01' Camry Leaking Break Fluid

[tolive]

01' Camry, 50K miles, never changed break pads since new.
Since last year, I found that about very 2 months, the break warning light will turn on, the break fluid level drops below the lowest limit line, add DOT3 break fluid to Max. line, the warning light turns off, everything works fine, but then about 2 months later, the warning light turns on again, I need to add break fluid again...

Is this a very serious problem that needs immediately repair? what would be the repair cost range?

[marc780]

Sounds like you probably have a slow leak in the brake system - this is rare but not an impossible occurence, in my experience. Usually if you do in fact have a brake fluid leak, it is apparent say within a hundred miles at most ; and fluid drains out much faster than two a month time span.

Any brake fluid leak needs instant atention really. If you are fixing it yourself then on course you must try and find the leak. Jack the car up front end, use jack stands and set the park brake. Have someone apply steady pressure to the brake pedal, or use a stick against the seat if you have no helper available. (No need to run the engine, so i wouldnt). And then crawl under and start tracing the brake lines, hoses and connections and look for a leak.

If you cant see any trace of a leak, (my guess is a loose brake hose connection or leaky master cylinder) then i would take it in to the shop, at most places they would not charge you much for such a diagnosis some places might do it free.

One other possibility is that there is no leak- but you have a sticky brake caliper or some other condition that is causing the brake pads or shoes to wear out very fast. (You have never changed the brakes so unless you are scraping bare metal now this isnt your car's problem.) Because as the shoes and pads wear the fluid level drops slightly - but as a rule not enough to empty the reservoir in only two months!

[tolive]

Thanks Marc! Yeah you're right, I guess it's not the break pad problem, I had the break checked about 1 1/2 years ago, was told I could drive it at least until 60K-70K.
One of my friends told me that the master cylinder might be leaking, I may need to change the master.
For this kind problem, should I send the car to the Toyota dealer, or any shop is OK?

Originally Posted by marc780

Sounds like you probably have a slow leak in the brake system - this is rare but not an impossible occurence, in my experience. Usually if you do in fact have a brake fluid leak, it is apparent say within a hundred miles at most ; and fluid drains out much faster than two a month time span.

Any brake fluid leak needs instant atention really. If you are fixing it yourself then on course you must try and find the leak. Jack the car up front end, use jack stands and set the park brake. Have someone apply steady pressure to the brake pedal, or use a stick against the seat if you have no helper available. (No need to run the engine, so i wouldnt). And then crawl under and start tracing the brake lines, hoses and connections and look for a leak.

If you cant see any trace of a leak, (my guess is a loose brake hose connection or leaky master cylinder) then i would take it in to the shop, at most places they would not charge you much for such a diagnosis some places might do it free.

One other possibility is that there is no leak- but you have a sticky brake caliper or some other condition that is causing the brake pads or shoes to wear out very fast. (You have never changed the brakes so unless you are scraping bare metal now this isnt your car's problem.) Because as the shoes and pads wear the fluid level drops slightly - but as a rule not enough to empty the reservoir in only two months!

[Mike Gerber]

"For this kind problem, should I send the car to the Toyota dealer, or any shop is OK?"

Any shop should be able to do this, if you don't feel comfortable doing this yourself.

Mike

[marc780]

One of my friends told me that the master cylinder might be leaking, I may need to change the master.
For this kind problem, should I send the car to the Toyota dealer, or any shop is OK?

Any shop can probably do it but its not all that hard to change if you have any previous wrenching experience. The only trick part is bleeding the master cylinder but most of them come with instructions on how to do this.