Brake fluid is the least maintained fluid in any vehicle. It can become contaminated with water, rust, gunk, and cause caliper & wheel cylinders to seaze up. It's a good idea to have your brake fluid power flushed if you are in a shop. A good brake shop can do this pretty cheap also.

Any good way to exhange brake fluid?

 

I did mine with a Mity Vac http://www.mityvac.com/

Worked great, real easy. Old fluid looked pretty rough.

 

Let me give you a little tip, the "One Man Brake Bleed Kit" that Autozone sells is not worth the $6.00. The bottle is puny and you have to fill it half way up with new fluid to begin with in order not so suck air back into the lines when you release the pedal (remember, the assumption is you are alone). That means you have to empty the bottle about every time you push the pedal . I tried the stupid bottle and ended up getting my wife to push and hold the pedal while I manipulated the bleed screws this weekend. Took about 64 ounces of new DOT 3 fluid to flush/fill the system .

~Rob

 

I use the same unit (well kind of mines aluminum) as displacedtexan and it works great
I also agree with Geico that most dont change their brake fluid

 

I know mine's never been done and I've got almost 100k on it. Oh well. It'll get done this summer when I upgrade the brakes

 

Anybody ever try SPEEDBLEEDERS?



~Rob

 

I change brake fluid and power steering fluid every oil change (25000 miles)

 

To do it with out to much effort you need help. Either someone to run the brake peddle or the bleeder screw.
I use a small piece of vac hose to slip over the bleeder and run into a container then have someone else push the brakes.

Drain the master with a Turkey baster (sp) or you can suck it out with a clear hose (clear so you dont drink it), fill it back up with new clean fluid.
Start at the RR corner and blead it till the new fluid comes out. Keep filling the reservoir so you dont suck air. Move over to the LR and repeat, then RF then LF always keeping the resevoir full.

Just in case your unfamiliar with the actual bleeding process;

the person in the cab will push the brake peddle and keep pressure on it even when you brake the bleeder free, tighten bleeder and repeat.
the person in the cab does not need topush the peddle like there in a panic stop just keep pressure on it so it doesnt suck air back in the caliper.


Hope that helps a little.

dan

 

i need to add some fluid to mine, i noticed it was slightly low last night while replacing my injectors. also noticed i have a serious oil leak now

 

Better check your pads for wear, usually a low res is due to pad/ shoes wearing out or close to it.

dan

 

A lot of autocrossers use pressure bleeders, like this one:

http://www.motiveproducts.com/

No pumping, no assistant, you get to drink all the beer yourself, etc. Typically they'll alternate fluid colors to make it easy to tell when the system is bled. ATE, for example, makes both a gold and a blue fluid that have identical specifications. Both DOT4.

 

I use the motive bleeder and love it. The best I've come across so far.
mishkaya

 

Cool, I'm glad to hear that. I was planning on getting one this summer to change my brake fluid and from everything I could find it seems like the best one to get. Glad to have a first-hand endorsement.

 

I made a pressure bleeder and did it my self in under 20 minutes. This tool is invaluable to me, and I've used it on every car I've owned. If you can find an extra reservoir cap, and your vehicle can be pressure bled, you'll not find a better way. Whole thing cost me $20 to make. Pressure bleeders cost $130 -$200, even online...

Disclaimer:
Brake fluid will f' your stuff up... don't get it on any surface of the vehicle or your self. It, unlike water, will penetrate your skin. Wear surgical gloves or avoid getting it on your hands if possible.

Pressure bleeding can only be done on a reservoir made to tolerate pressure. Not all vehicles can be pressure bleed. If you are not sure, look it up...

A)
If you're not doing breaks too, take note of the fluid level. Its what you should end up with at the end. Otherwise when you do brakes, you could have a mess when compressing your calipers/cylinders.
With the turkey baster, I drained 2/3rds of the fluid from the reservoir and placed it into a clean container (cap drilled and clear 3/8 tubing). The tubing is placed below the level of the old fluid with the other end placed on the bleeder nipple on the caliper.

B)
Next I fill the reservoir up with clean fluid.

C)
Take the home made pressure bleeder and place the cap on the reservoir. Pump up to 10 psi and walk over to wheel number 1. Place the hose from the containing mentioned in step A) onto the furthest furthest caliper from the master cylinder. Open the nipple and watch the bubbles in the container. Keep pressure in the tank and watch the reservoir. Once the reservoir is 1/3 full, depressurize the bleeder and add more fluid to the reservoir.

D)
Now let the flushing begin. I'll use 1 pint to flush the system. Keep the hose attached to the furthest wheel as mentioned in C), and pressurize the reservoir again. Once you've emptied half the reservoir, check your line and make sure new fluid is coming out. While the fluid is still flowing, close off the valve.

E)
Perform the same procedure on each wheel going from the furthest to the closest (passenger rear, driver rear, passenger front, driver front).


Building a pressure bleeder.

Really simple with the most difficult part being a reservoir cap....

Get the following items:
1. Plastic HDPE insecticide/garden sprayer 2 - 10 gallon (I got a 2).
2. A barbed nipple which is compatible with the inside diameter of the sprayer hose.
3. A dial tire pressure gauge (got mine at autozone for $1)
4. An extra cap for your reservoir (dealer charges $25 - not worth it, got mine in the "HELP" section at autozone)
5. Depending on where you get your reservoir cap, you may need to get neoprene washers to seal the cap.
6. Caulk might be needed for the barb on the cap.

Drill a hole in the new reservoir cap to accommodate the barbed nipple. Tap the cap and screw in the nipple. Cut or remove the hose from the spray nozzle end and place it onto the barbed cap (may need to remove in order to put the cap on the reservoir).
Drill a hole high on the sprayer tank large enough to accommodate the tire gauge. Tap the hole with appropriate size tap, and screw in the gauge (add pipe tape if needed).
I noticed on mine that the barb would leak on the reservoir cap. It was a slow leak, but something I decided to fix. I took 100% silicone caulk and on the bottom side of the cap, I put a 1/8 inch bead around the nipple... a silicone areola if you will . Then I drilled a hole in the neoprene washer and placed it snugly inside the cap with the end of the nipple fitting protruding through the hole. Voila... This tool is a miracle for the solo mechanic. No more bothering the wife to pump the brakes. Pressure bleeding is the highest quality (next to gravity) and takes the least amount of time. I've heard that there are extra steps to follow on some vehicles that are equipped with antilock. I had no problems at all pressure bleeding my 01 2500.

I suggest flushing your system every 2 years, or when the color becomes darker than the original light amber (indicates water)

 

Jfpointer beat me to it

Being at work, I got distracted by "work stuf"

Anyway... here's an illustration: