This was a new one for me. Just bought this 05 last fall at 105K, now has 114K. I think most of the previous service was done by dealership, but I don't know if they did anything with the master cylinder or brake lines. Maybe it came this way from the factory.
Last month my wife (primary driver on this car) mentioned the "check brake fluid level" warning. I expect the pads to need replacing in another 10K miles, so thought maybe the wearing pads had lowered the level just enough to trip the switch. I added some brake fluid and figured we'd keep an eye on it. Friday the warning came on again, so I began looking for the leak.
Finally found it between the master cylinder and the ABS modulator. This view is looking down at the outboard left side of the transmission. Front of the car is to the left. You can see the semicircular divot worn into the transmission case fin by the hydraulic pipe, which is also worn through and leaking at that point. You can also see some small wear at the next fin forward.
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There is a black plastic retainer visible in the photo. It normally holds the pipes outboard to the fender (i.e., holds the pipes in the "down" direction in the photo), but the lower pipe bends inboard and the force needed to keep the retainer against the fender is enough to break off the retainer's push pin over time.
I'm planning on replacing these two pipes (GM 25752677, 25752676) and the plastic retainer (GM 25696686) and, sigh, bleeding the entire brake system. Maybe if I make sure they are bent to lay naturally against the fender where they belong, I won't have this problem again.
Questions: is that a reasonable strategy? Do I need to add a metal retainer (with a rubber grommet) that bolts to the fender? It seems as if this is a design flaw.
Last month my wife (primary driver on this car) mentioned the "check brake fluid level" warning. I expect the pads to need replacing in another 10K miles, so thought maybe the wearing pads had lowered the level just enough to trip the switch. I added some brake fluid and figured we'd keep an eye on it. Friday the warning came on again, so I began looking for the leak.
Finally found it between the master cylinder and the ABS modulator. This view is looking down at the outboard left side of the transmission. Front of the car is to the left. You can see the semicircular divot worn into the transmission case fin by the hydraulic pipe, which is also worn through and leaking at that point. You can also see some small wear at the next fin forward.
There is a black plastic retainer visible in the photo. It normally holds the pipes outboard to the fender (i.e., holds the pipes in the "down" direction in the photo), but the lower pipe bends inboard and the force needed to keep the retainer against the fender is enough to break off the retainer's push pin over time.
I'm planning on replacing these two pipes (GM 25752677, 25752676) and the plastic retainer (GM 25696686) and, sigh, bleeding the entire brake system. Maybe if I make sure they are bent to lay naturally against the fender where they belong, I won't have this problem again.
Questions: is that a reasonable strategy? Do I need to add a metal retainer (with a rubber grommet) that bolts to the fender? It seems as if this is a design flaw.
