1. My brake pedal is hissing at me like some kind of angry cat. It's always made an air sort of noise when I pushed it down, but not even for a second, and only when it was on its way downward. Now, it just hisses whenever it's pushed down, for as long as it's pushed down for. I took a look, and it looks like some sort of foam stopper at the thing in the firewall is moving or crooked or something and letting in outside air? I'm not sure though, any thoughts?

2. My truck is starting to take forever to crank again. Last time this happened was last winter, obviously, because it's cold and I park outside. But I drove it to work, got to normal engine temperature, and parked it for four hours. I don't think it got below fifty, but when I came back out, it sounded like it'd been sitting in ice for two days. Then when I was driving, before it warmed up fully, it audibly sucked and gargled gas during acceleration, wrecking any conceivable fuel economy that I might have had. Is it my fuel pump? Fuel lines? Air filter? Carburetor? Starter engine?

3. It whines sometimes. I think it has to do with the cold, and I think it has to do with the steering.

 

1)The diaphragm in your brake booster is shot. Not a big deal to replace, but you do have a huge vacuum leak.
2) What kind of engine/carburator do you have? Likely carb related and perhaps due to the vacuum leak. Secondarys, powervalve....
3) The power steering pumps on these things are known to make a lot of noise. Check the fluid level and look for leaks. Some noise is normal.

Hope this gives you some things to think about.

 

Alright, thanks. I always seem to forget to mention in posts like this that I have an '83 Ford F150 with the 4.9L and a C6 transmission. I assume my carb is stock, but then again, you can never be sure with my truck.

Anyway, how would I got about fixing the brake booster diaphragm? Is it something that I could do at home with limited equipment? And what happens if I -don't- get it fixed right away? My truck is my only vehicle and it's getting to that time of year where I seem to need to be everywhere at once.

EDIT: And is there anywhere to buy the diaphragms separate? Would I want to replace it separately? All I can find are the entire brake boosters, and I don't feel like spending $120 on replacing a piece of rubber.

 

You replace it for a new or rebuilt unit.
You need to remove the vacuum check valve and master cylinder from the engine bay side.
The brake pedal linkage and nuts through the firewall from inside the cab.

Without the booster helping the pedal gets very hard to push. You could be unable to stop.

I don't recall needing any "special" tools.
But you may find the master cylinder is leaking fluid out the back side. into the booster.
If it's wet with fluid in there, then you would need to replace that too.

 

Ah, I did not see your edit. I was in the reply screen.

No, I don't think the home mechanic could reasonably (safely) rebuild a brake booster. At least I wouldn't try it.
I have never seen a diaphragm sold separately.

Not being familiar with your year and engine I'm going to leave it to someone who has intimate experience with these to help you on that front.
I would first look for proper choke operation.

 

Yes, choke.
Replace the booster and master cylinder combined and that end of the brake system will be solid for years and years.....stopping is important.

 

If you do end up replacing the master cylinder be sure to "bench bleed" it, or it will drive you crazy trying to get the pedal back......

 

If you get that vac leak to stop, you may find that your truck will run a whole lot better. If it were me, I would change out the booster first, then if needed, work on the carb. Maybe you can check at a local bone yard and see if they have a good, TESTED, booster that will cost less, but if it was my daily driver, I would go new all the way.....

Good luck,
Mike

 

I haven't taken a look yet, but I'm thinking my master cylinder is either a) a problem, or b) nearly new, because they had rebuilt it at the dealers' the day before I bought it. I just don't know what sort of job they did. ArdWrknTrk said that rebuilding a booster was out of the question (and I agree, knowing my "skill" level, if one could even call it that), but how difficult is replacing it? Let's say for the sake of simplicity that my master cylinder isn't a problem, and that a new booster is all I need.

 

That's about it....

Could you spring for a manual while you're at the parts store?
It'll be a very worthwhile investment if you intend to keep this truck.

 

That's some good advice if I ever heard any! Any specific brand you'd recommend? I hear some aren't as good as others.

 

They all have their weak points.
Even the Ford factory service manuals are frustrating (to me) in their complexity.

Me, I have a Haynes Manual, #880.
"FORD PICK-UPS & BRONCO, '80-'88, 2WD&4WD, I6, V6&V8 engines, All full-size, F-100 thru F-350"

I also have a Ford parts CD, on the recommendation of Bill 'NumberDummy'.
(I'm sure you'll get to meet him soon enough )

"1980-89 Ford Light Truck Master Parts and Accessories Catalog"
Form FPS-8472-A&B
This has lots of exploded views that can help out. Not to mention the real parts #'s you need to know when you walk up to the dealers parts counter.

I'm sure you'll get other opinions.

 

EDIT: Wait, just ignore this particular post. It was about the battery connections but I figured it out about two minutes after I typed it up.

 

Well, I'm going to post it anyhow...................

If it's white, or greenish corrosion, get an old toothbrush and some baking soda.
Wet the terminals and the brush, dip the brush in the baking soda and then scrub off the lead sulfate.
It will 'boil' a little. Keep repeating the process until it's gone and stops foaming, then rinse with fresh water.

If the pinch bolts are rusted solid you can always get new cables. Try going to the oldest autoparts around and see if you can find some that aren't Chinese junk.
I've had good luck with "Speed Clip" brand from Bristol TN. (Made in USA )
But I don't know if these are still available.

You'll need one to reach the solenoid on the fender and one to reach all the way to the block ground, I believe.

 

Here's something for you guys to figure out. My brake booster... how could it have fixed itself? The story: My truck is my only vehicle, so I really had no option other than to keep driving it. Sunday morning, the hissing stopped, and my brake pedal became very hard to push down (did I lose power brakes? Maybe). Since I'm a strong chap, I didn't mind, and drove it to work yesterday afternoon in the same condition. But halfway there, my brakes just went back to normal. Just like they were before this whole thing started. They were fine on the way home from the moment I turned it over in the parking lot. Now, obviously, the booster still -needs- to be replaced, but I'm just overcome with curiousity: How did this happen?