[T3] Houston, we have ignition!

Jim Adney jadney at vwtype3.org
Sat Jul 30 09:45:45 PDT 2011


On 30 Jul 2011 at 10:56, Dave Hall wrote:

> Just for information, if the rear seal does leak, the fluid escapes into the
> front bulkhead and then into the floor-pan tunnel and eventually will find
> its way to the floor drain at the rear of the tunnel.  

The weld between the bulkhead and the pan, and between the tunnel and 
the pan, isn't leaktight, so the fluid will also appear under the 
pedal cluster. That's where it usually shows up first. If you're 
using DoT-3 or 4, it's a good idea to get familiar with the smell of 
brake fluid. It has a distinctive smell that is usually the first 
thing I notice. The silicone DoT-5 doesn't have much of a smell at 
all.

> Since '67 there's  a rubber drain valve here (like the one on the
> crankcase vent drain, but not exactly the same), but it can be knocked
> off if the car goes over long grass or rutted tracks. 

I didn't realize that drain only began in '67.

> It can be a bit surprising when looking for a fluid leak to not find one,
> when the reservoir level is dropping.  It's surprised me once, until I
> realised where the fluid was going!

I agree; that would be a surprise. I've never seen it get that far, 
but maybe that's more likely if the car is parked slightly nose up.

-- 
*******************************
Jim Adney, jadney at vwtype3.org
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
*******************************




More information about the type3-vwtype3.org mailing list