It is probably brake fluid. If your hub seal was leaking, it would smell
like sulfur (gear oil). If you use DOT 3 or 4 brake fluid, smear a little
of the leaking substance on a painted surface that you don't care about.
Give it about 10 minutes, it'll bubble the paint if it's brake fluid.
Rebuilding the rear cylinder is no big deal if you have a workshop manual
(Haynes, Bentley, etc). The biggest pain in the rear is getting the c- or
e- clip off the old one and on the new one. This clip holds the cylinder
onto the backing plate. There's not much room because you have to get most
of the top half of your body up over and around the backing plate to see
what you're doing. Jack the rear up (jack under the differential), put
stands under the front spring attach boxes, lower the jack so that the axle
hangs from the check straps. Given how easy it is, you could even unbolt
the check strap and rear spring bolt on the side that you're working on
and gently lower that end of the axle so that you have more room to work.
Good luck,
Jeff
---
On 8/27/99, Robert Duquette wrote:
>Brake's?
>
>I sprung a leak tonight at a rear wheel. By the time I got the wheel off I
>couldn't see much. The fluid seems odorless ( to my nose anyway ) seems
>clearish and so I'm guessing that it's the rear cylinder. But, if it's the
>rear seal, what parts would I need to do both. I'm only going to get one
>shot at a parts store tomorrow morning. (next shot: next weekend)
>
>Looking at Moss' catalogue, it looks like 3 pieces for seals/o-rings for the
>axle end of things and what else would I need for the brakes besides a rear
>cylinder (and a rebuild kit for the old one to use as a spare. Any cautions
>that I should be aware of in rebuilding a rear cylinder and then storing it?
>Bag it?) I'm guessing that the parts store will know, but any advice will
>be appreciated. I would hate to be grounded for a small oversight. Time
>becomes more precious at this point in the year when the kids' school is
>about to start again.
>
>I assume that my 1300 mile shoes are toast.
>
>I haven't done brakes beyond pads, shoes, drums and rotors and don't have
>any specialty tools ( but I can get those at lunch hours ). And I've not
>done a seal. (Daniel, isn't the French word for seal ( the animal ) closer
>to 'fook' in pronunciation?)
>
>Off to read Haynes ... and discuss whether Sprite ( ever look up 'Sprite' in
>the dictionary? (for those that don't think 'svelte' is a good word :) ))
>parts or school uniforms take priority tomorrow AM.
>
>Robert Duquette ( mother's maiden name is O'Reilly - but I was brought up
>in Quebec.
>Father's mother's maiden name is Keenan. )
>Ottawa ON Canada
>http://www3.sympatico.ca/robertduquette
>RobertDuquette@Sympatico.ca
>'65 RHD BRG Sprite
Jeffrey H. Boatright, PhD
Senior Editor, Molecular Vision
http://www.molvis.org/molvis
"Seeing the Future in a Very Tiny Way"
|