Brake fluid leak, rear caliper area

[frankg]

My 1990 Reatta convertible has developed a leak in the area of the drivers side rear caliper. The last time I drove it about two weeks ago, the yellow brake warning light flashed on a couple of times but didn't stay on. After the car was parked in the shop for a week or so, I noticed a small puddle of brake fluid by the drivers side rear tire. After removing the tire, it's obvious there is a leak either in the caliper or where the rubber hose connects to the caliper. Maybe there's another area that could leak that I'm not aware of. I ordered a service manual last night and it should arrive middle of next week. I do have the service manual for my 1991 Reatta Coupe which does not have the Teves brake system so I'm not sure that the caliper diagram in that manual is the same as the Teves system. I just checked Rock Auto for calipers and find none available. They do have service kits for both front and rear calipers. Any other source for new calipers? Are the service kits a good option? Does it take any special tools to install them? I also intend to install all new hoses, front & rear, as well as new pads. All rotors are smooth as glass. Any help from members of this incredible Reatta knowledge forum will be greatly appreciated.

[Ronnie]

Welcome the forum!

 

What you need to do is jack the car up and remove the wheel so you can do a visual inspection to see where the fluid is coming from. Could be a seal in the caliper leaking or a bad rubber hose going to it. If it's the rubber hose leaking I wouldn't drive the car until its's replaced. The bleeder screw could be leaking but it's not likely unless someone has been working on the brakes.

 

If you aren't familiar, this photo will show you what you will be looking at when you get the wheel off.

 

 

 

[frankg]

Ronnie, thanks for the welcome and the information, including the photo with the parts identification on it. Very helpful. I got the wheel off and the hose is not leaking but it's probably 32 years old so I plan to replace both of the hoses going to the rear calipers and the short rubber hose that goes to the crossover line. What do you think of the ACDELCO service or rebuild kits for the calipers? I couldn't see any external leaking when I applied the brakes but got a seep coming out of the bottom of the caliper after I turned the engine off.

[2seater]

If you do a repair on the caliper or install new pads, be aware the piston screws in to retract rather than being pressed in. The parking brake lever on the caliper operates a screw to press the pad against the disc

[frankg]

That is something I was not aware of, and at this point I'm not sure I understand the process completely. I'm going to wait until my service manual arrives before I attempt any repairs. Thanks 2 seater for bringing this to my attention.

[DAVES89]

I went to Rock Auto and they have rebuild rear units. I would be okay with one of those. Also hoses are there and are very inexpensive. I swapped all of mine out, but have yet to replace a caliper. 

[frankg]

Daves89, thanks for the info, I did not see the rebuilt calipers on their website, I'll check again in a few minutes and will order if available. I agree about the hoses, I was thinking they would be more expensive.

[frankg]

I did find the rear rebuilt caliper on Rock Auto and also on ebay and Advance Auto. I only see one part number for rear calipers, so I'm thinking left & right side are the same. Is that a good assumption?

[2seater]

32 minutes ago, frankg said:

I did find the rear rebuilt caliper on Rock Auto and also on ebay and Advance Auto. I only see one part number for rear calipers, so I'm thinking left & right side are the same. Is that a good assumption?

Yes, same caliper, one is ahead of the wheel, the other is to the rear.

[frankg]

Thanks 2 Seater. Hopefully my service manual will arrive soon so I can get on with this repair.

[frankg]

Well as it turns out Rock Auto and all the other vendors I checked list the rear caliper, but when you click on buying it you get the message "Out of Stock or Part unavailable" so I figure my only course of action is to rebuild what I have. I've successfully disassembled the caliper except for the bolt that activates the emergency brake. My shop manual shows a seal at that point, but I would welcome advice on how to remove the bolt from the caliper and then the seal if required. The piston and bore look good so I'm pretty sure a rebuild kit will fix the problem. Thanks, Frank

[DAVES89]

If you go to 16" wheels you could do a Cadillac Eldorado [1996] conversion on the rears. I did it on the Red years ago. Takes care of the "brake rattle" that is fairly common on our cars. Pretty much a bolt on swap. Tricky part is the e brake. That hooks up differently. 

Don't remember how I did it and the extra calipers I bought for another on of my Reattas I sold. You might want to start with a salvage yard and tell them you need everything calipers, caliper brackets, and the e brake hook up by cutting the cable about 3"to 1'. That will give you pretty much everything you need. 

 Rock Auto was having a close out of a brand and I and another guy bought 2 sets each [loaded] for like $25.00. Then I went out to the yard and bought the e brake cable ends.