Hello, folks...
The family and I are on vacation 12 hours from home in Cape Cod. The evening we arrived, my wife noticed the brake light was on. I checked the brake fluid reservoir and found the fluid to be at the "minimum" line (it was checked and at "maximum" before leaving), and a ~6" puddle of fluid under the van (the van had been parked for some hours before I got around to checking).
The van is a 1993 Mercury Villager.
I took the van to a local Meineke; the only place able to see me on short notice, and the gentleman there eventually found the leak, which appears to be just after the master cylinder. He was very hesitant to replace just a portion of the line as the whole shootin' match was rusted badly: In fact, the proportioning assembly near the rear of the vehicle was rusted and seized. He felt that buggering with one part of the line would jeopardize the other parts of the system, and suggested that the entire system be replaced.
My decision at this point is between two options:
1) Write off another day and ~$450 to get the line replaced.
2) Replace the fluid daily (I am losing, depending on usage, about one full reservoir of fluid per day. The reservoir is rather small..) and drive carefully: Downshifting and walking!
My question for you is this, then: If the leak is new, and if we drive very little while here and treat the brakes with kid gloves, and keep a sharp and vigilant eye on the fluid level, is it safe to "ride this out" until I get home? After I get home, I figured I would curl up under a warm pile of blankets until the situation resolved itself.
We won't be taking the van out, save for a couple of ~2 or 3 mile trips to a ferry here and a beach there, by the way. The trip home is almost exclusively on I-90/ 403/ 401 in NY and Ontario.
Thanks for your feedback!
The family and I are on vacation 12 hours from home in Cape Cod. The evening we arrived, my wife noticed the brake light was on. I checked the brake fluid reservoir and found the fluid to be at the "minimum" line (it was checked and at "maximum" before leaving), and a ~6" puddle of fluid under the van (the van had been parked for some hours before I got around to checking).
The van is a 1993 Mercury Villager.
I took the van to a local Meineke; the only place able to see me on short notice, and the gentleman there eventually found the leak, which appears to be just after the master cylinder. He was very hesitant to replace just a portion of the line as the whole shootin' match was rusted badly: In fact, the proportioning assembly near the rear of the vehicle was rusted and seized. He felt that buggering with one part of the line would jeopardize the other parts of the system, and suggested that the entire system be replaced.
My decision at this point is between two options:
1) Write off another day and ~$450 to get the line replaced.
2) Replace the fluid daily (I am losing, depending on usage, about one full reservoir of fluid per day. The reservoir is rather small..) and drive carefully: Downshifting and walking!
My question for you is this, then: If the leak is new, and if we drive very little while here and treat the brakes with kid gloves, and keep a sharp and vigilant eye on the fluid level, is it safe to "ride this out" until I get home? After I get home, I figured I would curl up under a warm pile of blankets until the situation resolved itself.
We won't be taking the van out, save for a couple of ~2 or 3 mile trips to a ferry here and a beach there, by the way. The trip home is almost exclusively on I-90/ 403/ 401 in NY and Ontario.
Thanks for your feedback!
I went in plenty of 400 mile round trips in my 83 280ZX and the gf has taken her 93 Volvo on 700 mile round trips up north plenty of times without any concern.
