I started to provide some detail about the old stunt I mentioned but then decided it might be best to not mention it at all. That could turn out to be throwing gas onto the fire; both figuratively and literally.
Since the story has continued to be modified, and not for the better, methinks I’ll just bow out of this one altogether.
When I was younger, I drove with nothing but the parking brake for two years. It honed my driving skills and improved my hand eye co-ordination.
The guy who bought that car I had to pick up his jaw and hand it back to him.
Then walking to work is a can of corn for you. Another alternative is a bicycle. You can get an inexpensive, used on for the cost of front brake pads.
Yeah, I don't recommend doing that either.Try some place other than Midas. The repairs you are talking about are easy to make by anyone with experience in doing this sort of thing. It would probably take me an hour and a half to do in the driveway, and spend maybe $50 on parts. While some of the lines are routed above or in close proximity with the gas tank, you do not have to remove the gas tank to run new lines. Anyone who has done a couple of these jobs knows that.
I am really surprised you have not had an accident yet, and I have to ask: if you run on a regular basis, and drive only three miles to work, why not ride a bike to get to work instead of driving a car without a functioning brake system? The hydraulics on your car are completely disabled, and you are relying on the parking brake to stop your car. They call it a parking brake because that is all it is designed to do; hold your car still and keep it from rolling while you are parked. It was never intended to stop your car. Frankly, I cannot blame any of the people on this forum from being so hard on you, and if you do cause an accident driving your car in this condition, you can be convicted of various crimes for knowingly operating a vehicle in unsafe condition.
Can anybody name the most important part of a car? It’s not the engine or transmission, or anything that makes the car go, and for crying out loud, it’s not the air conditioning system!!! It’s the brakes. Steering (I include tires in this) is a close second. Why don’t people get this? I have had customers who will only have work done if their car won’t start or the a/c blows warm. It doesn’t matter if the car won’t stop, as long as it runs and the a/c blows cold. I just find some people’s priorities to be a little troubling.
@ ok4450: thank you for not elaborating on the stunt you were referring to earlier. In some cases, it’s good that some people are not TOO car-savvy.
Oops. Nice catch. Brain was racing.
If your hydraulics have been out for a year and a half, you may have more problems now than you had then. With lack of use and contamination, your calipers and wheel cylinders may leak or be stuck, or both when you finally fix the lines. The rear brakes have been activated so the shoes will properly work, but the front calipers may be frozen and need a little “loosening up”.
Seriously, I am a member of this choir, get um fixed, please get um fixed.
Even if you were suicidal and murderous enough to try driving a car with one-fourth of a braking system, any brake materials designed for high-heat applications will work very inefficiently until those heat ranges are reached. So, the good news is, you’ll probably be dead before you’ve gone five miles; the bad news is you’ll likely take an innocent victim with you.
Actually, I don’t have any holes in my floor. I throw an anchor out the window a block ahead of the traffic light.
I was considering making my own parachute out of Hefty garbage bags like the funny cars use- only mine would be alot cheaper.
I’ve compensated quite a bit in terms of the way I drive to make up for the car’s lack of braking ability.
Heck, I wonder if it’s possible that my chances of having an accident are even less than that of the average due to my extreme caution, care, lower speeds, only driving when necessary etc.
I wonder how many animals and children get killed on this planet on a daily basis by motor vehicles w/fully operable braking systems? People still drive don’t they? Are they murderous and suicidal?
Your probably right . But on the upside those are all things I can do myself. I put wheel cylinders on my other Mazda (323) I used to have. And I bet calipers aren’t too tough to do are they?
I had to respond to this comment. Animals and children are killed every single day by motor vehicles with fully operable brakes; no doubt about it.
The thing is that they’re not being killed by the brakes. They’re being killed by careless and just plain stupid drivers who are operating vehicles with good brakes, carelessness on the part of kids and animals who dart into traffic, and sometimes just plain old bad luck.
Name one verifiable case where fully operable brakes have been behind killing or injuring anyone or have even caused any property damage.
I didn’t mean to say that fully operable brakes have ever caused an accident.
The point I was trying to make is that just because I drive a car with impaired brakes doesn’t make me any more murderous or suicidal than anyone else.
Look, you can buy straight sticks of brake line cheap along with a cheap line wrench.
I did not re-read the posts but I believe you made mention the cost may be high because the line is hard to access on the rear?
There’s a cure for that. The old line is junk so cut the fitting off the end at the wheel backing plate. Fold the end over onto a heavy cord, flatten it, and then tie a knot in the cord. Disconnect the other end of the line and pull it out of the car. Attach the cord to the end of the straight stick and then carefully weasel it through by pulling on the cord.
Make any bends needed (nothing too sharp) carefully and this should work fine. Will it look exactly like factory? No, but it doesn’t have to. All that matters is that it provides fluid pressure.
If you’ve changed wheel cylinders then you have the mechanical ability to do this kind of repair.
I’ve personally done the goin’ fishin’ thing before and it has never not worked.
Like others who have replied, I’m utterly shocked by your approach to safety; if not your own welfare, then certainly those who are nearby as you continue to drive.
Passenger vehicles have most of their braking power concentrated at the front end. Rear brakes account for approximately 25% - 35% of a car’s braking power at the most.
Ask yourself, what happens when the rear brakes pack it in, either through wear (if you’re lucky) or catostrophic failure, such as a brake line or wheel cylinder failing without warning?
I can’t believe that someone who frequents Car Talk would be so irresponsible and short-sighted . . . . . We all enjoy Car Talk humour but I think that all are unananimous in concluding that there is nothing funning or at all sensible in what you’re doing and seem intent on continuing to do.
GET THIS VEHICLE OFF THE ROAD NOW!!!
This does sound doable. I’ll either try it myself or pass this clever trick along to the mechanic on Tuesday when I go in for a 3rd estimate.
Kinda surprised Mazda mechanics didn’t know about this. After all they are suppose to be (at least I thought) brake specialists.
I appreciate your help. You may have just saved me few hundred bucks!
It’s off it’s off… But I do have to drive it in a couple days for another estimate. Not far though.