Brake Booster and Master Cylinder

I was working on my 2nd gen rear drum brakes, replacing them when brake fluid starting pouring from the wheel cylinder. After taking my truck to Brakes Plus, they assessed that my brake booster and master cylinder needed replacement. They assessed that brake fluid got into the brake booster and said I should replace them both. That catch was the $1,500 price tag they put on this work.

Is this something I could do on my own or should I leave it to the professionals?

If y’all have any general tips or a good resource for replacing a brake booster and master cylinder (I haven’t really found anything useful yet) please send them my way!

 

You were fiddling with the rear drum breaks, then you somehow damaged the break booster & Master Cyl?
Was it operational before?
Did it show any signs of failure?

I call bullshit.
A totally unrelated item needs replacement that’s a good 8ft away. When it’s working fine. I had a shop tell me something similar, I told them to go have intercourse with themselves.

I would replace the bad wheel cylinder, add more break fluid and re-bleed the system, and continue with whatever job you were doing.
Then assess if your Break Master Cyl and accompanying parts needs replacement.

 

Some brake techs will find moisture inside the vacuum booster and sell a master cylinder.

We fired a tech that was selling a master cylinder every day.

If you ask a barber if you need a hair cut, they'll sell you a hair cut, but this is ridiculous.

2nd opinion.

 

So I replaced both wheel cylinders, but I wasn’t getting any fluid to my rear wheels when I tried to bleed them. Right or wrong, I replaced the master cylinder and brake fluid finally got to the rear brakes when I bled them. The truck seems to drive much better now. I checked the brake booster for fluid and barely found any, the zip tie I stuck down in the booster was barely wet. When in park, the brakes are squishy and make a noise. Could this be air in the brakes that need to be bled, a failed brake booster or something else?

 

I call them paper mechanics. They may sell more than me but it’s dishonest work.

When you did the work you did, chances are good you got air in the abs. You can try cycling it by slamming the brakes on a slippery surface like dirt or gravel. Bleed the brakes, repeat. People claim this works. Or go to a shop with the necessary techstream software to do it.

 

Would this be any shop that does brake bleeds like Brakes Plus or is this more specialty than that?