2000 Mercury Sable Brake Service (ONLINE REPAIR MANUALS)

Parking Brake

Cougar, Crown Victoria, Grand Marquis, Marauder & Town Car

• Apply parking brake control fully with 100 lbs., foot pedal effort, then release brake control.
• Place transmission in Neutral, then raise and support vehicle.
• With parking brake control in Off position, grasp pensioner around housing. Using an hook tool place end into rounded end of clip between clip and housing. Unlock clip by pulling downward with tool and support pensioner.
• The pensioner spring will take up cable slack and reload cables, while holding pensioner, lock clip by pushing up on bottom of clip. If clip ...

Service Brakes

Although the brakes are self-adjusting, an initial adjustment will be required after a brake repair. This adjustment is performed as follows:

• Determine inside diameter of brake drum surface using brake shoe gauge tool No. D81L-1103-A, or equivalent. Adjust brake shoe diameter to fit gauge. Hold automatic adjusting lever out of engagement while rotating adjustin...

Pressure bleeding is recommended for all hydraulic disc brake systems.

Do not use brake fluid drained from the hydraulic system when bleeding the brakes. Ensure disc brake pistons are returned to their normal positions and the shoe and lining assemblies are properly seated. Before driving the vehicle, inspect the brake operation.

Do not shake the pressure bleeder tank while air is being added or after it has been pressurized. This will prevent air from the tank getting into the lines. Set the tank in the required location, then bring the air hose to the tank. Do not move the ta...

Hydraulic Brake Fluid Color

Hydraulic brake fluid must conform with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 116. Under this standard, brake fluids are visually different from other automotive fluids such as transmission, power steering and engine.

Fluid color in a normal brake system may vary from its original color for many reasons. A brake master cylinder may show significantly different shades fluid color between the two brake master cylinder reservoirs. Color may also appear to vary between cast steel and die cast aluminum reservoirs. Some reasons for discolorati...

Brake System Bleed

Refer to "Hydraulic Brake Systems" for bleed procedure.

Component Replacement

Hydraulic Control Unit

Continental

• Remove engine air cleaner and air cleaner outlet tube.
• Disconnect connector attaching anti-lock brake module to wire harness.
• Remove tubes from inlet ports of pump motor and tubes from outlet ports of brake pressure control valve block. Plug each port to prevent brake fluid from spilling on paint and wiring.
• Remove HCU to mounting bracket retaining nuts, then tip rear of HCU up and pull rearward to slide forward mounting pins out of the retaining grommets.
• Remo...

Removal

• Raise and support rear of vehicle, then remove tire and wheel assembly.
• Remove drum retainer push nuts, then slide drum off hub, Fig. .
• If drum is stuck to hub, use suitable hammer to lightly tap on face of drum in flange mounting area to release.
• If brake lining is dragging on brake drum, back off brake adjustment by holding adjustment lever off star wheel, then loosen star wheel, Fig. .
• Remove hub nut cover and discard.
• Remove hub nut and discard, then slide hub and one-piece bearing assembly off spindle.
• Install suitable wheel cylinder piston retainer tool.
• Remove shoe hold-do...