Non-Pressure Leaks
WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2005 Mercury Montego, 2005 Ford Freestyle, and 2005 Ford Five Hundred. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.
NOTE:
The wet appearance on the outer cover of rubber brake hoses is called "sweating." This is a normal condition for rayon-braided neoprene hose. The sweating condition is not evidence of a brake fluid leak and will not result in a loss of pressure in the system.
The only part of the brake system that could have a brake fluid loss that does not appear when the system is under pressure is the brake master cylinder reservoir under the following conditions:
- missing or poorly-fitted brake master cylinder filler cap
- punctured or otherwise damaged brake master cylinder reservoir
- missing or damaged brake master cylinder filler cap gasket
- missing, damaged or poorly-fitted sealing grommets between the brake master cylinder and the brake master cylinder reservoir
The brake master cylinder reservoir grommets are not repairable and must be installed new as part of a new brake master cylinder reservoir.