The AUSubaru.com.au Forums

Hi All

Soooo i've had some very bad news, my master cylinder is apparently stuffed and is leaking brake fluid all over my engine bay
I took it in to the mechanics to get my new brake pads/ discs machined, asked them to check the leak, got it back the next day with the all clear after the last of my savings was handed over. 2 days later and my brake fluid warning light comes back on ..WHAT!?... sure enough i've lost half my fluid in 2days!!

sooo back to the mechanic, he now tells me i need a new master cylinder argh! i was very angry that it never occurred to them to check it the first time i brought it in, especially since i made a point of asking them to check it and i would have just got that fixed instead of getting my discs machined, so the money is gone and what do i do?---i keep topping up that damn fluid and watching it leak all over my garage floor:(... soooo i've completely lost faith in my mechanic and will not be returning to his "fine" establishment.

Anyways so the point of this thread is anyone willing to help me fix it with guidance or has a reconditioned master cylinder that their willing to part with, i will be more than happy to compensate, you'll be saving a poor uni student some undue stress

cheers

It's possible that the act of bleeding the brake fluid has caused the problem - did they put new fluid in?. It's not uncommon if the mechanic uses the kindof old-school method which most people use at home. Ie, open the valves at each brake caliper or drum and depress the brake pedal to the floor to push the fluid through. This means that the master cylinder rod goes all the way down which is doesn't normally do. Normally this should be fine but in a very old master cylinder with probably quite perished seals, it can be the end of them.
Really if your seals can't handle this then you should replace them anyway.
Most mechanics should these days use a system where they push the fluid through with a pump of some sort (I'm not really sure how it's done but I know it is).

So wether to lay blame is really up to you. He probably could have prevented the issue, but if your master cylinder was in good condition to begin with the problem wouldn't have happened.

Now you have a few options to fix it.

1 - get a brand new master cylinder.
probably not required, you can get away with cheaper options
2 - get an off-the-shelf reconned one. This is normally an exchange arrangement. Give them your old one, get a reconned one. Abit cheaper than a new one.
3 - get them to recondition your existing one. Probably the same price as the exchange anyway.
4 - recondition your one yourself, or get a mate who "knows stuff" to do it

A seal kit is normally only about 30 bucks or so. You dismantle the cylinder, hone out the bore with a honing tool attached to a drill, put the new seals from the kit in.


By the way, make very sure the fluid doesn't get down to the bottom if you are driving around. Air in the system will mean your brakes go all spongy and you might end up in a collision with a Prius.

Also if it's leaking all over your engine bay make sure you keep flushing it off with water otherwise all your paint will flake off very shortly. Don't wipe it with a rag this just speads it.

Usual practice is to blame the mechanic for any non related item gone wrong on your car after a service where owner specifies just what is needed to be done

whoa...ok... let me clarify the situation

i am in no way having a "go" at mechanics in general, i respect their knowledge and experience which is why i take my car to a professional when i feel i do not have the experience or tools to do the job myself. Although i can tell you being female in the male-dominated mechanic world does me no favours when trying to get good honest quotes, it requires quite a bit of research on my part to even get anything at a reasonable price.

okay so..i was first made aware of the leak when my brother was checking out my car and told me the master cylinder was leaking fluid and i should get it looked at, not completely trusting of my brothers mechanical knowledge, i thought i would get a 2nd opinion. so i priced a new master cylinder from repco approx $600, a seal kit was $40...with this info in hand i booked my car in with $500 in savings, hoping it wasn't the master cylinder, and if it wasnt i would get my new brake pads/discs machined.

So i took it in, the guy looked at it, came back and told me that the master cylinder was fine, so i said sweet go ahead with the brakes then. i believed and trusted his knowledge and experience.

When i took back the 2nd time he quoted me $478 to rekit and bore the master cylinder which seems rather exorbitant to me.

So the thing im annoyed at, is that it was all the money i had saved and now i can't afford to get sumthing i believe is important to get fixed.

So all im asking here is for sum advice, maybe a hand in helping me fix it with the limited tools i own or a reconditioned one i can buy.

Get a secondhand replacement master cylinder from a wrecker for about $40 (i'd say one from a later model Brumby would probably fit fine but get this confirmed).

Or ring around a few brake places and ask for prices for a reconned master cylinder. Those prices you've quoted seem ridiculously high.

AndrewT wrote:Get a secondhand replacement master cylinder from a wrecker for about $40 (i'd say one from a later model Brumby would probably fit fine but get this confirmed).

Or ring around a few brake places and ask for prices for a reconned master cylinder. Those prices you've quoted seem ridiculously high.

hi andrew

yes thats exactly my point!...thats the prices i got told, which is why im asking for help here.

thanks for all the info, i will def ring sum wreckers, that seems like a good place to start and fingers crossed i can find something.


cheers

yeah i would call around and visit a few wreckers, look for one that looks "clean or newish" not very dirty or look old would be way to go.

I would say that the mechanics did something wrong while bleeding the brakes, Im the same boat as you are, that i dont have faith in mechanics as well as i do it myself
Cheers
AP

I've got a couple of second hand L Series master cylinders lying around. If they're potentially any good to you, you can have them for the cost of postage.

Dane.

And if you were in Melbourne i wouldve helped you out!
Cheers
AP

Hi subiegirl put a wanted add in this forum someone in Brisbane will have a spare

Jan

where is the oil coming from the master cylinder? I know the L series has a plastic tank and I'm sure there's a seal at the base of this to get the oil into the master cylinder. Sometimes these can perish or if the tank has been knocked they can become damaged.

Bugger about the mechanic. Learn all you can about your subi and look after it yourself. It really is the best way in my book. Its also a good out from uni and saves you money for more drinking with uni mates (double bonus!)

All the best with it.

Cheers

Bennie