Brake wheel cylinder replacement cost ranges from $159 and $198.
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Your vehicle's brake wheel cylinder is one of the most important components of your braking system. It is responsible for pressing on the brake shoe, causing your vehicle to stop slowly.
Without a properly working brake wheel cylinder, you won't be able to stop your vehicle when you need it. Thus, you risk your life and other people's life around you on the road.
Over time of use, your vehicle brake wheel cylinder can experience some tear and wear, resulting in internal damages and failing.
It is very important to keep an eye for any major symptoms of a but brake wheel cylinder and understand how much it will cost you to replace it.
This article provides you with all details you need to know about when is the right time to replace your vehicle's wheel cylinders and how much it will cost you. We will also provide you with a step by step guidance on how to replace your own vehicle brake wheel cylinder.
What is the brake wheel cylinder, and what does it do?
Your vehicle's brake wheel cylinder is located inside the brake drum. It is responsible for pushing on the brake shoes against the brake drum to make your vehicle slow down and then stop using friction.
Over time of use, the brake wheel cylinder might wear out, causing some brake fluid leaks, which reduces your braking effectiveness significantly.
Problems with the brake wheel cylinder should not be ignored. You must have your vehicle inspected and repaired by a professional mechanic immediately before causing significant damage to your entire braking system.
How much does it cost to replace a brake wheel cylinder?
Brake wheel cylinder replacement cost ranges from $159 and $198. This price can be broken down into parts and labor costs as follows:
- Labor costs range from $108 and $136
- Parts cost ranges from $51 to $62
As you've noticed, the part itself is not very expensive but, labor costs are the major contributor to the overall brake wheel cylinder replacement costs.
If you would like to save on replacing your vehicle's brake wheel cylinder, it is recommended that you find a repair shop that is less expensive than any dealership unless you have a warranty that covers brake wheel replacement.
Keep in mind when choosing the repair shop to look for an experienced mechanic. You don't want to have a simple mechanic test and play around with your vehicle, introducing some major damages to your entire braking system.
Thus, keep a balance between how much you would like to save on repair costs versus how much you trust the mechanic to fix your problem.
Many luxury vehicle drivers prefer to go to their same brand dealership to get the problem resolved instead of having any general mechanically around with your vehicle, which makes sense.
What happens when a wheel cylinder goes bad? Symptoms of a bad brake wheel cylinder
The nice thing about automobile components is that they will tell you that they're going back before they even do.
Thus, it is recommended to keep an eye for symptoms of a bad brake wheel cylinder which could include one of the followings:
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Your brake pedal will look mushy
The 1st and most obvious sign of a bad brake wheel cylinder is a mushy pedal. Since the cylinder cannot provide the necessary pressure to compromise and extend the piston, you will feel that the pedal is weirdly soft.
This is exactly what happens when you press on a pedal, and then it keeps sinking slowly.
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Your braking system will not respond properly
Since your brake wheel cylinder's primary job is to provide the necessary pressure to press on the brake shoe, causing your vehicle to stop, another symptom you might notice is that your vehicles' braking system is not responding.
When dealing with safety issues related to stopping your vehicle when necessary, it is never recommended to keep driving this car with a bad brake wheel cylinder.
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You will see some fluid leaks under your braking system
If your brake wheel cylinder's main problem has to do with broken or damaged seals, you will immediately notice some fluid leaks under your braking system. If you don't see a puddle of fluid leaking under the vehicle, you might start noticing some small film around the inside of your vehicle's baking plate.
Unfortunately, if you have noticed that leaks are getting severe and you can obviously see them under the vehicle, you might not even be able to drive this car. You have to stop it and have it towed to a professional mechanic immediately. Otherwise, you put yourself and the people around you at a huge risk.
Should you replace both wheel cylinders at the same time?
The short answer is you don't have to. However, if one of your wheel cylinders goes bad on one side, there is a high chance that the other one is going bad as well.
Thus, it was recommended that once you finish replacing the wheel cylinder at one side to inspect the other side and see if it's worth replacing it.
This way, you save yourself time and efforts bringing her vehicle for a second trip to the mechanic soon.
When must a wheel cylinder be replaced? How long do wheel cylinders last?
Automotive experts suggest replacing your wheel cylinder whenever you notice any signs of a bad wheel cylinder. For instance, if you've noticed any signs of braking fluid leaks, it is recommended to replace your wheel cylinder immediately.
Wheel cylinders should last between five and six years. They are usually made of sturdy material that less for this good time. However, if you notice any of the mentioned signs of a bad wheel cylinder, you don't need to wait for this long, and you must get it replaced immediately.
Depending on your driving style and the environment you were driving in, you might need to change the cylinder more frequently than others.
How many wheel cylinders do a car have?
In general, the majority of model vehicles have two master cylinders. These message cylinders are not used simultaneously; one is just considered a spare in case the other one goes bad.
How to replace a brake wheel cylinder?
If you decided to save on labor costs, you can go ahead and replace your own vehicle's brake wheel cylinders. However, you need to make sure that you know how the process is done before attempting to do any repairs.
Keep in mind that automotive experts mentioned that most DIYs don't work the first time. Thus, do not attempt to replace your own vehicle brake wheel cylinder unless you are ready. Otherwise, you might introduce some major damages to your entire braking system.
Here's how you can replace a brake wheel cylinder in an automobile:
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Prepare all necessary toolsets and get your vehicle ready
The first step in replacing your vehicle's brake wheel cylinder is to get all the necessary tools and have your vehicle ready.
Since you will be performing a job under the car, you need to have the vehicle raised properly to a level where you can reach things. It is very important to follow the proper instructions for how to Jack your vehicle safely without causing any risks to yourself.
Select an area where there are not many people around you and where you can work comfortably without any interruptions and without causing any risks to the surrounding people. A great location would be your private driveway or backyard.
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Locate your vehicles brake wheel cylinder
Refer to your vehicle's owner's manual to determine where exactly your brake wheel cylinder is located. You can download a copy of your owner's manual from the Internet or buy a hard copy from your local professional mechanic or repair shop.
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Remove your old brake wheel cylinder
Once you locate the brake wheel cylinders, it is time now to remove your brake shoe and then take out the old brake wheel cylinder.
It is recommended that you use a line wrench to remove the old cylinder to damage the entire area.
Immediately after taking the brake liner, you will notice that a lot of brake fluid will start dripping. Thus, make sure to use a vacuum cap to collect all brake fluid from the cylinder itself, so you don't lose it.
You need to use a socket or arrange to remove the old mounting of the wheel cylinder bolts from your toolset. Depending on the type of cylinder you are using, you might not find bolts. Instead, you will find a snap ring.
Once you detach the old master cylinder, grab it out of the compartment and move it aside.
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Install the new brake wheel cylinder
Before you install the new cylinder, it is recommended that you compared it to the old one or referred to your vehicle's owner's manual to make sure that you're installing the right one.
Now, you can install the new wheel cylinder by inserting it inside the braking in it. After that, you need to use a ratchet or arrange to ensure that the new wheel cylinder is tightened well enough without over-tightening it.
Once the new cylinder mounting is tightened, you can tighten the brake line using a line wrench.
Finally, tighten any nuts and logs before cleaning up all components around the installed new cylinder.
It is recommended that he use a new brake fluid sealed container to add any lost brake fluid drink to installing the new wheel cylinder.
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Test the new wheel cylinder
Once everything is installed properly, it is time to start your engine and have one of your friend's press on the braking system slowly before releasing it.
Have your friend repeat the process and pressed on the pedal multiple times to ensure that you don't have any remaining bubbles inside the brake fluid.
If any problem with the braking system should not occur and you should be good to go!
The bottom line
Your vehicle's brake wheel cylinder is a crucial component of the braking system. Without this cylinder working properly, you will not have control over stopping your vehicle at the right time. Thus, you put yourself and the people around you at a lot of risks.
It is very important to keep an eye on any bad wheel cylinder signs and replace it when necessary.
Replacing your wheel cylinder Should range from $159 to $198.
If you would like to save on labor costs, you might need to learn how to replace your wheel cylinder, which we've explained in a step-by-step process in this article.
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Our process is very simple and involves only three steps:
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