Lumbergh

I found that the rear passenger side wheel cylinder is leaking fluid. I looked at a few online parts stores for the price on a new wheel cylinder or a rebuild kit. I can't find a rebuild kit. Am I just being penny wise, pound foolish because I would like to just rebuild the wheel cylinder? Afterall, it's not exactly complicated. Does anybody know where I could get a rebuild kit for a wheel cylinder? I already took the wheel cylinder off and took it apart. The cylinder and pistons are smooth with no pitting or rust.

Soaring

You can go to most any parts store for a rebuild kit. However, most people who have been doing this brake work for a long time will advise you to replace the entire wheel cylinder.

Lumbergh

Thanks, I found rebuild kits galore listed for local parts stores. Is there a reason for replacing the wheel cylinder entirely? High failure rate on rebuilds? It seems really simple to do.

paddy187

time a cheapness is the main reason a wheel cylinder is like $20 a pop so it hardly worth it

Lumbergh

Thanks, since my time is cheap to me, I think I'll pick up a $4 rebuild kit at lunch instead of the $15 wheel cylinder and give it a shot.

rlbjrcpa

I noticed my wheel cylinders were looking pretty rough, but not leaking. I think I'll go ahead and splurge and replace them with nice shiny new ones before I have a leak. This seems like a pretty straightforward repair - is it?

Soaring

Yep. Out with the old, and in with the new. Bleed the brakes, and WALAAHHH! I have rebuilt wheel cylinders in the past, and more than a few times had them leaking again in a year or so. So, I will never rebuild another one. It's not worth my time to go through all that trouble (and mess) to do it more than once in the life of a car.

Lumbergh

I haven't finished it yet, but I plan doing it tonight. It was easy enough to take the old cylinder out. I did vary a bit from the instructions in the Shop Manual which basically has you removing the entire brake system from the backer plate.
1) I disconnected the hydraulic line from the back of the cylinder (don't try to bend it back and out, just loosen the nut all the way off).
2) I removed the springs that attach the brake shoes to the top post. This relieved the tension against the pistons in the wheel cylinder. (Technically, you should have a compression spring on the ends of the wheel cylinder before removing the springs, but I was able to remove the cylinder without compressing the pistons in the wheel cylinder.)
3) Finally, I unbolted the cylinder from the backing plate and pulled it forward and out (this is why you don't need to remove the line from the back of the cylinder, just disconnect it).

One of the rods stayed on the brake shoe, but I was able to remove it by wiggling and pulling on it a little. Looking back, there was probably no need to remove it from the shoe other than I wanted to clean it. I will probably be able to let you know tomorrow if not doing things strictly by the book is a big mistake. I just didn't see any need to remove the brake shoes since I wasn't replacing the pads. If I'm wrong, hopefully somebody will correct me.

Soaring

Yeah, you don't need to take the shoes off completely to replace them. You are doing just fine.

rlbjrcpa

Sounds like I have a project for the weekend!