no brakes

[president310]

my brake light on my 97 caravan came on this morning. i looked underneath the van and sawa puddle of brake fluid under-neath. the peddle goes right to the floor. only the emergency brake works. ..would anyone have any idea what this might be???
p.s canadian tire told me the whoole braling system front to back needs to be replaced............ :help:

[mcmotors]

You need to know precisely where the brake fluid is leaking from, a puddle under the car won't do. Brake Master Cylinder ? Refill your brake fluid reservoir, have someone pump the brake pedal, Refill the fluid again. then while someone is pumping the brakes look with a flash light where the fluis is coming from. That will be the part you need to replace, to get it back to where it was before the brakes went out.

[96Grand]

Well, it would depend on where the leak is as to what needs replaced. If the leak is in the front of the van, it could be a caliper, line or one of the hoses, these are relatively cheap to repair.

The expensive more rare failed parts are:

Master Cylinder = $200.00 + labor
Hydraulic Unit = $1,500.00 + labor


These are the typical brake system components that fail.

Caliper = $95.00 + labor
Front Flex Hoses = $26.00 + labor
Rear Hoses = $34.00 + labor
Wheel Cylinder = $40.00 + labor

If the leak is at the rear of the van, it could be a rear line/hose or wheel cylinder. Look to see if it's wet behind the rear wheel, if it's wet and leaves a puddle near a wheel, it's most likely to be a wheel cylinder, line or hose. The wheel cylinders are one of the most unknown & most likely to be the culprit. No-one, even the repair shops pays attention to them, this is why they blow out on you when you are driving.

Most brake shops will replace the damaged part and have the fluid & bleeding included in the cost.

I wouldn't go to a tire shop, if you do not plan on doing the work yourself, you should get the vehicle to a brake specialist. They would be the most educated on the braking system on your van. If you know a "good" & "cheap" local mechanic in your area, you may want to get his opinion.

[acton mike]

i have bad vibes about this one - I suspect a rusted out steel brake line. If one is rusted they probably all are ready to go

you can re-plumb the lines yourself - tedious but do-able

if you have ABS, proper bleeding of the ABS system is most important

if you are at all uncomfortable in undertaking the job, get it done at a shop