Smoking hot front left wheel, no brakes!

[Studebaker]

Festivas have a dual master cyl. so only one chamber may be working. Sounds like a good time for a aspire swap.

[ricko1966]

pump the brake pedal several times then crack the bleeder on the offending wheel if fluid squirts out I would suspect a bad rubber line, The master can create enough pressure to push through the collapsed hose but the caliper cannot force the fluid back,having that caliper already under pressure is going to cause a pull to that side because the other three wheels still need to pressurize and play catch up.Pump the pedal again crack a brake line on the side of the hose closest to the master,no pressure its a hose, if there is still pressure in the system I would suspect the master cylinder but all you need to do is keep cracking lines loose till you find where there is no longer pressure.Oh yea this can also cause a no or poor braking problem because brake fluid absorbs water over time which turns to steam when overheated,same effect as having air in the lines.

[ricko1966]

I am sorry I wish I had read every reply ,update etc, instead of just the first post. I would try bleeding the master then bleeding the wheels, watching for leaks the whole time to see if the master has been pumped dry, if the master will not bleed you know you need a master. Your smoking front wheel is very possibly the result of someone over working the only working brake caliper.

[kevyrev]

Thanks ricko1966 for the advice. I do still have brake pressure but only on two wheels. Front left and right rear brake and bleed while front right and left rear do not brake and barely drips when I bleed. Should I just replace master cylinder or just keep trying to bleed the bad wheels.
Also I might add that it really hasn't had good brake pressure since I have gotten the car a few years ago. It was my mother in laws and she took good care of it but it did sit a few years before I got it. I replaced lots of stuff but the brakes didn't have lots of pressure I can recall but they did work well. As of now the pedal hits the floor when applied. If you sit at idle and pump the brakes it really makes the engine hesitate almost can stall it, that's strange!

[kevyrev]

Think I'm going to try a new master cylinder

[WmWatt]

The brake booster runs off engine pressure somehow. That might explailn the engine hesitation when applying brakes.

[Studebaker]

Get a MC that has the resavor less trouble

[ricko1966]

The brake booster uses engine vacuum to help you depress the master, Pull the big hose at the master plug it with a bolt then pump your pedal is your problem gone? If so you know there is a vacuum leak, the booster itself the master is leaking into the booster or the master is not sealed to the booster. The cheap master I got off rock auto was junk,very hard to get to bleed never had decent pressure,reservoir although it was on it it did not have any provision for brake warning.Driving through O.P. Kansas my master failed 3 or 4 blocks from O'reilly they had a rebuilt in stock, had my old master and reservoir in the back,swapped reservoir [do not forget there is a phillips screw holding it down] problem solved in their parking lot in less than 1/2 hour. Coincedentially I had all the tools and brake fluid in the car too,hmmm. I normally do not like rebuilt parts but I was for sure shown up on this one.

[ricko1966]

The brake booster uses engine vacuum to help you depress the master, Pull the big hose at the master plug it with a bolt then pump your pedal is your problem gone? If so you know there is a vacuum leak, the booster itself the master is leaking into the booster or the master is not sealed to the booster. The cheap master I got off rock auto was junk,very hard to get to bleed never had decent pressure,reservoir although it was on it it did not have any provision for brake warning.Driving through O.P. Kansas my master failed 3 or 4 blocks from O'reilly they had a rebuilt in stock, had my old master and reservoir in the back,swapped reservoir [do not forget there is a phillips screw holding it down] problem solved in their parking lot in less than 1/2 hour. Coincedentially I had all the tools and brake fluid in the car too,hmmm. I normally do not like rebuilt parts but I was for sure shown up on this one.

Sorry it sounds like I bag on rockauto a lot, that's because I buy tons of parts and don't have the art of pic and choose on their website figured out, no one but me to blame.

[kevyrev]

The new master cylinder did the trick! So nice to have brakes again. Thanks for all the help and advice guys!