I, like most everyone else, have the leaking brake reservoir cap. Took it in 2 months ago and dealer removed some fluid, and said it would be fine now. Recently, I noticed more fluid on the outside of the reservoir seam.. not much, until I noticed the firewall flange directly below master cylinder (see photos).. ****.. looks like something's askew! Paint is bubbled up and soft. Am I correct this is most likely due to brake fluid? Does the firewall flange need to be repainted?

 

Brake fluid destroys paint if left in place. Since you took it in once before take it back and give em hell!

 

Wow. How do they fix that? Pull the engine and repaint?

You'd think ford would fix the brake fluid problems. Maybe after they have to sink several hundred dollars into several thousand cars to properly fix the damage they will get it right.

The current fix is to pull some fluid. I know it's been said before but it seems to me that there will be bad problems late in the cars life it the cap is able to breathe air and pull in moisture.

Seeing this kind of thing makes me seriously reconsider a future purchase.


Good luck with your dealer and let us know how it goes.

 

take it back they will remove the cracked paint and repaint it for you. I agree give them hell

 

all i can say is ford got cheap on the paint job on these cars, i can already see bubbling under the front lip of my hood and every little chip is down to the metal, it is like there is only less than a hair thick coat of paint and primer on the car. also since the car is black you notice every spot that ford either forgot to paint or messed up, it is like they need to relearn how to paint on metal for the stangs

 

It has nothing to do with the quality of the paint. Brake fluid is destructive to paint.

I have the exact same problem and am just waiting for the regional approval as they have to remove the booster and a number of other things to get to it too paint it.

Make sure you take it too the dealer.. Maybe if they have to repair enough of these they will finally admit and fix the problem.

 

I almost had a fix, I tried a 98 taurus cap was too big and so was the rubber insert. The one that hasn't leaked for over 200k miles. For christ sakes my taurus doesn't leak.

 

This won't happen. They can pull the boster, paint it, bla, bla, bla ... but the truth is that the vehicle - now - will never be in the condition it was in when it left the factory.

This is really the issue. Ford can deny all it wants, and it can stroke around all the customers it wants - but the reality is that the majority of SN197 are owned by people who have not bled Ford blue all of their life. When it comes time to purchase another vehicle, Ford's customer service [or lack thereof] will not be forgotten by many.

 

All brake fluid cap gaskets are not 100% sealed. There is a small slit cut in the center to allow pressure changes/equalization. The problem is how the reservoir is designed. Fluid seems to be able to be pushed up through the cap gasket.

 

Not sure if it was a good idea, but I put a small peice of Teflon tape around mine and it hasn't leaked since.

 

The cap needs to be able to breathe to deal with changes in atomospheric pressure. I'm guessing the cap doesn't breathe well enough so it's building pressure and blowing fluid out. Try opening the slit/hole a bit and see what happens.

 

FWIW, I used a rubber stopper and MityVac to bleed the clutch system as per the FSM and now keep the fluid right at the tip of the MAX triangle mark.

 

Just contacted the dealer who 'repaired' my brake fluid leak 2 months ago... have appt on Friday. I specifically asked about what they plan on doing about the paint damage, and they stated "guess we'll have to take care of the leak and the paint"... more to follow.

 

I think you'll be fine. Since you already had it in for this exact issue it should be a no brainer. Keep us posted.

 

 

I had the same issue with the paint peeling off cause of the brake fluid leak. The dealer repainted and it looks fine now no real issues. I did have to remove some fluid because they just replaced the cap and it continued to leak. After removing some fluid I have had no leaks.

They should not give you any problems with fixing thye paint because it was caused by leaking brake fluid.

 

Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't brake fluid also flammable? And wasn't that part of the problem with the F-150 fires? It seems like Ford is just cruising down the road to recalls and lawsuits again. First, it's just a weeping brake fluid reservoir, then it's paint destruction, so what's next? The problems are just going to keep getting bigger and bigger until they fix the root cause (in my humble opinion).

OK, the F-150 deal was a little more complicated, but closely related. I just looked it up.

"The brake fluid in the recalled vehicles may leak through the speed control deactivation switch into the speed control system electrical components, potentially corroding them and leading to fires, the company said." (from the Consumer Affairs News)

But brake fluid was again involved.

I love my Mustang (as I did my previous two Mustangs), and my brake fluid reservoir was fixed by my dealer. It doesn't leak anymore. I am also a Ford man since birth. My parents brought me home from the hospital in a Ford. Maybe we can get together and communicate the extent of this problem to Dearborn. If they get enough e-mails, maybe they will listen and fix this problem before it puts any more nails in the coffin of a company that is circling the drain right now. I don't want Ford to go under like Studebaker, Nash, Oldsmobile and a lot of other American car brands. Then we might have to change the name to the "Miata Source Forums". OK, I'm off my soapbox now.

 

Thanks for all the input. Randy: just curious.. what engine compartment components had to be removed in order to repaint the firewall flange? At a minimum, looks like they'll have to take out the brake reservoir, master cylinder, vacuum boost unit, and some hoses/lines?

 

I am very curious about this too. I take mine in next Monday and they are saying it will be 2 days unless they have to remove the engine!

 

It's amazing that this is STILL an issue. I figured after a few years Ford would have worked it out. But I guess not... yay Ford.

Yes the bubbling is from your brake fluid leaking. Yes they have to fix it... and as far as I know they still don't have a permanent redisigned fix for this.

I've taken out a lot of brake fluid from my reservoir and I check it every weekend. Sometimes I check it every time I drive... ridiculous!

But I've tried the gasket thing, the teflon tape thing and nothing works for very long. The gasket thing worked for a while... and then it started leaking. The tape... same thing.

I guess until enough people make Ford fix and fix and fix and fix and fix this problem they won't redesign it.