I have an '87 240 wagon (180k miles) in excellent shape. I recently picked up an '85 wagon (228k miles) with a very good body and clean interior as a "project car" that I'm setting up for another 100,000 miles of service. I keep noticing differences between the cars, some design, others maybe not.

The brakes on the '85 require significantly less pressure than the '87. Might this difference be due to system design, or is it possible to lose vacuum boost gradually?

The steering in the '87 is perfect, but in the '85 it has enough friction that it will not re-center itself after a minor correction on a straight road. The reservoir is full of fluid and the pump works fine. I just had it aligned after replacing the front struts. Perhaps something's wrong with the rack?

Any ideas on either of these would be appreciated.

Phil