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Old 30th July 2021, 14:10   #1
GutsyDogWagon
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Default Brake Fluid leak woes

Hello guys, just to give a little background of my trouble so far.

Recently I took my mother to the supermarket in the ZTT just to give it a run as it sits in the garage most of the week. Unfortunately after a little bit of squeaking and a funky smell in the air I discovered my OSF wheel being uncomfortably hot and smoking... ahh great my front caliper was binding. Went in did our shop to let it cool down and nursed it home gingerly trying to use the brakes as little as possible.

Fast forward a week and I've bought a pair of new front calipers, some DOT4 and a gunson eezibleed. Ok, all fitted and bled easily enough.Took it out for a test drive all feels well. Then when I park it back up I notice a pool of brake fluid on the rear NS wheel... ok so I checked and it looked like its leaking from the brake hose, so I cleaned and tightened the fitting and bled that caliper too just to be extra thorough. Great everything seems fine no more leak... Then as I go to pack up i see ANOTHER pool of brake fluid down by the OSF wheel. Go have a look, and it's not coming from the caliper I've changed so I'm puzzled. It seems to be leaking from the drivers side front area but not from the actual caliper or the brake hose as I suspected. Only thing I can think of is the pressure from the eezibleed has found some weakness in the system? Where do I go from here? the brake fluid is dripping steadily and I've chucked a rag under the car to soak it up for now. Hard to describe but looking underneath; it looks like it's dripping down from the drivers side front near the front subframe/ drivers wheel arch tub area. I've spent far more time under the car than I've intended but I'm not sure what to do from here.

Only thing of note is that after I bled the caliper with the eezibleed for the final time the brake fluid bottle was very full up to the brim, I had to use a syringe to draw it back down to the max level.

Any advice would be appreciated. I do like the car but I've only had it a couple of months and it seems to be off the road much more than it's on and I've spent a fair wedge on cambelts, bodywork and now the brakes.

Last edited by GutsyDogWagon; 30th July 2021 at 14:12..
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Old 30th July 2021, 14:32   #2
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Have you spilt brake fluid into the plenum chamber under the master cylinder? If so, it could drain from the plenum drain which is just where you have seen it drip. You will need to flush the chamber and the drain with a detergent as brake fluid will strip the paint. Don't flood the chamber as the ECU is in there. If you haven't already cut the "duck's bill" off on the rubber plenum drains, I would do so now as it will save problems with blockages from leaves etc.


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Old 30th July 2021, 15:18   #3
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Check the brake pipe where it goes through the wheel arch
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Old 30th July 2021, 17:25   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dave lincs View Post
Check the brake pipe where it goes through the wheel arch
Plus one for this. Mine went recently just above the connection to the flexi




This one had a Waxoyl filled jacket, which may have extended its life, but only to 39K miles.

If that's where your leak is, it's best to replace the front pipe completely, from the ABS unit to the flexible hose. Recommend using Kunifer and DIN flaring kit. Both are cheap and it's an easy job for any DIY mechanic.

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Old 31st July 2021, 06:41   #5
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I got under the car and rodded out the plenum drain, loads of muck came out and cleaned up the chamber with some degreaser. Put some tissue underneath to see it is still leaking albeit very slowly. Can't see it from pipes or calipers. Looking at the brake fluid reservoir however and it seems to be weeping from one of the black rubber seals that connects the plastic reservoir to the master cylinder. Not sure what to do now, change it for a used master cylinder?
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Old 31st July 2021, 08:24   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GutsyDogWagon View Post
I got under the car and rodded out the plenum drain, loads of muck came out and cleaned up the chamber with some degreaser. Put some tissue underneath to see it is still leaking albeit very slowly. Can't see it from pipes or calipers. Looking at the brake fluid reservoir however and it seems to be weeping from one of the black rubber seals that connects the plastic reservoir to the master cylinder. Not sure what to do now, change it for a used master cylinder?

Have you noticed a drop in the fluid level in the reservoir over a few days?


Spilt fluid or oil can take a while to eventually dissipate especially whenin nooks and crannies.
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Old 31st July 2021, 08:55   #7
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Well after last night I popped into the garage this morning, i've dried off the plenum chamber as best as I could. Wiped around the brake reservoir bottle. If you push the bottle down a little it looks as if fluid is seeping at the black rubber joint is (the one closest to the bulkhead) imagine squeezing a wet cloth or sponge, it's not gushing or trickling by any means. I haven't noticed a drop in fluid either. I also laid some paper towels down last night but to my surprise there's no spots of brake fluid but when crawling under the car you can see a drop forming at the end of the plenum drain nozzle.
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Old 31st July 2021, 14:32   #8
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Using the easibleed may have disturbed the seal and it may reseal itself. Keep an eye on it and keep checking the level. New reservoir seals may be available from Rimmers.

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Last edited by roverbarmy; 31st July 2021 at 15:09..
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Old 31st July 2021, 16:52   #9
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Using the easibleed may have disturbed the seal and it may reseal itself. Keep an eye on it and keep checking the level. New reservoir seals may be available from Rimmers.

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I agree, many reservoirs are a simple push fit into grommets in the master cylinder and are not subject to internal pressure in normal use.


When using any form of this type of pressure bleeder many folk make the mistake of not letting the tire down to the advisory pressure which will be 10psi to 20psi depending on the age and type of system, 15psi is the norm.


Using excess pressure can and does pop the reservoir out of the grommets, and can cause damage in some brake systems.


Ideally, where reservoirs are pushed into grommets run a cable tie or luggage strap over the reservoir and under the master cylinder, where possible to prevent it lifting and use the operating pressure at the lower end of the scale, only increasing it if it appears not to be bleeding efficiently.
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