I probably have one of the higher milage 3rd gens on the board. I bought the car new in 89 and still drive it fairly regular. 333,000 miles
I noticed over the years that the brakes are no where near what they used to be, even with good pads. I know that the brake fluid is original, would it help my braking and pedal feel to have the original fluid changed?
I consider the car safe to drive, if I'm the one driving! But would really like to have much better braking without spending big money in an aftermarket setup

 

You're probably long overdue for a brake flush.

 

while you do need to replace the fluid, the feel in the pedal is more likely due to the old, deteriorating rubber hoses..

now, i highly recommend changing to stainless steel lines.. the complete kits are around $70.
if you want to do it on the cheap, the stock replacement rubber lines are $8 to $12 each.. (theres 3 on most thirdgens)

i would flush the fluid out until it was nice and clean....


i cant say for sure if the fluid alone is causing that pedal feel difference, but i would bet money your flex lines are very worn at this point.

 

The rubber hoses that are on the front calipers?

 

There's one on each of the front calipers, and one on the rear (if you have drums). If you have discs there'll be another one on each of the rear calipers.

 

yes.

there is one flex hose between the chassis and each front caliper.
then there is one flex hose between the chassis and the rear axle.

if you have rear discs, then there is a short flex line between the rear axle and each rear caliper.


they do deteriorate over time... its a very wise idea to replace them if they are still the stock units.

 

I had stock fluid in a 88, and when i finally flushed it several times and got it clean, the breaks worked Much better, and had much better brake feel.. Best 20$ i spent on brakes.