Brake Fluid Leak - Drivers Side
 

OK, I just had the brakes done all around (rotors, pads, fluid flush) around 2 months ago. I noticed yesterday, the brake pedal felt spongy, wanting to fade to the floor at a full stop. I noticed I have brake fluid leaking just behind the front driver side wheel; about 12 inches back from the wheel well. Brake fluid tank is 1/2 full and dropping fast. I know the rear brake line is routed right in that area. What I don't understand is why a brake line would simply fail like that. Since it's enclosed up above all the plastic panels under the car and below the door, why would a brake line just decide to start leaking fluid? Any help would be appreciated. :confused:

i'm willing to bet it's coming from your controller unit (aluminum block where all the lines meet, under the coolant expansion tank).
w/out looking at it of course ;p
i really hope it's not that though, trust me i had to drive 2 miles on hilly roads with just manual switching and using ebrake ;) and to change it you have to pull out driver's headlight, a pita to change since space is limited and unlike every other car on the road the placement of it is horrible...
did i mention they run for 2k from dealer, about $600 from junk yards?

If someone just did a flush have it towed to them at their expense so that they can fix it. Odds are someone made a mistake and left something loose, and you do NOT want to be driving if the fluid in the master cylinder runs out leaving you unable to stop.

That is not taken loose for a brake flush, only the bleed screws at the calipers really. Hopefully it is just a matter of tightening the lines in the connector and maybe a quick bleed of that line from the caliper end.

I had leak in the same location, behind driver front wheel. Mine failed suddenly. Turns out the lines whent through an area where the plastic bottom protectors was holding water against the lines causing them to rust from the outside. My Local tech put in a patch.

I also have a failed master cylinder, but its not leaking. I have not yet bothered to replace it. At this point, i see no reason I should. Brakes work fine, just need a little extra travel.

That can indicate a failure on one of the circuits in the master cylinder, meaning you have less braking. Not a good idea to keep driving it. When the second circuit fails you have nothing to stop you except the car in front.

isn't the master just for power assist?

No, the master cylinder applies the brakes when you press the pedal. Two separate circuits, and when the seals fail in one it bottoms out and still works the other circuit. That is why the pedal goes further to apply the brakes. However, the corrosion that failed the first seal can also fail the second seal. Then you have no brakes.

The booster is for power assist, it is a separate component.

Msammy: did you fix this? I have the EXACT same problem and my indy mech says the salt and snow bundles up against the plastic and causes the line to rust out. He said he can patch it with pressure fitted lines, about a couple hundred dollars and he has done a few before.