SUSPENSION AND BRAKES
Don’t expect modern levels of handling or comfort, but any three-door should still feel lively and responsive.
Most have had their suspension upgraded over the years, but many are tired by now. Worn bushes are the chief culprit. Wandering from the front is generally caused by sloppy track control arm bushes (replace with polyurethane), while vagueness at the back is most likely due to the trailing arm bushes. Sloppiness in the steering column bushes (cheap and simple to replace) or rack may also to be to blame for nervous handling; jack up the front wheels to check for play, listen for a noisy PAS pump and look for leaks.
Soggy springs and dampers lead to boat-like body roll; a hard and crashy ride could come from mismatched components (or coilovers too hard for the road), while broken coil springs cause clonking and vibrations – also symptoms of knackered engine mounts or wheel bearings.
Three-doors had four-pot front brake callipers as standard, but they’re prone to seizing against the 283mm ventilated discs; the symptoms are heavy juddering or pulling to one side. Vibrations felt through the brake pedal and steering wheel are most likely due to warped/contaminated front discs and/or pads – Cossies consume them pretty regularly – but could also come from broken suspension components.
Rear discs on a three-door weren’t ventilated (unlike the Cosworth 4x4), and tend to stick on the handbrake mechanism; jack up the rear and spin the wheels to check, and examine the brake lines for leaks and corrosion.
ABS was standard – and excellent for 1986 – but can be troublesome today. Beware if it feels like there’s no servo assistance (a heavy pedal) or the ABS warning lamp on the dashboard stays on after start-up. The cause could be dirty or broken wheel sensors, pump failure, broken wiring, fluid level sensors or blown fuses. Diagnostics is expensive, and most parts are pricey.