Over the past month or so i have had problems with my brakes. I have a 1995 Chevy 1500 305 v8. At first i would just check the brake fluid levels and pump my brakes if it ran dry before i could fix the problem, but lately no pumping restores the pressure. I could bleed the brakes for a temp. fix, but that would be foolish to do until i fix the problem.

I think that it may be my rear passenger side drum that has the leak, mainly because i can see a fluid that only pops up occasionally down the inside wall of my tire. However i cannot replace this until this weekend (about 3 or 4 days from now) and i't risky driving around, so i just drive to school and back at the moment until i can fix this. I'd like to know if i find a leak in the drum, what i'd have to replace. (the whole braking mechanism or just maybe something as simple as a part of the whole)

Basically i can pump it up (2 or 3 good pumps) and then it becomes firm enough to stop in a reasonable amount of time, however if i let off the brake and let it sit for a few seconds, the pedal goes soft (all the way to the floor even).

I would appreciate any guidance thanks!

 

The wheel cylinder is the only thing in the drum that has brake fluid in it. Easy fix. Two 10 or 13mm bolts to remove and thats it. Then you can bleed it straight from that wheel.

 

Thank you for your help But now i have a new problem, i think i have a bad master cylinder now. No matter how much i pump it wont build pressure, any ideas? Might be my brake booster too the more i read...

 

Whats your fluid level look like? You cant build pressure if the reservoirs are empty. The front reservoir is for the rear and the rear is for the front. A busted wheel cylinder would cause you to have a slack pedal, loss of pressure and fluid leak. If you can see the fluid run down the sidewall of the tire on the inside THEN YOU HAVE A MAJOR LEAK AND SHOULDNT DRIVE IT UNTIL YOU FIX IT.

 

That's the thing, the fluid used to drop low but i'd check it before i drove it, and i'd top it off, but lately it just doesnt have any pressure in it. It isnt "running" and i'm not even sure if it is brake fluid (not creating and noticeable wear like the acid in brake fluid might make). Today i checked everything and i cant find one source where it's leaking, fluid is up (dont think me coy, i know quite a bit about the day to day fluid checks and whatnot). I hear it could be one of two things, an obstruction in my line, or a leak in my line even, or it could by my MC, which i hope it isnt (costing about 80$ for a new MC, not a big deal but definitely would be bad. I know i have a leak, i may just need to bleed the brakes and it would become driveable again (for a while until i can replace the leaking components).

But does this sound like a MC problem? Some internal seals or something?

 

Maybe it's the slave cylinder seals, but you won't know until you take the drum off, you'll probably have to replace the shoes too, best to do both sides whilst you're about it for even breaking.