Thread: Oh no...my disco looks like it just leaked a fair bit of brake fluid!

I has a similar problem after moving resevoir whilst fiddling under the bonnet. A quick but not perminant fixe is by placing a large ziptie around whole unit to pull it back down and secure it. Worked a charm. obviously if it keeps leaking you mat have to consider repair or replace.

just some info on brake fluid. all grades except dot 5 will absorb water from the air so a leak will be allowing the brake fluid to absorb water. this is bad. so when u fix the problem replace ur brake fluid (all of it) and dont use dot 5 as its meant for race cars with the brakes being bleed regularly and that have never used dot 2,3,4,5.1

Your leak takes 15 minutes to fix, the seal costs $15. I buy these from Power Brakes in SA because anytime you lean accidentally on the reservoir you risk damaging the old seal under the reservoir. A certain wreckers in Adelaide told me they can sell me a second hand non-leaking master for under $200, put a micron of force on the reservoir and it leaks too. So I went to my favourite brake shop, they produced the seal, they say they sell heaps of them! Phone (08) 8261 0888

Thanks for that one, I take it they can ship interstate

Is it that dangerous to drive at the moment because something leaking brake fluid doesn't exactly scream "confidence" to me but it still looks like it's relatively full...or should I do the sensible thing and avoid it like the plague until I fix it and replace the fluid?

I actually remember a really useful sounding thread not too long ago but someone saying how there was a brake line that would sometimes get rubbed by the front wheels when turning and this wore down the brake line and eventually could cause a leak and loss of brakes = BAD! I have noticed from the start that when turning corners I get a slight vibration up through the steering wheel which feels like something is rubbing on something...this is more pronounced when parking in tight spots. I don't suppose this could be cause for concern too? I didn't worry too much about it because it only happened a little bit but now that I've got a fluid leak it's got me thinking...

Hey if they don't (but they probably do) I can get one to you. PM me if you get desperate.
Check your brake hoses but its more likely touching the suspension arms, turn your steering to full lock each way and have a look!

When mine did it (they all do) I bought an entire master cylinder rebuild kit from Paddocks in the UK along with some other stuff and only paid about $100 for the entire order delivered.

I was quoted $50 just for the two rubbers locally.

Well I haven't got round to ringing Power Brakes yet but I will today...however I tried the "zip tie" temporary fix that Bazzle218 suggested above and I'm pretty sure that made it leak even more It had leaked so much between about 6pm and 10pm last night that it was already below the "min" line.

I'll get that seal happening today but it certainly has made a bit of a brake fluid mess under the bonnet...I know it corrodes paint but it's also all over other parts of the car under that area. Do I really need to clean off the brake fluid properly or won't it really hurt anything else apart from paint?

Originally Posted by Young Angus

Well I haven't got round to ringing Power Brakes yet but I will today...however I tried the "zip tie" temporary fix that Bazzle218 suggested above and I'm pretty sure that made it leak even more It had leaked so much between about 6pm and 10pm last night that it was already below the "min" line.

I'll get that seal happening today but it certainly has made a bit of a brake fluid mess under the bonnet...I know it corrodes paint but it's also all over other parts of the car under that area. Do I really need to clean off the brake fluid properly or won't it really hurt anything else apart from paint?

Wash with plenty of water. Hose on spray. The zip tie is a waste of time as the part of the seal that is broken is the little doodle bit that points towards the booster. It feeds fluid to the rear section of the master via a little pipe which has to be carefully inserted into the new seal. A bit fiddly but doable.