Ok, I've learned a lot about this thing this morning. I got out my trusty ear glasses (stethascope, ex-EMT) and listened closely for the source of that hissing sound.

Guess what, it's not just when I puch hard on the pedal or turn off the engine, it's all the time. And it's coming from a very specific spot right at the seam where the "front" and "back" of the brake booster join. I can see that a rubber gasket sits between the two halves. The hiss comes is audible over a 1 inch section at about, oh, 1 or 2 o'clock.

So am I out big bucks to replace this bad boy! Can it be fixed? By just any old mechnic? If I have to replace it, any reccomendations on where to get one and how much to pay the nice men at the garage to install it?

Thanks. This car just gets more and more fun every day!

--

Pete