WTF happened to my brakes?!?!?!

[nyyphan]

Hello all, I have a 1981 Toyota Celica that one day decided it didn't like to stop, so here I sit, crusing the internet for solutions. Here is a brief synopsis of what happened:

I heard a rumbling coming from the rear passengers side that I mistook for road noise, until I realized it was cutting in and out, which I would hope road noise wouldn't do. All of a sudden I went to tap the brakes, and had none. Also, the "road noise that went away," well, when I did hear the rumbling, it seemed as though the car had more power...and when it was "quiet" the car seemed to have an anchor on it.

As soon as I got home, I parked it, and 2 days later noticed a nice puddle of brake fluid under the drivers rear tire, yet haven't torn into it to see what could be the cause.

If anyone has any ideas, suggestions or comments, please let me know so I can get back on the road.

[+Steve]

Are the rear brakes drum brakes?

If yes then it is probably a cylinder gone... when the fluid gets onto the brakes they tend to rumble.

Which also means it drained the fluid from the system and no pressure was getting into the system.

if it is the cylinder then its no biggy..

if it is a disk brakes on the back then I am not too sure.