Brake Fluid Leak?

While bleeding my brakes after changing my front brake pads, I noticed this moisture on my right rear wheel area. Any idea what this might be leaking from?
Even after installing new pads and bleeding the brakes, the pedal is a bit mushy. My brake fluid is very dark and I'll replace that soon. Hopefully that will fix the mushy brakes, if not, could it be caused by this leak?

 

It may be the wheel cylinder.
Pull the drum and take a look.

The only 2 possibilities are differential fluid or brake fluid.
The axle seal doesn’t usually cause moisture on the outside of backing plate.
It usually leaks inside the drum and then gets slung all over the wheel well.

 

This doesn't look good. Any idea what's going on here?

 

wheel cylinder is gone?

 

It’s either brake fluid of differential fluid.
The smell would give it away. Differential fluid stinks.

Look around the rubber boots on the wheel cylinder really good.
You may even need to clean that up some to find the source.

 

yep...need to pull those boots back and take a look...i cant see it up close but that may be an axle seal

 

I can easily rotate the boot on the left, the right one seems solid. My sniffer doesn't work very well but it doesn't stink.

 

Pinch the boot and see if its inside of it..

 

See if what's inside? The liquid?

 

I think you found the source of the mushy brakes and the leak.

No stink indicates wheel cylinder leaking.

 

Don't be afraid. Grab that wheel cylinder boot and squeeze it, see if brake fluid comes out. If not that then it needs axle seals

 

Those boots pop off.
But like the others said, squeezing them usually usually does the trick.

 

So, just replace that cylinder then flush brake fluid?

 

The brake fluid is between two pistons and they get pressed out when the brakes are applied. Each piston has a rubber seal to prevent leaking past the piston. The end is covered with a rubber boot (the part you can see). If one of the piston seals is leaking the results would be what you have there. If there is fluid behind the rubber boot the wheel cylinder needs to be rebuilt or replaced.

 

Nothing comes out when I squeeze the boots. I looked inside the boot and didn't see any liquid.

 

Squishy brakes could be caused by shoes that are out of adjustment. You'll be dealing with all that anyway when you do the axle seals

 

If both boots are dry then you need an axle seal.

 

Pretty much.
I don’t like working in a mess, so I cap the brake like with a vacuum cap to keep the fluid from running out the line when swapping the cylinder.

I gravity bled my cylinder. Then did the old tried and true - pump, hold, crack bleeder process.

 

Tell me about it.
That’s the reason my brake system got flushed.
The truck kind of forced me into it when replacing the axle seal.

 

Advics is the OEM suppliers for the 2nd Gen trucks.
You would probably be fine with an aftermarket cylinder.
I hate drum brakes, every thing about them.

I’d buy the best one the parts store had one had.
Dorman is NOT the best one in my opinion. Raybestos would be my pick if OEM (Advics) can not be found.