Hi there,
I recently have found that the brake oil at the left rear wheel is leaking (Fiat Multipla 1.9 diesel 2003). the leaking is not too much but every week I need to fill up the oil brake tank. I have checked the pipes up to the rear wheels and they seems to be OK but when I removed the left back wheel realized there is leaking from the area behind the wheel. It seems fixing this problem is quite challenging and I like to try it but before that need to get some information about it.
Anybody can help to give an idea about this problem?
Thnx

without seeing the leak, I would think from your explanation that it is the brake cylinder that is leaking. this is easy to fix with a replacement cylinder and a new length of pipe made up as the old one is likely to have corroded solid sand will not come off in one complete piece.

this applies if you have drums then it is a lot easier than if you have rear discs, as you would need to replace the whole caliper, not to mention more expensive.

I hope this helps

James atthews

Thnx James,
I think your guess about leaking from brake cylinder is correct as I have seen the sign of leaking from the gap behind the drum but to make sure this is correct I need to remove the drum. could you please guide me how to remove the drum?

Don't drive it until its fixed if the leaking seal or hose lets go your looking at loosing 50% minimum of your braking power (split system) then once you pump all the fluid out you will have no brakes.......

Loosing even

Also, check that this hasn't been caused by seized handbrake cables, or you'll be replacing the cylinder again in a week or two.

If a handbrake cable is seized or frozen, it means that the brake shoes can't release from the drum. If you drive any distance like this, the heat from the shoes can soak through to the brake cylinder, cooking the seals inside it and causing the leak.

Thnx guys, I could remove the drum and saw the cylinder is leaking. one of the shoe has also been worn. I'l go to buy the cylinder and shoes but will appreciate if you could highlight the tips for me before I replacement them.

Blimey. That looks pretty manky. I'd give the handbrake auto adjuster (just below the brake cylinder, next to the spring) a good clean with some Gunk and make sure that it's functioning correctly. Have a look at Martys' excellent video of it in this thread:

https://www.fiatforum.com/multipla/318485-not-overly-sure-about-rear-brake-adjusters.html

And as I said before, check that the handbrake cable isn't seized!

not a lot left of the shoes either so i would be changing those

Get a brake pipe made up before you go at it.
It will break.
Contact eBay user willigg2
Tell him u need 470mm end to end kunifer brake pipe with short M10 fittings.

Be about a fiver.
Marty

Thank you guys for your helpful advise.

I could replace the cylinder and shoes. I done following steps:
1- removed the old shoes
2- removed the cylinder
3- cleaned the springs, pins, screws and adjuster
4- replaced the new cylinder fixed it using its two screws
5- fitted the oil pipe to cylinder
6- replaced the new shoes and fitted handbrake wire, springs and adjuster
7- size the shoes to drum by playing with adjuster (I kept the distance between the drum and shoes smooth)
8- replace the drum and the wheel
9- test the the hand brake (the wheel was easily moving when the hand brake was off but when the hand brake was pulled it was solid)
10- filled the brake oil tank and turn the engine on for a rid test. unfortunately the brake was not working and I couldn't stop the car using the main brake (off course I was testing the car in a safe place) but the hand brake was perfectly working.

it seems I have missed something or done something wrong!! anybody can help?

You did bleed the brakes??? If not then there is air in the system.

As Gavlar says, you need to bleed the brakes. Easier done with two people: one to sit in the drivers seat to press the brake pedal when the other person (who's by the brake cylinder, spanner in hand) gives the order. If you haven't done it before:

Push a length of clear plastic tube (the type of stuff they sell in aquarium shops will do, but Halfords also sell it) onto the bleed nipple on the new brake cylinder. Hold the other end of the tube in an empty jar or milk bottle, to catch excess brake fluid. Open the bleed nipple with a suitable spanner, then give the order for your helper to slowly push down the brake pedal. When they say it's at the bottom of its' travel, re-tighten the nipple before they take their foot off the pedal. Repeat this over and over until you can't see any air bubbles going along the tube when the brake pedal is pressed with the nipple open. Finally, make sure the nipple is tightend and not leaking, then take it for a test drive.

Make sure you keep the brake fluid reservoir (under the bonnet) topped up or you'll just end up sucking more air into the system.

If you've done this already/before, then I'm being a patronising git and teaching you to suck eggs......

Thanks guys for the advise. Your points were really helpful.

I could sort out the problem and the key point was bleed the brake which I missed it last time.
to make sure there is no other problem i opened the drum and checked everything again. the cylinder and shoes were OK but I have realized the adjuster spring which locks its gear was not properly placed on the gear so put it back. apart from that everything was fin.
after replace the drum i started bleed test. I did the bleed test 5 times to make sure there is no air in the cylinder. i then did a rid test and the result was wonderful. both hand brake and foot brake were perfect

I'm glad it worked for you. Check that the brake shoes release properly. If the drum is too hot to touch after you've been out for a 5 minute test drive then something's not right. This is often caused by over-adjusting the handbrake cable. In my experience, if the handbrake lever can only be pulled up by 2-3 clicks, then the shoes won't be able to release fully. Allowing more travel (say 6-7 clicks) avoids this. If you haven't found it already, the adjuster is a long white plastic hexagonal nut - unclip the bottom of the handbrake gaiter from the door sill cover and you'll see it. It's easy to turn it with your fingers when the handbrake is off.