Brake Problem

[Funhog]

I just saw a black spot by my rear passanger tire. I crawled underneath and looked at my tire and there is black crud all over the inside of my wheel, wheel well, and there is also black liqued on my inner part of the tire. I am guessing its brake fluid. What could be the problem? Also, could this be the reason why my brakes squeek or is it just the brakes telling me I need new brakes? Thanks

:damnit:

 

[silverstripes]

prolly either rear wheel cylinder or axle seal.

 

[Funhog]

anyone else or is that it?

 

[flyinghi3]

i would have to say axle seal. did you happen to remove the rear drum too see what the condition of the back brake looks like. i think by remove the drum you would be able to see where the leak would be comming from a little better

 

[bullitstang1313]

What does the black liquid feel like. If its thick and sticky, then its probably gear oil from the axle seal. If its thin, then its probably brake fluid from the wheel cylinder. Any kind of fluid on the brakes would definetly be a bad thing. This is not necessarily what is causing the squeek though.

 

[Funhog]

Are either of these fixes expensive?

 

[srothfuss]

No.. both of the mentioned failures are pretty common. You can probably find a shop that will do the dirty work for you for around 100 to 150 depending on how much they charge for labor.

Edit: You can check to see if your diff is low and you can look at your brake fluid... That will tell you which one is leaking without taking off the drum.

 

[Funhog]

Turns out that the problem was the axle seal. Thanks guys. Could this be a reason why I am getting a jolt when the car shifts (detailed in another post called "What is it")?