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09 Brake Fluid Loss, yet no leak?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Christopher Armes, Aug 14, 2020.

  1. Christopher Armes

    Christopher Armes New Member

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    Hey guys,

    Took my car to get a new (used) ABS actuator installed 2 months ago. Worked fine. Still works fine in terms of braking. A month later my brake fluid reservoir is bone dry. Took it back to the mechanic who installed the ABS. They filled it up and said there are no leaks. 3 weeks later the reservoir is back down to halfway. Any thoughts? I'm not doing any hard braking. No spots under the car when parked. No codes/lights coming up on the Dash/OBD either. Just doing long commutes. Is this an expensive fix? All help/advice appreciated!

    Chris
     
    #1 Christopher Armes, Aug 14, 2020
  2. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    It's time you had a conversation with the owner or manager of the shop about the lack of honesty / quality of their brake work. They failed to fix it correctly and THERE IS A LEAK!!!
     
    #2 PriusCamper, Aug 15, 2020
  3. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    In the Techstream utilities (or active tests) for the brakes, there is an option to "zero down". This releases the pressure in the brake accumulator and the fluid returns to the reservoir.

    If the pads and shoes are relatively new, and the brake system is zeroed down, the fluid level in the reservoir should be at the MAX line. If not, then you should top it to the MAX line, as long as you know the pads and shoes are relatively new and the system is zeroed down.

    The level marks on the reservoir are intended to be read when the system is zeroed down.

    If you check when the system was recently in use and pressurized, the fluid level in the reservoir will be lower.

    So it's important to make sure you are checking under the same circumstances every time, before being sure there is a problem.
     
    #3 ChapmanF, Aug 15, 2020
  4. Moses Bruh

    Moses Bruh Member

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    Check your front brake piston area for any signs of leak, back drums cylinder as well( will require taking off wheels to actaully check, so u can just look at the bottom of the drum for any leaks. Side note:someone said thats using techstream, flushing and rebleeding brake fluid takes like 1 gal?
     
    #4 Moses Bruh, Aug 18, 2020
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