Is someone trying to kill me? Brake related question.

smara1380

smara1380

New member
So...the other day driving down Little Cottonwood Canyon from work my "Brake!" light came on the dash. I thought this might be normal because I have been working up at Snowbird the last few months and driving down everyday would cause pads/rotors to ware.

I got a bottle of brake fluid and topped the reservior off. So today after driving down the canyon and just about home, the "Brake!" indicator light came back on. So, I decided that there must be something else wrong....I look under the front right (Passenger) and noticed a lot of brake fluid. I traced the start of the leak to the brake line that goes into the caliper. The line had "somehow" back itself out three or four threads...

My question is, Is it possible for this to back itself out due to heat or excessive braking? Or did I p*$$ off someone? Ha!

Any info would be great.

Thanks.
 
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That light does come one when the e-brake is on but when mine was low on brake fluid the "Brake!" light would come on.
 
really? Every time I get to a jack rabbit start or go fast, my ebrake light comes on for a few seconds.

It's weird lol. Is it brake fluid, then?
 
Correct me if I'm wrong but I think the brake light will come on if the brake fluid reservoir gets too low.

As for the brake line backing out a few threads I had this issue on my Toyota Celica GTS twice. Brakes went out completely though because when I pressed the brake pedal the pressure in the system was released. I linked it to the crush washers between the brake line and the caliper not being replaced when the line was disconnected and then reconnected.
 
The Brake light will come on if the brake fluid is low or the ebrake is engaged. The low fluid indicator is very touchy and the fluid needs to be very close to max.
 
Yeah apparently people don't know that the idiot light means that its a low brake fluid warning.

Just last month my friend told me his e-brake was sticking, cause the light was on. First thing I checked was the reservoir, and lo and behold the thing was dry.

The soft brake hose had a tear in it and was loosing the fluid.

To the OP: I've never seen those threads back off. The metal on them is very soft, so if someone did indeed try and back them off you'd notice it on the nut... Secondly, if I was going to try and kill you, id just bend the hard line really hard so it would snap. :D
 
Yes the "Brake!" indicator light comes on when the ebrake is off, Indicating that the brake fluid is low. That's how I knew I had a problem the second time.

I did tighten the brake line back into the caliper. This morning I noticed that there was a small puddle of fluid inside the wheel. So I think I might have another leak somewhere.

Have the morning off so, Im going to pull the wheel off and inspect the caliper for leaks. Ill check the rotor to see if there is any signs of fluid on it.

Anyone know how much a caliper costs....Looking for a cheap fix. I put new pads in before I drove out to SLC from NH but, did not put new rotors in.

About to head back to NH from SLC in a couple weeks with a road trip planned on the way back and need to save some loot for that.

Anyone in the SLC area have some tools they would let me use? I do have a small tool set here but would need a torque wrench to put the caliper bolts back on. (to spec) Just trying to keep cost down. And some support too. Of course I would compensate for use of tools and a little help. Lunch, Beer, some cash, Lone Star burrito...

Thanks!
 
smara1380 said:
Yes the "Brake!" indicator light comes on when the ebrake is off, Indicating that the brake fluid is low. That's how I knew I had a problem the second time.

I did tighten the brake line back into the caliper. This morning I noticed that there was a small puddle of fluid inside the wheel. So I think I might have another leak somewhere.

Have the morning off so, Im going to pull the wheel off and inspect the caliper for leaks. Ill check the rotor to see if there is any signs of fluid on it.

Anyone know how much a caliper costs....Looking for a cheap fix. I put new pads in before I drove out to SLC from NH but, did not put new rotors in.

About to head back to NH from SLC in a couple weeks with a road trip planned on the way back and need to save some loot for that.

Anyone in the SLC area have some tools they would let me use? I do have a small tool set here but would need a torque wrench to put the caliper bolts back on. (to spec) Just trying to keep cost down. And some support too. Of course I would compensate for use of tools and a little help. Lunch, Beer, some cash, Lone Star burrito...

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Check everywhere along th brake line. Being from NH, I am sure you have rust, so it could be leaking from anywhere.

You should be able to get a caliper from a salvage yard for less than $50. The torque wrench isn't a game breaker, you can just get them good and tight.
 
If your going to buy a new caliper at this point it would be worth it to swap out your rotors and calipers for a set of Tundra brakes. I found a set of Tundra 199mm for $50 each plus you have to trade your old cores in for the deal. Since you live in a mountain area this would be a great upgrade - the first upgrade I would get if I lived in your area.

I know that NAPA auto parts delivers, you can have them bring a caliper out and you can even rent/borrow tools from them, sometimes at no charge.
 
Nelsonmd said:
Check everywhere along th brake line. Being from NH, I am sure you have rust, so it could be leaking from anywhere.

You should be able to get a caliper from a salvage yard for less than $50. The torque wrench isn't a game breaker, you can just get them good and tight.
Click to expand...

I did not notice any fluid leaking out of the lines...

I just got back from taking the pads out and noticed a little bit of fluid on them. I had a buddy pump the brakes while I watched the pistons in the caliper and noticed that the lower inside piston wasnt moving. I had my buddy pump the brakes and finally it started moving. I then backed the piston all the way back into the caliper and the lower inside piston was a PITA. I def needed some prying force but, eventually I got it back in.

I reinstalled the pads and bleed the brakes. Cleaned all the leaky fluid up and drove to work. When I got to work I noticed that once again there was fluid all over the inside of the tire.

Does a seized piston leak fluid? So I guess my only option is to replace the whole caliper...Am I correct?

Thanks for the info guys.
 
So, I figured that I would go ahead and spend some extra cash on all new calipers/pads (S13WE) and rotors. I did the 199mm Tundra brake upgrade. Buy once, cry once. It actually wasnt too expensive. Got all the parts at Napa and it ran $360 for everything once I returned my cores to them. Figured $100 for one new caliper or another 260 for bigger/new brakes.

Overall really a easy upgrade to do. The hardest part was freeing up the 17mm caliper bolts, got them free and it was a breeze from there on out.

Pedal feels good....Just have to get out and bed the pads and rotors and it should be good.

Thanks
 
Any rubbing on your rims? I'd like to do this upgrade as well as I do a lot of towing but am worried about the rims rubbing on the calipers. Did you grind the calipers a bit?

Lol this forum is going to get me in trouble with wifey lmao!!!
 
There won't be any rubbing if you have 16" inch rims and you use the 199mm. If you have the newer 5 point star rim you can do the 231mm w/out rubbing, if you use the 231mm on the 6 spoke rim you will have to trim the dust and maybe your caliper.

For $100 or so less the 199mm upgrade is good enough if your close to stock tire size and lift, if you tow a lot and have big tires the 231mm might be worth it.
 
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