Manual brakes res lid leak

[YungICY]

I have an 85 with the manual brakes that has a reservoir with the metal lid that clamps on. I'm leaking fluid out of the lid. My only assumption is that the rubber seal in the lid is not sealing. Any thoughts on how I can fix this?

Also I do need to rebuild my rear brake drums (new pads, drums and probably should do all of the springs and internals while I've got it pulled apart.) And it does pull decently to one side under heavy braking. I suppose this could be part of the issue but I'm not sure.

 

[97RangerXLT]

Replace the lid and the seal. very possible your lid is slightly warped and not sitting flush on the master cylinder, and the rubber seal is probably shot too..

Pulling to one side while braking usually means a caliper or wheel cylinder is not engaging or sticking. if you are doing the rear brakes, replace both wheel cylinders, it will only raise the cost of your job by $25 for two brand new wheel cylinders. do replace all the springs and the hardware while you have it apart.

Another thought that since your master cylinder is not sealing correctly, you may have some air in one of the lines especially if the fluid was really low, and that will cause you to pull since that air bubble will compress when you hit the brakes. So be sure to bleed all four wheels.

once it is all back together with a new master cylinder lid and seal, check the brakes again. if it still pulls, it is your lucky day and you should do the front brakes and calipers.

Hope this helps,

AJ

 

[bmerr98]

X2 everything 97RangerXLT said.

All I might add is maybe replace any flex hoses in the system. They don't cost much and would probably pay for themselves just in peace of mind. 1985...the year I graduated. I've had a few parts blow out since then, if your flex hoses are original, they're a weak link that can ruin a good day if they go out unexpectedly ...had that happen during my pizza delivery days.

 

[Andy D]

Rear drum brake parts are cheap. Replace everything. Brake hoses on my 94 were scary looking , replace them. The hard lines were so rusty, that they didnt survive being moved around, so they were replaced too.

 

[YungICY]

Thanks everybody. I appreciate the input. There is definitely some air in the lines so that is probably the main reason for the pull. (I just did long travel on the front end and had a lot of issues with leaking when custom making longer brake lines (which is fixed now.)) plus I realized the lid was leaking when the pedal hit the floor gettin off the highway due to an empty res.

Yeah those rebuild springs and hardware kits are super cheap. I had to rebuild one of them right when I bought the truck a little over a year ago. (I had to send my wife to the store to get them and when she called and said they were $6 per side I told to to buy several, looks like that move paid off. Haha)

Anyways the gist of what I got was, just replace the cap, complete rebuild of the drums, check all my lines for wear and weak spots and replace soft lines if they look old, bleed the system and check for pull. If pull is gone job is done, if not lather, rinse and repeat on the front.