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Some Mechanicals

With the Capri clocking up over 15K a year, things obviously began to wear out. First concern was the timing belt which had done over 60K. I replaced this myself using a Ford part (£8). The job took all morning because I was learning the hard way, but it is actually reasonably easy to do. With that under my belt, I was on a roll ! Next was the fuel sender unit on the petrol tank which packed in. This again was an easy job although it helps if you have a multi-meter. Make sure that you get the right part as late model Capris like mine had a send and return petrol pipe (you will have to get this from Ford although I have been warned that they are no longer stocked). I have learnt how to replace front and rear brake shoes which saves a lot of money. The rear drums are tricky at first because it appears impossible without a third pair of hands. You have to be a bit rough with them to get them in place.

I have changed one of the steering gaiters that was split. It is essential to do this as soon as possible or you are looking at a replacement rack. The new gaiter was £4.50 but was a bit of a pig to replace. You need to remove the track rod end which is attached by a ball joint to the road wheel. A good tip I got was to undo the nut on the ball joint so that it is flush with the thread and then tap it (hard) using a hammer and piece of wood. The track rod end should eventually come away and then you can undo it and change the gaiter with relative ease.

My most ambitious project was to change the track control arm bushes as the front end of the car was wandering over the road. This job turned out to be a total nightmare. I managed to get the anti roll bar off OK (with lots of pulling ) but the bushes are very hard to get out and even worse to replace. I confess that I gave up and cut the bushes in two and super glued them back in place (if you've ever done this job you will know what I mean). Getting the anti-roll bar back on is no fun as it is spring loaded. It took all my strength to get it on and I nearly gave up ( one trick is to pre-tension the bar with a rope tied across the two ends and twisted with a screwdriver). Eventually with everything back in place I was relieved to find that my Capri drove in a straight line again. Capri owners note that if your car drifts when you take your hands of the steering wheel, I can guarantee that this will cure the problem.

One other job that was lots of fun was replacing the rear wheel bearings which start to make lots of noise after a lot of mileage. These are pressed onto the axle half shafts and are easy enough to get to but you will need to take them to a garage to get them pressed off and replaced. I carried both half shafts in a rucksack to a local garage where the guy did it for £5. The bearings were £11 a pair.

Since writing this article in 1995, I have updated my page with details on many of these jobs with the view to making them less of a nightmare for you ! Please visit my service guide and work pages for the gruesome details.

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