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2K views 5 replies 2 participants last post by  therodman 
#1 ·
The main brake line comes from the front of the car to a block by the left or drivers side rear wheel. Out of that block there is a line that goes to the left rear wheel and another line that runs across to the right rear wheel. Where the main line enters the block there is something that has a rubber cover on it, could that be a plug, an adjusting screw? Anyhow, it has started to leak around one of those fittings, at least that's where I believe it's leaking. Does anyone know if that is just a block or is it some type of regulator?

Is it possible I may have to change the entire block? Of course I know if it's cracked it has to be replaced but if it's some type of regulator a seal may have gone out!

Any comments would be appreciated!!!
 
#3 ·
Thanks, I figured that out later in the day by calling a dealer and he told me what you passed on, a proportioning valve and part#. I went to a couple of garages and they wanted $125 and $175 to install that valve, that's with myself providing the valve. I thought that was a little high so I picked up a valve and last night I sprayed some WD-40 on the fittings hoping that they'll losen up a bit in a day or two.

Any helpful hints on replacing this valve or why the old one has started to drip ever so slowly. I guess there must be some sort of o-ring that may have been damaged or dirt somehow got into the valve. I did tap the old valve when I sparyed the WD-40 on the fittings and it seems like it may have slowed the drip to near nothing. Is that possible the tapping may have helped or am I just wishful thinking?
 
#4 ·
I never did get any responses other than the one from El Dobro so I had to figure it out myself. I went and picked up another valve at a junkyard. The junkyard I called didn't really know what it was so they told me to come out and I could go out and look at all the cadillacs to see if there was one available. Because they told me I could go look I thought I'll give it a try just to see what's out there. Lo and behold, the first one I looked at appeared to have been replaced recently, looked like brand new. I looked at a couple of others that looked used like mine, mostly dirty so I figured that first one was probably pretty new. For 10 bucks I thought I would try it and if it didn't work then I would go purchase a new one for $55. Before I installed it I got curious what could be inside this little thing and it turns out my suspicions were correct. There is nothing in that valve but a little plunger and 2 o-rings with one of them looking like a special type with some grooves on the side. Anyhow, I figured that mine either had that end o-ring go bad which seemed unlikely or more than likely a small piece of dirt became lodged. I guess it would be possible for the o-ring to unseat itself but that would be nearly impossible the way it's constructed. What I did was loosened the vent nut which has the o-ring inside that nut and unscrewed it about 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch which is when brake fluid was just starting to leak out, maybe a drop or two. I then screwed it back in thinking maybe it would reseat the o-ring or allow a small piece of dirt to pass. It's been dry ever since, no more leaking. I'm prretty sure that it was either a piece of dirt or the o-ring became unseated. I still have the new/old valve if needed and when I removed the valve at the junkyard I noticed a pretty good looking upper brake light, the long one that runs across the trunk so I picked that up for another 20 bucks and it works just fine. It was the crooked garages that made me get lucky, the first one said the part was $1,800 plus labor. I told him to call that he had gotten a wrong quote and he said he wouldn't call, that was the quote. I guess he thought I was stupid. The next garage wanted like $125 and another $175 to just install the valve, that was with me providing the part. I should go thank them because for 30 bucks I have my brake problem fixed and I also have a new tail light, in fact I also have a spare proportioning valve. I'm a bit disappointed that I didn't get any advice from this board but then again maybe these parts aren't changed very frequently so there is a limited amount of knowledge!
 
#5 ·
When mine was leaking, I just went out and bought one because was in a real royal PITA place to get at it and because I didn't want to take a chance with it sticking because it was a brake part. It was in a 1993 Allante and I only wanted to do the job once.
That guy that quoted you $1800 must have thought it was the ABS module.
 
#6 ·
The guy that wanted to charge me $1,800 wouldn't cal lthem back when I told him he got something wrong. He inssited it was $1,800. He had just put my car up on a lift and looked at it behind the rear wheel. I tlod him if that part was solid gold it wouldn't weight enough to be worth $1,800 but he insisted that it was $1,800. Like yourself I didn't want to do it twice and if the valve from the junk yard didn't look like a new one I wouldn't have purchased it. The reality is that I never did change it even once, by paying $10 for a used one I learned what was inside and was able to fix mine without removing it. Like I said, I simply unscrewed the vent nut which has the o-ring and moved it a,most 1/2 inch which either reseated the o-ring or allowed a piece of dirt to pass. I just cheked it again and it's as dry as a bone!!
 
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