Re: lingering problems

[RSFoster@aol.com]

>"The pedal is still soft.  Though I bled the fronts, perhaps I 
>need to redo them all?  When bleeding I noticed some black crap
>coming out of the lines, is this contamination?  
>One possibility - the front left wheel got very hot (to
>the touch) while driving.  

I've run into these symptoms twice: once on a friend's Bugeye Sprite and once
on my SCCA Spec Racer.  Same problem in both cases--the rubber brake hoses
were deteriorating on the inside.  Bits of rubber would come loose, with the
smaller pieces flushing out.  The bigger ones can cause a one-way blockage in
the brake lines.  Brake pressure goes by, activating the brake at the end of
that brake line.  But then the pressure can't go back the other way.  The net
result is a semi-locked brake at one or more corners of the car.  Driving in
this condition is possible, but it's slow and you'll get the "hot wheel"
syndrome in a hurry.

The remedy?  Replace all rubber brake hoses and flush everything like mad.
 Good luck!

Rick Foster