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It's kind of ironic that I posted a thread not too long ago about installing an e-brake.
It's almost even more ironic that a good number of members warned me about brake lines and how I should check them if I install the hand brake myself. Some of you said that your lines popped and you (luckily) rolled through stop signs or red lights without being harmed. Some of you also said how you relied on your e-brake in situations like that, and others said you've never used it.
Well here is my story (in full)!
I bought this festy on Feb. 20th from a fellow who's owned many festiva's and was also mechanically saavy with automobiles (as his profession required him to build utility vehicles).
I distinctly remember the conversation we had in his driveway, talking about the car and how much work he put into it. I remember him telling me how he liked to be able to STOP in his cars (partly because he was a big man). He then rolled along assuring me that he hadn't in the past, and would never (in the present) sell anyone any automobile that was in unsafe, or would poop out on them "2 weeks later" or "driving home" as he said.
From that conversation I remember he said he'd replaced the rotors, brake pads, and I THOUGHT he said brake lines, though I can't be positive.
What comes next could very well be my imagination, but again I am not sure.
That very day driving back from his house in WI, I recall looking down at the dash and seeing the brake light on. I couldn't remember if it was on before (because I was so stressed that I'd be pulled over for not having plates AND because I hadn't driven stick in a while) but I figured it was because my e-brake was not installed at the time. With that said, the brakes worked fine....perfectly as a matter of fact (which gave me confidence, reaffirming that the man I bought it from replaced everything). One thing I DID notice, but shrugged it off, was that the brake pedal seemed very tight. It could be pressed down about an inch (the brakes would engage) and then it stopped, as if something was obstructing it from being pushed down further. Again, i disregarded this too (not knowing much about cars) and figuring that it was just because the brakes were recently replaced and were just tight.
From that day (Feb.20th) until the day I got my dear old Festy registered two days ago, I had been taking him out for a spin nightly (illegally) to keep the battery charged and the car in shape (but mostly because I was obsessed). Don't worry everybody... I live in a quiet neighborhood and merely took it around the block a few times. But even then.. for the past two weeks, everything was in order and seemed fine.
*AND NOW BACK TO THE PRESENT*
For whatever reason my conscience was nagging me late last night about my brakes failing, sending images of me flying through intersections and crashing
. I am never that pessimistic and am not superstitious, but even more so...nothing EVER keeps me from sleeping except positive excitement.
So morning comes around (today) and of course I wake up late for work, the FIRST day I'm supposed to drive my car on the the road. My commute is only 3 miles (15 minutes worth of lights and stop signs), yet I had only ten minutes, so I was in a semi-frenzy.
Everything powered up and functioned fine as I turned onto the main road. Then I forgot I needed to by something from 7/11 so I pulled a U-ey (tapped the far curb as I turned about and pulled into the lot. Still everything was fine.
Next, I went to park and stalled (my fault for being in an edgy rush)...the car jolted, wheeled hit the curb again, and the front bumper hit the icy snowbank at the head of the parking spot. It was a very light tap, and again nothing I thought twice of as it seemed so insignificant.
But after I pulled out of the lot, got back on the road and hit my first light, I knew something was amiss.
I gently applied pressure to the brake pedal as usual, expecting to slow, but I was wrong. There was zero resistance in the pedal, and it scared the crap out of me. I pushed further down (all the way to the floor) and the car barely showed any signs of slowing, but after quite some distance it eventually did and stopped. Luckily I am a safe driver and not only give people ahead of me a wide berth, but I also start braking way before I have to and slow down to safely stop over a longer distance than "the average" driver.
Despite all this happening I went to work and drove extra carefully and very slowly, telling myself that i would check on this problem again on my lunch break. I did, and all was the same, if not worse than before. I also noticed a bit of leakage on the pavement under the front right side of the car. It looked like gasoline but what do I know, and it wasn't much whatever it was. It may not even be related to this issue but I like to take note of as much as I can.
Don't ask if I looked at anything in detail, because I don't know anything about cars or where to look even if I had to. That's partly why I got this car...so that I could learn. Anyway, I deemed the car drivable (at least back home) until I could look at it or get it looked at and fixed.
Eventually my shift was over, I walked outside to the car, and of course it's pouring with rain. I used all kinds of colorful words in my head and out loud as I dreaded the drive back.
Long story short, I had to rely a lot on downshifting to slow enough for the brakes to be "strong" enough to bring the vehicle to a stop. Even so, I rolled into more than one intersection and could have caused a couple accidents if I didn't take back roads. I was wary, and started to apply my useless brakes several hundred feet before I typically do ( okay, at least 100ft), and still I could not stop. Like I said I was driving slow, at least 10 mph below the limit in the pouring rain. There was no skidding involved...just braking issues.
Now after this whole useless type-out, this is probably what you want to know.
-pedal has zero resistance, and only SLIGHTLY engages after pedal is touching the floor
-brake like is on
-The brakes DO work, but one could hardly tell.
-I have no e-brake
-I bumped two curbs and a snowbank lightly(doubtful that did anything...)
-the front right engine is leaking something that looks (and kind of smells) like gasoline
Just one question in all of this...
Would it be possible to blow something if I pressed the pedal too vigorously (hard&fast)? I don't remember doing this, but yet again I was very flustered and in a rush to get to work on time, so anything could have happened. I don't think I did anything differently than I normally do, but who knows. It was a hectic morning.
If any of you managed to read through all of this without wanting to kill me..
what thoughts have you?
what do you think I should do?
Just as a side note I am taking a road trip on sunday to NM. I wish it was with the festy, but no. So whatever I have to get fixed, or have to fix myself I wont be able to do for 2 weeks.
Thanks for bearing with me my friends.
This is both a solemn and consolatory moment.
The Hobbitmobile is not drivable for one, but at least we are both safe and unharmed.
Thanks again!
0z0ne
It's almost even more ironic that a good number of members warned me about brake lines and how I should check them if I install the hand brake myself. Some of you said that your lines popped and you (luckily) rolled through stop signs or red lights without being harmed. Some of you also said how you relied on your e-brake in situations like that, and others said you've never used it.
Well here is my story (in full)!
I bought this festy on Feb. 20th from a fellow who's owned many festiva's and was also mechanically saavy with automobiles (as his profession required him to build utility vehicles).
I distinctly remember the conversation we had in his driveway, talking about the car and how much work he put into it. I remember him telling me how he liked to be able to STOP in his cars (partly because he was a big man). He then rolled along assuring me that he hadn't in the past, and would never (in the present) sell anyone any automobile that was in unsafe, or would poop out on them "2 weeks later" or "driving home" as he said.
From that conversation I remember he said he'd replaced the rotors, brake pads, and I THOUGHT he said brake lines, though I can't be positive.
What comes next could very well be my imagination, but again I am not sure.
That very day driving back from his house in WI, I recall looking down at the dash and seeing the brake light on. I couldn't remember if it was on before (because I was so stressed that I'd be pulled over for not having plates AND because I hadn't driven stick in a while) but I figured it was because my e-brake was not installed at the time. With that said, the brakes worked fine....perfectly as a matter of fact (which gave me confidence, reaffirming that the man I bought it from replaced everything). One thing I DID notice, but shrugged it off, was that the brake pedal seemed very tight. It could be pressed down about an inch (the brakes would engage) and then it stopped, as if something was obstructing it from being pushed down further. Again, i disregarded this too (not knowing much about cars) and figuring that it was just because the brakes were recently replaced and were just tight.
From that day (Feb.20th) until the day I got my dear old Festy registered two days ago, I had been taking him out for a spin nightly (illegally) to keep the battery charged and the car in shape (but mostly because I was obsessed). Don't worry everybody... I live in a quiet neighborhood and merely took it around the block a few times. But even then.. for the past two weeks, everything was in order and seemed fine.
*AND NOW BACK TO THE PRESENT*
For whatever reason my conscience was nagging me late last night about my brakes failing, sending images of me flying through intersections and crashing
. I am never that pessimistic and am not superstitious, but even more so...nothing EVER keeps me from sleeping except positive excitement.So morning comes around (today) and of course I wake up late for work, the FIRST day I'm supposed to drive my car on the the road. My commute is only 3 miles (15 minutes worth of lights and stop signs), yet I had only ten minutes, so I was in a semi-frenzy.
Everything powered up and functioned fine as I turned onto the main road. Then I forgot I needed to by something from 7/11 so I pulled a U-ey (tapped the far curb as I turned about and pulled into the lot. Still everything was fine.
Next, I went to park and stalled (my fault for being in an edgy rush)...the car jolted, wheeled hit the curb again, and the front bumper hit the icy snowbank at the head of the parking spot. It was a very light tap, and again nothing I thought twice of as it seemed so insignificant.
But after I pulled out of the lot, got back on the road and hit my first light, I knew something was amiss.
I gently applied pressure to the brake pedal as usual, expecting to slow, but I was wrong. There was zero resistance in the pedal, and it scared the crap out of me. I pushed further down (all the way to the floor) and the car barely showed any signs of slowing, but after quite some distance it eventually did and stopped. Luckily I am a safe driver and not only give people ahead of me a wide berth, but I also start braking way before I have to and slow down to safely stop over a longer distance than "the average" driver.
Despite all this happening I went to work and drove extra carefully and very slowly, telling myself that i would check on this problem again on my lunch break. I did, and all was the same, if not worse than before. I also noticed a bit of leakage on the pavement under the front right side of the car. It looked like gasoline but what do I know, and it wasn't much whatever it was. It may not even be related to this issue but I like to take note of as much as I can.
Don't ask if I looked at anything in detail, because I don't know anything about cars or where to look even if I had to. That's partly why I got this car...so that I could learn. Anyway, I deemed the car drivable (at least back home) until I could look at it or get it looked at and fixed.
Eventually my shift was over, I walked outside to the car, and of course it's pouring with rain. I used all kinds of colorful words in my head and out loud as I dreaded the drive back.
Long story short, I had to rely a lot on downshifting to slow enough for the brakes to be "strong" enough to bring the vehicle to a stop. Even so, I rolled into more than one intersection and could have caused a couple accidents if I didn't take back roads. I was wary, and started to apply my useless brakes several hundred feet before I typically do ( okay, at least 100ft), and still I could not stop. Like I said I was driving slow, at least 10 mph below the limit in the pouring rain. There was no skidding involved...just braking issues.
Now after this whole useless type-out, this is probably what you want to know.
-pedal has zero resistance, and only SLIGHTLY engages after pedal is touching the floor
-brake like is on
-The brakes DO work, but one could hardly tell.
-I have no e-brake
-I bumped two curbs and a snowbank lightly(doubtful that did anything...)
-the front right engine is leaking something that looks (and kind of smells) like gasoline
Just one question in all of this...
Would it be possible to blow something if I pressed the pedal too vigorously (hard&fast)? I don't remember doing this, but yet again I was very flustered and in a rush to get to work on time, so anything could have happened. I don't think I did anything differently than I normally do, but who knows. It was a hectic morning.
If any of you managed to read through all of this without wanting to kill me..
what thoughts have you?
what do you think I should do?
Just as a side note I am taking a road trip on sunday to NM. I wish it was with the festy, but no
. So whatever I have to get fixed, or have to fix myself I wont be able to do for 2 weeks.Thanks for bearing with me my friends.
This is both a solemn and consolatory moment.
The Hobbitmobile is not drivable for one, but at least we are both safe and unharmed.
Thanks again!
0z0ne
hence getting two bottles is what I would do (and what I do with swaps, etc) plus you'll have some extra to keep in the car cuz you'll want to be checking that sucker every few miles to see if it's changing!!
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