Mopar Muscle Association UK

Driving to work in the Cortina yesterday I felt the clutch pedal getting slippery. This was after about 2 - 3 miles of medium traffic. So at the next lights I got a tissue and wiped what looked like engine oil off the clutch pedal and the sole of my shoe. Within about another 2 miles I had to wipe it again. I assumed I'd stood in something.

On the way home I got about 5 miles but then it went slippy again.

Last night I took off the pedal rubber and cleaned all the oily mess off it. I did not refit it this morning, but once again the pedal got slippery and this time I can see big spots of oil on the right hand side of my left (clutch foot) Doc Martin.

My first thought is that its brake fluid, but it doesn't feel like brake fluid, its too "viscous" and the master cylinder resevoir is full.

What on earth is going on there then?

You got a pneumatic oil pressure gauge? Is the line leaking?

Is it a hydraulic clutch? Is something leaking there?

Is there lots of anti freeze in the coolant? Is the heater matrix leaking?

It has to be brake fluid unless it is a hydraulic clutch?? I can't remember which type the Cortina had. If it is a hydraulic clutch it has it's own master cylinder and a slave cylinder at the bellhousing.

From the way Alistair has described it it sounds like something is dripping down onto his foot. That's why I thought of something leaking from behind the dash.

Sounds very much like the clutch master is leaking , a little fluid will go a very, very long way, so slippy feet and a few drips will not look like any has been lost at the reservoir at all.
Every Triumph (Spitfire/Herald etc) I owned did this , I just kept topping up for about a year until the master wouldnt work at all, then I spent about ?8 on new seals!!

Aye, it appears to be something dripping on my foot/clutch pedal. Its a cable clutch in a Mk3. theres no fluid level dropping in the brake master cylinder, not that I can notice anyway. It feels more oily than brake fluid. I'll rub some in a cut and see if I cry. Thats the best test if its brake fluid

Also I have a poverty dash (temp, fuel and speedo only) with no aux dials.

I was poking up behind the dash at the weekened to fit a stereo so I could have distrurbed somthing... But what?

I did top up the coolant on Sunday as well as it was low, but theses a slight split in the solder between the bottom tank and the rad core which accounts for that, I think. heater matrix is on the passenger side in the engine bay on the cortina (very similar layout to the FD)

If it wasn't dark all the time I'm not working I'd stand a chance!

no chance there's plumbing from an old auxiliary guage dash, that may include an oil pressure line?

Although you said you are not loosing fluid from the brake master cylinder it may have been replaced I would check the servo take of the m/c and see if the servo is full of fluid. I've had this before on a customers car.

Although you said you are not loosing fluid from the brake master cylinder it may have been replaced I would check the servo take of the m/c and see if the servo is full of fluid. I've had this before on a customers car.

My Lancia Beta had a pipe from the hollow dipstick to a gauge in the dash, you press a button which slowly releases, drawing oil up the pipe and showing the oil level on the gauge!!!! Never worked mind
On a tangent, my pickup is losing brake fluid, quite rapidly now, but shows no evidence of a leak- could this be going into the servo? (sorry if i'm hijacking the post here but it's kinda related!)

well, I was surprised that there is no servo in my Cortina! I thought all Mk3s had 'em. Well, no. And thats why the brake fluid is now soaking ito my sock not dripping into the servo.

my guess:
gearbox oil is warming and expanding and pushing its way up the speedo cable and dripping out the back of the speedo (most likely cause is your gearbox breather is blocked or box too full)

just out of interest, did you resolve this alistair and what caused it?
and just to be extra nosey, which cortina have you got.

i really liked will's diagnoses, if i shut my eyes i could see the cogs going round in yer brain will.



Edit:I've been the victim of self inflicted red wine stuper and not read the thread properly, please ignore me!

wildman , i think we need to get together at a show , im sure we can do a couple (read couple of cases) of botols of red , im usualy disabled by the chablis

Yeah, fixed.

Imaging my surprise to discover there was no servo on the brakes. Well, the rear seal was gone on the master cylinder and it was simply running down the actuation rod and dripping in from there. If I hadn't assumed it had a servo and in fact paid a bit more attention when I was under the bonnet it might have seemed more obvious...