Hi all,

I opened up the brake fluid compartment on my wife's 2007 G35 because of a mushy pedal, and the brake fluid looks at a proper level. But the smaller one is for the clutch, right? Because it shows no fluid at all! What do I need to do? Should I just refill it, and if so with what? It's bone dry, will I need to bleed it or just add fluid and pump the clutch?

Could it be indicative of a serious problem that I need immediate attention on, or do I just refill it and keep an eye on it?

Edit: I had the transmission flushed at 60k (5k ago), but I thought that was a different thing - just wanted to mention it anyway in case it helps.

Thanks for the help!

 

If that's for your clutch, it needs to be filled with brake fluid. You might want to get it checked too because that is not normal. A transmission fluid flush is completely different.

 

Thanks dofu. Do the folks here have a preferred brand or any old DOT-3? Considering it's the weekend I want to fill it and keep a close eye on it. If I fill it and pump the clutch, is that sufficient to circulate the fluid or do I need to open the bleed valve underneath as well since it is pretty dry at the moment?

 

You might have gotten lucky and there was just enough in the clutch master cylinder to still work, without getting air in the line... I would just add and see how it works, cause it sounds like your still driving the car, so it must still disengage the clutch good enough to shift the car. otherwise it would be wise to flush, or exchange the fluid, ie. bleed the whole system, brake fluid does not last forever...... both the clutch and the brake systems....

 

I'd be worried about where all that fluid went. Is there a leak somewhere in the clutch hydraulics?

 

Thanks everyone. I added the fluid yesterday, pumped the clutch pedal a lot, and then took the car on a test drive to the store and back without a loss of fluid in the reservoir. I just checked again after the car sat, still no loss. The real test will be when my wife gets home from work tomorrow.