Have 2005 Buick Century. There is a brake fluid leak somewhere between the brake fluid reservoir and the bottom of the car. Seeking a leak-stopping fluid such as the fluid used to stop a leak in a radiator. Any help would be appreciated.
There is no stop leak for brake fluid. This needs to be towed to a shop. Dangerous!
Would rubber spray stop the leak or slow the leak?
If there is a puddle of brake fluid under car, look above the wet spot. Leak should be close at hand.
You sure the brake master isn’t leaking?
Put the car on jackstands
Remove all the tires
Check all of the lines, valves and hoses
Check all of the caliper piston seals and the wheel cylinder seals
Chances are, you’ll find your problem within a relatively short time
Rubberized spray will not work, the best and most effective solution is to replace the leaking part with a proper new part.
Your brake system operates under very high hydraulic pressure. Rubberized spray will do NOTHING to stop a leak. When it comes to brakes, there re no cheap solutions. Have the car towed to a proper brake shop.
+1 for advising against the “rubber spray”.
That stuff may work on a rain gutter, but in a system that is under high pressure–like the brake hydraulic system–it absolutely will not stop the leak.
I think that the OP needs to hear it again, perhaps with more emphasis:
The car is unsafe to drive in its current condition, and it needs to be towed to a competent mechanic.
If you don’t have the funds right now for a tow, then the car needs to remain parked until such time as you have the funds for towing & repair. If you drive it and cause an accident, your liability for having driven a defective and unsafe vehicle will be so high as to potentially wipe out your income for a few decades.
Putting anything besides the exact brake fluid spec’d and recommended for the car (often this is “DOT 3”, but always check the owners manual) into the brake fluid reservoir will likely damage other brake components eventually, and can prove to be very costly to fix. Think thousands of dollars. And very unsafe. A leaky brake line connector or caliper piston isn’t an uncommon malady for an older car. You may just need to have the bleed screw tightened, esp if brake work has recently been done. Much cheaper and definitely safer to just ask your local inde mechanic to fix it this you. The fix this kind of problem all the time. This is one time when a cheap quick fix would prove to later lead to a lengthy expensive repair.
I mean no offense to philllll, but if you are the type of person who thinks there is a stop-leak product for brake fluid or that a spray-on adhesive has any place in brake repair then you have absolutely no business working on your brake system, any more than someone who doesn’t understand positive, neutral, and ground has any business wiring their house.
Brakes are a safety issue, not just to you but to everyone else on the road. Have your car repaired by a shop.
Starting is optional. Stopping is mandatory.
This can’t be stressed enough. It’s your BRAKES for Pete’s sake. Get them fixed correctly by a competent independent shop. Click on MECHANICS FILES at the top of this page to find a good honest shop near you. DO NOT go to a “chain store” like Midas, Meineke, or Firestone.
What has been your experience with epoxy putty(a.k.a. plumber’s putty)?
Are you serious?
My experiences with epoxies have been mixed. Sometimes they hold together, sometimes they don’t. As for using them on a brake system, I value the lives of myself, my family, and the people out there on the road I don’t even know too much to do anything so foolish. New parts and new, sealed fluids are the only things that find their way onto or into my brake systems. I will also note that brake fluid is very hard on most paints, plastics, adhesives, and some rubbers. Your brake fluid leak is probably caused by a rusted line, based on where you describe it as leaking. The only additive to fix a rusted line is to add a new length of line in place of the old one. Also, it’s advisable to replace all of the brake lines at this point if that is the problem you have. Last time I replaced some rusted brake lines on one of my cars, I replaced about 90% of them on the car, then a few months later found myself replacing the 10% of them that I didn’t replace the first time because they had rusted out and failed, and I was wishing I had done them all the first time.
Brakes is not a place to cheap out or cut corners. It’s the most important part of a car, not the engine, transmission, or even the air conditioning. The brake system is the only thing preventing 3,000 pounds of rolling metal from crashing into a building, another car, or a playground full of children.
@phillll You either have a death wish or you are playing games. The regular advisors on this panel are qualified and serious. NOTHING will plug a leak in your braking system other than a proper repair. We do not give out risky advice. Brake fluid is under extreme pressure when you apply the brakes; much, much higher than the water in your taps.
So, please have the vehicle towed to a proper shop or sell it as is and where is.
I sense a troll.
Use whatever you wish.
Step…away…from…the…car…
“I sense a troll.”
Yup!
Either a troll or an extremely foolish person.
“What has been your experience with epoxy putty(a.k.a. plumber’s putty)?”
Please let us know what city you live in so I can tell anyone who lives there to stay off the road.
Now please, stop asking ridiculous questions.