Brake Fluid Leak? or Normal

[dspowers]

My 1982 33ft Holiday Rambler sat for 2 years when I purchased it, when we picked it up in Nevada it need a battery and brake fluid. After driving it home to California we have had to fill to brake reservoir up twice, I have parked it on drive way to see if the brake fluid was leaking, there are no signs of leaks. All lines seem to be fine no excessive fluid on or around them. Both trips out were 200 miles round trip very little brake use each way, is it normal to add fluid after driving? Should I bleed out the brakes? could there be that much air in the lines and they are just filling up?

[Skip426]

You have a leak ! Fluid should only have to be added in preportion to disk brake pad wear, a minimal amount. I assume you have disc brakes on the front and drum brakes on the rear by the age of the unit. The fluid may be leaking out the rear of the master cylinder and into the brake booster, and not be visible; or at the rear wheel cylinders, and not got out from behind the drums yet.
Air in the system would mean spongy pedal feel and require multiple pumps of the brake pedal to get a solid pedal feel, and fluid level would not change.

[JohnRR]

I have to agree with the above reply, it's something that you really need to get checked out and have corrected as soon as possible.

[Ragingbull]

x2, don't chance it! You definitely have a leak.

[dspowers]

Its definitly A Leak!! Seems to be a brake line, lots of fluid loss at this point.

[dspowers]

After further investigation I found brake fluid leak, the first find was a gas leak. These pictures are the brake fluid leak coming from part that dont know what it is? Hope someone can identify from pictures & give me suggestions how to replace or repair.

[JohnRR]

It appears like the rear of the brake master cylinder is leaking, that's the hydraulic brake booster your looking at that has the fluid all over it.

[dspowers]

Can I buy this item Master Cylinder used or rebuilt? and how can check prices? other words when I look this part up how do I tell auto parts store what type vehical its for, will it be the same as a P-30 truck? My Rv is a holiday Rambler imperial with a 454 chevy engine, so i assume thats a GMC chassis, the part that is leaking is connected to the resorvoir where fluided is added is there a gasket or mechanical part there?

[JohnRR]

If it were me I'd want a rebuilt one versus used. Check with your local parts store to see what information they want or can use to look it up I'm afraid if I suggest anything at this point in time that I'll just lead you a stray..

[dspowers]

Dahhh!!!?? the part I keep calling the reservoir is the master cylinder and yes the part that appears to be covered with fluid is the power brake booster the local auto parts can get them in 24-48 hrs with a total cost to replace booster and master cylinder about 350.00. Parts for P30 454cu 7.4L base chassis. This is the price for parts not sure what the mechanic watching me do it will charge me to fix it right!!

[JohnRR]

The hardest or most technical part is bleeding the brakes, if you've ever bled brakes on anything in the past it's the same procedure.

It may also present problems getting to the mounting bolts and hose clamps being as how it's in a motor home.

It should not need the booster which is the more expensive part of the combination.

[ronspradley]

Brake repair is not for OJT. (on job training).........we are talking about the difference between stopping or being killed!!!!!!!!!!

Please get help from someone on site that has knowledge about repairing brakes...........we want to keep seeing posts from you for years to come..............ronspradley

[dspowers]

Picking up new master cylinder Sat morning, got a good mechanic coming over to install, should be ready to travel soon!!! After every outing this HR gets a new part, cant wait to see what it wants next!! Thanks for the help you guys really make it easy to find,fix and solve the problem. Happy Trails!!

[Skip426]

dspowers, the system is refered to as , Hydra-boost, it assists braking with pressure from the power steering pump, if it was leaking , you would be adding p/s fluid. Good luck bleeding the brakes, with the amount of rust visible in the photos, things could get nasty. Be ready to apply a little heat to the bleeders, to get them loose, if the rubber caps are missing, take the bleeder right out and clean it with a piece of wire, before you start.