Drum brake wheel cylinder question

[VOLZ1207]

I have a wheel cylinder leaking that i will be replacing. My question is will i be able to reuse my brake pads after i clean them up? They were soaked in brake fluid when i took the drum off. Any suggestions? Thanks

[fattyarbuckle]

I have heard that brake fluid won't hurt the pads but i'm not sure I'd trust them.

The ONLY right thing to do is replace them They are not expensive (relatively) and even cheapo shoes will be better than oil soaked ones you have IMO

[cparman]

Replace the shoes. You will think you have them cleaned up, but the brake fluid will absorb into the shoes, and can cause the brakes to grab when applied, no matter how good the shoes look.

[lolife99]

x3
Replace the shoes.
If you are replacing a rear wheel cylinder, learn something from a mistake I made.

I had one wheel cylinder fail.
So I replaced the drum brake shoes on both sides, since they come in pairs.
Put everything back together.
Back on the road, right?
Not exactly.

With the replaced wheel cylinder now holding brake pressure,... it forced the opposite wheel cylinder to fail next.
(soaking my "newly installed" brake shoes with brake fluid)
Back to the auto parts store for more brake shoes.

So now when I replace wheel cylinders,... I do both sides.

[VOLZ1207]

Alright will do. Thanks for the info and advise. Take care

[Shane]

lolife gave the best advice ... replace both cylinders (they're cheap) and brake shoes ...