Urgent help needed!

bak3rme

bak3rme

Senior Member
so i was replacing my rear brakes today and i kinda tore something up. I tore the rubber piece on the end of the cylinder looking thing. Now brake fluid is oozing out and the brake pedal is very soft and goes all the way to the floor.

I'm just gunna bring it to the dealership tomoroo and get it fixed. only problem is i test drove it in my neighborhood with a quick fix of duct tape and a zip tie, and i dont think i can make it. any tips?

the nearest place is about 10 miles away to fix. This is my DD and i need it for work and school tomrooo.
I cannot put the pieces back together so right now i got 2 front working brakes and only 1 rear working brake

<a href="http://s43.photobucket.com/albums/e358/tran61021/?action=view&current=IMG00265.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e358/tran61021/IMG00265.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

IMG00266.jpg~original
 
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You could just replace the wheel cylinder.....before driving it again....or get a tow?? Expensive I know...but your safest bet.

I wouldn't recommend it, but you could maybe drive it, and just stop periodically to add more brake fluid on the way to the garage??? Again...I wouldn't recommend that though....a tow would be my 1st thought.


Sorry to hear about your trouble man......
 
Clamp the brake line really tight and dont attach it to that brake, and drive very carefully.

thats a real fast response, never been in the situation though. thats what i would do if i needed it moved and couldnt afford a tow.
 
that is the boot for the piston that pushes the brake pad out on drum brakes. the reason it is leaking fluid is because when you step on the brakes, that forces fluid behind that piston and moves it out to push the pad out so since there is a tear in it, the fluid is leaking out.

one thing that tells me is that your seals around the piston are worn since the boot is mainly to keep dirt and grime out and the seal between the piston and housing should be tight enough not to allow fluid to seap between (think piston rings and oil in a cylinder).

I would highly recommend having your brakes all checked and replaced or rebuilt in order to avoid a blowout (meaning the fluid leaks past and causes enough pressure in the boot to cause it to blow up or unseat)

Btw, the front brakes are disc brakes and are a completly different design however the same principal applys (fluid behind a piston that pushes out on the pad to apply friction to the rotor and it also uses rubber boots and seals that will detereorate over time)

I would do the absolute best you can to seal it (or as stated above, clamp the brake line and disconnect it from the caliper)(take care not to cut or break the line or thats just something else you have to replace) and drive a little at a time stopping and checking the brake fluid level till you get to the shop.

gl
 
Can you get someone to take you to the parts store first thing tomorrow? Then you could get a wheel cylinder kit and fix it yourself. Don't know how much time you have though...

I agree that a tow would be the safest bet. I sure wouldn't want to drive it
 
thanks guys for the fast responses. I think i'm gunna get it towed and let them deal with it. I should of had someone here to walk me through it being its my first time doing the rear.

how much do you think the dealership would charge to do these:
replace the cylinder, replace the shoes, and bleed the brakes?

because after something like this..i sure do want to make sure its all set up properly and safely by a professional
 
Yea, clamp the brake line with some vice grips or similar...You do not want brake fluid oozing out of that every time you stop....Additionally, do you have any type of road side assistance? That seems to be included sometimes with insurance...If you know someone close to you with AAA and they're willing to help, that may be an option for towing...You need your back brakes to balance the front...if you have only front brakes and you are not familiar with the handling characteristics of that situation you could be in a worse situation. Please look into getting a tow somehow if you need to take your truck to a service center...Or at least have someone follow you and be VERY careful...Are you sure you can't get to a major auto parts chain store and rent some tools and get the parts you need to replace and not have to worry about a mechanic bill and tow?
 
You don't really say what happened, why you are doing brakes (periodic or problem) or how you ripped the boot. I wonder if it is possible that the piston slipped out of the cylinder. Once you remove the shoes, there is nothing holding the piston in except the flimsy boot. If it slipped out--just for an instant--which is easy to do, then you have introduced air into the system (and let fluid out) which by itself will cause the symptoms you report.

The good news is maybe you just need a good 4-wheel bleed and you can get that air out of the system and maybe all is fixed. The bad news is that the chance of a zip-tie holding that piston in place against hydraulic pressure without the shoes in place is zero. If the shoes are in place, you don't need the ziptie or the boot.

If you have no other reason to believe the cylinder is bad, I would just put it all back together with the ripped boot. Do a good 4-wheel bleed. Drive to dealer checking fluid as you go. If brakes work and don't leak, just get a new boot. Otherwise, yeah, cylinder is leaking so get a new one. Probably not something you could do tonight.

Just forget the ziptie approach, please! If that piston pops out while you are driving major fluid loss will occur and it will not be pretty--as in, possibly fatal.

The vice-grip approach might work but then I'd want to replace the brake line. That would compromise it for sure.
 
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TheDurk said:
You don't really say what happened, why you are doing brakes (periodic or problem) or how you ripped the boot. I wonder if it is possible that the piston slipped out of the cylinder. Once you remove the shoes, there is nothing holding the piston in except the flimsy boot. If it slipped out--just for an instant--which is easy to do, then you have introduced air into the system (and let fluid out) which by itself will cause the symptoms you report.

The good news is maybe you just need a good 4-wheel bleed and you can get that air out of the system and maybe all is fixed. The bad news is that the chance of a zip-tie holding that piston in place against hydraulic pressure without the shoes in place is zero.

If you have no other reason to believe the cylinder is bad, I would just put it all back together with the ripped boot. Do a good 4-wheel bleed. Drive to dealer checking fluid as you go. If brakes work and don't leak, just get a new boot. Otherwise, yeah, cylinder is leaking so get a new one.

Just forget the ziptie approach, please! If that piston pops out while you are driving major fluid loss will occur and it will not be pretty.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip. I was just replacing the rear brake shoes due to time and wear. So i guess its the boot that ripped which caused fluid to leak. i've never noticed any leaks or anything so far until i ripped the rubber boot .

how much do you think dealership would charge to get that one side and one side only replaced along with a brake bleed?

i might just go and replace the cylinder (can i just replace the rubber boot?) then go to dealershp and get a brake bleed.
 
I did the same thing actually.. Just have someone take you to Autozone, its a super easy repair. Two bolts on the wheel cylinder and then undo the brake line with a flare wrench and you're done.
 
Find yourself just the wheel cylinder and fix it yourself. There is Really nothing to it, a couple bolts and a bleed, that's it.
 
thanks guys. Guess not gunna take it to dealership after all. gunna skipp my classes today and knock this one out. feel much better about it after a nights rest.
 
AAA is only about $6 a month - a great investment. I don't think I have ever even changed a flat tire, get on the horn and call AAA let them do it...
 
Yea especially if you own/drive a car that is more than 10 years old!! I had to get my landcruiser towed 200 miles before, for FREE with AAA premium membership....Then my dad met me and use his AAA to tow another 200 miles for free...so I got my LC towed 400 miles by AAA, that made it worth it right there.....I figured that tow probably cost over $500....and I still get 3 more 100 mile tows.
 
MAD 69 said:
AAA is only about $6 a month - a great investment. I don't think I have ever even changed a flat tire, get on the horn and call AAA let them do it...
Click to expand...

Wow. I can do a tire swap in under 5 minutes. It takes a minimum 15 and frequently 30 to get a AAA on the scene. I have it, but I'd never use it for a flat--maybe in a downpour if I was wearing a suit.
 
Towing by AAA is only free for like 5 miles, tried to use the and they gave use this bullsh!t about how the X miles, maybe it is just my area. AAA is worth it for the discounts you get everywhere.
 
Check out your membership, there is 3 different levels...on the premium you get 1 200 mile tow and 3 100 mile tows each year for free...its a bit more per year tho.
 
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