Brake drum leak

[jasonmcc]

I noticed fluid leaking from my passenger side rear drum. Any ideas on what’s wrong and how to fix it? Thanks!

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[rustbucket]

Replace or rebuild rear wheel cylinder.


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[pipeline010]

spray the rear of the wheel cylinder with pb blaster first.

put the rear of the truck on jack stands..you'll need to be able to rotate the axle and can't do that with only one side up.

you're going to have to pull that axle off. 4 bolts accessible through the one hole on the axle end. chock the wheels and unscrew all 4.

you might need a slide hammer to get that axle off or you might get lucky. borrow it from autozone.

remove the brake line from the rear of the cylinder carefully, don't damage the threads.

axle off? you will likely need to remove the springs to get the wheel cylinder out and replaced. wear goggles and buy the tool..it's like 12 bucks, don't follow the advice of using a standard wrench to do it...you'll lose an eyeball.

dont remove anything til you've taken pictures so you know how to put it back together.

after you're done spray the whole area with tons of brake cleaner...brake fluid forms a goopy mess in there.

This is one of those simple jobs that small irritations can make you (me) crazy. Stuck brake line, stuck bolt, stuck axle. I just bought all the damn tools I needed (including slide hammer) cause I got so sick of being held up by stupid stuff.

in theory, the job is simple and will take only 60 mins. and don't forget to bleed when you're done. broomstick handles make great friends.

 

[triracer67]

Buy the best quality replacements, I went through three brand new cylinders from O'Reillys that all leaked. I finally ordered replacements for vendor on here, they worked great.

 

[75MIKE]

broomstick handles make great friends.

So does the right size flare nut wrench or Ford would have rounded them off right from the factory.

 

[Rustytruck]

To replace the wheel cylinder the vendor will need to know the year of the bronco. The diameter of the brake drum usually cast on the drum. The width of the brake shoes. And the side you are replacing. The drums are either 10 inch or 11 inch. Shoes could be 1-3/4 inch or 2 inch or 2-1/4 inch wide. There are at least 3 different wheel cylinder bores on each side. So take the old one with you to the auto parts. I perfer Wagner or Raybestos parts.

 

[pipeline010]

So does the right size flare nut wrench or Ford would have rounded them off right from the factory.

hah. i meant for brake bleeding. I jam a broom handle down to hold my brake in the cab when I bleed.

tried doing it with my wife one time....after 10 mins the glaring began ....now my brake bleed friend is always a broomstick.

but ya, use flare wrenches for brake lines. I also made those purchases for my brake job.

 

[B RON CO]

Hi, time to check all your brakes, and repack the front wheel bearings. Good luck

 

[jasonmcc]

Thanks guys you’re a big help as always! I was able to get the part off and on by only removing the axle bolts and not taking off the axle. I also only took off one spring on the top. It’s the one opposite of the cable. Again thx guys!


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[NC_Pinz]

You don't need to pull the axle to replace a rear wheel cylinder. Glad you got it replaced.

Personally when I replace a wheel cylinder, I pull it all apart (shoes, springs, etc.). It allows you to inspect and replace items if required. Also you can grease the pivot points. It doesn't take that long; you just have to be patient and careful with the springs.

 

[DirtDonk]

You work fast! I was going to say that your goop looks like it could be a combination of brake fluid and gear lube from a leaky seal.
Most of the mess was at the brake cylinder, so likely that's the culprit. But depending on how many miles are on the axle, you might take this time to replace the bearings and seals anyway.

Do you know how old, or how many miles are on those two components?

Paul

 

[jasonmcc]

You work fast! I was going to say that your goop looks like it could be a combination of brake fluid and gear lube from a leaky seal.
Most of the mess was at the brake cylinder, so likely that's the culprit. But depending on how many miles are on the axle, you might take this time to replace the bearings and seals anyway.

Do you know how old, or how many miles are on those two components?

Paul

Haha, I needed her ready for memorial day weekend trip! I don't know how many miles are on the components and I didn't dive deeper into it because the plan is for disk conversion in the near future and figured id tackle stuff like that when I got to that install.