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  1. #1

    Question '80 Ford Fairmont... more questions since getting battery...

    Hey again everyone!

    I finally got my battery and started the Fairmont. The motor is strong, transmission is solid, but I've noticed some things I wanted to ask about...

    1) I've been told by the previous owner, they believe the voltage regulator needs to be replaced. I learned a lot from Dad working on his '79 F-100 (which we still have but hasn't been run in a few years), but there's some things I'm fuzzy on. The car started pretty easy, but the alternator light wanted to flicker from time to time. After it was running a while, I shut the motor off. I was going to crank it up again to turn it around, it didn't want to turn over, but it almost did. I pumped the gas a few times, it acted like it wanted to turn over, but didn't. I tried a third time and nothing. You turn the key, the lights on the dash stay on, but you turn the ignition, silence. I decided to let it cool off. I came back out an hour later and started it easily. The alternator has been rebuilt according to the previous owner, but the voltage regulator needs to be replaced. Can a voltage regulator going bad cause it not to turn over when the motor is warmed up?

    My Dad's '79 F-100 has a good voltage regulator on it. Could I replace the Fairmont's with the one on my Dad's truck or is it not interchangeable? If not, can I buy a new one or does it have to be used?

    2) The brake light stays on all the time. The E brake isn't engaged. What's going on with this?

    3) One half of the right taillight is out. Is it fairly simple to replace the bulb? I ask because I've heard the Fairmont's taillights are glued on.

    4) Since the previous owner doesn't know when the oil was changed last (it hasn't been years or anything like that though), I'm going to change the oil. Does the inline-6 take 10W-30? How many quarts? What size oil filter? Is the rule of thumb for oil changes still 3,000 miles?

    That's all I can think of. Thank you guys in advance for any help! :-)

    Tommy

  2. #2

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    1. check that both ends of the negative cable are clean and tight. also the connection from the solenoid to the starter.
    make sure the alternator belt is tight. make sure the plug on the voltage regulator is fully connected.
    If you have a voltage meter check the voltage at the battery with the car running it should be over 12 volts if its charging.
    If you have a used serviceable regulator that will work or you can get one from your favorite parts store.
    Remember to disconnect the battery when messing with the cables or alternator.
    2. check the fluid level in the master cylinder it is probably low. follow the brake lines and look for wet spots. common places are rear wheel cylinders, the hoses and under the back seat
    3. you can get the tail light bulbs from inside the trunk
    4. 10w30. I always used 5 quarts with an FL-1 filter.
    Last edited by ukravit; 08-13-2015 at 09:34 PM.

  3. #3

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    Quote Originally Posted by ukravit View Post
    1. check that both ends of the negative cable are clean and tight. also the connection from the solenoid to the starter.
    make sure the alternator belt is tight. make sure the plug on the voltage regulator is fully connected.
    If you have a voltage meter check the voltage at the battery with the car running it should be over 12 volts if its charging.
    If you have a used serviceable regulator that will work or you can get one from your favorite parts store.
    Remember to disconnect the battery when messing with the cables or alternator.
    2. check the fluid level in the master cylinder it is probably low. follow the brake lines and look for wet spots. common places are rear wheel cylinders, the hoses and under the back seat
    3. you can get the tail light bulbs from inside the trunk
    4. 10w30. I always used 5 quarts with an FL-1 filter.
    Hey again!

    While I forgot to check the alternator belt, I checked the negative cable. It was clean and tight. The plug on the voltage regulator was firmly connected. I have a voltage regulator that should still be good on my Dad's '79 Ford F-100 truck. Could I replace it with that one for the time being?

    The fluid in the master cylinder was full. I have yet to follow the brake lines. When you mention rear wheel cylinders, where exactly on or near the rear wheels do you mean? As for the back seat, meaning directly under the back seat or under the car? Please excuse my ignorance.

    I didn't have a lot of time to do much on the car today, but hopefully I will tomorrow.

    Thanks again everyone!
    Tommy

  4. #4
    FEP Power Member 83gtstang's Avatar
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    Hey Congrats. I would replace both the alternator and voltage regulator as a pair. Seems like your brake light switch is bad and could be draining your battery, so if it's that, you may not have to replace them at all. The brake light switch is at the brake pedal. As stated, you should be putting out about 13-14.5 volts at the battery while the engine is running.

  5. #5

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    Quote Originally Posted by 83gtstang View Post
    Hey Congrats. I would replace both the alternator and voltage regulator as a pair. Seems like your brake light switch is bad and could be draining your battery, so if it's that, you may not have to replace them at all. The brake light switch is at the brake pedal. As stated, you should be putting out about 13-14.5 volts at the battery while the engine is running.
    Hey!

    How can I check the brake light switch to see if it's bad and what would I have to do to replace it? The previous owners step-dad had the alternator rebuilt and he felt sure it was solid. How much would a new alternator be?

    Thank you to everyone who's been helping me! :-)

    Tommy

  6. #6
    FEP Power Member 83gtstang's Avatar
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    Have an extra person lift on the brake pedal. Check out back, if the brake light turn off, it's the switch. It comes off easy, just study it and I'm sure you can figure it out.

  7. #7
    FEP Power Member 83gtstang's Avatar
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    All parts are cheap, regulator and alternator too, but over the Auto Zone counter is probably cheaply made. It's mostly the voltage regulator that goes bad and draws a constant voltage causing the battery to drain.

  8. #8

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    When you said the Brake light stays on did you mean the one on the dash or the ones on the back of the car?

  9. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by 83gtstang View Post
    Have an extra person lift on the brake pedal. Check out back, if the brake light turn off, it's the switch. It comes off easy, just study it and I'm sure you can figure it out.
    So the extra person needs to lift up the pedal, meaning pull up on the pedal?

    Thanks for everyone's help! :-)

    Tommy

  10. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by ukravit View Post
    When you said the Brake light stays on did you mean the one on the dash or the ones on the back of the car?
    The one on the dash. I'm sorry I didn't clarify before. :-P

    Tommy

  11. #11

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    The wheel cylinders are inside the drums behind the wheel on the rear axle.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFZ7zPqZCW0

  12. #12
    FEP Power Member 83gtstang's Avatar
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    I was talking about the rear brake lights. Yes pull up. Sorry misunderstood.

  13. #13
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    Ok your brake light might on because your parking brake cable is stretched and needs to be adjusted.
    If you tighten it up it will pull the pedal up to contact the switch.
    Your equalizer might be seized up so some penetrating oil might be in order.

  14. #14
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    Run the car for a few miles 2,3 hundred before you change the oil and filter.
    That way it will take all the trash that may have settled due to not running
    Will Rogers" common sense is not as common as you think"

  15. #15

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    The brake warning light staying on can be caused by the parking brake pedal not completely coming
    all the way up, or I've seen them where the switch was just not fitting properly. If you take a look
    at the top of the parking brake pedal assembly, you will see the switch.

    The other thing that can make that light stay on is if the dual brake system pressure warning switch
    was tripped. On the distribution block under the brake master cylinder is a connector attached to the
    warning switch. If you disconnect the connector, and the light goes off, the switch was tripped, and
    needs to be reset.

    The way the switch works is, there is a plunger inside the block, and brake pressure from each of
    the hydraulic systems is applied to each end of the plunger. If one brake circuit loses pressure, and
    you apply the brakes, pressure in the good circuit will push the plunger off-center. Once that happens,
    the plunger will stay off-center until it is pushed back to center, by applying pressure to the side that
    previously failed, while venting pressure from the previously good side. It sometimes can take a few
    tries to reset it without overshooting to the other side.

    If you don't know which part of the system failed and tripped the light, just choose one circuit to open
    up, and ease into the brake pedal while watching the light, until you feel the plunger go back to center
    and see the light go out. If you keep ramping up the pressure, and you get to where you're standing
    on the pedal, but the light never went out, and you never felt anything move, close up that circuit, and
    open the other, and try again.
    Cheers,
    Jeff Cook

    '85 GT Hatch, 5-speed T-Top, Eibachs, Konis, & ARE 5-Spokes ... '85 GT Vert, CFI/AOD, all factory...
    '79 Fairmont StaWag, 5.0, 62K original miles ... '04 Azure Blue 40th Anny Mach 1, 37K original miles...
    2012 F150 S-Crew 4x4 5.0 "Blue Coyote"... 65 coupe, 289 auto, Pony interior ... '67 coupe 6-cyl 4-speed ...
    '68 Vert, Mexican block 307 4-speed... '71 Datsun 510 ...
    And a 1-of-328 Deep Blue Pearl 2003 Marauder 4.6 DOHC, J-Mod, 4.10s and Lidio tune

  16. #16
    FEP Senior Member roadkill's Avatar
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    One thing to check out about your brake light... F/Z's are rather notorious for the parking brake pedal return springs to become lazy, all three Fairmonts I own came with rubber bands holding the pedals up . Doesn't take much for the pedal to drop enough to set the warning light.
    1985 Mercury Marquis LTS... "The Unicorn"
    1978 Fairmont... 306 and a C4.

  17. #17

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    Hey everyone!

    I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while. Mom ended up back in the hospital and we found out a few days before she had to go to the hospital that she has Parkinson's Disease. She's having a MRI done this Friday to confirm this and to rule out anything else such as Dementia or Alzheimer's. I haven't had hardly any time to work on the car.

    On the parking brake, is there an adjustment screw or something that I can do to check if that's what's causing the brake light to stay on, on the dash?

    48fordnut, will it hurt the car to run it that way for a while? I ask because no one knows how long it's been since the oil and filter has been changed. It couldn't have been too terribly long because there's a sticker in the top right left inside on the windshield from a Havoline Express Lube, although the writing has since worn off. I'm afraid I may do damage to the motor running it too long with old oil in it.

    I'm hopeful to work on it soon. I really appreciate everyone's advice!

    Tommy

  18. #18

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    Sorry to hear about your mom. Family comes first.

    Regarding the rear brake line under the rear seat, the early Fox Ford's ran the brake line to the rear inside the car itself so if you remove the bottom cushion of the rear seat, you can see the end of it running under the seat and exiting the floor pan. Not the greatest idea since water can pool inside the car and the rear seat pan area is a low spot.

    If you look at the rear brake line on the passenger side firewall, if it goes directly into the firewall, it goes inside the car. If it goes down the firewall it is routed under the car like most other Ford vehicles.
    Proud owner of the one and only Friggin' Futura

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by Monty78 View Post
    Ok your brake light might on because your parking brake cable is stretched and needs to be adjusted.
    If you tighten it up it will pull the pedal up to contact the switch.
    Your equalizer might be seized up so some penetrating oil might be in order.
    Under the car is where the adjustment needs to be made.
    The adjusting nut is on the equalizer.

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