After a nice stretch of no issues it appears the LS has sprung a brake fluid leak

[lsintoronto]

After a nice stretch of no issues after I pulled the computer and sent it off for repairs, it appears the LS (2004 V8) has sprung a brake fluid leak. While shovelling the driveway on Wednesday I noticed a sizable wet spot under the car that looked like it had oil in it (I do have a slow oil drip I have to get addressed this year or it could have been another coolant issue which is one thing that I had to deal with last year after finding a puddle on the driveway) - I was going to take the car in for service/oil change soon anyway so figured I'd take a look this weekend since we weren't using the car this week.

Anyway, the wife decided to take the car out and got about 5 minutes from the house before a "Brake Fluid Low" indicator came on as well as the red brake light, so she turned around and went home - didn't have any braking issues on the 5 minute ride back.

I'll get under it tomorrow before taking it in (or towing) to see if I can at least see how much was lost and where the issue may be coming from. From where the leak was it is the frond end and probably closer to the driver side IIRC.

Anyone else experience this warning message and what issues were associated with it? Which parts were leaking?

Thanks!

 

[joegr]

There isn't much extra brake fluid in the system. This may be a coincidence and not related to your leak. It could just be that your brake pads are worn down enough for the fluid level to drop too low. Brakes are very important, so I would remove each wheel and check very carefully. (And, of course, top up the brake fluid reservoir.)
What color was the leaked fluid, and more precisely where? If it wasn't on a tire, it's probably not brake fluid (the most likely leak points that don't immediately result in reduced braking are at the caliper piston seals).

 

[lsintoronto]

There isn't much extra brake fluid in the system. This may be a coincidence and not related to your leak. It could just be that your brake pads are worn down enough for the fluid level to drop too low. Brakes are very important, so I would remove each wheel and check very carefully. (And, of course, top up the brake fluid reservoir.)
What color was the leaked fluid, and more precisely where? If it wasn't on a tire, it's probably not brake fluid (the most likely leak points that don't immediately result in reduced braking are at the caliper piston seals).

Thanks - the brakes "should" be fine as they have less than 2 years on them and relatively low mileage. Also replaced a rear caliper last year along with parking brake lines but the fluid was closer to the front of the car. It could been coincidence as I wasn't able to inspect properly due to the mess from an overnight snowstorm so was going to leave it parked until the weekend until I could look at it. Couldn't tell the color on the driveway as the snow had been cleaned off already and it just had that oil sheen color. It could have even been coolant on the black driveway. That was the least leak I had after which the car started to overheat.

I'll check the fluid level tomorrow when it's light out and then start inspecting parts.

 

[pragmatic]

I had this issue approximatley 9 months after replacing a rear caliper. The new (rebuilt) caliper was leaking from piston seal. Rear tire had fluid on its inner side wall. Changed caliper again and all was well.

 

[don-ohio]

Don't forget the brake hoses. don-ohio ^)