Under Dash Whistle Cured
5-24-15 NAPA Brake Booster 54-73176, 2000 Concorde 159,766 miles FSM 5-27 to 5-29
1. Abbreviations: AR or R: air ratchet or ratchet, ls or ss: long socket or short socket, RS or LS: right side or left side, TW: torque wrench, FBSD: flat blade screwdriver, pstn: position
2. Windshield Wiper Arms: small FBSD to remove pivot covers. 15mm ls, 3/8 AR remove pivots nuts. Push down on spring loaded joint and pull up at pivot to remove. R & L under arms.
3. Wiper Valley covers: T-25 Torx socket, 3 ext, and 1/4 AR. Outside 2 screws are much longer. Remove RS first
4. Wiper Reinforcement: 9 bolts, including one for WW motor support. 13mm ls, 3/8 AR. (see FSM 5-28 location of 9 bolts). 4 longer bolts: 2 on each side at inside rear. Unclamp WW hose and remove valley
5. Windshield Wiper Linkage: rotate WW motor crank lever to 12 o’clock pstn (FSM 5-28, Figure 47). I should have tried turning the motor crank nut until crank arm was at 12 o’clock. Removed nut and washer for rear linkage bar (master link), 13mm ss, 12 ext, 3/8 BB. Remove from inner pivot with pry bar. Front linkage bar (slave link) pop off inner pivot with pry bar. (I should have done same with master link)
6. Battery Negative Ground: remove both nuts 15mm ls, 3/8 AR. Remove wires, otherwise brake lights will stay on after remove booster pedal push rod from pedal pin.
7. Brake Fluid Level Sensor on MC: Disconnect wire connector on RS
8. Master Cylinder (MC): remove 2 mtg nuts. LS nut: 13mm ls, 6 ext, 3 ext, 3/8R. RS nut: 13mm ls, 3/8 R. MC is on flex lines, which is nice because you don't have to open the brake fluid system to move it out of the way. Turn it, so it faces backward and place on top of LS VC.
9. Brake Vacuum Hose: remove from check valve at front of Brake Booster (BB).
10. Fuse Box Cover: remove at LS Dash, LF door opening in passenger compartment
11. Knee Bolster (KB) under Steering Column: 2 screws @ LS: 7mm ls, ¼ R. Pull back to disengage top clips. Remove trunk release connector. Parking Brake Release: pull rubber piece forward and rotate cable up so log slides R out of mount. Haynes 11-17
12. AC Heat Duct: remove, 7mm ls, 6 ext, ¼ R on outside screw
13. Pedal Push Rod: There's a spring clip on the end of the brake pedal-to-booster input rod pin. The pin is at rear of pedal push rod. Spring clip wraps around RS end of the pin to latch itself in place - Use small FBSD between tang of pin and center of retaining clip. Rotate FBSD ¼ turn and remove retaining clip (FSM 5-26, Figure 39). You'll want to re-use that critical part (retaining clip), so don't permanently deform it by pulling that end latch too far - just enough to allow you to slide it out of the groove. The straight part slips into a groove machined right at the end of the pin, and the curved part latches over the end of the pin.
14. Booster Mounts: 1/4" ratchet, 6” extension, and 13mm socket on the passenger compartnment side to remove the 4 nuts that attach the booster to the firewall.
15. Old Brake Booster: remove. Pedal push rod cover: I removed and several pieces of green felt fell out. No water sloshing inside.
16. New Brake Booster: Dimensions and pedal push rod seem exact same as original Bosch 04779072AB. Move white foam FW gasket from old booster to NAPA booster. Mount: reach in behind booster and guide pedal push rod thru hole in FW. The guide right upper stud into hole in FW. Rock a little until all 4 booster studs go thru FW. 13mm long socket, 6 ext, ¼ AR & then ¼ to 3/8 adapter on Torque Wrench, @ 250”lbs. On the upper right nut, I had to use a swivel because of the steering column joint.
17. Sil-Glyde: lubricate outer surface (bearing surface) of pedal pin where it rotates in the pedal push rod.
18. Retaining Clip: slide into groove of pin until clicks in place, center tang beside pin
19. Brake Vacuum Hose: push onto Check Valve
20. Underhood Wiring Harness: place above MC studs on BB
21. Booster: Coating of Sil-Glyde on the front push rod of the new booster.
22. Master Cylinder: Turn and position on 2 studs at front of BB. Use fingers to guide booster push rod into indent at rear of MC piston. Wire Harness Bracket goes on studs after push MC into position. Spin on nuts at first by hand. LS Nut: 13mm ls, 6 ext, 3 ext, ¼ R. RS nut: 13mm ls, 1 ext, ¼ R. Install 2 mtg nuts @ 250”lbs. RS nut, 13mm ls, ¼ to 3/8 adapter TW. LS Nut: 13mm ls, 6 ext, 2 ext, ¼ to 3/8 adapter, TW
23. Brake Fluid Level Connector: reinstall on RS MC
24. Battery Negative: reinstall both nuts, 15mm ls, 3/8 AR
25. Brake Test: I jacked up the front of the car. I had an assistant put the car in neutral and press the brake while I was spinning the wheel.
26. Brake Light Switch: brake lights remained on with pedal fully released. Removed brake light switch by turning switch 30 degrees CC and pulling out of bracket. Pulled plunger out to its ratcheted end of travel, about ½”. Reinstalled switch with brake pedal depressed. Gently pushed back on pedal until it reached fully released pstn. Plunger on brake light switch ratchets to its correct off position by this process.
27. AC Heat Duct: reinstall, 7mm ls, 6 ext, ¼ R on outside screw
28. Knee Bolster: engage Parking Brake. Cable end log vertical in place. Push rubber cable surround into plastic bracket. Install Trunk Release Connector. Push KB upper clips into place. Install 2 LS screws, 7mm ls, ¼ R
29. Fuse Box Cover: install
30. Test: Drive car forward and backward. Hit brakes hard. Stopping correctly and brake lights operating correctly.
31. WW Linkage: Master Link at Crank Arm. 13mm ss, 12 ext, 3/8 TW @ 180-200”lbs. There was no spec for torque, so I guessed. I held crank arm in place against WW motor mount with pry bar. I should have used pry bar to pop master link off ball. Cloth over channel locks to pop slave link onto ball.
32. Wiper Reinforcement: 9 bolts, including one for WW motor support. 13mm ss, 3 ext, 3/8 AR. (see FSM 5-28 location of 9 bolts). Torque: 8 mtg bolts, 13mm ss, 3 ext, 3/8 TW @ 240"lbs
33. WW Valley Covers: T-25 Torx socket, 3 ext, and 1/4 R
34. WW Arms: turn WW on and then off to reposition linkage at park. Install WW arms on pivots: 15mm ls and 3/8 TW at 235"lbs
35. Test WW, Brake Lights, and Brake Fluid level Warning Light
36. Test Drive to assure proper brake system operation. No whistle from under dash.