Slightly more interesting drive home from work today than anticipated. On pushing the brake pedal in my usual gentle way, there was very little resistance, the pedal went all the way to the end of its travel, and there wasn't much in the way of slowing down. All rather alarming since I had committed to the highway on-ramp at the point I noticed anything wrong. Thankfully traffic was fairly light and I managed to drive home very defensively, making sure I put pressure on the pedal to let cars behind know I was slowing down, but using engine braking and a bit of help from the handbrake to get me home safely.
I didn't have time this evening for a proper investigation, but first findings are that, as suspected, the brake fluid reservoir is pretty much completely dry; I can't see any obvious evidence of fluid loss (wet surfaces etc) at any one point, so I'm preparing to take things to pieces until I find the culprit. I suspect that it'll be a seal on one of the wheel cylinders, but it's possible I suppose that the master cylinder is gone. The car's been running really sweetly this summer, and has mostly been in the dry, but did get an absolute drenching as I got caught in a torrential downpour of a thunderstorm last Sunday afternoon. I can't see, though, that that would have any bearing on the brake failure.
I suppose I ought to dismantle and examine everything to be on the safe side, but my eldest (who is gutted that we'll have to take the tin-top when I deliver him to a week's interprovincial music camp on Saturday, it was to have been a lovely drive about 3-4 hours north of Toronto in the Mog) suggested that I should refill the reservoir, park the car on a load of old newspapers, station an observer at each corner, and pump the pedal until somebody sees where it's all pissing out from. Is that a completely off-the-wall suggestion (aside from being not terribly environmentally responsible, of course?
In the collective wisdom of the TM populace, what's the first place I should look?
I foresee, rather than a season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, that my autumn is going to consist of evenings spent on my back on the garage floor... not quite the same romantic ring to it! Everything's a bit mucky under there - serves me right, I guess, for paying more attention to driving than to cleaning. Perhaps this will end up being a bit of a salutary lesson and the underneath bits will have a bit more attention from the bucket and sponge in future!
