Turkey Baster Brake Fluid Change

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Originally Posted By: DaHen
Use to do this technique often on the old Intrepid. However, am unable to get the turkey baster down into the brake fluid reservoir on the '06 Altima.
Seems that their is a baffle of some sort that is blocking me from getting down into the fluid.

Does anyone know how to get around this obstacle or get it out of the way?????


Some cars have filter in the reservoir. They will usually lift out for cleaning. Looks like a cup with a mesh bottom and sides.
 
wrcsixeight said:
I do not see how replacing just the fluid in the reservoir can do anything for the fluid a dozen feet away over a thin brake line, unless you are just about to bleed the system.]

I bet if you read up this subject so correctly mentioned earlier, you will understand:

Molecular Diffusion

I am not advocating the turkey baster as the best method. It works for its intended purpose. There is no substitute for a complete fluid bleed, flush, and fill.
 
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Originally Posted By: user52165

Some cars have filter in the reservoir. They will usually lift out for cleaning. Looks like a cup with a mesh bottom and sides.


Thanks user,
I'll try to get in there with a spring hook and see ifin I can pull it out.
 
Originally Posted By: TooManyWheels
Originally Posted By: OilProfessor
The Professor recommends to "turkey baster" out the master cylinder resevoir, do a full bleed, and keep the resevoir topped off with fresh fluid. The Professor also recommends, to "turkey baster" the resevoir at every other, or every third OCI.


Does the professor always speak in the third person? If so, he should stop...


The forum members request that the Professor not write in third person in his posts!
 
Originally Posted By: Shannow
Yeah, but molecular diffusion will mean that over some time, all of the fluid will end up the same, so the stuff in the reservoir will pull moisture out of the lines, and new fluid will end up in the lines to equalise the nastiness.


Over how many years?
 
The JOD thinks the turkey baster method is kind of a waste of time. The JOD did a fluid exchange through the reservoir on his V70 with a different colored fluid (blue) in an attempt to answer this question several years ago. When JOD bled the brake a year later, it appeared that the fluid hadn't really mixed that much, particularly for the first few pumps from the caliper.

The JOD believes in the principle of diffusion and all, but thinks in the real world it's more applicable to a system with rapidly traveling, re-circulating fluid and bigger lines, like power steering. The effect The JOD noticed doing this on brakes was very, very small (the amber fluid at the caliper briefly turned to "mixed", then all blue).

The JOD doesn't really like this, since it gives the appearances of the fluid being changed, and maybe leads to a bit of a "false sense of security", and now really questions if it's "better than nothing". To each his own, but The JOD will continue doing full flushes every 2-3 years and calling it a day.
 
Hey rslifkin, yeah I'd try doing it after the trip.

I cracked the bleeders on my buddies '95 rustbelt ZJ last year (original fluid) and expected to break at least one but they all backed off fairly easy with the right box wrench and some Blaster soaking. Not sure how your niner is but his calipers had rubber boots protecting the bleeders same story with my '94. They disintegrated when we got them off but they evidently were still doing their job.

There was particulate in the gunk that came out. No way that stuff would have diffused. I'm surprised the calipers are still functioning.
 
Originally Posted By: user52165

Some cars have filter in the reservoir. They will usually lift out for cleaning. Looks like a cup with a mesh bottom and sides.


Upon closer observation, the filler neck is off-set to one side over the fluid reservoir. So the tube on the turkey baster has to take a sharp turn to the right then turn downward towards all the fluid.

If I was talented enough, could drill a hole in the top of the plastic directly over the fluid. Then install a cap over the new hole. But with my luck, something would go wrong.......

Thanks again for your help....
 
DaHen,

The reservoir on my Lexus GS430 is similar. Instead of a turkey baster, I used the same suction pump I use for drawing oil samples for analysis, and a new, clean section of tubing (about 1/4"). This worked well and I was able to siphon all the fluid out of the reservoir.
 
4x4chevydude requests that the proffesor leaves the forum, he annoys 4x4chevydude.

I use the turkey baster and bleed method I also clean the resovouir while its empty, always works well for me.
 
Originally Posted By: JOD
The JOD thinks the turkey baster method is kind of a waste of time. The JOD did a fluid exchange through the reservoir on his V70 with a different colored fluid (blue) in an attempt to answer this question several years ago. When JOD bled the brake a year later, it appeared that the fluid hadn't really mixed that much, particularly for the first few pumps from the caliper.

The JOD believes in the principle of diffusion and all, but thinks in the real world it's more applicable to a system with rapidly traveling, re-circulating fluid and bigger lines, like power steering. The effect The JOD noticed doing this on brakes was very, very small (the amber fluid at the caliper briefly turned to "mixed", then all blue).


The JOD doesn't really like this, since it gives the appearances of the fluid being changed, and maybe leads to a bit of a "false sense of security", and now really questions if it's "better than nothing". To each his own, but The JOD will continue doing full flushes every 2-3 years and calling it a day.


The demar agrees.
 
Trav says. Don't sweat breaking a bleeder screw, it wont let air in so you wont be in a worse situation.
Just spray the screw overnight with PB. Kroil, Liquid Wrench etc then use a deep socket slightly larger than the bleeder.
Tap the socket with a small hammer 25-50 short quick blows to loosen any rust and work the PB down the threads, you want to hit the caliper right near the threads not the bleeder.

Take a small wrench while keeping slight pressure on it tap it with a small hammer repeatedly instead of exerting brute force on the bleeder.

Trav uses an air tool designed for this job but its the same principal and it works.
Trav recently removed some 17 yr old Toyota bleeders that have never been touched as far as i can tell or its been a very long time here in the rust belt.

This is the air hammer tool.

http://www.tooltopia.com/vacutec-12-080-1000.aspx
 
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Oh yes... a turkey baster flush of the brake fluid can certainly mix and benefit the system. Thee is a lot of movement to mix eventually.
It has even fixed problems in my empirical experiences.
 
Originally Posted By: btanchors
DaHen,

The reservoir on my Lexus GS430 is similar. Instead of a turkey baster, I used the same suction pump I use for drawing oil samples for analysis, and a new, clean section of tubing (about 1/4"). This worked well and I was able to siphon all the fluid out of the reservoir.


Thanks for the suggestion.

I got some quarter inch tubing which is not stiff. (Tubing that is used on oxygen tanks). See if I can attach that onto a pump of some sort. Perhaps a pump off of a hair spray bottle.

I'll dig this stuff up and give it a try as soon as it stops raining up here in the Northeast.

Or just siphon the fluid out with this long tubing. What the heck, I've been know to make a mess or two. lol.
 
[censored], That tubing was to stiff. Was able to feed it over into the reservoir but wouldn't dip down into the fluid.
Will have to try something else.
 
Alright. Once I get the 2 long highway runs in the next couple weeks out of the way, I'll see what happens if I try to loosen up the bleeder screws. In the meantime, I'll definitely hit them with some PB.
 
Originally Posted By: user52165
Yup, it works. Not as good as complete bleed and flush, but good.........much better than nothing. Kudos for your efforts.

Might do again for the PS reservoir......... with a cleaned out or another baster. Better buy a new one for your Thanksgiving dinner (LOL).

BTW - bleed screws need little more than finger tight. Maybe 5 - 7 ft/lbs. A flare (line) wrench is best.
X2 to everything this guy just said.
 
Originally Posted By: OilProfessor
The Professor recommends to "turkey baster" out the master cylinder resevoir, do a full bleed, and keep the resevoir topped off with fresh fluid. The Professor also recommends, to "turkey baster" the resevoir at every other, or every third OCI.


MVA agrees with the Professor's recommendations. MVA does the turkey baster plus a full gravity bleed every 3 to 4 years.

To be really through, on a vehicle with old brake fluid, after the first bleed, MVA would go out on a wet or gravel road and activate the antilock brakes. And then he would bleed the brakes again.

smile.gif
 
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