Hi folks, my wife's car is diiiiieeeeing.... Seems like it's one thing after another. We just changed the clutch, timing belt, water pump, etc. for $1800. Granted the car has 135k miles.

So we realize now that the rear caliper leaks brake fluid when, and only when, we engage the e-brake.

Question is, what part do I need to fix this? I can rebuild the calipers, but I need to know what part is needed.

Thanks,
Armand

 

Might be a line leak or a leaky caliper (damaged boot). Take the wheel off and take a look.

 

Thanks for you reply. I did take the wheel off. This is how I come to realize that the caliper is leaking towards the back - where the e-brake engages. I just don't know which seal (if any) to buy or where to buy them from.

 

I'm curious about this too. You can buy a new caliper for 100 from ecstuning.com. Not a bad price...

 

A rebuilt caliper would be easiest. Rockauto.com has some good prices.

 

Isn't the Ebrake cable actuated?

 

I don't want to buy an entirely new caliper when all that needs to be replaced is most likely a seal somewhere.

Yes, it's cable, but it looks like the cable is merely pulling on a "lever" that's connected to the piston somehow - doesn't seem to be an entirely separate system. On other cars, the e-brake is usually a completely different braking system even using different brake pads (drum pads) in conjunction with the discs... so if you lose all brake fluid and the discs fail, the drum brakes will still work via the e-brake.

Does anyone have part numbers on the seals that need to be replaced?

 

The cable pulls on the lever which causes the piston inside the caliper to twist and contact the pads.

The only seal that would need to be replaced is the seals within the piston and the boot. Like I said, it's easiest to get a rebuilt caliper and forget about it.