Yesterday while doing a inspection of my xj I noticed wet spots on my passenger rear brake drum. Any advice on what it can be?



Also noticed my diff has some fluid on it also pinion seal maybe?

 

Based the pics, I'd say you've got the normal small leak on the fill plug of the diff since it's just a press in plug and probably a wheel cylinder that's leaking on the passenger side. But before anything is definitive, you need to clean all the mud off. You're never gonna truly know where it's coming from until you do that. Once it's all cleaned up and pretty, check to see where it's really coming from and what kind of fluid it is. If it's gear oil from the diff it's gonna smell terrible, have a "heavier" or thicker feel to it, and will be a dark gray if it's been awhile since you changed it out. Brake fluid will probably be brown if you've never flushed the brake system and will have a thinner feel.

 

Might be easier to tell if you washed all the dried up mud off... If you like having floors it would help too.

 

I did wash it. First thing I did after finding the wet spots. I always wash the undercarriage every other week and inspect everything before and after. Driving my dodge today. Got the xj at home in the garage till I get the time after school to work on it.

 

Get pics of it clean then. We might be able to help you identify the leak(s) better.

 

Greetings. Acouple of things to check. Take the top off of the master cyclinder. The smaller reservoir (furthest from the firewall) should have the brake fluid level close to the top, assuming that where it was the last time you checked it. Becasue it has drum rear brakes, the fluid level should not go down even as the brakes wear, which is unlike the front discs. Also, take the wheel and brake drum off on that side and do a visual inspection. If the brakes are leaking, it would occur around the wheel cyclinder. Hope this helps. 3JeepGuy

 

I'll be sure to get a picture when I get home.

 

Sounds like plan. It's just near impossible to try to help determine where a leak is coming from when all we have are pics of a muddy axle and drum brake.

 

Reason I washed it. But it was dark by the time I got it in the garage so I called it a night.

 

Thanks. Be sure to check all these things. While I'm at it is there away way to adjust e brake? It doesn't work that well.

 

Here's pictures with the mud washed off.

 

Pretty sure my brake cylinder is leaking.

 

yep replace both.

 

Just replace. Don't even bother trying to rebuild? There's only 188,000 miles on them. A lil bit of towing though. Both as in passenger and drivers cylinders.

 

To be honest brake cylinders are 20 bucks a pop. Id just replace them and not even bother with trying to rebuild it.