New guy could use some help! New car!

[f-150_xl]

Ok guys, im kinda new here - but ive read a good bit. Ive owned one festiva and my dads owned a pile of em. I dont know too much about em other than what ive just dove into. i just inherited one of dads thats been sitting for over a year. After extensive diagnostics :laughing6: i replaced the ign switch and got it running! Sweet, i know! Anyway, I have only a few bugs still left on this gem. One is the fact that i literally spend more money on oil than i do gas... she burns a pile of it. It has a surge under load that kinda feels like giving it throttle, then letting off, then throttle... and so on. The other is the brakes. This thing has had terrible brakes since he's owned it and ive relpaced almost EVERY thing on the car brake related.

General stopping procedure - 1) push pedal through floor, 2) aim at nearest stationary object, 2) beg car to slow down...

So, any of you guys wanna throw some suggestions out there on common fixes? The car is a 1991 EFI festy 4spd with 206k miles (totally original to my knowledge) I know its kind of a collective list but i figure this'll be a good way to introduce myself! Thanks guys!

[f-150_xl]

P.S. i figure it'll probably need a motor eventually so the oil burning doesnt really need explaining lol

[91_festy_Gl]

Bleeding the brakes should help alot unless your master is shot. The booster itself could also be bad. Try bleeding the crap out of them and go from there.

[f-150_xl]

Yea ive bled em a few times and put on new calipers and a master cyl. Im not sure but i think dad had a booster put on it. A mech told him it couldnt be fixed. "its just the nature of the car" some people are idiots lol It almost feels like no power assist just metal on metal manual brakes its pretty rough. And the driver front will hang up if i leave it sit for a few days also

[GenevaDirt]

master cylinder....or brakes are getting hung up on the slide pins not allowing it to provide full pressure. But if the pedal is going to the floor without resistance....master cylinder or leaking lines.


Aslo you mention 4 speed.....car should be 5 speed unless tranny has been replaced.

[f-150_xl]

Yea i thought the same thing cuz i had a 90 and it was a 5spd. hmmm... maybe it has been replaced. i really wish it was a 5spd like my old one.

[drddan]

Good luck and Welcome aboard!