'84 GSL-SE that leaks oil from the inside.. bottom floor panel on the drivers side closest to the seat, I lifted up carpeting and cant figure out where or even how its coming into the car.. anyone ever have this problem?

 

Probably not oil, but rather brake or clutch fluid.

 

Any reason why it would do that Ice?

 

ima go with a cracked hydraulic line that is leakin through your firewall. everytime u apply pressure u are just forceing out more fluid. clean up your mess and start lookin for a leak before your dream car becomes a murder suspect because if its break lines your headed for serious trouble.

 

The only fluids ive checked recently and before i even found the leak (only had the car for a week now) were the power steering and brake and the levels didnt change at all. It stains up dark so maybe its coolant..?

 

If either the clutch master or break master looses its seal, it runs down the rod that is hooked up to the pedal, and usually drops off just coming through the firewall.

Yes, could also be coolant from a leaking heater core. Usually though you will smell that as sweet, and get fog on the windsheild when you use the defrost if that is the case.

 

I'm narrowing it down to one of those. My heater core is bypassed and inactive. I haven't checked fluid levels for my clutch.. don't know where exactly it might be at or what I should be even looking for, first time with a rotary engine and a manual trans. =\ Sorry for being so noob

 

Touch the fluid to your tongue. If it is sweet, it is coming from your heater core and is coolant. If it isn't its probably brake/clutch fluid. Look in the foot well with a flashlight right behind the pedals. If there is fluid leaking onto the firewall, its a master cylinder.

 

there is a tiny white resivore with a black cap under the hood on the driver side next to the break master cylinder. the cap should be labled. when u find it u will know... if ur not sure open it and watch as someone depresses the clutch. the fluid level will fluctuate up n down as they work the clutch

 

Thats not where it is leaking. It will be leaking inside the car, where the actuator rod meets the cylinders. You will want to look on the firewall near the pedals.

It wont be the brake master either, as the vacuum booster isolates the brake master from the car. The clutch master is the most likely.

 

Any way it could be power steering fluid, I seriously tasted it and it was dead on.

 

wow... u got ballz. i would never taste a mystery fluid i found under the carpet in my car... props man

 

brake fluid is brake fluid, engine oil is engine oil... you choose

 

Well I didn't know what exactly what it was but from its consistency and color I thought it was oil.. At this point I'd just like to know if it could be power steering somehow.. not logical to me though.. but I found that the reservoir was too full.. I don't know..

 

is it possible that uspilled something( or the past owner did) and it just now decided to surface... happened to me once in a pickup... drove me nuts for a month

 

Um... isn't coolant poisonous and if that mystery fluid turns out to be coolant then.... just a thought =D

 

Thats why you touch a drop to your tongue. Ethylene Glycol is fine in small amounts, ie touching the tip of your tongue to a finger dipped in it. Don't chug it. If you want to play it safe, afterwards wash it down with water to dilute it.

 

I can't believe you actually tasted the liquid, KrazyIvan02. You can tell coolant from the smell rather than actually seeing if it tastes sweet. I've never had any trouble recognizing the sweet smell.

And yes, ethylene glycol is a poison that will shut down your kidneys if you ingest enough. Rinsing with water will just dilute it, which doesn't affect the actual number of molecules present. It's unlikely someone would be dumb enough to taste more than a drop, but as little as 30 mL of pure ethylene glycol has been reported as causing death. And lower doses can still cause tissue damage, which isn't exactly something you want either. There's a nice paper on it here: http://www.antizol.com/egpoisono.htm. I'm not trying to knock you, Sgt Fox, but the taste and see method really is not a good idea.

But as for the liquid, brake fluid and power steering fluid are very similar, and I doubt you'd be able to tell the difference from the taste. They'll likely have similar viscosity/color/smell too, so it may actually be brake fluid (not p/s fluid). There's no real possibility of P/S fluid coming through the firewall, but the clutch & brake master cylinders just happen to be in the perfect spot for it.

 

brake fluid and oil with feel to have the same consistency. a heater core leak is unmistakable. a brake master leak is unlikely but plausible. a clutch master is highly likely and probably your problem. power steering fluid? whoever said that your an idiot there are no power steering lines that run in the firewall.

 

Well I found out my heater core was bypassed after noticing my defog would blow cold and I was told highly doubtful its coolant so I ruled that out completely, Thanks for the info two floors up I really didn't know at all about the risks =\


As for the brake and clutch fluids, I've seriously been watching over them like religiously and the only type of leak I have is a small oil leak.. all the other fluids have been still, think the dowel pan o-rings are deteriorating (that leak just goes straight down pretty sure about that..)

I was told that it could be PS fluid on another forum but at this point I'm thinking the fountain of youth or something is finding its way up through the firewall.

Was also told it could be from my speedometer cable??

 

speedometer cable wouldnt transfer fluid. besides the fact that it would be defying the laws of physics... the cable is simply a line that hooks into a gear at ecah end and rotates... highly unlikely but if that is the cause let me know so that i can write a paper disproving sir isaac newton... we could be famous 2gether... lol