Brake Master Cylinder Leak

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Nov 28, 2015 | 02:21 PM
  #1  
Well it finally happened. The master cylinder/reservoir has started to leak. I think the seal between the reservoir and master cylinder has failed.
My questions are:
Where can I buy the seal/rebuild kit?
How hard is it to fix?
Can I fix it without buying parts? (like with RTV)
Is the car still safe to drive?
Thanks.



BTW: It's an 04 D2 SE that just rolled 100k
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Nov 28, 2015 | 02:23 PM
  #2  
Here's a picture of it.

Brake Master Cylinder Leak-img_0359.jpg  

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Nov 28, 2015 | 03:27 PM
  #3  
I got a rebuild kit on amazon recently. I think it was about 70 dollars. There is a you tube video on how to do it.
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Nov 28, 2015 | 03:30 PM
  #4  
Yep Ebay the kits go for around 70.00 with free shipping on some. Shouldn't be hard to do, just two seals really. It is safe to drive as long as you keep the fluid topped off. DO NOT use RTV to try and stop it from leaking! Just fix it right the first time and be done with it.
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Nov 28, 2015 | 04:31 PM
  #5  
I just saw the rebuild kit on amazon; I will probably get that.
One more question before I buy: Is there some sort of stop leak that I can add to the reservoir? I have had good luck with Blue Devil stop leaks and I am willing to try it again.
Thanks for all the responses.
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Nov 28, 2015 | 04:56 PM
  #6  
There is no stop leak that I know of for brake systems. Even if there was I WOULDN'T use it on a LR with the ABS setup we have. It would probably clog it up and cause all sorts of issues. Place a rag under it to collect the brake fluid vs letting it destroy the paint and keep it topped off until you get the seals replaced.
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Nov 28, 2015 | 07:31 PM
  #7  
I couldn't find any stop leak either so I will order the rebuild kit.
And if there was a stop leak, it would probably trigger the amigos again...
Thanks again everybody.
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Nov 28, 2015 | 10:47 PM
  #8  
you probably don't want to wait on shipping from Australia, but you can order just the grommets( the part that deteriorates and leaks) for $21.80 Australian dollars, which converts to $15.70 US dollars, plus shipping. The Aussie version of our disco 2 are Discovery 4's over there.

Power Brakes for Hydraulic Brake Components
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Nov 29, 2015 | 03:58 PM
  #9  
I just fixed mine with RTV this past weekend. The seal is a gravity seal only (no pressure), so I thought it was worth a try. The seal that leaks is not between the reservoir and the master cylinder but rather is between the small tube coming out of the back of the rear mastercylinder reservoir port and the rubber seal. I just emptied all the brake fluid out of the reservoir first (using a turkey baster - old motorcycle fork oil tool) , then just unbolted the mastercylinder from the booster without disconnecting the brake lines and pulled it up so that the front of the MC was down and the rear is up. You then need to remove the yellow plastic bushing in the back of the MC that the tube is molded in to. There are two small tabs that latch it in to the MC on the front side - I pushed them in to release them - be careful not to break them! Once release you need to carefully pry the bushing rearward - there is some resistance because there is an internal o-ring seal.

Once removed I did remove the reservoir also. I cleaned the rear seal inside and out with brake cleaner and also cleaned the reservoir and the bushing tube external surface. I then put a heavy coat of silicone on the exterior of the tube being careful not to get in to the end of the tube and reassembled it. Let it cure overnight until I put it all back together.

So far so good - I think $70 is ridiculous to replace the seal, but of course they don't sell the seal without the reservoir, but we don't get to make those decisions.
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Nov 29, 2015 | 11:51 PM
  #10  
I actually did exactly what you did today and it has slowed the leak significantly, but it still leaks. I will definitely put in the new seals once the rebuild kit comes in (Amazon said Dec 1).
And I totally agree, $70 is outrageous for essentially 2 tiny pieces of plastic.
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