Re: Leaking strut? If fluid water soluble it would be brake fluid. But to be blackish...

1999 base Boxster. Just getting it ready for the first DE of the season. Had it over to the indy for a tech inspection and had the engine mount replaced as I'm now at 66K and figured it was past due.



Anyway - car drove fine the 30 miles home. Took it to work today and put another 40 miles on it. As I'm getting ready to pull in the driveway my wife stops me and says "Can you look at this fluid on the floor?" Small puddle of thin blackish fluid about where front passenger tire rests. I wipe it up, put a clean rag down and pull the car in. Grab some dinner and come back to the garage to check for leaks. Sure enough - there's more fluid. I jack the car up and remove the wheel. Inside of the rim is covered with fluid. Has a strong hydraulic smell. I'm thinking either a brake line leak or a steering fluid leak. Check both reservoirs and they look fine. I have the wife pump the brake pedal but can't find anything leaking. She turns the wheel over full left, then full right then back to center. No leaks I can see. I'm wondering if the motor needs to run to pressurize those systems?

The leak has sprayed a good bit of fluid around the inside of the wheel well. Was wondering if anyone had other ideas. Here's some pictures. Could something have been bent/damaged/loosened while replacing the motor mount? I figure I'll remove the wheel well covers tomorrow and see what might be going on behind them. I'm surprised at how much fluid is covering the strut. Steering rack is really dry. Everything just looks isolated to the brake area.















See my other pastime at www.gothamcityracing.net

means you haven't flushed/bled the brake fluid in a long time. Unlikely given you participate in DE's.

You've already checked the power steering and brake fluid reservoirs for low levels and found the levels ok.

Another fluid source could be A/C compressor oil.

From where I sit, about all I can do is guess. You're at the car. I find it hard to believe the motor mount change had anything to do with this. There are some hydraulic lines, brake lines, power steering lines of course in/around the engine compartment but someone would have to be a real klutz...

I'm sticking with leaking strut. I spoke to a tech the other day about my car's struts/shocks and he said they generally are gone by about 65K miles. That's a bit hard to accept, though, particularly since I note the struts/rear shocks on both of my cars (Boxster and 996) aren't leaking but maybe that they've lasted way over 65K miles (254K miles now on the Boxster, just over 90K miles on the 996) is just luck on my part and you're not as lucky in this area as I am?

Sincerely,

MarcW.

Is there any specific area on the strut I could look where the liquid would normally leak ?

See my other pastime at www.gothamcityracing.net

The most common area is at the top of the strut, where the stainless steel rod goes into the top of the housing tube.

Regards, Maurice.

Teh fact that you said a "stong hydraulic smell". IMO, strut oil, once old, reeks.
Brake fluid generally has no odor unless you put your nose to it.

Easy enough to clean it off and check for brake fluid.

Struts generally leak from the seal around the piston. Look there, if you can.

Grant

Grant

gee-lenahan-at-gee-mail-dot-com

... salesmanship on the part of the dealer.
I replaced my struts at 218,000 not because they were leaking but because the springs had sagged.
The struts are still good.
Never leaked a drop.
Happy Boxstering,
Pedro

Pedro Bonilla
1998 Boxster 986 - 311,000+ miles: [www.PedrosGarage.com]
PCA National Club Racing Scrutineer - PCA National HPDE Instructor - PCA Technical Committee (Boxster/Cayman)

---

Racecar spelled backwards is Racecar

"Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting" ... Steve McQueen as Michael Delaney in "LeMans"

"If you wait, all that happens is that you get older"... Mario Andretti

"Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose" ... Ayrton Senna

and that this occurred at X miles is applied or at least predicted for every car.

While my Boxster feels squirrely -- and it could be the struts/shocks (which even though they have big miles are not leaking) (or suspension bushings) -- I'm waiting until after I have new tires fitted (and balanced -- the old tires are out of balance due I think mainly to considerable wear) and get the alignment done to see if this helps.

The rear tires are worn quite heavily in the center to the point lighter colored material (belts? no metal showing though) is visible. I'm hoping it is this wear pattern than is the source of the squirrely feel.

Sincerely,

MarcW.

If both reservoirs are full, it certainly looks like a leaking strut. Your third photo shows the liquid on the inboard half of the wheel well liner, and it probably ended up there after dripping onto the inside of the rim and getting flung outwards.

Regards, Maurice.

with that much loss you would feel a difference in the pedal feel, not necessarily notice a difference in the reservoir.

I don't think there is a power steering line in that area. The lines come up the middle of the car IIRC.

My guess would be a strut leak. That might be evident if you push down on the passenger fender then the driver's side. If there is a big difference, voila.

Got all in there and it was definitely the strut leaking. In fact, the indy tech had made a note on my invoice to watch that strut as he saw a few drops of oil. Apparently, it blew the seal pretty good on the way home. Funny, I was thinking when driving it home that the car felt so much better and less clunky with the new motor mount, but I was noticing just a hint of pull to the right - and this car has always tracked straight as an arrow. After putting the wheel back on, I gave it the old bounce test and sure enough that corner is very soft.

Well, this gave me a good excuse to do a little upgrading. I've got the ROW M030 kit coming from Sunset. New struts, springs, sway bars!! I doubt it will be here in time for our DE this weekend, so guess I'll be taking the Chumpcar to the track. That should get a little attention!

See my other pastime at www.gothamcityracing.net

John: Check your PM's.

Regards, Maurice.

The ROW M030 kit is a big improvement over US stock and it is a great value. In the end you will be happy, I'm sure.

Parts cost is around $1080 plus shipping. Not sure about cost of installation as I plan to DIY.

Regards, Maurice.

who charged me $400 for the labor. Replacement for the standard suspension on a base 2003. Lowers the car a bit and the ride is stiffer but not harsh at all. Actually, the car had 60K miles and I think it actually rides better on the highway now. It's definitely better on the track (which is why I did it) with less lean and much less floating feel over rises. Coupled with a track alignment, it really helped the car.

I was really concerned my wife wouldn't like the ride. When I got the car back we did some drives and she said it was fine. We're looking forward to the BRBS trip in it.
Would do it again.

Fills out the wheel wells nicely with the Cayman wheels.


And corners better than ever!


Dave - 06 987 S coupe SG/NL; gone (but still my first love): 03 986 AS/GG/BK;