Hi my name is Chris and i recently purchased a 86 cutlass supreme . There was a recent big snow here and the next day i notcied i have a big leak in my brake line drivers side in the rear . I notice it was leaking but when i went to check the brake fluid it was alright at first , but since then it's leaking worse and even better the brake light is coming on for the first time . I was wondering if this is something that needs immeadiate attention ??? will my rear tire lock up ??? How much am i looking at to fix ??? Are they known for this problem ??? i have more questions than anwser's any advice will be gladly appreciated . Thanks , Chris

 

Thank you for starting a new thread on this subject. You will get far more responses this way.

As I said in my initial post to you (edited):

FIRST - You have a leaky brake line, and your BRAKE light is on.
Have you noticed that this means that your rear brakes aren't working anymore?
Have you considered that the owner's manual of every car ever made says to stop driving immediately if the BRAKE light comes on?
Has it occurred to you that if your rear brake line has rusted through (steel brake lines + snowy environment + 27 years = rust), then the others are probably not far behind?
Brake fluid in brake systems is like smoke in electronic systems - once it gets out, the system stops working.

Second - No, your rear wheel will not lock up. It will turn just fine, including when you step on the brakes.

Third - STOP DRIVING THIS CAR RIGHT NOW BEFORE YOU GET KILLED.

Fourth - Welcome to ClassicOldsmobile.

- Eric

 

As Eric noted, not only won't your brakes lock up, they won't work at all. How much it will cost to repair depends on whether or not you are doing the work yourself or paying a shop, and whether or not the leak is in a hard line or rubber hose. Also, if the leak is caused by a rusty hard line, how much else is rusted to the point of pending damage.

If the rubber hose is leaking, replacement parts are a few dollars. If the metal line is rusted, you'll need to buy a replacement line section and bend it to fit. You will likely also need to cut to length and reflare, which requires a flaring tool. After this you'll need to bleed the air out of the brakes.

The problem is that if there's rust, you rarely can replace just one part. For example, while the line that's rusted may be easy to reach, you may find that the fittings can't be loosened without destroying them, meaning that the mating part also needs to be replaced. Alternately, if the bleeder screws are rusted into the wheel cylinders, they may break off, requiring replacement of an otherwise perfectly working wheel cylinder.

Sorry to be a pessimist, but as with remodeling an old house, you won't know the full extent of the problem until you get into it. Sadly, I'm also skeptical that most shops even know how to do this sort of work anymore.

 

Thanks Eric and Joe for the advice . I try not to drive it at all since i found out about the leak . My pedal almost goes the floor and it scares the hell outta me so i leave her parked . It is a bit rusted at the bottom in places . I'm getting it checked out tomorrow and will post the outcome of it but now i got to find a dependable place to take it to . I have noticed the back brakes weren't working or barely working . I went threw a whole bottle of brake fluid yesterday . geez . This is a pic of the back side thats leaking . It doesn't look rusty but it is lol . Tomorrow i'll post better pics in the daylight . Thanks again guys glad to be apart of your forums . Thanks , Chris