2006 Jaguar XKR, just purchased. Did first panic stop today, drove a bit further to work, and noticed a tendril of brake fluid escaped along side of car. Normal, have Brembos. thanks

 

Better double check and clean it up, brake fluid eats through paint!

 

Doesn't sound normal in any case, can you see where it came from?

 

Showed it to a friend at work, an actual mechanic, he thought it was a red lithium caliper grease perhaps, a little extra from the brake service. Sounds most reasonable, definitely greasy, viscous, or something that came up from the road. False alarm, hopefully.

 

Welcome to the forum Roverboy,

That's the most poetic fault description I've read in a long time. Splendid.

A broken pipe, hose or seal usually results in total loss of brakes very quickly but it's never a good plan to ignore any brake fault.

First check the level in the reservoir to see if it has dropped. This will also give you the opportunity to see if you have red brake fluid which would be unusual.

Next, either get the vehicle up on a four post lift or remove each wheel in turn to check the solid brake lines and flexi hoses.

Please follow this link New Member Area - Intro a MUST - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum to the New Member Area - Intro a MUST forum and post some information about yourself and your vehicle for all members to see. In return you'll get a proper welcome and some useful advice about posting to the forum.

Graham

 

Other sources would be transmission fluid and power steering fluid. Check all fittings running on the front of the car all around the radiator. Driver side has the trans cooler lines, power steering lines are all across the front, not just near the pump (there is a cooler going across the front, so lots of plumbing).

If it is more orange than red, compare (cold!) with the antifreeze (DEXCOOL). It is a fluid with a weird sheen, best way to determine the color is to dip a paper towel in it.

Best of luck, keep us posted. As others have said, if you have any hint that the brakes are somehow involved, do this investigation sooner rather than later. But you knew that already.

 

Thanks Graham, and Fmertz, my mechanic friend checked all fluid levels and connnections y'day, and both of us inspected any lines around the front of the vehicle. Looks OK. He seemed to extra caliper grease escaped, or something from the road got thrown up. Where I exit our freeway is where a lot of lorries/semis seem to break down passing through I-70. Maybe I ran over a bottle or tube of something leftover from a roadside repair. Only have put 100 miles on since purchase. Thanks for the guidance.