no rear brakes on a 2000

i have a 2000 tacoma 4x4. 4cyl. i have no back brakes at all. its bad on wet pavement. i noticed the lsp valve has a small leak. i let the technicians at the dealership look at it. he said it is the master cylinder. he said it is bypassing the rear brakes and thats why they wont work. i said the lsp valve leaks. he said it doesnt matter, its the master cylinder. does this sound right? before i replace the master cylinder.

 

Why would you doubt a pro? Most of us are amateurs without the special tools and training available to a professional.
Besides, a master cylinder is fairly inexpensive (compared to a LSP valve). It seems reasonable.

 

i dont really doubt them. i just wanted input on it and if it sounded possible. i can do the replacement and much cheaper than LSP valve. Iv never had a master cylinder work the fronts and not the back.

 

I think the tech is correct.

 

Because they arent called stealerships for nothing

 

Why wouldn't that be a possibility? Back in the day you had single cylinder masters, 1 for all 4, and only a proportioning valve to adjust bias. If you sprung a leak or other problem in the system, no brakes. They were nicknamed suicide cylinders. I have 1 now in my '58 willys. I also have to pump the brakes 4 or 5 times to get pressure before setting out otherwise, no brakes. But it's only used to plow my driveway, so no real concerns. Although I have had to drop my plow once or twice to act as an anchor because I forgot to pump

Anyway, with the advent of the 2 cylinder master you have... 2. 1 for front and 1 for back. The idea being if there is a failure on 1 side, odds are it won't be on the other at the same time so you'll always have some braking. Assuming you have an issue with the rear system, you still have front brakes, which is better than nothing. The only real 'joined' section of the cylinder is the master reservoir, the rest should be separate between the axles.