2G Brake fluid leaking from somewhere but can't see exactly where

[S'tan]

Hello,
I seem to be having issues finding a leak in my brake lines but can't figure out exactly where it's coming from. A bit of background info: I can see the brake fluid leaking onto a puddle on the floor and the area inside the engine bay on top of the puddle seems to be unusually wet with something. I have looked from the top of the engine bay, from underneath the car, from the tire well and all I can see is fluid leaking down onto the floor from somewhere but can't find the exact location. I have checked on the forums and most of the information regarding leaks seems to be regarding the brake booster, the master cylinder, or around the calipers, however, none of those are leaking and the fluid keeps puddling around an area away from those so I'm sure that is not it. The area of the leak appears to be somewhere along the firewall on the passenger side of the vehicle, mostly around where the fuel filter/battery/Proportioning valve are located. I had thought it was the proportioning valve, but it is dry and when I fill the reservoir and press on the pedal, the fluid begins to leak from that area but the valve remains dry. I can see the fluid leaking down from somewhere by the holding bracket of the sway bar and around that area but can't spot the leak from the top, looking at the firewall. I am guessing that one of the brake lines might have ruptured or broken somewhere but can't tell where. I would prefer to replace the solid lines with the braided steel lines but don't know where to get them. Could someone give me an idea of what possible locations the leak might be coming from? Perhaps an area that is known to have some defects or where a line might have been damaged by some other part that might have come loose and hit it?(the threads for the bolts that hold the steering gear and the sway bar around the same area appear to have stripped and I have been having some steering issues as a result lately, the bolts keep coming lose and I'm not sure if the lines pass thru an area where the steering gear might have damaged them as it was wobbling quite a bit recently, causing issues with the steering, which is when I discovered the bolts were lose and the leak began shortly after. Any help would be appreciated and I can try to provide more info if my post isn't all that clear. It's my first time posting and am not sure what information to provide.
The car is a 1997 GST with no prior modifications to the brake system, apart from rotors and pads about a year or two ago. Thanks.

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[luv2rallye]

Are you sure it's not PS fluid leaking from your steering rack?
In either case have someone turn the steering wheel back/forth while you look at it. If brake fluid is the suspect have someone pump the brake pedal while you look. Are the brake or PS reservoirs going down?

 

[pauleyman]

Don't forget clutch. Same brake fluid.

 

[AWD-Tony]

You’ll just have to lay under the car and have someone do what Gary said. Sucks but that’s the only way to find it. It should be clear as day. If it’s brake fluid, clean that off ASAP as it will eat any paint it comes in contact with.

FYI that bolt you couldn’t find, well you’ve taken a picture of it in that last 3 pics

 

[Mech Addict]

Is the fluid level in the master cylinder reservoir getting lower over time? How about the clutch reservoir. Try to confirm that it is brake fluid. Power steering should use AT fluid, which is red, but generic power steering is clear, so may look like brake fluid. You might look for as many parts of the car that are wet with this fluid, spray them off with brake cleaner, and then see where the trail begins.

 

[Morphius]

If you don't have a buddy to help, I'd suggest using some brake clean and blasting the suspect areas. Make sure the fluids are all topped off. Go make a trip around the neighborhood or up/down a local road with low traffic (in case something goes south, like a line finally burst). Then go back and crawl around the car and inspect it.

 

[S'tan]

Thanks to everyone for the replies. I knew this site was helpful but didn't expect the members of the community to be so involved... That's pretty cool. I had expected maybe one or two replies in a matter of weeks. Glad to see I was wrong. But anyways, regarding the issue, yes, it was brake fluid. I did what some people suggested and had to get under the car and start taking things apart and thankfully I was able to find the issue without having to remove the engine, which I was mentally preparing myself for just to find that damn leak. The cause of the leak was human error, mainly me. I ended up puncturing one of the break lines while trying to fix something something else and hadn't realized it because I couldn't see the break lines. I had to make a few trips to the auto parts store, got some new break lines, the bender tool, flaring tool, etc... Long story short, the issue was fixed and I have come to experience that when the cause of an issue isn't obvious and you can't explain why or how it happened, it may be that it wasn't a mechanical/electrical failure that caused it, it was probably you doing something you shouldn't have. Retrace your steps and check everything, and it's important that you assume the repair was done by some other idiot and you could find the issue a lot faster. Then blame yourself and fix it, learn and move on. Thanks to everyone for the replies, i will close this thread once I figure out how to, I'm still fairly new to the site

 

[AWD-Tony]

We’re all here to help. Glad you found the issue.