# Something is dripping from driver's side dash



## quakefiend420 (Jun 1, 2004)

and ruining my pants 

it's a dark colored liquid, doesn't drip much at all, maybe a drop every 15 minutes or so...but it's falling on my left leg right by the cuff of my pants at my ankle when i have my foot on the dead pedal

i've reached up in the dash right there, but i can't feel anything that's wet...any ideas?


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## Zen31ZR (Mar 24, 2004)

Is your car the manual transmission? Sounds like maybe the clutch master cylinder is leaking. If it's the auto trans, I dunno what it could be except maybe some condensation in the A/C ducting.


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## quakefiend420 (Jun 1, 2004)

yeah, it's a manual tranny, and the ac compressor went out a while ago and i never fixed it, so i doubt it's condensation


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## Asleep (Jan 19, 2003)

sounds like your clutch master to me too. pretty easy to see if you just follow the clutch pedal up into the dash and see if its leaking.


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## quakefiend420 (Jun 1, 2004)

i'll have a look at that tomorrow, then

thx


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## AZ-ZBum (Nov 21, 2004)

they're both wrong.

you have an analog dash, right? it's transmission fluid. the seals in the pinion gear assembly failed and transmission fluid is running up the speedometer cable and into the instrument cluster. the instrument cluster needs to be removed and cleaned. the cable drained, and the seals replaced.

There is no way brake/clutch fluid can enter the cabin of the car and drip onto your pants leg.


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## Zen31ZR (Mar 24, 2004)

Actually, you are wrong. I've seen it happen in several vehicles before which is why I mentioned it. It's possible for clutch fluid to leak out the back of the master cylinder and run along some brackets back there and drip. It was going on in my own Z, actually, but the leak was so slow I disregarded it.


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## Asleep (Jan 19, 2003)

AZ-ZBum said:


> they're both wrong.
> 
> you have an analog dash, right? it's transmission fluid. the seals in the pinion gear assembly failed and transmission fluid is running up the speedometer cable and into the instrument cluster. the instrument cluster needs to be removed and cleaned. the cable drained, and the seals replaced.
> 
> There is no way brake/clutch fluid can enter the cabin of the car and drip onto your pants leg.


yeah, dont be so sure there guy. with a hydraulic clutch, when the primary seal goes bad, the leak is on the outside of the seal where the piston from the clutch pedal goes thru the firewall and into the clutch master. theres nowhere for the fluid to go when that seal goes bad but into the cabin. ive seen it and ive fixed it before. its very possible. also, if it was that much transmission fluid - youd smell it.


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## AZ-ZBum (Nov 21, 2004)

I will be that sure, because that's exactly what happens in the Z31. It happens all the time with the 84-86 analog dashes.

And when the seal breaks on all models, the speedometers will eventually start loosing accuracy.

Neither of you own Z31s, so you don't know/remember. One of the things with the Z31s clutch master cylinder is that there is so much insulation and crap on the inside of the firewall that it's nearly impossible for the clutch fluid to make it to the pedal. Most of it will get trapped in the fabric and padding long before it reaches the pedal.


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## Asleep (Jan 19, 2003)

ok, simple test. 
get a q-tip and dab it in the fluid. what color is it and what does it smell like?


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## AZ-ZBum (Nov 21, 2004)

color is irrelevent since they're both going to be a dark brownish. they both start off yellowish, but if they're old enough to be causing leaks, they're going to be contaminated with junk and turn brown.

here's the way to really determine:
remove the lower dash panel. if it, the lower foot ducting, steering column, etc. are soaked in fluid, it's absolutely, positively transmission fluid.

the big keys to this is that it's dripping on his leg whenever it's on the dead pedal. Now if it had only been the clutch, there is about a 0.1% chance it could be the clutch master cylinder. but since it's dripping on the leg while it's on the dead pedal, the fluid is coming over too far to the left. what's happening is the fluid is leaking out of the back of the instrument cluster and is dripping on the steering column and running down all over everything. wiring, ducting, etc.

If he doesn't take care of the leak, the speedometer eventually starts jumping all over the place.


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## Zen31ZR (Mar 24, 2004)

Did you read his first post? He says when he reaches up into the dash right there he doesn't feel anything wet. So therefore it's not "running down all over everything" as you say it would be.


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## AZ-ZBum (Nov 21, 2004)

Yes. I did read that. And I don't think he's actually reaching high enough or in the right spot.


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## Spongerider (Nov 18, 2002)

I guess well have to wait for quakefiend420 reply.


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## AZ-ZBum (Nov 21, 2004)

And yes, it's possible to reach up there and not feel anything. There is a lot of crap under the dash that you might not find it right away.


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