Brake mster cylinder problem-leak (1 Viewer)

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Jun 25, 2003
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Rixeyville, VA
I guess it is the brake master cylinder that is located just under the brake fluid resevior...Just below the 4 bolts that hold the large piece connected to the resevior there is some fluid leaking out...is it just the gasket behind the thing or more than that...is it alright to drive the 40. my brakes work fine but the leak is there..or is it to dangerous to drive it for say another week. thanks
 
If your brake master is leaking you are going to need a new one...if your brakes feel ok to drive then do so but i would get it replaced as soon as possible...

Stew
 
Dude if your master is leaking, then its probably not far off from letting to altogether. Coming from someone who has lost brakes twice, at speed, once at 45, once at 25, both times did OK and managed not to hit anybody. I also lost steering once, at 75MPH. Survived, unscathed and undented.

So don't screw around with the stuff. Its your life. If you're poor like me, go get a rebuild kit and rebuild the stupid thing and be done with it.
 
You can rebuild rather than replace, but, yeah, get it fixed spiffy like.
 
You are going to want to fix that pronto. If the fluid is leaking between the brake booster and the master cylinder (this is the set up on my fj60) then you have fluid leaking past the pistons in the master cylinder. The fluid is then seeping out through the paper gasket that seperates the MC and the brake booster. This is not good and does, as the others mentioned, require fixing.

I recently avoided the rebuild kit and bought a used master cylinder from cruiserparts.net. I wouldn't recommend my route however. The used part didn't work either and I ended up buying a new one for about $100 bucks locally. IMO, brakes are one of those REALLY important things.....buy a new one for $50 and move on to better projects.

Good luck.....
 
well because brakes are very important and lack of them can be veru dangerous a local shop said that could drop by after school tomorrow and they would check it out. the leak is comig from between the master cylinder and the booster so wouldnt that mean that just the gasket needs replacement. i'd rather replace maybe a gasket or 2 than buy a whole ne cylinder. sor want 189 for an 82 fj0 master cylinder.. where can they be bought cheaper? thanks
 
DUDE: REBUILD THE MASTER That paper gasket is not what keeps fluid in. My FJ55 doesn't even have one. The pistons in the master are what keep fluid in. If the hydraulic seals are toast (and in your case they are) then you can just buy a rebuild kit, LIGHTLY hone the inside of the master, or do like I did and just wipe it down with emery cloth for a minute, in a somewhat circular pattern. At least thats how I remember it. Anyway its time or a rebuild. Don't bother getting a new unit, the one have is fine and will take to a rebuild very nicely, unless you go moisture in the cylinder and the bore is pitted. THEN its time for a new one.

I don't mean to come of like "hey man don't be an idiot!" but I feel very strongly about this kind of thing. Brakes are one of those crucial subsystems that keep you and those around you from becoming a black spot on the road.
 
Cruiserhead5,
Listen to Toygeek, the master cylinder is BAD. Do not drive with it, do not try to rebuild it, AND CERTAINTLY DON'T TRY TO PLUG THE LEAK WITH A GASKET :eek: buy a replacement and install it ASAP. You should be able to get a professionally rebuilt master at the local NAPA or brake jobber.
We don't want to read "Crusierhead5 R.I.P." on a tombstone somewhere.
 
Why are you saying don't rebuild it? I've always had good luck rebuilding toyota hydraulics. Other brands, not so good. Toyota, never had a problem. Have only done a little bit though. Insight?
 
Same experience as fsusteve on rebuilding hydraulics at home. Professionally rebuilt seems to work MUCH better. With the master cylinder I would not want to take ANY chances.
 
Get a new one, Napa $100 2 year warrenty, dont get the Checker one for $30 it will give you more head ake later on.. and yes Brakes are importaint.. i would rebuild a clutch, or tranny, or even an engine before i messed with a rebuilt a Master cylinder
 
How odd! I've had that same luck with Nissan parts (junk, imho) but not with LC parts. I rebuilt both the clutch master AND slave the same week, and they ran for a couple of years before the truck was parked with a bad F motor. I wonder why? Did you guys use hones when rebuilding? I think that is what causes most @home rebuilds to go bad, personally. They widen the bore just a tiny bit. Well, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it! :D

Take it easy dudes!
 
I usually only honed when there was very minor scarring or pitting. If I had to guess why the rebuild kits didn't seem to last, I would say that most are cheap import kits not to toyota specs. As I age, my patience is much shorter so I tend to just swap out parts now.
 
if you rebuild, sometimes the problem is pitting in the sleeve of the cylinder, which will rip your new seals to shreds with a few strokes, i rebuilt my clutch master and had it fail in a couple of months. i don't know if any guys in the US do this, but i got my OEM masters (brake and clutch) resleaved in stainless steel. no problem, and a lifetime guaruntee against pitting. just need to redo the seals if it starts to leak
 
Well. i figured that the rebuild kit man-a-fre wants something like 40 buck and then i have to pay someone to rebuild it that takes time i figured i would go ahead and buy a new one. I bought one of man-a-fre's for 80 bucks. seems nice and am having it 3 day aired. I'm hoping this way i can buy a rebuild kit, rebuild my oold one and sell it or keep it as a back up. this is what i did for my heater core, bought a new one and now will work on my old one and sell it..thanks alot though.
 
yeah i bought a rebuild for my clutch, kept leaking...had to get a new one...save the advil for somthing else just get a new one....al
 
Unless you are on a severe budget it is never worthwhile to rebuild. Every time I try to rebuild I end up spending twice as much time and 1/2 the money just to have it leak again soon. Then I spend the same amount of time and more money to fix it.This applies to all pressure things. I will not buy rebuilt masters or clutch masters. I will use rebuilt rebuilt slaves. No need to buy OEM, there is a bunch of hi quality Japinese parts out there new.
 
buy a new master cylinder and fix the problem asap!!!! do not buy used. seals inside the master may be damage if you are buying used. always replace with a new m/c. if one can't be found then buy a rebuilt. not fixing the problem can cause further damage and more money out of your pocket. if you have a power booster behind the m/c that can be damage if excessive brake fluid enter it. a damage booster = to no power brakes!!!!!
 

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