Leaking Brakes

[Twister]

So i have some to find my rear passenger side brakes are leaking. If i press on the brake pedal with the car running you can watch the brake fluid flow out of the drum. I opened it up to see if i could spot where it was leaking from, but everything was covered in black gunk and i didn't have the time that day to tear into it. So i am thinking the only two things at the drum that could leak are the brake line and the wheel cylinder. If need to replace the wheel cylinder, do i need to pull the axle shaft?

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

It will be the wheel cylinder, the line would be leaking externally of the drum. You do not need to pull the axles.

 

[Mark_88]

My driver side leaked recently...I pulled the line out of the T joint and put a plug in it so I could drive...recently replaced the wheel cylinder but found the bleeder wouldn't open so I'm still driving with 3 wheel brakes...

When you replace the cylinder, crack the bleeder before you actually install it so you know it works...I finally got mine to crack without shredding the bleeder by using a long 10 mm socket, but have yet to connect it and bleed it...the bleeders must be torqued at the factory to have them stick like mine did...a bit of a PITA to find out after it was installed...but my fault for not checking it first.

 

[jkent]

be sure to clean the drum and shoe up good after you replace the wheel cylinder

 

[Twister]

How difficult is it to replace the wheel cylinder? I have never tore into brakes that deep.

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[adsm08]

be sure to clean the drum and shoe up good after you replace the wheel cylinder

That is one of the worst suggestions I have ever heard. The shoes will need replaced. Once they are saturated to that level they cannot be made safe again. The fluid can be gotten out, but it will dry the friction material out so badly that they will crack right away.

How difficult is it to replace the wheel cylinder? I have never tore into brakes that deep.

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Ever replace the brake shoes before? Do that and then pop the line off the back of the cylinder, two little bolts, hit it until it falls out, then put it back together and bleed.

 

[Twister]

That is one of the worst suggestions I have ever heard. The shoes will need replaced. Once they are saturated to that level they cannot be made safe again. The fluid can be gotten out, but it will dry the friction material out so badly that they will crack right away.



Ever replace the brake shoes before? Do that and then pop the line off the back of the cylinder, two little bolts, hit it until it falls out, then put it back together and bleed.

Thanks. I have not changed them in the time I have owned the truck. I was going to replace the shoes anyway, I figured they were shot from the brake fluid getting on them.

Looks like that's what I will be doing on my Saturday afternoon.

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[adsm08]

Like I said, I have had some limited success is restoring brake shoes after they were contaminated. Soaking them in denatured alcohol will remove the brake fluid to the point that they are grabby again, but will dry the material out so badly that it cracks as soon as it gets hot. That is just as dangerous as it can let large pieces of the shoe come loose.

As for cleaning the drum, use water. Brake cleaner is great, but it takes a lot and is expensive. Brake fluid likes water, so just soak them in water for a while.

 

[Twister]

Like I said, I have had some limited success is restoring brake shoes after they were contaminated. Soaking them in denatured alcohol will remove the brake fluid to the point that they are grabby again, but will dry the material out so badly that it cracks as soon as it gets hot. That is just as dangerous as it can let large pieces of the shoe come loose.

As for cleaning the drum, use water. Brake cleaner is great, but it takes a lot and is expensive. Brake fluid likes water, so just soak them in water for a while.

Cool. Does my truck have 9in or 10in drums? Looking at shoes there is a set for 9 and a set for 10.

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[Mark_88]

measure the drum inside rim to inside rim...that's the best way to tell what size they are...but it does require pulling the drum off.

 

[adsm08]

You should have 9 inch drums.

Finned drums are 9", smooth drums are 10".

 

[Twister]

OK i think i got this just about done, tore it all down, replaces the wheel cylinder along with new shoes and springs. I got it all put back together but there is a piece of i think the parking break that is flopping in the back. What do i do with it?

Its the part i am pointing to in the pic below



Also, should there be this much of a gap between the back of the drum and i guess the backing plate?



Thanks

 

[Mark_88]

When I looked at your pics I thought "Gosh, those are really crudded up with crap"...and then I saw the gap in your drums and your backing plate...BINGO!

The drums are supposed to go all the way to the backing plate...mine actually exceed the backing plate by about an 1/8" or so...

I think you need to measure that up and find a drum that covers the entire area properly...

As for the parking brake thingy...that actually goes behind the shoes and connects through a peg on the parking brake thingy...the peg slips through a hole in the shoe and is held in place with a horseshoe clip...but be sure to grease the horseshoe clip area because it actually pivots on the shoe...no grease...no pivot...equals a snag in the proper operation of the parking brake...

Was the gap always there or did your drums shrink? lol

 

[Twister]

OK, I got to work on these again. I've been very busy and driving my moms van. I took the drum off the passenger side and poke around at them. To the best of my mechanical knowledge everything seems ok. (Sorry for the crappy pics, no idea why they turned out that way.)

Here is a pic I took after messing with it.

Getting frustrated I took the other side off to see what was up, well the other side looks exactly the same

So is it safe to assume that's just the way they are?

Sent from my Ti-89

 

[Mark_88]

Well...no...

It almost looks like you have a 9" drum on a 10" brake setup...judging by the way the drum outer edge seems to line up with the backing plate inner edge...

The drum should actually go over the backing plate edge...at least that's the way mine are and always have been on any vehicle I've ever owned with drum brakes...even my Zuki Sidekick was like that...

A gap like that allows all kinds of stuff to enter into the brake area...I think you have 10" rear brakes...or the simply the wrong drums.