2000 Dodge Durango Brake Fluid

SMARKARIAN

MEMBER
2000 DODGE DURANGO
V8
4WD
AUTOMATIC
120,000 MILES

2 weeks ago the brake pedal suddenly went limp and "Check Brakes" lamps lit up on the Instrument panel. I have filled up the fluid to a a normal level (around half a quart). There were no visible leaks neither on the wheels nor anywhere on the underside or under the hood. The warning lights went off in 2 hours and brakes worked well until yesterday the pedal went limp again (w/o warning lights) and I had to fill up with some half a pint of fluid. There are still no visible leaks nowhere!

Friday, October 16th, 2009 AT 12:27 PM

3 Replies

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
34,331 POSTS

Look for brake fluid on the inside of the rear tires. That would be a sign of a leaking wheel cylinder. If there's no fluid there, suspect a leaking rear seal in the master cylinder. The fluid will go into the power booster and be burned in the engine. Unbolt the master cylinder and look for wetness at the rear of it by the push rod.

Caradiodoc

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Tuesday, October 20th, 2009 AT 2:40 AM

SMARKARIAN

MEMBER
2 POSTS

I have been at the Chrysler service station here in Moscow Russia. A technician there also suspected the master cylinder leak. He has not unbolted it but just disconnected the vacuum hose from the booster to the injector. Inside the booster was absolutely dry. Do you think unbolting the master cylinder may give a better picture? The vacuum hose hole is situated to the left and some 2 inches from the master cylinder so there is a lot of space below it: would a vacuum flow be strong enough to blow all the leaking fluid out of the booster bottom and leave it absolutely dry?

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Tuesday, October 20th, 2009 AT 7:30 AM

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
34,331 POSTS

He was correct to remove the vacuum hose and look inside. If it was dry, either the leak is very small or very intermittent. You might have to wait until it gets worse so you can find it. Intermittent seals in the master cylinder usually don't stay that way for long. They will leak much worse in a few weeks.

The only reason I suggested the master cylinder is because that's about the only place brake fluid can be lost without leaving a puddle. If it's leaking somewhere else, it should be easily visible given the amount of fluid you've added.

The fluid might be collecting in the power booster. In that case, you might have to unbolt the master cylinder and look at the rear of it to see if it's wet. There also might be some wetness running down from that area on the front of the booster.

Caradiodoc

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Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 AT 2:32 AM