Brake Fluid Inside Car

rhlee222 · Post by **rhlee222** » 30 Apr 2016, 20:19

Hi All,
I have a 2001 S80, 2.9 235000 miles. This is my daily driver and i am trying to make it last. Currently, it is leaking alot of fluid onto the floor. The brakes work fine. How difficult is this to replace the master cylinder, or can this one be fixed?
Thanks

oldironsights · Post by **oldironsights** » 30 Apr 2016, 21:10

Replacement should not be too difficult.
It's the bleeding that can be time consuming.
I just bought a hand held vacuum pump/brake bleeder that I will try out on my 2001 2.9 S80 as soon as the sky smiles upon me.

Post by **chrism** » 01 May 2016, 14:18

If it's leaking fluid to the INSIDE of the car then you don't have just a bad master cylinder. You've also got a brake booster full of fluid that needs to be removed and dumped out. Unless I'm misunderstanding the whole situation.....

Post by **JDS60R** » 01 May 2016, 21:23

Extremely rare to have brake fluid "in " the car. You would have had to add over a quart to top up the res and booster to get it to leak in. With the brake working well I doubt its brake fluid and more likely coolant.

What fluids have you had to add? Brake, coolant , does your AC work?

rhlee222 · Post by **rhlee222** » 04 May 2016, 18:17

I recently replaced my radiator which had a pretty bad leak. I'm still leaking coolant, just not as bad.My AC hasn't worked in a while due to the clutch. I haven't had time to look closely. Just assumed it was brake fluid. It seems clear and oily. Noticed it right after replacing a brake caliper and bleeding the brakes. BTW, all winter, i would smell coolant when turning on heat.

Post by **JDS60R** » 05 May 2016, 00:36

Sounds like a heater core failure.

P.S. The glycol in coolant is really bad for you and especially kids. ( If you smell coolant in the cabin please have it fixed right away )

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/ershdb/emergen ... 50031.html

rhlee222 · Post by **rhlee222** » 06 May 2016, 12:48

I knew glycol was deadly to swallow but didn't realize it might me bad to smell.

rhlee222 · Post by **rhlee222** » 10 May 2016, 17:09

JDS60R wrote:Extremely rare to have brake fluid "in " the car. You would have had to add over a quart to top up the res and booster to get it to leak in. With the brake working well I doubt its brake fluid and more likely coolant.

What fluids have you had to add? Brake, coolant , does your AC work?

So, I finally had a chance to look and now I am pretty sure it is coolant. If so, I am assuming the heater core is leaking. How difficult is this to fix?

VolvoFan10 · Post by **VolvoFan10** » 30 Nov 2016, 13:38

I had a situation where brake fluid was leaking inside the car. I can say that it was the direct result of a missed step during a front brake pad and rotor replacement job. By not removing the brake fluid reservoir cap before pushing the caliper pistons in, I believe it forced the excess fluid into the booster. The booster subsequently leaked the overfilled system into the driver side floor. Lesson Learned: If you have a full or close to full brake reservoir, syphon some fluid out before pushing the caliper pistons in to make room for new brake pads.