1981 winnebago brave brake fluid reservoir

[Shakeejake]

Long story short, acquired this 1981 winnebago brave chevy chassis 454 from a friend. After dropping the tank twice i finally got it to start up after 9 years of sitting in storage. I go to put it in drive and the red "brake" dash light is on And my transmission will not engage any gears. I read it does this as a safety reason because my master cylinder is low. Idk where to fill brake fluid. Was there power steering on my model motorhome? I believe its the 26rt model. Thanks in advance for any help.

[Gocoffeer]

Shakee...I will take a guess based on the chassis type... pull off the front driver side wheel. Pull off the wheel well shield and look up at the master cylinder and reservoir.

[Shakeejake]

Cool thank you i will do that today! However, im still stumbled on the power steering. Did my model have that? Here is what i think is power steering. Small dipstick says fill hot and fill cold.

[Skip426]

That's the remote fill for the P/S.
Have you looked for a belt driving the pump?
There is no over ride between the brake warning light and the transmission, on a rig that old, if the fluid level is up and it won't go into gear, .

JMHO: This RV might just be a money pit.

[Shakeejake]

It was drove to storage, and sat for years. I dont know what could possibly have gone wrong. Woukd the towing company disconnect something when they towed it to my house? It just seems weird i cant get the brake warning light to go off

[Hikerdogs]

I believe the chassis uses a hydro boost braking system. Pressure for the power brakes is provided by the power steering pump. If the pump doesn't generate pressure the brakes won't work properly. No power steering = no power brakes.

Hydro-Boost Power Assist Systems: Operation Diagnosis and Repair

If it's been sitting a while it could be low on power steering fluid, have a leak somewhere in the system, or have a loose or missing belt.

[twinboat]

The towing company should have unhooked something if it was towed with the rear wheels turning, more then 15 miles or so.

If nothing was unhooked, they may have ruined the transmission.

An owners manual will give you the details about towing..

[Shakeejake]

Yea both brake fluid and power steering is low. But im wondering why my motorhome wont go into gear. I tried all gears. Reverse, neutral, drive, high and low

[Hikerdogs]

Since the motorhome sat 9 years there's a good possibility all the seals and o rings in the transmission dried up and are now brittle. The pump can't build enough pressure to engage the clutch disks if the seals don't hold. I bought an older Chevy that only sat 2 years and had some similar problems. Mine would go into gear, but slip, and it leaked like a sieve. Once the seals dry out it's possible that enough fluid leaked out that there's not enough left for the filter to pick up. The first thing is to check the fluid. If it's low add a can of seal conditioner when you refill it. Let it sit and run a short time with the new oil and conditioner circulating through the system.

If the towing company did remove the drive shaft there's also a good possibility some fluid ran out the rear of the transmission when it was lifted to tow it. Have you checked the transmission fluid? I believe there's a dipstick on the passengers side of the transmission.

[Shakeejake]

Just checked it its pretty low. I fill the tranny fluid where the dipstick is right? Would loe tranny fluid cause it not to go into gear? And i put the can of seal conditioner in the trans fluid too?

[Hikerdogs]

If the tube that the transmission dipstick came out of is about 3/4" in diameter then yes the fluid can go in where the dipstick came out. Be sure to get the proper transmission fluid for your vehicle. A good parts store will know what it takes. Yes to adding the conditioner to the fluid.


I would put in the conditioner first so you're sure you can get it all in. Then run the engine a minute or so and check the fluid while it's running. There's usually a hot and cold mark on the dipstick. I would fill it to the cold mark and let it run for about 10 minutes.


Most motorhome transmission dipstick/fill tubes are in a place that's difficult to get to with a quart bottle. You may need a long flexible funnel to make the filling process easier and less messy.

[Shakeejake]

Got to the master cyl. Gonna put some brake fluid. Add trans fluid with conditioner, and power steering fluid.

[Skip426]

Towed to your house. Make sure the tow company didn't pull or disconnect the drive shaft, and leave it somewhere, wired up underneath , or in the back of the tow truck.

[Shakeejake]

Checked the driveshaft. Its there. Put it in drive and nothing just revs. Nothing is spinning underneath when in drive