DeTomaso Mailing List: July 99, Message #254

OK, I admit it sounds a little unlikely, but I swear someone broke into my
car and sucked all the brake fluid out of the clutch line, locked my car
back up again and left. 

Why do I say this? Because all of a sudden I noticed my clutch pedal
getting very light, the engagement point shifting toward the floor. In
a very short order, I literally had zero clutch left, and arrived at my 
destination, stopped the car and it stalled out because the clutch
was doing nothing at this point. I opened the front trunk and discovered
a dry M/C reservoir. This isn't good. I walked to a service station and
got a couple liters of brake fluid, filled it back up. I now have a clutch
again and it is functioning exactly as before this incident. I can see
no fluid on the ground under the car.

The weird part is that I have a brand new Master Cylinder. A brand new
slave cylinder. And the braided line going between the two is brand new. 
The floor in the drivers side is dry. The front trunk is dry. There is no 
evidence of leakage around the slave, as it looks dry. I don't really
have any means of getting under the car to see what the clutch
line looks like, but if that is in good shape then the only remaining
possibility is that someone sucked my brake fluid out. Wasn't it
Sherlock Holmes who said once you eliminate all the possibilities,
the only remaining option, no matter how unlikely, must be the truth?
Hence, someone sucked the brake fluid out :-) 

I guess my task now is to keep an eye on the reservoir in the front
trunk to see if the level changes. This one has me scratching
my head.... And to keep my eye out for this viscous band of
black-market brake fluid traffickers.... watch out - they could 
strike your car next! 

Heading for the beach, with an extra liter of brake fluid in the
passenger compartment....

Charles McCall
1972 Pre-L #3847
"Raising Pantera Awareness in France"