Re: hydraulic fluid seeps

["David Teitelbaum" <jtrealty@xxxx>]

Seeping brake fluid is BAD!!!!. If you look at the calipers you will 
probably also see that they are damp. It is a sign that the seals are 
leaking and the fluid is contaminated and the cylinders are corroded. 
The recomendation (requirement) is to flush and replace the brake 
fluid every 2 years. If this is not done then the fluid absorbs 
moisture from the air which corrodes the insides of the system and 
ruins the seals. What makes the situation even worse is that with 
frequent driving you heat up the fluid which forces the moisture out 
but in a car that is occasionaly driven that doesn't happen so the 
moisture just collects and gets worse and worse (like most Deloreans 
that are not daily drivers). You cannot fix this by "just changing a 
seal". You need to dissasemble the entire system, flush out all of the 
old brake fluid, and rebuild all the calipers and master cylinder 
maybe also having to sleeve the bores to reuse some calipers. Same 
goes for the clutch system. For brake fluid (and clutch fluid) the 
fluid of choice is Casterol GTLMA. It seems to be the most compatible 
with the rubber compounds that are used in the system. You can get it 
in most large auto stores that carry the Castrol line of lubricants. 
It is a DOT 4 brake fluid so it is good in all vehicles, disc and drum 
brakes. Don't skimp on this, the brakes are really important! Flushing 
the brake fluid regularly is something you don't do on domestic cars 
but is a common practice on most imports. Where the fluid dripped on 
the epoxy coated frame the paint will harden again but it will not 
adhere to the metal. The best thing to do would be to remove the loose 
epoxy paint and repaint the area to prevent moisture from getting 
behind and rusting the metal. It is also a good idea to change the 
Anti-Freeze every 2 years also to keep it from becoming acidic and 
corroding the aluminum motor parts. I also drain and refill the 
winshield washer so it doesn't become slime.
David Teitelbaum
vin 10757


--- In dmcnews@xxxx, "K Creason" <dmc4687@xxxx> wrote:
> I noticed while changing my steering column bushing that I have a 
small
> brake fluid seep. It appears to seep between the cylinder and the 
server.
> Can just that gasket be replaced? Or is there more that needs to be 
done?
> 
> I also noticed that the inside of the clutch MC (pedal box) was a 
little
> damp and sloppy. I wiped it up and some of the paint came off so I 
assume it
> is some of the hydraulic fluid seeping out. I looked at the online 
parts
> list but it doesn't look like it's gasket-- is this an MC 
replacement that
> I'm looking at?
> 
> One last question. Is clutch fluid same old Dot4 as the brakes? I 
have the
> same sticker for both reservoirs.
> 
> Thanks,
> Kevin
> #4687