Brakes and fluid (pi****g every where)

[Sam20v]

Has anyone had to overhaul their brakes? Dont know whether to get a new caliper or seal replacement kit........
I start at the begining

walked to car the other day and noticed stains on my tyres...first thought bl**dy tom cat peed up my wheel........
yesturday, warning light on dash - - - Brake fluid level.....checked when i got home, below the minimum........got a torch, walked round car and rear offside alloy is covered in dust and cr*p.
WOW i diagnosed where the problem was.......topped up fluid level and when boyf was round got him to press brake.............fluid pouring out of caliper straight onto wheel.... Looks like it is coming from behind caliper.....poss piston area

Have two Qs
Have cleaned off wheels............but will it damage them in the long term?
and
Has anyone dealt with this prob before......dont want to take it to the stealer really......well actually cant really take it anywhere

Isnt it ironic that the warning light comes on indicating you to STOP.erm......how with no brakes!!!

 

[edc]

Brake fluid is pretty corrosive. Wash if off your wheels and paint asap. Wax the wheel for a bit of added protection.

 

[Kam]

May be an idea to steam clean the wheel!
You may need a new set of rear brake pads as well if the brake fluid has contaminated them.

 

[andy_tech]

I had to replace the caliper seals on my previous 12 year old Nissan Bluebird. Was not too bad to do. Due to the age I could not justify a new caliper. The only problems I had were a small area of corrosion on the piston which sanded off (should not be a problem on a 99 car) and took ages to bleed the brake system to remove the all the air afterwards.
Not sure how the rear calipers on the Toledo come apart since they screw in due to the handbrake attachment.
Replacement seals should be OK rather than a new caliper (would not recommend second hand caliper as condition is unknown). Make sure the caliper bore and piston are thorougly cleaned (isopropyl alcohol is good for this) and dirt does not get in when fitting the seals, it is important to correctly seat the seals so they are not damaged (grease for the seals should be supplied with the seal kit).

 

[Sam20v]

cheers for your reply andy............

The caliper was taken off last night....the leak was coming from where the tube (which has a metal flat joint) meets the caliper (another flat metal plate with a hole, guess where the fluid goes in) there was corrosion between the two flat metal parts. Curiously no gasket or obvious sealing mechanism.

will sand corrosion away and refit.....

Cleaned wheels. dont look damaged.....i think the rubber of the wheel is permanently stained tho.......still looks like a Tom cat has wee'd on it!

 

[ToledoSteve]

Just a note...on this subject (moderators, you may feel this deserves a more prominent place) I read in Car Mechanics (UK) recently that there has been a lot of this corrosion problem on VAG products recently (age related?) due to VAG using alluminium washers between flexy hoses and calipers. The answer is to replace them with copper washers as soon as they start to leak, or sooner for safety,s sake. Aluminium is fine until it starts to corrode, then it turns into a white honeycombed dust. Not good for keeping in the fluid.