The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline Is it normal to need to add brake fluid?

I drove the 54 yesterday on errands and the brakes did not seem to be working correctly. I had to pump them to get a good feel that it was stopping correctly. I tend not to drive too close and also in the habit of pumping them to slow down. I had serious issues during the first part of this year so I had the brake system completely flushed twice at the same time. It seemed to clear the issue. I did drive about 300 miles in September with no issues but it was mostly traffic-free interstate travel BTW it has power brakes and an auxiliary fill point on the firewall. So I checked it and the fluid level was way down, still visible but it took about 2 fingers worth. I have not driven it sense.

You've got a leak somewhere. Cracked line, leaky wheel cylinder etc.

There are two reasons for the fluid level to go down, a leak, or the shoes/pads are wearing down and the fluid has to fill the cylinder/piston area.

Also... those brakes do not self-adjust. If no leaks and the shoes are OK, try adjusting until you barely hear a slight drag.

. ALL. The not adjusting is a thought I had also. The front suspension is from a 1979 AMC Pacer and the rear is a 1979 Nova. Thanks again. Btw I had never noticed a leak and it is parked in a garage.

If it went down 2 fingers in 300 miles, you have a non-trivial leak.

If you are losing fluid and see no leaks, there is a possibility that it is being sucked into the engine if you have power brakes. My guess is that the rear shoes are soaking it up.

No, the 300 hundred was a reference to a significant trip that did take not the totality of my driving since I last checked the brake fluid. From now on I will check it more often.

Pacer front end. Disk brakes up front? if so, as front pads wear down, fluid level will go down.

On my truck, two fingers is the entire life of the pads.

Ron: We went through this whole bit last time. If you want reassured that there is nothing wrong with your brakes, you are in the wrong place. We want your truck to be safe and for you not to die in a crash.

If you have to pump the brakes up, they have air in them. If you have gotten them bled and flushed multiple times with no change in that behavior, you have a leak that is letting air in.

If you are still losing fluid on the scale of it being measurable in 4 months (the last time you told us you had the system flushed and bled was 6/20), your leak is non-trivial. It could very well only leak under pressure and that is why you don't see it on the floor, but you are leaking.

Please Ron, get this fixed correctly before someone gets hurt.

Edit: Previous Discussion

A leak will probably run down the inside of the frame.
Run your finger down on both sides.
If you have to pump them ,then there is air. Look at this video.
You are close.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fphcB-wB4-Q&t=109s

I don't have to pump them I do it as a habit. Even the other day it was stopping but it went to a hard pedal then I pumped and they stopped ok.

Just becareful. Thats the sign the brakes may just fail on you. I just read this....
" I had to pump them to get a good feel that it was stopping correctly.
Brake pressure and fluid level should not fluctuate. Remember you have the parking brake as a backup.

Ron, you should never have to pump your brakes and if by chance its "a habit" , as a friend I suggest you kick the habit. You should never have to pump your brakes or add brake fluid under normal circumstances. Having to pump your brakes is usually an indicator of air in the system. Having to add fluid means there is a leak.

As I am sitting here thinking about things, like a walk in the park and a kiss in the dark, no not that. On all my trips to KC thinking back, as a matter of habit, I would check all the fluids including the brake fluid. The pumping of the brakes is because I don't wait until the last second to apply them. I do it to slow down prior to stopping not like the idiots I have to deal with who wait until the last second before they slow down thinking that the light will turn to green to accommodate their privileged existence. As some one suggested, not having self-adjusting brakes is the reason for the need for fluid periodically.

If you have a more modern front suspension and rear end, those brakes are Bendix brakes rather than Huck and should be self adjusting. You’ve got a leak somewhere if you are adding fluid or a bad master cylinder, and or air in the lines if it is necessary to pump.

Depends on how modern the front brakes are. Self adjusting brakes were added by GM in 1963. I had a 72 K10 pickup that had self adjusting brakes.

His car has AMC Pacer front end and Chevy Nova rear end. His brakes should self adjust but you never know what people have done to a vehicle when they "customize" it.

Otto, I don't know or remember. It was done back in 2012. I sometimes have a hard time remembering what I did yesterday.