sounds weird but

[rockyracoon]

I know this sounds weird but is there any way that brake fluid could get into the intake tract? there was some liquid dripping from my tailpipes and it sure smelled like brake fluid.

im starting to think the liquid may in fact be coolant,although it did not taste sweet, rather bitter.

 

[wmburns]

Unless there is a leak near the back of the car.

However, the engine labors when you pump the brakes because the hydro boost is driven via the power steering pump. It is normal to hear some change in engine load when pumping the brakes.

I would certainly think that if it is leaking that much brake fluild that it would show up in the reservoir.

I am not going to recommend that you taste the fluid (if you were in the tasting mood, compare it to the coolant in the engine). While I do not know for certain (by taste), many anti-freezes have a bittering agent just so the sweet taste is removed.

Anti-freeze will feel slightly oily.

The best diagnositic tool would be a coolant system pressure test. An exhaust system is not normally liquid tight. Small drain holes in the muffler and such. To make it all the way to the end of the tail pipe must be a lot.

Sorry to hear.

 

[BurningRubber]

Could be condensation from cold weather and it is picking up the carbon deposits in your tailpipe, or you could possibly be running rich.

But no, brake fluid cannot make its way into the exhaust, unless like wmburns said it was coming from a leak toward the rear of the car. But in that case, it would be on the outside of the pipe unless you had a large enough hole in the tailpipe for the fluid to drip into, and make its way out.