Brake Fluid Leak: E-brake mechanism suspected
07-09-2011, 03:22 PM
#1
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Brake Fluid Leak: E-brake mechanism suspected
My friend's 05SSSC is leaking brake fluid from the driver's side rear.
We lifted it up and I took these pics.
As you can see it is coming from the area where the caliper meets the E-brake linkage.
Have any of you had this problem before?
If so, what parts were required to fix it?
I'm basically trying to figure out if:
1. a new whole caliper is needed
2. a new E-brake linkage assembly is needed (not sure on the technical nomenclature for these parts)
3. both 1 and 2 are sold as a set.
I'm hoping is just a bad seal/o-ring somewhere and that this can be disassembled and the part replaced.
Thanks,
Dirty
We lifted it up and I took these pics.
As you can see it is coming from the area where the caliper meets the E-brake linkage.
Have any of you had this problem before?
If so, what parts were required to fix it?
I'm basically trying to figure out if:
1. a new whole caliper is needed
2. a new E-brake linkage assembly is needed (not sure on the technical nomenclature for these parts)
3. both 1 and 2 are sold as a set.
I'm hoping is just a bad seal/o-ring somewhere and that this can be disassembled and the part replaced.
Thanks,
Dirty
07-10-2011, 03:19 AM
#3
New Member
My friend's 05SSSC is leaking brake fluid from the driver's side rear.
We lifted it up and I took these pics.
As you can see it is coming from the area where the caliper meets the E-brake linkage.
Have any of you had this problem before?
If so, what parts were required to fix it?
I'm basically trying to figure out if:
1. a new whole caliper is needed
2. a new E-brake linkage assembly is needed (not sure on the technical nomenclature for these parts)
3. both 1 and 2 are sold as a set.
I'm hoping is just a bad seal/o-ring somewhere and that this can be disassembled and the part replaced.
Thanks,
Dirty
We lifted it up and I took these pics.
As you can see it is coming from the area where the caliper meets the E-brake linkage.
Have any of you had this problem before?
If so, what parts were required to fix it?
I'm basically trying to figure out if:
1. a new whole caliper is needed
2. a new E-brake linkage assembly is needed (not sure on the technical nomenclature for these parts)
3. both 1 and 2 are sold as a set.
I'm hoping is just a bad seal/o-ring somewhere and that this can be disassembled and the part replaced.
Thanks,
Dirty
07-10-2011, 03:36 AM
#4
Get new Rear Calipers. I can't remember exactly, but I was told that they either can't be rebuilt... or that the price of the tools/parts is too expensive, making it impractical to rebuild them. One or the other. Either way, they're fairly cheap... so I'd just replace them.
When you replace them, make sure you bleed the brake system properly. I believe the proper order is LF, RR, RF, LR. It IS an X pattern though, not Fronts, then Rears.
Get in touch with John Powell/qwikredline/Powell Race Parts... he should be able to hook you up with a new set.
Cobalt SS Network - View Profile: Powell Race Parts
When you replace them, make sure you bleed the brake system properly. I believe the proper order is LF, RR, RF, LR. It IS an X pattern though, not Fronts, then Rears.
Get in touch with John Powell/qwikredline/Powell Race Parts... he should be able to hook you up with a new set.
Cobalt SS Network - View Profile: Powell Race Parts
07-10-2011, 04:56 AM
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It either needs a caliper rebuild or a new caliper. I looked through my distributor and I can only get front rebuild kits and I know Lifter said the ones he found were on back order. I would just get a new caliper. And I'm sure you know, bleed procedure is RR, LR, RF, LF. Farthest from the master cylinder to the nearest.
07-10-2011, 06:10 AM
#6
It either needs a caliper rebuild or a new caliper. I looked through my distributor and I can only get front rebuild kits and I know Lifter said the ones he found were on back order. I would just get a new caliper. And I'm sure you know, bleed procedure is RR, LR, RF, LF. Farthest from the master cylinder to the nearest.
This is proper bleed procedure on our car, verified 100% accurate: RR,LF,LR,RF
What you are saying is correct with most cars with a front/rear brake split. Corvettes and Cobalts are X-Split.
Last edited by USMCFieldMP; 07-10-2011 at 09:29 AM.
07-10-2011, 11:51 AM
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More and more cars are X-split these days.
The whole point of having the split is so that if there is a failure in the brake lines, it doesn't make the whole brake system fail at once, since it is a hydraulic system. So when you split the system you only lose half your brakes when a line fails.
If you do a front/rear split. You will either lose all your front or all your rear brakes. This could be catastrophic if it happened during an emergency braking (since you do 70-90% of your braking with your fronts). That is why they do the X-split these days. So that you maintain one front brake and one rear, on opposite sides of the car, if there is a line failure.
So the reason you do RR,LF,LR,RF is because you are bleeding each system individualy in sequence, bleeding the one with the farthest run first (RR).
You guys who have posted might already know this. But I typed it out in detail for anyone else in the future who reads this and needs to know the how and why of brake bleeding.
07-10-2011, 12:36 PM
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They've been putting isolators in brake lines for years to keep the exact same thing from happening. I still don't understand why they decided to reinvent the wheel and switch everything up. I forgot this was a damn x car. It was late as hell when I posted that.
07-31-2011, 07:14 PM
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caliper replaced. it appears the be fixed.
the culprit i bet is the seal between the caliper and the rod that goes from the ebrake mechanism on through to the piston. stupid design asking for failure.
the culprit i bet is the seal between the caliper and the rod that goes from the ebrake mechanism on through to the piston. stupid design asking for failure.
08-05-2011, 10:23 PM
#12
everything all good..
07-06-2014, 12:28 PM
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I wouldn't. I had it happen and my brake peddle went soft pretty quick. There are rebuild kits out there but it's bit east to do. There is a company in Niagara falls john Stuart power brake that I used since my caliper was powder coated.
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