Critical Brakes
Leaking Wheel Cylinders
Symptoms
Brake pedal feels soft or sinks slowly. Reduced braking effectiveness. Brake fluid visible on the inside of the brake drums.
Cause
The rubber seals inside the wheel cylinders harden and crack with age, allowing brake fluid to leak past the pistons. This is universal on old cars with drum brakes.
Fix
Replace all four wheel cylinders.
Do not replace only the leaking one, if one has failed, the others are close behind.
Wheel cylinder kits or complete cylinders are available ($50-80 each).
Flush the entire brake system with fresh DOT 3 fluid.
Cost mentioned in fix
$50-80 each
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