what is the best way to completely flush out the brake fluid to obtain a clear fluid for a long duration. I went to the honda dealer and they change fluid for me , after 40 miles coming home, the fluid was still clear, but the next day it got dark. I have a02 accord with 53400 miles on it.
Brake fluid flush technique
- Thread starter Bluj40
- Start date
- Status
To change the fluid properly, you should suck as much fluid out of the master cylinder as you can. I use a MityVac tool, but often a turkey baster works well enough (just don't return it to kitchen duty). Fill the master cylinder with fresh fluid. Then bleed each individual caliper or wheel cylinder until the stuff coming out is as pristine as the new fluid. You must top off the master after each wheel. If they only changed the fluid in the master then it won't be long until the new fluid somewhat mixes with the old and the master cylinder resevoir looks dirty again.
Also, if the fluid was really dirty, some varnish will remain behind and start to darken the new fluid again pretty soon. If this is the case, do it again soon (in the next few months) and you will probably get most of it on the second time.
Also, if the fluid was really dirty, some varnish will remain behind and start to darken the new fluid again pretty soon. If this is the case, do it again soon (in the next few months) and you will probably get most of it on the second time.
- Joined
- Jun 2, 2003
- Messages
- 23,591
Just removing old fluid and outting fresh one in the master cylinder reservoir isn't quite enough to bleed the brakes. You will either need a second person to pump the brakes properly for you, a pressure bleeder, or a vacuum device to suck fluid out of the caliper bleeder. When bleeding the calipers in the proper order, you may want to tap the caliper to dislodge trapped air bubbles. When bleeding, make sure the fluid is clear and bubble-free.
The ABS control unit may represent a complication. On some cars this unit muxt be cycled in order to bleed the system properly. I don't know if that's the case on a Honda.
PS: I'm going to R&R my rear brakes today. I finally bought my own Motive pressure bleeder (~$51 shipped). Until now I've been borrowing my friend's.
The ABS control unit may represent a complication. On some cars this unit muxt be cycled in order to bleed the system properly. I don't know if that's the case on a Honda.
PS: I'm going to R&R my rear brakes today. I finally bought my own Motive pressure bleeder (~$51 shipped). Until now I've been borrowing my friend's.
Could you tell me where you bought it for $51 shipped?
Thanks
- Joined
- Jun 2, 2003
- Messages
- 23,591
I got it from germanautoparts.com. That's the standard Motive pressure bleeder with the cap that fits the master cylinder reservoir on most Euro cars. There's also an adapter for US and Japanese cars. You may want to check motiveproducts.com for details on the different options and version of the pressure bleeder.
I siphon/refill the master cylinder at every oil change. I just did a brake job last weekend and all calipers bled very clean(barely tinted) brake fluid. The car has 80k miles and is 5 years old. Osmosis and constant mixing(every time brake pedal is touched) will mix the fluid thoroughly over time.
Mityvac(and competitors) make small vacuum hand pumps that can help bleed. And, there are $5 one-man bleeder hoses, check valve bleeders(speedbleeder)....that can also be used to bleed the brakes.
Mityvac(and competitors) make small vacuum hand pumps that can help bleed. And, there are $5 one-man bleeder hoses, check valve bleeders(speedbleeder)....that can also be used to bleed the brakes.
How much fluid can be removed from the master cylinder without having to bleed it as when it is being replaced? The manual for my truck recommends bench bleeding the MC when replacing. Thanks.
As much as you can, just don't pump the pedal while the resevoir is empty. Getting air into the actual working area is a problem, emptying the resevoir is not.
A little hand vacume pump is a great investment for the doit yourselfer. And has a lot of uses. Not only for fluid evacuation but some tune upo diagnostics can be done on older vehicals.
I got into the rutine of sucking out the master cylinder (resevoir) and refilling every thre thousand K when I change the oil. I do this with the power steering too as its one of the noisy Ford/Mazda pumps. Totaly evacuating the entire brake fluid would be better. But to much hassle for me.
Anouther cool tool I have in the oilbay is a EZ FLUID EVACUATOR. Its a vacume canister / fluid evacuator. Hook it up to compressed air for a minute and a vacume is created in the canister. Venturi effect. Its about 2 gal in capacity. You can use it to suck out all the fluids on your vehical. I often use it to do oil changes on vehicals that come in with damaged plugs. And an interesting note. THere are quite a few vehicals wherer the drain plug is not at the lowest point. On these vehicals you can get more oil out by vacuming it from the dipe stick tube at oil change time. And for the do it yourselfer you dont have to crawl under the vehical.
Dont know how I got so far off topic... I think I'll stop now.
I got into the rutine of sucking out the master cylinder (resevoir) and refilling every thre thousand K when I change the oil. I do this with the power steering too as its one of the noisy Ford/Mazda pumps. Totaly evacuating the entire brake fluid would be better. But to much hassle for me.
Anouther cool tool I have in the oilbay is a EZ FLUID EVACUATOR. Its a vacume canister / fluid evacuator. Hook it up to compressed air for a minute and a vacume is created in the canister. Venturi effect. Its about 2 gal in capacity. You can use it to suck out all the fluids on your vehical. I often use it to do oil changes on vehicals that come in with damaged plugs. And an interesting note. THere are quite a few vehicals wherer the drain plug is not at the lowest point. On these vehicals you can get more oil out by vacuming it from the dipe stick tube at oil change time. And for the do it yourselfer you dont have to crawl under the vehical.
Dont know how I got so far off topic... I think I'll stop now.
I do not think this is true. The fluid in my master cylinder stays pretty clear. However, when I bleed my calipers the fluid comes out dark brown. I do not think the fluid in the calipers ever makes it back up to the master cylinder resevoir.
On a side note, that fluid in the master cylinder would be more likely to have absorbed water than the fluid in the caliper. Therefore it is probably a good idea to change out that fluid in the master cylinder anyway.
A gravity bleed works well if you have the time to wait. I use a vacuum gun with a collection jar and a small hose to suck out the resevoir before proceeding with the bleed.
I recently ordered one of these power bleeder kits to help speed the job along since I have a whole fleet to look after.
Simply changing the fluid in the resevoir is not enough. Condensation and sediment settle to the lowest point in the system(the calipers/brake cylinders) so you need to flush fresh fluid through them as well.
I recently ordered one of these power bleeder kits to help speed the job along since I have a whole fleet to look after.
Simply changing the fluid in the resevoir is not enough. Condensation and sediment settle to the lowest point in the system(the calipers/brake cylinders) so you need to flush fresh fluid through them as well.
- Joined
- Jun 2, 2003
- Messages
- 23,591
Exactly. The fluid in the master cylinder may look clean even when old. When I crack the bleeder valve, the fluid that comes out for the first 4 seconds or so is considerably darker with small cloudy fluffies (for lack of a better term) in it. The fluid that follows is generally clear. That's why I prefer a pressure bleeder: I put in a quart or two of fresh brake fluid, and by the time I've bleed each caliper thoroghly, the system has been flushed.
Yes, the fluid in the resevoir might be in the best shape of all your brake fluid. The worst stuff is probably the closest to the rotor ... absorbing all that heat and turning black.
Last time I did my '95 Honda Civic, I used Bogatyr's hand pump and I kept topping off the master cylinder as the fluid level dropped.
I plan on doing my Sentra SpecV this fall when the factory fluid will be 2.5 years old and have about 35,000 miles on it. Using Castrol LMA.
--- Bror Jace
Last time I did my '95 Honda Civic, I used Bogatyr's hand pump and I kept topping off the master cylinder as the fluid level dropped.
I plan on doing my Sentra SpecV this fall when the factory fluid will be 2.5 years old and have about 35,000 miles on it. Using Castrol LMA.
--- Bror Jace
Break fluid absorbs water from any where it can, that can cause rust inside your breaking system over time.
That water will also lower the boiling point of the break fluid.
The worst nasty fluid is in the break pistons. I have rebuild more then a few break pistons and master cyl. over the years.
That water will also lower the boiling point of the break fluid.
The worst nasty fluid is in the break pistons. I have rebuild more then a few break pistons and master cyl. over the years.
I'm embarrassed to admit I never flushed the fluid in my 1996 Ford Contour for 9 years. It still had the original factory brake fluid in it. Every time I asked the Ford dealer to do it he said it was a waste of time, it's a "lifetime" fluid
. They were probably hoping for a much larger repair bill due to not changing the brake fluid. The stuff in the MC was fine looking. The fluid that first came out at the rear brake drum cylinders was really black and bad looking. The fluid from the front disc calipers was not as bad looking but still nasty. We did a 2 person bleed job and it went easy and totally flushed out the "nasty" stuff. Now I'll do a brake flush every 2 years
. I'm lucky the car does not have abs. My 2002 F-150 has 4 wheel abs so I let the dealer do it.
Whimsey
Whimsey
I swear, if I ever see brakes or brake fluid referred to as "breaks" or "break fluid" again I am going to "brake" something.
Lots of good info on this thread. I am looking into a Phoenix Maxpro Brake & Clutch Bleeder.
Lots of good info on this thread. I am looking into a Phoenix Maxpro Brake & Clutch Bleeder.
- Status
