Technical Stilo JTD 1.9 Low Brake Fluid

[Superdad]

Hello again everybody,

Once again I am in need of some help with lovely multiwagon.

On my way back home the other day I got a warning light saying "Brake Fluid Low - Stop Engine)

It was at this point that my partner said she'd seen it the other day but forgot to tell me - still drove it for two days though!!

On the way home I felt the brake pedal getting softer and softer and it really stated to scare me but as I was only a mile away on the flat I scrapped it home.

Is the brake fluid on a stilo a big job or is it better to take to the garage? Should my brake fluid drain that quickly?

Thank you once again!!

 

[Greggers]

If it's low, then it's leaking somewhere... top it up first off and give the pedal a few pumps with the engine running and see if you can spot a leak under the car.

Don't forget to check your fluids regularly!

 

[Hellcat]

Or your brakes are worn (discs/pads or drums) and they need replacing.

edit: how is the clutch - think the clutch system shares the reservoir with the brakes. Check the slave cylinder on top of the gearbox for leaks.

 

[Davren]

This is interesting. I always thought that the clutch and brake fluid share the same resevoir as a safety feature.

The clutch master cylinder supply pipe is fitted higher in the resevoir so that if a leak occurs in the brakes, the clutch should stop working before the brakes do. It would appear, however, that yours has gone down low enough to affect the brakes but your clutch is still working.

Could it be that moving the clutch master cylinder to the opposite side (on a right hand drive car) means that the longer supply pipe holds sufficient fluid to render this safety feature ineffective?

Dave.

 

[Hellcat]

As far as I know they feed off the bottom of the reservoir - the brakes should hold sufficient fluid in the cylinder to allow for braking even if the clutch pees the fluid all over the gearbox.

Most likely the brakes are worn to a point that there isn't sufficient fluid to fill the extended pistons or cylinders. Time to give the brake system a thorough checkup.

 

[OzMoSiS]

brake and clutch are in the same res.

it can be either one of two (i also had this and it was the latter):

A) your brake fluid really is low and needs changing d'oh!
B) you have a dodgy earth point. for this its the one underneath the battery tray.

happy hunting