Brake fluid leak

[eljoekickass]

More than a month ago, i did an oil change and i noticed something was burning. The fluid on the ground was yellow, just like the color of new oil, and so I thought that i had an oil leak. It was very small so i just let it go since I couldn't find where it was leaking from after searching for a long time.

A month passed and when i checked my oil level, it was full, none had leaked out. I also noticed that the fluid on the floor that leaked was still yellow, but the engine oil has now turned to a nice shade of brown. I also recently noticed a large drop in the quantity of brake fluid in the reservoir. I had it at the full point a month ago and i noticed that it is now near the low marker of the reservoir.

I'm gonna go check under the car this weekend to make sure of this, but how safe is it driving with a brake fluid leak? I know its not a cut brake line or anything as serious but I don't know how much time and effort will be needed to change it. Since the oil is touching the engine or the exhaust and smoking, that should mean that the oil line in the engine compartment has a leak rite? Also, if it is a tiny pinhole leak, would covering the line with epoxy or sumthin solve the problem?

[Kep]

If it took a month for the fluid to leak out you should be able to top it off and continue using it. However, if it is a cracked line and you have an emergency stop where you whale on the brakes you may be a dead duck...

Any brake problem should be resolved before driving the car. Hoses and tubes can fail catastrophically with deadly results. You may get away with it but it won't be "safe".

Kep

[Mike Gerber]

Brake fluid can be very corrosive. It will actually eat paint if left on painted areas of the car. With that in mind, I doubt whether any epoxy would work as a fix. Your braking system is probably the most important system of the car when it comes to safety. Diagnose the leak and fix it properly, or have it fixed properly.

Mike