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Very low on brake fluid after race - leak or something else?


turbogrill

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Hi,

 

Yesterday I noticed that the brake fluid level was very very low, almost empty in one of the reservoirs. Last time we raced was several months ago.

The pedal also had a lot of travel in it. I added some brake fluid and it feels much better now. Obviously it needs a flush/bleed.

 

I can't find a leak, could there be any other explanation to why the brake fluid is low??

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1 hour ago, wvumtnbkr said:

So, weirdly, my master let all the fluid out of it after wgi this year....  I had to get a new one because I could not find the leak.

Sometimes the master cylinder IS the leak - pull the boot off the back and see if it is wet.  When they start to fail, they will often leak fluid past the cups and out the rear of the cylinder.

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23 hours ago, revvhappy said:

If the fluid level dropped during a race it was probably due to pad wear and the pistons moving further out in the calipers. If it happened while sitting in the garage you have a leak. 

He's right.  If you still have the completely spent pads on both the front and rear, that is where your fluid is: in the calipers.  If you topped it off with spent pads, you will definitely have brake fluid coming out of the master cylinder when you start replacing the pads.   Been there done that.  

And then you might say : I found the leak!   It was the master cylinder - it is all over the outside of it.   

Brake fluid doesn't evaporate for the most part, so keep that in mind as you are looking for leaks. But, as noted above, there is a good possibility that you don't have a leak.  

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