Leaky brake fluid reservoir 1960

[panicman]

[panicman]

I’m back! It’s been about two and a half years, and the bugs brakes were fine the whole time. There is also no leaking or paint damage, and the Dot 5 fluid looks like new.


BUT- I moved my bug to start building a home gym, and I was happy that after long winter storage the bug started right up.... but no brakes. I pumped furiously, and nothing.

I replaced the soft lines, purged the system and switched to Dot 5 brake fluid in 2018. I checked the reservoir, and was relieved to see no leaking. I also saw no sign of the system leaking where the car had sat all year. But when I pried the stopper out of my reservoir, the thing was empty, with just a puddle of fluid sitting below the outlet neck.

Where did the fluid go??

I re filled the little tank and immediately had solid brakes again. Anybody have an idea what happened?
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Plate of shrimp

[mukluk]

Brake fluid doesn't evaporate without a trace, so it had to have leaked out somewhere. Quite often when no leak evidence can be found, the master itself is leaking around the piston near the pedal pushrod boot and into the Napoleon's hat. Pulling the boot and looking into the abyss for dampness should tell you if this is the case.
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1960 Ragtop w/Semaphores "Inga"

[wayne1230cars]

The fluid is going somewhere. Also check the front to rear line. If it turns out that you need a new m/c, I would consider converting to a dual master cylinder. I did on my ‘60 last year. Fairly straightforward with lots of threads about the process.
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1960 beetle
1970 beetle convertible

[panicman]

Sorry, like a dog returning to its vomit, I am back.

We actually had a nice day today and the bug hadn’t been out since the end of summer.

It started right up, but again, as I feared, no brake pedal. Pulled the spare tire, pulled off the cap and AGAIN- empty brake fluid resevoir.

This is crazy. You can see my last post from May 2020. I filled the res then, and happily motored all summer with no drop in fluid. The car has now sat in the garage under cover for 4-5 months and the darn thing is empty. I filled it back up, the pressure immediately returned and all is well. No leak that I can find, and if it DID have a leak, I just don’t think I would have good firm brake pedal.

I’d suspect a practical joke, but my wife and girls just don’t have the aptitude to pull this off.

Any ideas?
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Plate of shrimp

[Cusser]

[panicman]

Thanks Cusser! I’ll have a look.
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Plate of shrimp