BAD Brake problems

Hi. I had severe brake fluid loss at the rear driver's side wheel, (I assume there was a bad caliper seal), & was refilling the reservoir 2-3 times a day 'til I had time/money to resolve the issue properly.
Like a dumb-ass, I grabbed a gollon sized jug of power steering fluid off of the shelf at auto zone as it's right next to the brake fluid I'd previously bought (& in an identical looking jug). I was in a hurry & simply didn't look at the label. Anyway, needless to say, I had brake FAILURE and had an accident. So, besides needing some front end body parts, I want to replace the brake system as well. A local area guy is parting out a '97 Ram 1500 on Craigslist, & I wonder if that brake system is the same as the one on my '99 Ram 2500. And, if not, which parts of the system are the same or different from mine?[email protected]

Your brake system is better.

I would just replace the seals that were leaking and flush the system with clean brake fluid then refill and bleed

No the 1500 parts will not work on your truck. Every component that contains rubber in the brake system should be replaced. Master cyl. Abs unit, brake hoses, front calipers, rear wheel cylinders and all steel lines flushed out.

So am I understanding that the 99 2500 has rear disc brakes.??

goodtodoo said:

So am I understanding that the 99 2500 has rear disc brakes.??

Click to expand...

No Drum in the rear
A relatively cheap repair just turned into a big dollar repair to do it right.
I understand money is tight sometimes but stuff like this ****** me off.
He could have easily killed someone.

Ok cause he says rear caliper seal.

You can flush the system completely with brake fluid for now. But Yoda is right on this one, you very likely just set yourself up for another costly and possibly deadly accident.

Petroleum very quickly destroys the rubber in brake systems as the rubber was designed to be used with alcohol based fluids. When exposed to any oil based fluid brake system rubber begins to absorb and swell followed by cracking and complete failure not long after.

How long will it take? Depends on how long it was in contact with the power steering fluid. It might last for a day, it might last for years, its impossible to tell. When it fails it might do so gracefully and just soften the pedal until it takes forever to stop, or it might fail catastrophically and you might lose all braking power in seconds.

There is a reason any reputable and licensed shop will refuse to simply flush any brake system that has had anything but water or brake fluid in it. In Michigan any licensed repair facility can lose it license and face huge fines if it does. The only repair that can be performed by a licensed shop is a complete replacement of all seals in the brake system.

Even if you do flush it, you will never get all the PS fluid out, its oil based and will 'wet' the metal and rubber lines, and stick around. Where I work if such a thing happens, we have to flush the system with a specifically designed brake flush fluid, then replace all rubber components and sensors, then fill, flush then bleed the brakes.

To be honest, the OP was careless. I understand that people make mistakes, and its one thing to forget to tighten a drain plug or put the wrong type of oil in the engine. But when it comes to life saving devices such as brakes, there cannot be any room for error or lack of attention. As is evident by OPs accident that could have killed him or someone else.

I've never grabbed the wrong fluid and dumped it in, that is just plain asinine