drum break problem

[tictiv]

I have 2000 Ford Taurus, I see oil leakage around drum break.also I got break light on and when I check break oil reservoir the oil was at the bottom and I fill the break oil. I think their is break oil leakage on rear driver side around rear drum break so how I fix this problem? any one help me this issue will appreciated.

[Hungrycat7]

Sounds like you blew out the cylinder inside the drum. You need to pull that drum apart, remove the old cylinder, and replace with a new one. The brakes will need to be bled after this as well. Make sure to fill up the resevoir again and you should be good to go. I just replaced the cylinders on my 03 but I can't remember how much they cost. (Not expensive for the part)

[shorod]

Agreed. It sounds like you need new "wheel cylinders" for the rear drum brakes. You'll also need new brake shoes since the contaminated shoes will be grabby if not replaced. You'll want a couple of cans of brake cleaner, a small tube of high temperature brake grease or white lithium grease to lubricate the wear points on the backing plate, and brake fluid and a friend to help bleed the brakes after the new wheel cylinders are installed.

Or you need to make an appointment at a local shop recommended by friends/co-workers.

-Rod

[tictiv]

Thank you very much for Rod and Hungrycat7 you gave me helpful Idea.Rod, you recomand me to replase a break shoes also, so do I have to replace the other side also the sametime like break pad or the dificative sid only? I never replace break shoe before but I did replaced break pads many times with different cars.

Thankyou!

[Scrapper]

yes wheel cyl.if the drum is wet start there.and make sure you get a seal or seals for the bearings if you take them or it out beacuse sounds like you'll need rear shoe's to.

[shorod]

You won't technically need to replace the shoes on the other side as well, but since you'll get both sides in the box, you may as well replace both sides so they wear evenly. Plus, there will probably be a core charge on the shoes, it would be too bad to turn in a brand new set of shoes for the core.

I think on your 2000 the drums just slide over the hub so I don't think you'll need to worry about replacing a seal.

-Rod

[Scrapper]

yes your right they are sealed. shame on me..but if you change i would recomend you get the hardwhere kit also. then it will be right up to par...

[Willyum]

An entirely satisfactory repair is to "rebuild" the wheel cylinder on the vehicle. Cylinder rebuild kits are available and is a much easier job.

[shorod]

Originally Posted by Willyum

An entirely satisfactory repair is to "rebuild" the wheel cylinder on the vehicle. Cylinder rebuild kits are available and is a much easier job.

Easier than swapping out the wheel cylinders with rebuilt units? He'd want to hone the old one out to make sure the rubber pistons have a smooth surface which would require a stone set and he'd have to remove the shoes anyway to get to it. Then he'd have to assemble the pieces in the right order and really should bleed the system when done anyway.

I must be misinterpreting you....

If the mounting screws break or the brake line gets twisted trying to take the old cylinder off, then I'd agree it would have been easier to rebuild the cylinders, but on a 2000 model year car I wouldn't expect those problems to occur.

-Rod

[Willyum]

Rod, Is cheaper to just do a cylinder kit, a cylinder hone that uses emory cloth is not expensive. Might be able to borrow one from a friend. If you are going to install "rebuilt" anyway, why not do your own rebuilds? Wheel cylinders are not complex and his vehicle is not old enough to expect any serious pitting or wear inside the cylinder. Am sure that brake shops still do simple cylinder rebuilds instead of replaceing. I agree that we are an R & R society, am sure that the local dealership would rather he replace the whole vehicle.

[shorod]

When I worked at my dad's shop, he was rebuilding the wheel cylinders. Then around the early '90s it got to the point that it was less expensive and quicker to replace the wheel cylinder with a rebuilt unit. The same was true for CV joints. It was less expensive and quicker to replace the entire half shaft with a rebuilt unit than it was to remove the half shaft, disassemble the joint, clean it in the parts washer, replace the boot, and pack the joint with grease. Granted, a large part of the "less expensive" could have been considering labor. I'm sure it saved the customer money in both cases to not pay the rebuild labor, and the bulk of the labor to install a rebuilt unit would have been there even if we performed the rebuild. And we had the tools to do the rebuild.

Here comes my opinion....
For a 2000 Taurus, a rebuilt wheel cylinder is $12, it's hard for me to justify the effort to rebuild the cylinder (even though the rebuild kit is only $3). Granted it would be an educational opportunity.

-Rod