[T3] Battery Install, Oil Change & Brake Fluid Reservoir

[Jim Adney]

On 11 May 2024 at 13:54, Gary Forsmo wrote:

> The Brake Pedal felt "soft" and had, what I felt was, too much travel to
> safely stop the car. A.)  Where did the Brake Fluid go? B.)  What other
> areas should be checked? C.)  Master Cylinder leak? D.)  A leak somewhere
> that is hidden from view?

It's normal for the fluid level to go down as the disk brake pads wear: As the 
pads wear, the pistons move in, so more fluid is "stored" behind the pistons 
and less remains in the reservoir.

If fluid has actually leaked out, look for wetness on the inside faces of the 
rear backing plates, and on the floor under the brake pedal. A common leak 
place is from the mouth of the master cyl. You can reach in there and just 
barely get a finger to the low point on the underside of the boot that covers 
the mouth. If your finger comes away wet, there's your leak.

A leak there usually just requires a quick hone of the front few mm of the MC 
bore, but this still requires draining the system and pulling the MC out.

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