Brake Issues

[Charlie1717]

So I have a really really slow leak somewhere hasn't really been an issue. Anyway so my brake pedal has been really soft. There is brake fluid in the reservoir. I've done some searching and I'm thinking it has something to do with the brake lines. Is it common for something to go wrong with a brake line to cause a soft pedal. I still have breaks but I'm unsure of which brakes are working and what not.

I'm a newbie to brakes other than the routine pad change.
Any advice?

The other problem is I'm at school and have no where to go to look at it.
So if anyone wants to come help me! or offer some advice that'd be great.

[Charlie1717]

Anybody???

[FB71]

you probably have a weeping wheel cylinder on one of the back wheels. Pull the drums, and see if the inside of one is damp.

[packrat427]

Both of my front lines were rusted where they go through the inner fender , then they blew out under a hard brake .
Had to have them both replaced , look at all your lines and look for wetness on the inside of your backing plates .

[Charlie1717]

Both of my front lines were rusted where they go through the inner fender , then they blew out under a hard brake .
Had to have them both replaced , look at all your lines and look for wetness on the inside of your backing plates .

If that was the case wouldn't I be able to notice a significant change in the Reservoir levels if someone was pumping the brakes?

Hopefully it will dry up around here so I can find some space in our schools parking lot to look more :S

[Pu241]

If that was the case wouldn't I be able to notice a significant change in the Reservoir levels if someone was pumping the brakes?

Uh, yeah, when my wife lost the passenger side front hard-line, for the same reason Packrat427 did, she lost the all the fluid in that half of the master cylinder reservoir.
So I believe you have air in your line from a slow leak somewhere in your system.

[hannaganscr]

I am ASE cerified in brakes and there are several causes. 1 is an internal leak in the master cylinder make sure your power booster isnt wet near where the master cyl and booster meet. 2 like another member said take a look at the rear wheel cyl make sure they are not wet or look damp. 3 check for weeping lines and keep an eye on your fluid levels for a sign of a leak. 4 note the color of your brake fluid is it dark in color try flushing the brake fluid. And also does the brake pedal drop slowly if you hold it down or not?

[hannaganscr]

Also if you you think its air in the lines remember when bleeding the brakes always start at the farthest wheel from the master clylinder.

[WmWatt]

Perhaps you have sucked air into the brake line. Theoretically, if you can pump fluid out you can suck air in. The air would be trapped in the line near the slow leak.

[Charlie1717]

Thanks for all the info. I'm leaning towards some sort of air in the lines hopefully that is the case. But I will definitely check the rear wheel cyl. Thanks for the help I'll update you all when I get the time to do it.

[Charlie1717]

UPDATE:
So I came home this weekend and got my car back and was able to take a look at the brakes. Turns out it was drivers side rear drum. Basically the hardware fell out when I pulled the drum. Basically it just all needs to be replaced.

Anyone have some recommendations on brands to get or look out for? I've never replaced brakes on festy yet.

I believe I need:
Brake shoes
Drum Hardware Kit
Rear Wheel Cylinder
Drum

Any advice for a noob?

[freshtiva]

Use plenty of PB blaster and buy a line wrench for removing brake lines. Dont breathe the brake dust.

[Tim]

Do the rear brakes one side at a time, so that if you run into trouble, you can use the other side as a reference.

There are certain minimum thicknesses for the rear drums. They should be in the repair manual. If they are within spec, and there's no damage to them, you can reuse the drums.

The rear brakes only do a small portion of the braking and last a very long time, so provided there aren't any more leaks, you'll probably never have to touch them again (except for inspection and bearing maintenance).

Good luck.


-Tim

[Charlie1717]

So this past weekend I redid all my rear brakes. One of my drums needed replaced so I got a new one from autozone. But their was something different between the stock one and the new one. The bearing sat higher inside the drum of the stock drum vs the new one. So when I reassembled the breaks with the new drum it was loose causing the tire to be wobbly. So I took it all apart and for now am just using the old drum, which I'll end up just getting machined if it isn't to far gone. It will probably be just fine.

I just have no Idea why they were different. So if anyone else ever has this problem I don't have a solution! ha.
Other than that the brakes are all good and together! No more leaks!

[Evil D]

I have a feeling that before it's over, i'll be replacing everything in the back of mine as well. Love how $800 cars turn into much more expensive cars.