A sample of contaminated break fluid from a 1999 Isuzu Amigo was presented to the authors at their laboratory for analysis of the contaminating layer, assuming one layer was break fluid. The goal was to discover the reason for the break malfunction. The sample presented two immiscible layers, both of which were organic. The fluids were analyzed by GC-MS and were compared to known automotive fluids. The bottom layer, consisting of glycols, was determined to be break fluid, while the top layer, consisting of aliphatics ranging from C16 to C25, was determined to be power steering fluid. The authors note the interesting phenomenon of the partial dissolution of two principle glycols from the break fluid in the aliphatics mixture. GC-MS was determined to be a valuable tool in identifying different vehicle fluids. References