# 09 Rabbit 2.5 Vacuum pump leak?



## psycoustic (Jan 5, 2013)

I was replacing my front brakes today and during this process I always kind of look for leaks/cracks elsewhere since I have easy access. When I looked behind the CV joints I saw a little bit of wetness (near the lower control arm bushings/subframe mounts roughly).
Never really found any drops on my garage floor.

When finished with my brakes I dove underneath the car to take a picture of the "wet" area. I touched the oily/greasy part and it certainly doesn't smell like engine oil:





















Just wondering if anyone had something similar going on (could this be caused by a defective vacuum pump or transmission oil leaking)? Any idea's/suggestions are definitely welcome


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## THUNDERRABBIT (Apr 13, 2015)

I have that same thing going on in my 07 rabbit. I'd be interested to know what's causing this as well.


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## [email protected] (Aug 18, 2011)

Could be a vacuum pump leak, sure. First thing you should do is check to see if the pump is leaking. The pump is located directly above the transmission, connected to the engine block. Check out this video from Charles @ Humble Mechanic to help locate the pump and learn about the replacement procedure:


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## psycoustic (Jan 5, 2013)

Well I think I know what it is/was.... I feel kinda stupid 
I guess I thought the worst out of it right away..

Turns out that my brake fluid reservoir was very full, and when I pushed back in the pistons in the calipers, the reservoir got rid of excessive brake fluid (which dripped right on the floor) since the cap of the reservoir was wet also.
So I'm pretty sure this was the problem. I never touch my brake fluid (don't really have to) but someone topped it off at some point for some reason.

I would still like to check out to see if the pump leaks too. However, if the pump leaks, it should be leaking engine oil correct?

Thanks for the video btw - very clear how-to! Gotta love the humble mecanic!


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## [email protected] (Aug 18, 2011)

psycoustic said:


> ... Turns out that my brake fluid reservoir was very full, and when I pushed back in the pistons in the calipers, the reservoir got rid of excessive brake fluid (which dripped right on the floor) since the cap of the reservoir was wet also. ...


I need to be a better reader! 



psycoustic said:


> ... When finished with my brakes I dove underneath the car to take a picture of the "wet" area. I touched the oily/greasy part and it *certainly doesn't smell like engine oil.* ...


Step 1) What does the fluid smell like? 

On the bright side, now you know more about how to replace the vacuum pump.


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## psycoustic (Jan 5, 2013)

[email protected] said:


> Step 1) What does the fluid smell like?
> 
> On the bright side, now you know more about how to replace the vacuum pump.



That's true! 
It was hard to smell the oil/fluid that was stuck at the bottom of my transmission, since it was mixed with dirt, so I couldn't really identify. When I saw the puddle on the floor later and I smelled, it was clear to me :banghead:


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