hi -
im new and pretty ignorant about mechanics, but i’m giving it a go by trying to repair an '89 ranger. relatively minor things mostly.
my first question: if i disconnect the parking brake line, should i experience a brake fluid leak when i use the brake (or any of the brakes on the truck, for that matter)?
i had the line disconnected to work on the rear suspension (shackle brackets/leaf springs) and then had to move the truck. i started it - accidentally depressing/releasing the parking brake - and moved the truck (obviously using the front/rear brakes as well). when i went to do more work the next day, there was a puddle underneath my gas tank. its not gas, and im pretty sure its brake fluid. does this seem consistent with anything ive done? or do i just have a new leak in a brake line?
thanks
e
edit: fter looking more closely, it looks like i have a leak in the brake line (caused by something separate from my disconnecting the parking brake). unfortunately, its right in an inaccessible place - somewhere between the front of the gas tank and the middle of the tank where the line surfaces again. i’ll go to the library, but does anyone have a brake line diagram? i’m wondering if theres a joint in the area i cant see that has sprung a leak, or whether i should disconnect the line at the closest visable joints.
ASAIK, no parking brake system uses the hydraulic system. That negates the purpose of providing some emergency stopping power in case of brake failure while driving. All such parking brake systems rely on a cable, not hydraulics. If you removed a hydraulic brake line it was not part of the e-brake system.