As we zoomed around the hills near Manistee, I began to notice that the brakes on our Jeep were getting a little mushy. No problem, I am checked out on brakes. When I got around to checking the master cylinder, the sucker was dry. Not the main chamber, just the little one in front. Susie inquired how the Master Cylinder could get low on fluid. I guessed that the reason that the Master Cylinder was low on fluid was because of brake wear. The brakes needed to be bled. I had seen this done before, or at least heard that it could be done.

I collected a Tigan tube and an empty Pepsi bottle. The proper size wrench, and Susie, who provided the mashing of the brake pedal, completed the collection. I loosened the bleed valve, Susie mashed on the brake pedal, and then I would tighten the bleed valve. We started with the wheel that was farthest from the Master Cylinder, as prescribed by Chiltons. Then Susie would top off the Master Cylinder with brake fluid. We repeated this process until the inevitable happened. I got to the right front brake and, in a spastic move, I somehow dumped the Pepsi bottle full of dirty brake fluid. The dirty brake fluid jumped over my Osco reading glasses and soaked my T-shirt and me. This included my eyes. Susie escorted me, like I was Helen Keller on fire, to a water spigot. After about a hundred gallons of cold water to my eyes later, I am able to stagger around like I am auditioning for the part of Frankenstein.

After a lengthy eyeball shower, I suggest that Susie take the Jeep to the Muffler Man, who does brakes in Manistee. When Susie got to the Muffler Man, he found that the rear brakes were shot. Not just simply worn out, but so far gone that they took the drums with them. That would be extra. Perhaps this was the wear that had caused the depletion of the brake fluid.

After they replaced the rear brakes, wheel cylinders and drums, the pedal was still a little mushy for our taste. The Muffler Man found a leak in one of our break lines. He replaced a total of three brake lines before he found a solid one. The pedal was still a little mushy. Today he replaced the Master Cylinder. I am happy to report that our brakes are fine, and the Muffler Man's kids will now be able to go to college.