Brake line issue?

[DJLS7]

Bought my Festy for 360$ on 29th. Brake lines do not leak anywhere! But when pedal is pushed while driving I am almost hitting the floor with the pedal but still able to stop (clutch). But when the car is off brakes are firm like they should be!! Any help or suggestions appreciated

[bravekozak]

Here you go. Good luck.

[WmWatt]

If there are no visible leaks it's probably in the master cyclinder,
brake fluid leaking back into the reservoir when you apply pressure.
There are rubber valves in there which can leak.
Also check the level of brake fulid in the reservoir on top of the master cyclinder.

Try pumping the pedal when applying brakes.
There could be air in the brake lines which you can remove by bleeding the brakes
instructions for which are universal and can be found online or in books from the public library
or in a repair manual such as the Haynes Festiva manual which could pay for tiself many times over in
repair costs savings.
Good luck.

[DJLS7]

Thanks. It seems there is a crud load of air in brakes which cause the pedal to go farther than it should. I bled my brakes alone and had to run to an auto store up the road a very little bit (hot out and i cant handle it) to see how much my bleeder screws cost. Had to use curbs to stop!! No damage done re bled brakes properly with a friend and I guess there is more air in them. Going to bleed them more tomorrow btw I am running 2 separate lines in the rear!?

[Studebaker]

Festivas take a lot bleeding to clear air out of the brake lines. Ive taken clear hose (a good 3 ft long)and put over the bleed screws. Placed the hose up over the springs so that the fluid does not escape and can see when the air is gone.

[DJLS7]

Such a small car though LOL. I managed to get brakes working but I bled both rear ones because my front bleeder screws are not budging! And they are warped a little ... As soon as brakes are working correctly I need to finish epoxy-ing gas tank in one spot and then I can spray paint some primer and redo entire car. I plan to do a darker red but not maroon like. Add some stripes I also plan on keeping the steelies on and ice white paint them . Anyways. I have a Haynes manual so I should be good.

[jaketlong11]

if you need more calipers to rebuild or to swap out I can give you my old ones if you just pay shipping

[zoom zoom]

If the bleeders are seized and dont want to come loose dont force them, you'll break them off then you gotta get new calipers (most of the time sometimes they can be drilled out~.~)

Put your wrench on and give it a "sharp rap" in the clockwise direction, like your tightening it. Then it should come loose. Don't ask me how it works but since I started doing that I haven't broken any bleeders off. *Knocking on wood*.

There's also a specific order they need bled so be prepared to bleed them all out again to get it right. I do the same thing studebaker described to get them bled out.

[DJLS7]

I'm broke! I am actually trying to find a job and I filled out everywhere here where I live. My brakes in back are not the greatest. I might swap them out having 4 wheel disc maybe add a tach sometime

[DJLS7]

And I will try that Zoom I bled brakes where the farthest is first and then closest

[DJLS7]

Oh and my two front tires wont come off. Left side has some wierd bulging thing and right one has a big 6 point pattern bolt.

[DJLS7]

Sorry if it double posted had a connection issue

[WmWatt]

You can heat the bleeder nipples with a propane torch (60 second blast) and turn them for a few seconds until they cool. When they stop turning reheat and try again. Don't force or they will break as mentioned. You should be able to use the hand brake if the brake pedal isn't working. That's why it used to be called the emergency brake.

[DJLS7]

Ebrake is not operable. There was ALOT of air in back right brakes. My friend and I are bleeding the back brakes as the front ones are great

[Studebaker]

Yep like I said Festivas need a lot of bleeding.