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I just bought my first car about a month and a half ago. I have always been an eric the car guy fan and have been watching a ton of his videos to educate myself on how to at least diagnose some issues but i cant seem to figure this one out from what i have watched and learned on the youtube channel.
My 2003 VW Jetta Wolfsburg Edition runs great except for this one thing that is really bothering me. Firstly to start with the more obvious stuff. There is a leak coming out of my car right in front of where the driver’s side under the hood, but i am not sure as to what is causing it. My friend who is a gear head seems to be sure that it is coming from my brake fluid system but i want to make sure that i dont have compounding issues seeing as i am not the first owner of this car.
My brake fluid is currently really low.. below the minimum mark it seems. And i smell the smell from the car almost always when i am coming off the highway and braking from about 70 to basically 0. I dont smell the smell at all while i am cruising on the highway at all. The smell is a sort of burning rubbery smell which doesnt exactly match up with what i have heard brake fluid to smell like. I’ve been told that it is sweet. The smell also lingers on the car. Sometimes hours after just a short 15 minute drive i can still smell that feint smell.
So basically is it safe to say that i just have one issue that would be my brake fluid. Or could this burning smell be something else in conjunction to what i have already found to be my issue. Also how much would i be looking at to fix a leaking break fluid problem?
This is my first post and ANY help at all would be greatly appreciated. I hope to become a part of the ETCG community and learn more about cars in the process.
Thanks!
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how does the pedal feel when it’s depressed? Does it go all the way to the floor or does it take very little effort? Also, you might wanna check your brake booster and master cylinder for leaks. Keep us updated on your progress.
My car’s brakes dont feel bad at all. I’m a young driver i havent driven a ton of cars but my car compared to the ones that i have driven so far in my life doesnt feel much different at all as far as brakes go. Even doing quick stops don’t have an odd feeling. Most of my driving is less than 10 miles so i want to know what it is like to drive much longer than that. A week from now i am going on a long road trip and i am going to take the car and make mental notes of when i can smell that smell and see if i can help to narrow down my issues and figure it out. The smell has been going away lately and my car is not dripping more than two small little drips at most whenever i drive.
I will keep in touch and let you know how it goes.
Sometimes when you smell something when pushing on the brakes it could be due to a caliper locking up on ya. You might be smelling the pungent odor of brake linings being seared by heat from constant contact with the brake rotor.
The wheel with the stuck caliper will feel hot to the touch. Still more friction-related drama, including smoke and/or boiling brake fluid, may occur if you drive with a severely stuck caliper at freeway speeds.
I would also look into having your master cylinder, and break booster checked as well. If your seal on the master cylinder is bad, it can actually leak break fluid into the booster. It can suck fluid up the vacuum line into the motor and it can migrate to all the other lines.
A quick thing to check is making sure the reservoir cap is sealing properly. You could take the brake booster vacuum line off, and stick something in it like a cotton swab and see if it has fluid in it. (Please try not to get pieces of the swab caught/left in the line.)
Please keep us updated.
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