djmoreron Posted November 18, 2008 Report Share Posted November 18, 2008 noticed a puddle around the rear drivers side wheel the other day and it turns out i have a brake leak. the front reservoir was empty, so i filled it back up. i took off the drum and the shoes are soaked. tried looking around for a leak, but i cant tell where its coming from. it appears to be behind the wheel cylinder (it was replaced about a year ago). what areas should i look at to find a leak? ive never worked on drum brakes before, but i do have a service manual handy that helps a ton. any suggestions? Quote Link to comment
datsunaholic Posted November 18, 2008 Report Share Posted November 18, 2008 If the shoes got wet it's generally the cylinder itself. If it was replaced but the fluid wasn't flushed it could easily gotten scored by debris enough to leak that soon (or if it was just a rebuilt and not new wheel cyl- I don't trust those). Quote Link to comment
djmoreron Posted November 18, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 18, 2008 heres some pix of what it looked like cleaned crud off wheel cylinder Quote Link to comment
djmoreron Posted November 18, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 18, 2008 (edited) thanks for the quick response:) i believe the fluid was flushed. i didnt do the work myself, but when i bought the truck it needed a new master cylinder and wheel cylinders all around. but hey, anything is possible so its hopefully just the cylinder. Edited November 18, 2008 by djmoreron Quote Link to comment
datsunaholic Posted November 18, 2008 Report Share Posted November 18, 2008 Well, the pics look entirely like a leaky cylinder- the rubber boot is soaked. Pop the boot off and it'll probably be saturated. Quote Link to comment
djmoreron Posted December 2, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 2, 2008 (edited) thanks. it was definitely the cylinder. pretty easy to replace. :D im having trouble attaching the parking brake arm to the brake shoe. i cant get the washer to stay on with the cotter pin. is there a trick or tip that anyone uses to attach this piece? Edited December 3, 2008 by djmoreron Quote Link to comment
djmoreron Posted December 3, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2008 (edited) again, ive never worked on drum brakes before, but is there supposed to be a pin like the one pictured below holding the ebrake toggle lever to the brake shoe? Edited December 3, 2008 by djmoreron Quote Link to comment
djmoreron Posted December 3, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2008 nm, figured it out. i LOVE mom and pop auto part stores. They seem to always have the random parts, bolts, washers that i need. Quote Link to comment
]2eDeYe Posted December 4, 2008 Report Share Posted December 4, 2008 I know it's a bit late, but you spread the clip in this pic when removing it. You just have to 'crimp' it in the groove when you re-install it. Quote Link to comment
djmoreron Posted December 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2008 thanks! for whatever reason the clip refused to stay on. went to autozone and kragen and they just tried to sell me the entire brake hardware kit which i already purchased :mad:, so finally i went to the local mom and pop auto parts store and they had em in stock. :D so with the few hours of light i have to work on them each day, im finally moving on to my first gravity bleed of the brakes... does the truck have to be level in order to gravity bleed? right now i have only the rear end on jackstands, and i cant get fluid to come out of the bleeder (without stepping on the brake pedal) :confused::confused: Quote Link to comment
djmoreron Posted January 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2009 ended up having to replace the master cylinder too, as it was bad. but now i have a slow leak where the brake lines connect to the MC. :cursing: i know that the flare on the brake lines is what makes the seal, not the threaded fittings... so should i just cut the end of the lines of and re-flare them?!? Quote Link to comment
yello620 Posted January 3, 2009 Report Share Posted January 3, 2009 I would at least unhook the connection and inspect it, I have seen the hard line split at the seam. You can also make sure that there is not any debris in the fitting area and make sure theat the new master cylinder actually has the fitting seat installed into it(the part the flare tightens onto). Did you have the lines tight enough? Quote Link to comment
djmoreron Posted January 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2009 yeah, it was more than tight enough, but i did notice that the lines have small spots of rust throughout, so i think it may be debris or a small crack. i didnt check for any fitting, so ill double check for that. thanks. Quote Link to comment
djmoreron Posted January 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 (edited) master cylinder did have the fitting seats, thank goodness. however, i didnt see any cracks on my hard lines, not even at the seams. i got them as clean as i could, but still a slow leak. because im a noob and wanna make sure its not my mc thats the problem, i ended up getting some new brake lines and fittings from pep boys, connected it to the master cylinder, topped up the fluid and no leaks. ( i had planned on doing this anyway, making my own bench bleed kit with hard lines). im guessing now that its just the old brake lines on my truck. im gonna try and re-flare them and hope it stops leaking. thanks again! edit: nm, found a crack on the flare of each line. fixing it now! Edited January 6, 2009 by djmoreron Quote Link to comment
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