_woof]

Love the channel mate is there any update on hippo ? I'm a new freelander owner myself and she need a little TLC and ur videos have helped with alot of DIY tips

[@Andys_Vauxhall_Vids]

Always really admired these cars, was in Florida Summer 99 and they were everywhere. Any excuse to get a taxi ride I took it! Great video again Matt!

[@Mirage8v]

LOve the crown vic vids!

[@jonnycando]

10mm should be able to use 5/16 iirc…..best bet, get yourself some imperial sockets and spanners

[@Breene17]

Gotta try my first break pad change tomorrow carnt be that hard can it and the more I see yhe crown Vic on your channel the more I want one might look after I get a tomcat

[@tinplategeektoo]

Parking bay sizes are a joke in the UK. My tiny Peugeot 107 nearly fills the width of a standard supermarket car parking bay slot and not helped by the people who refuse to park properly with their car parked centrally within a bay.

[@johnrobson7367]

You need to set up a car wow style drag race with betty for bragging rights !