YM13

So a while ago I had gear oil leak into my brake cylinder (rear-left) I took it to a shop and they said they changed the seal....I did not see a charge for a re-fill in my gear oil...nor did it say anything about bleeding the brakes...I did not change out the brake shoes or anything else but I washed it down with a series of solvents and sand-papered the brakes shoes down a bit to get the oil off. I did this several times (every 2 or 3 weeks) to allow any oil I missed to accumulate again and then I would clean it. Now there is almost no trace left....

Anyways, the problem started out a month or 2 ago and it was that when I was rolling slowy and I pressed the brake lightly, my back tire would brake ALOT harder than all the other tires. This resulted in a jerking stop. After I made a couple of hard stops on the road this disappeers for the rest of the driving time. Well because this wasn't AS serious i simply chose to ignore it. Now the problem is worse....when I roll to a stop the pedal CLUNKS or i hear something clunk and I feel the pedal drop and then the back tires locks up entirely and you hear a pretty loud screech....I can tell the tire is locking up completely because it left a nice black (but little) mark on my drive-way. I havn't noticed any stopping difference or is my brake fluid low....Should I try flushing the brake lines? I havn't opened up the cylinder recently but last time i did there was no leak in the cylinder. I am thinking it has to do with maybe ABS but the light is not on....

I am driving the 4runner around town and hopefully i won't have any problems...I'm pretty nervous because any brake problem is a serious problem...I really need some help trying to locate exactly what is wrong because I can't have a shop go lie to me and replace all kinds of parts that don't need replacing...Everyone has helped me greatly in the past so I thank you all in advance..

cox380

I had the same problem in my 93 integra. Turned out it was the master cylinder that went bad. I'd check all the brake pads and shoes to see the condition and then bleed the brakes. If the problem if the rear is still locking up I'd replace the master cylinder.

YM13

The master cyclinder or the little cylinder that is in between the brakes shoes..?

rajin

change the brake shoe.... dose'nt matter how much u wash it, u can't get the oil out.

My814x4

and get the drums turned

Texas_Ace

And all that is adding up to more and more $$.

Start off with the simple and cheap things then work your way up.

Have the drums turned. and get new pads (will need them eventually anyways). While you are at it bleed ALL the brakes.(free)

Then run it and see what happends. If you still have the problem, then move on to the bigger stuff.

YM13

ah, ok...thanks for all the opinions....Also, to give you guys some more information about the problem...I kept having to re-adjust the brakes usuing the little brake tool you stick in through the back of the brake drum because that same brake kept tightening up by itself...So whenever I would draw to a stop it would feel like a bike with a bend rim....(it kept braking...releasing...braking....releasing) so maybe it has something to do with the self adjustment mechanism of the brake shoes??? i don't know...

I havn't opened up the drums yet to see what the condition is but last time i cleaned them i hadn't opened them for a month and there was alsmost no oil residue left...you could see the little speckles on the brake shoes...

Thanks for all the advice