Why do brakes shoes need to be replaced if fluid leaks?

[Neil Bardsley]

Can someone explain to me why drum brakes shoes need to be replaced if brake fluid leaks on them? Can't they just be clean / dried?

Perhaps I'm misunderstand the process and it's the change of cylinder which mean that the brake shoes should be replaced?

[Al Zim]

If all the brake shoes in your car are of the same material they will all engage the brake drum the same. If one set of shoes is different due to oil or brake fluid on the shoe it will cause it to grip at a different rate. Will the opposite shoe pull harder or will the or coast? In any event the car will not stop in a straight line. Is it worth the hundred dollars or so to risk and accident that will undoubtedly cost you more than one hundred dollars? A 10+year old hydraulic brake system needs to be looked at closely as does your front suspension. al zim

[Martin Benade]

Lining material is porous and stray fluids cannot be washed out. I have tried.

[David Aronson]

Just go slower and avoid sudden events requiring brakes. SIMPLE!

[David Jones]

They cannot be washed out but they can be boiled out. Put them in the oven at about 450 for a couple of hours or place them in front of a radiant heat source and watch as the fluids boil out. Enough to make them re useable until you can get new ones. Don't ask me how I know this just know that there was time when I had to save up for spare/replacement parts.

[David Aronson]

David has a great idea.....better do it when she is out of town!

[Ron Delmendo]

Very timely thread as I have a friend who has a leaking (badly) rear axle seal that has soaked the rear shoes on one side. He is not online and does not read 356Talk.

I thought there was an old thread about this where someone had soaked the shoes in kerosene and then lit the shoes on fire. Is this really a viable solution, or should I tell him to buy new shoes?

His first task is to find a shop that can fix the leak. He has already used two well known shops twice each in an attempt to fix the leak.

[Martin Benade]

I think for a while there were problems with stoddard and others seal kit that he probably needs along with the seal itself. And he really does need new shoes. Trans lubricant will never clean out of the linings

[Ron Delmendo]

Thanks Martin! I’ll tell him to have new seal kits and shoes installed.

[Neil Bardsley]

They cannot be washed out but they can be boiled out. Put them in the oven at about 450 for a couple of hours or place them in front of a radiant heat source and watch as the fluids boil out. Enough to make them re useable until you can get new ones. Don't ask me how I know this just know that there was time when I had to save up for spare/replacement parts.

David. The shop is replacing the cylinders and like Zim said it's makes sense for them to replace the shoes too. I was wondering why. I think there are a few thinks we do ourselves differently to shops. For example, when they mentioned that the cylinder had failed my idea would of been to buy a kit and rebuilt them (as my weekend time is free) but the shop's time + kit is more than new cylinder.

[David Jones]

Neil, if you do not have the resources but you have the money it is easier to have a shop rebuild the brakes, especially if they are reputable and stand behind their work or in the case of brakes are willing to stand in front. I prefer to do my own brakes and can rebuild all six wheel brake cylinders for less than the price of one new cylinder and I am fairly sure I will do them right and that I will get them back on the car in the correct positions. Brake shoes are a different matter, I have successfully resurrected shoes that were brake fluid contaminated and had some success with trans oil contaminated though that takes a little more time and heat to dry out. I do not recommend this procedure but it can sometimes be a better solution when down to the wire on a Friday evening than waiting for new parts a week away when the event is on the next day. Now I keep a set of wheel cylinders on the shelf, that is of course 2 front and 1 rear.

[Mike Ruddy]

Which brake cylinders will you be fitting Neil ?

[Neil Bardsley]

The two rear brake cylinders are being replaced. This is a a follow on from the brakes failing on our annual Flat Four drive. As I had replaced all soft hoses, master cylinder so thought it wise to have a trusted shop find the issue. Thankfully, I didn't create a problem but perhaps wasn't quick enough in check what was causing the car to pull right under hard braking. However, I don't have the old cylinders back so can't confirm this yet.