1996 850 Mysterious Oil Leak in Driver side floor

Hi, I have a 1996 850, and just discovered a mysterious oil leak under
the rubber floor mat in the driver's side floor area...the carpet under
the mat was soaked with a clear oil like substance, and it seemed that
the oil had wicked into the carpet somehow. There was no oil around
the pedals or up higher...is this refrigerant oil? Any ideas on where
it might be leaking? Thanks!

 

Not refrigerant oil if the AC/Defroster is working. I am thinking clutch
fluid, if a manual tranny. Easy enough to tell; look at the reservoir. I
don't particularly suspect the brakes because the booster should stop the
fluid from getting into the passenger compartment, but while you are under
there a peek at all the fluid levels would be nice.

If it is the clutch fluid, you need a new clutch master cylinder. My
experience is that the master and slave cylinders usually go out within a
few months (sometimes weeks) of each other, so a pre-emptive replacement of
the slave would be a good idea.

If not a manual tranny, I'm stumped. Even a pinhole in the evaporator should
drain any oil leaked onto the ground through the evaporator drain.

Mike