ittia

Hey All,

Got on the Autobahn last week and after a few KM's the warning light for brake fluid came on (first time seeing the light, friggin SCARY at high speed). Slowed down and light went off (Typical behavior apparently). Stopped and added more fluid......problem solved. Well the other day the light came on again so I figured maybe I didn't put enough in and simply added more. Last night the light came on yet again and now I know that I need to investigate this further as ~THIS~ may not be the best solution. I see no leaks around the MC or BB, like this and nothing on the floor of the garage (brake fluid anyway ).

Are there any other areas I should be checking that I may have over looked or am not aware of?

Bleed the clutch? (Vol2 - Transmission, Page 30-3<--???) They share the same reservoir right?

Keep adding more and hope nothing dumps it all at 270KMH's?>just kidding.

Thanks for any info/tips and I hope everyone is having a fantastic summer.

TRP951

well your clutch system and brake system use the same fluid so maybe you have a leak in the brake lines or check the MC on the inside of the car it might be leaking in the car

jerome951

If you're leaking fluid that rapidly you've got a serious problem.

Pump the brake pedal several times really hard with the engine running. Shut it down and pull all the wheels. Check each caliper and feed line carefully. Trace all the lines from the reservoir to the ABS unit and to the calipers. And as Tim mentioned, check the master cylinder inside the car.

If all this turns up fine, I think the only other place you could be losing it is into the brake booster. In that case, it's time for a new one.

NCporsche

I'm definitely interested in following this thread. The same thing may be happening to me. It started with a parking brake light that was intermittent. Then the brake pad / fluid light started flickering, then it came on and stayed on. Low brake fluid is the reason it came on, but where did the fluid go?

Last month installed four new pads, front rotors, and upgraded fluid to ATE Super Blue. Unfortunately, ATE Blue is not available locally and more fluid has been ordered. Thus, I have not topped off the reservoir to see if I'm still losing it (the brake fluid that is).

Ittia, please keep us updated as your "loss" may be my "gain".

ittia

Thanks for the replies folks. Well today I got 2 cans of DOT 3 and emptied an entire can in the reservoir (topped off, waited, topped off, waited, etc). Not sure where it all went but if the light comes on again this weekend, I will be pissed/worried. I will continue to monitor and investigate as needed and will keep you up to date. Good Luck NC and please keep us updated also.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYONE.

ehall

IF you don't find a leak etc. It's possible that you have an f-ed up brake pad wear sensor(if you still use them.)
BTW anyone no how to eliminate those without the idiot light staying on?

ittia

Didn't think about that one ehall, thanks.

Consensus on eliminating the sensors without the idiot light going off seems to be jumpering(sp?, jumping) the connectors LINK
Good Luck.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Tom M'Guinn

Check to see if the carpet is wet under/behind the pedals.

ehall

DUDE!!!! thanks for that link. I couldn't find that link.

schwank

There are pictures of the brake pad sensor delete in the build link in my sig. I disconnected the sensor wire at the plastic connector and jumpered it with wire, then covered with copious electrical tape and shoved it in the plastic connector mount. I've deleted all 4 sensors and have no warning light.

ehall

Thanks schwank

ittia

Uhmmmm......YES. Master cylinder?

Luis de Prat

Sure enough. Also, check the engine side of the firewall for any cracks around the master cylinder mounting points. That would not be good.

If that were the case, it's repairable but requires a lot of labor to fabricate a reinforcement plate and rivet it to the chassis. BTDT

NCporsche

After having the car off the road for a month or so (the longest it has not been driven since ownership) I've got the problem fixed. There were only four leaks.

New clutch master cylinder, new hose from reservoir to cylinder, and to top it all off, a new reservoir cap.

All the old parts were originals, and I'm pleased that they lasted 21 years and 215,000+ miles. I've just chalked up this expense as the price you pay for DEing and AXing an old Porsche. Driving the car on Lowes Motor Speedway and braking from 110 MPH+ out of NASCAR turn four to 20 MPH- at the start finish line to make the turn into the infield track was the breaking point (pun intended).

IIRC, the saying goes; Why would you think racing a Porsche would not be expensive, was it the racing or the Porsche you did not understand?

ittia

Thanks for the update NCporsche. I have been dreading doing this but I know it needs to be done. A couple of questions for you today:

Any tips/advice you can share on this repair?
OEM parts or other?
amount of time involved?

I perused through the workshop manual on repairing the master cylinder and I came to the conclusion that replacement would be the better option.

Thanks again and keep on tracking.